BFA Web Master Doug Detling is pleased to announce the birth of another granddaughter, Nora Kay
Detling, born August 22, 2008. She was a great birthday present for Doug’s youngest son, Shannon, who will share his birthdays from now on.

Mother Amanda is doing well, and of course older brother Daniel is excited to have a baby sister.

Like her brother, father and grandfather, Nora will also have the designation D15-II in the BFA numbering system.

Steve Bunker’s presentation at the Maine reunion dinner was so very interesting. Steve and Sharon run the China Sea Trading Co. shop in Portland, Maine (http://www.chinaseatrading.com) and have some very interesting things in it.

Some are made by Steve. He collects all kinds of “stuff” and looks for more all the time. If you are interested in Maine stuff, coastal or maritime stuff, Bette Richards recommends contacting Steve and Sharon. Steve will look for things that you are especially interested in and maybe he can even find some Bunker stuff. Steve is from the Cranberry Island Bunkers, descendants of James Bunker of Dover, New Hampshire.  The e-mail address is:  chinasea@chinaseatrading.com

What is the Bunker Family Association’s ID numbering system?

As a surname society, the BFA was organized to compile and preserve the Bunker lineage, back in 1913. Originally, membership was open only to descendants from the three main branches from Charlestown (Bunker Hill), Nantucket and Dover, New Hampshire. The bylaws were changed several times, the latest opens membership to all Bunker, or anyone related to a Bunker. Several members trace their connection back over 8-10 generations before they find an ancestor named “Bunker,” so just about everybody is eligible.

However, we still remain a surname society and our primary function is to record Bunkers. The numbering system set up ages ago, reflects this ideal. As there were three main Bunkers who came to the colonies in the mid-1600s, the organizers of the BFA assumed all Bunker were related to them, thus the first George of Nantucket became N1; the first George of Charlestown became C1 and James of Dover became D1. All the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc, were numbered in the order of their birth. All children received their father’s ID # plus their birth order number. Thus D1-III is the third child of D1. If and when a son married and had children he would receive a new number, different than his father’s. When a daughter married, she still carried her father’s # and her spousal information was added to the file. We did not record the children of these marriages, because we would then stop being a surname society. In certain instances female Bunkers were given separate #s, i.e. one married, had children, then divorced, and reverted back to her maiden name of Bunker, legally changing her and the children’s names. Adoptions and some intermarriages of cousins necessitated different #s for clarity. Today we have many Bunkers not directly descended from these main branches and these have U or unconnected #s.

If you receive a number and it is your great great-grandmother’s #, it is because she is your closet ancestor with the Bunker name. Example: your gr gr grandmother Bunker marries Smith. She would retain her father’s ID# plus her birth order #, thus if you are descended from Smith, your # is identical to your great great-grandmother.

A few years ago, our historian thought it would be nice to add the lineage of all the female Bunkers, however that task remains beyond the scope of a surname society function. We are collecting information on the female Bunkers, making footnotes of the files and storing the hardcopies for future researchers reference material.

This page was intended to solve the puzzle of the BFA numbering system. If you have questions, please contact the BFA President, Gil Bunker.

Our newest project (just completed) is a compact disc on Devon Bunkers. The Devon Bunkers CD includes information on the descendants of James Bunker of Dover, New Hampshire; William Bunker and Ann Forrester of New Castle, Delaware; Benjamin Bunker and Betsey Daniels of New London, New Hampshire; and Thomas Bunker and Alice Pertie of Rattery. The CD (now available) also includes Devon, England Parish Records, maps and nearly 100 pictures. In addition, we have added the records of military service for Bunkers from all the many branches of the family.

Labeled with a depiction of the Bunker Garrison and packaged in a slim jewel box, the CD is an electronic version of more than 1,300 written pages including indexes. The CD is $22.50, including shipping. Send check or money order to Bette Bunker Richards, 1655 W. Ajo #399, Tucson, AZ 85713. For more information, send email to: betterichs@earthlink.net. Please note that not all Devon descendants have been included, but those entered in the BFA data base to date. Bette Bunker Richards has spent the past five years updating the data base to include as much as possible about the descendants, especially about the descendants of female Bunkers. If there are additions that should be included, please provide those to Bette.