Since we all have so many seafaring ancestors, we decided to go sailing in 2010.  We will set sail on the cutter “Californian”, a replica of an 1847 revenue cutter that sailed the coast of California during the gold rush.  www.sdmaritime.org

June 16, 2010 to June 21, 2010, our pirate’s headquarters will be at San Diego Bayside Holiday Inn www.holinnbayside.com, phone 800-662-8899. Rooms for up to 4 adults will be $129 plus those dreaded taxes.  The hotel has a nine hole punting green, billiards, spa, pool, table tennis, exercise room, free parking and free airport shuttle.  The Point Loma and Bayside Bar are on site.  Across the street is the Point Loma Wharf with hundreds of boats, a place to rent a boat for deep sea fishing, seafood restaurant and more.

Friday, we are tentatively planning a dinner in memory of Edward Bunker, the founder of our Mormon branch of Bunkers.

Saturday, we will visit the Maritme Museum www.sdmaritime.org where the schooner “Star of India”, steamboat “Berkeley”, B-39 Russian submarine and more are docked.  In the afternoon, we will take a 4 hour sail on the “Californian” or you can take a trip around the bay on the “Pilot”.  This will be followed with a pirate’s barbeque where we will distribute our loot.  And we may have some “short” pirates who make us walk the plank or other pirate activities.

Get your pirate costumes, cutlasses and other gear together and start planning now for our Bunker pirates invasion of San Diego in 2010.

The e-mail directory (in PDF format) has been updated to reflect new members added as of July 14.

Follow the link at the top of the page to access the new directory.

Bette Bunker Richards sent me a few photos from the Bunker Family Association’s reunion last weekend. Apparently everyone had a great time, and we’re sorry we had prior obligations that prevent us from going. More photos will be published as they are obtained.  Photos are visible in this album:

http://greencity.phanfare.com/4146721

Earlier this week, our genealogist Bette Bunker Richards wrote a note that prompted an addition to our web site. Bette said:

Of late, I have a lot of trouble finding people who have died.  Many dying now had parents born after 1930 and that makes it really hard from the obits to connect them.  In 2010 the 1940 census will come out and that will help a bit.

I have an idea … Could we put a copy of the Family Group sheet (both sides) on the web site so people could link to it?  Along with it we could put a statement about updating the records and put in my address so that they could mail or email it to me.  It just might get us some updated information.

So we did just that.   The form has been updated with Bette’s address, and is available via download. The file is

Bunker_family_data_sheet.pdf

If you can, take a few minutes and update the information on your family or your various Bunker relatives, and send along to Bette so we can update the Bunker Family Association files.

Nantucket Land and Landowners by Henry Barnard is online at http://books.google.com/books?id=424aAAAAYAAJ.

Bette Richards notes that the book contains many references to Bunkers.

BFA Genealogist Bette Richards has updated information on James Bunker (D-1), George Bunker of Charlestown (C-1) and George Bunker of Nantucket (N-1).  These updates include the information on each contained on the Devon and Bedfordshire CDs.  Here are the links:

James Bunker [PDF]

George Bunker of Charlestown [PDF]

George Bunker of Nantucket [PDF]

Please visit the DNA project page, which has been updated to reflect findings of the project to date.  The Bunker Family Association continues to seek individuals willing to participate in the testing to expand our findings on the various branches of the Bunker family.

Noted genealogist Dick Eastman, who edits Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, recently published a note on a new book to help genealogists use modern search engines–not just Google–to perform family history research.  Based Dick’s review, the BFA website administrator–that’s me–purchased a copy that arrived yesterday, and I’m half-way through it already.  Google Your Family Tree (FamilyLink.com, Inc., paper, $34.95) is an excellent way to harness technology in family history research.  Author Daniel Lynch is not only a genealogist, he’s a practicing Internet entrepreneur.  If I had to write a one-sentence review of this 350-page paperback, I’d simply said “It’s about results.”

Lynch shows readers how to use basic and advanced search features to focus their searches and filter results.  But that’s not all, he shows you how to use Google Images and Google Video to find visual images to illustrate family histories, how to use Google Maps and Google Earth to explore family history locations current and pasts, and how to use Google Books and Google News Archives to conduct research. Google Language Tools will help translate foreign content.  The book contains visual aids to show you how to use these tools, not just describe them.  There are even descriptions of top free genealogy sites and how to use them, as well as a basic guide to starting a family history.

Lynch describes other search engines, and notes which ones are likely to be most helpful to family history researchers as well.    In my opinion, if  you want to seriously improve your research using the internet, this would be an excellent addition to your library.

Bunker Family Association genealogist Bette Bunker Richards has completed the second CD describing Bunker families who originated in Bedfordshire, England.  My contribution was to produce the Bedford CDs, which are now available.

The CD contains information on the descendents of Roger Bunker of Tringrith, Bedfordshire, England, which includes George Bunker of Charlestown and George Bunker of Nantucket, and those connected through DNA testing to this family.  The group includes Thomas Bunker and Clarissa Chamberlin,  Samuel Bunker and Almira Goodwin, and Joseph Bunker, b. about 1797 in St. Albans, UK, and Mary ???

Also included on the CD are parish records (except Devonshire) copied to date, military service information from all Bunker families (compiled by BFA President Gil Bunker), histories and photos of ships named Bunker Hill, and numerous other images and photographs.

Documents on the CD are in Adobe PDF format.  A free version of a PDF reader may be installed from the disc if the user doesn’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader or equivalent.

The CD may be ordered from Bette Richards by sending a check or money order for $22.50 (includes postage) to her at 1655 W. Ajo Drive, Unit 399, Tucson, AZ 85713-6632.

Host Milt Butcher has passed along update information on plans for the Bunker Family Association’s reunion next summer in Omaha, Nebraska. The reunion will be held June 25-27, and the host hotel is the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, 101 South 10th St. , Omaha. BFA rates at $129 per night (up to 4 persons per room), and the deadline for reservations at this rate is May 29.  The hotel phone number is 402-346-2200.

Nearby attractions:

• One block from the Old Market area with 10 square blocks of shops and restaurants
• Henry Doorly Zoo rated 4th in the country (the San Diego–site of the BFA 2010 reunion–zoo is 5th)
• Joslyn Art Museum–at least a half day of art viewing
• Boy’s Town with its worldwide reputation for helping troubled youth
• Durham Western Heritage displays of western history
• Lauritzen Botanical Gardens, beautiful gardens as well as the world’s largest steam locomotive and diesel locomotive on display.