In 2003, the Bunker Family Association started a Bunker DNA surname project. Our purpose is to identify the different branches of the Bunkers that live in various parts of the world. Much to our surprise, we discovered that the English Bunkers are not all related as we have always suspected. In fact, the Bedfordshire and Devonshire Bunkers are not even remotely related.
The Y chromosome is passed down intact from father to son for generations. Over the centuries it occasionally mutates. These mutations come about on the average of every 300-500 years but all of them occur from one generation to the next. Whenever a mutation occurs, the son’s Y-DNA, will differ from the father’s Y-DNA. Usually, the difference shows up on only one marker and is usually only one allele different from the father’s.
Scientists testing DNA for genealogical purposes study a short strand of the Y chromosome where mutations occur more often than on some other strands. After all, if there were never any mutations we would not be able to distinguish the DNA of Adam from my brother’s. There is no way that these results can be used to identify any one test participant as thousands of men descend from the same man. The BFA database lists about 4,000 men that descend from James Bunker of Dover, NH. This is not sufficiently accurate to be used in a court of law. All the Y-DNA tests will tell us is if two men share a common ancestor in the past. The test also cannot tell you if you are a Bunker. You are a Bunker if that is the name you use. It can tell you if there are any other male Bunkers out there that share a common ancestor. This test cannot be used for women, as they do not have a Y chromosome. Much more complicated tests are needed to determine specific identity for paternity, maternity, criminal identification or the identification of a dead person. That is not what the Y-DNA test is designed to test.
We have had several men tested. In order to determine whether they share a common ancestor they need to match either 12 markers exactly with another man or they need to match at least 11 markers exactly. Ordinarily, if two men do not have the same number of alleles at 11 markers, we would not consider them related. However, there are a few exceptions and our Devon Bunkers are one.
Three men match each other exactly. Their common ancestor is known from the BFA database to be Oliver Bunker, 1535-1616, Tingrith, Bedfordshire, England.
There are five men who trace their ancestry from Devon, England. There are two who trace their ancestry to Richard Bunker, 1791-1833, and are a perfect match. But they are one mutation away from the Dover, NH descendant. The Rattery man is also one mutation away from the Dover man. Rattery and Modbury are two mutations apart and we would not consider them related if it were not for Dover. One Dover does not match the other Dover, NH descendants. According to the BFA database they are both descended from sons of Clement Bunker and Rebecca Drew. According to the DNA one of them cannot be a descendant of Clement Bunker. We are looking for descendants of Jacob Bunker, the younger son of Clement, to test further to find the hidden adoption. It might have been Jacob or any of his descendants.
We have one Nantucket man, one Charlestown man and one German American. They do not match any of the others. We need more descendants to test to make any kind of conclusions about these three men. The only conclusion we can make is that this particular German American Bunker does not share a common ancestor with either the Bedfordshire or Devon English Bunkers.
Another interesting thing we have learned from the tests is that the Devon Bunkers are descended from the first wave of men to settle along the shores of Western Europe. The Tingrith, Bedfordshire Bunkers come from the second immigration and this bunch has a high number of Viking ancestors. It is possible that the Beds Bunkers came from Normandy as Normandy was conquered and settled by the Vikings. The Normans came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. Amongst the early English records is a Bon Coeur who may have been Norman and may have been related to the Bedfordshire Bunkers.
Bette Richards notes in her 2004 update on the project that we have several variations among the descendents of James Bunker of Dover, NH. All of these families originated in Devon and share a common ancestor, but it is unlikely we will find a connection between them in Devon due to the lose of records in the English civil wars. It is also unlikely we will ever find a clear record of the parents of James for the same reason.
To find out more about the testing company, visit its web site. We continue to look for more participants. To participate you must be male and born with the name Bunker. The cost is $99. To obtain the test kit use this link to join the project and purchase your DNA test. For more information contact Bette Bunker Richards, Historian, Bunker Family Association. You can send an e-mail to Bette or telephone her at (520) 940-7225.