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Bunch/Davenport

January 4, 2016 by zillamutt 11 Comments

Trying to connect the “final” dots. Father: DeWitt Bunch, Oklahoma City 1928, Grandparents D or DEE (changed to DeWitt) Bunch 1894 AR and Cora Bell Davenport, 1906 Rogers (?) AR. D’s Father was John Washington Bunch 1854 Hattiesburg MS and Cora’s Father was Henry Sylvester Davenport (? no real info). John Washington Bunch’s mother(?) Matilda… some of this is questionable but believe that Matilda was removed from NC and escaped along the way but still ended up heading towards OK. Also told we have Saponi blood. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard any info, that’s why I’m not sure on the accuracy.

Comments

  1. jsmith says

    January 8, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    I can see why this query post has so many question marks. It’s a bit confusing. There appears to be some conflicting and unsourced trees that are confusing lineages, in particularly, there is confusion between a John William Bunch who married an Anna Riggs in Arkansas in 1887, and John Washington Bunch who married an Annie Johnson in MS (who subsequently moved into Arkansas).

    But, if you start with your father and work back methodically using the record trail, it looks like this: Dewitt Bunch b. 1928 OK, was the son of Dewitt Bunch b. 1894 MS, grandson of John Washington Bunch b. 1868, MS who married an Annie Johnson in Leflore County, MS in 1891 (there are also conflicting marriage years). I haven’t seen a record that confirms his parentage. Where does Matilda come from? The only document that gives some written clue, is the 1900 Census, which lists his parents places of birth as Alabama. But, by the 1910 enumeration the informant talking to the census taker didn’t know the place of birth of his parents (listed as UNK), so it is uncorroborated at this point.

    However, we can use a bit of historical context here. If John W. was born in 1868 in MS, that means he was born 28 years after the end of the Trail of Tears. The story of his mother “escaping” the removal seems rather unlikely. This family line only moved into Oklahoma sometime after 1910 and before 1917. They were not tribal members, and this was just a few years after Oklahoma land rush and allotment of tribal lands and opening to White settlement.. Dewitt, Dewitt Sr., John Washington, and his mother did not have Cherokee tribal affiliation, although the lineage still needs to be confirmed going back to the mid, to early-1800s.

    Dewitt Bunch
    BIRTH 28 JUN 1928 • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    DEATH 14 NOV 2012 •Georgetown, South Carolina, USA

    Parents:

    Dewitt Bunch
    BIRTH 16 SEP 1894 • Attala County, Mississippi, USA
    DEATH 28 MAR 1979 • Spiro, Le Flore, Oklahoma, USA
    http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=119912720
    Cora Bell Davenport
    BIRTH ABT. 1898 • *
    DEATH UNKNOWN • *

    Paternal Grandparents:

    John Washington Bunch
    BIRTH 4 AUG 1868 • Attala County, Mississippi, USA
    DEATH 5 JUL 1952 • Spiro, Leflore Co., Oklahoma
    http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=119912734&ref=acom

    Name: J. W. Bunch
    Spouse: Mrs. Annie Johnson
    Marriage Date: 19 Sep 1891
    County: Leflore, MS

    Can be found on the 1910 Census:

    Name: Dewitt Bunch
    Age in 1910: 15
    Birth Year: abt 1895
    Birthplace: Mississippi
    Home in 1910: Upper, Sebastian, Arkansas
    Race: White
    Gender: Male
    Relation to Head of House: Son
    Marital Status: Single
    Father’s name: John W Bunch
    Father’s Birthplace: Mississippi
    Mother’s name: Annie Bunch
    Mother’s Birthplace: Mississippi
    Native Tongue: English
    Occupation: Laborer
    Industry: Wagon Factory
    Employer, Employee or Other: Wage Earner
    Attended School: Yes
    Able to Read: Yes
    Able to Write: Yes
    Out of Work: N
    Number of Weeks Out of Work: 17

    Household Members:
    Name Age
    John W Bunch 40
    Annie Bunch 37
    Dewitt Bunch 15
    Bee Bunch 9
    Zee Bunch 7
    Effa Bunch 5
    Fred Bunch 0
    [6/12]

    1900 Census:

    De Wit Bunch
    Age: 6
    [5]
    Birth Date: Dec 1893
    [Sep 1894]
    Birthplace: Mississippi
    Home in 1900: Marion, Sebastian, Arkansas
    Race: White
    Gender: Male
    Relation to Head of House: Son
    Marital Status: Single
    Father’s name: John Bunch
    Father’s Birthplace: Mississippi
    Mother’s name: Anna Bunch
    Mother’s Birthplace: Mississippi

    Household Members:
    Name Age
    John Bunch 39
    [36]
    Anna Bunch 30
    Alice Bunch 11
    Elizabeth Bunch 7
    De Wit Bunch 6
    [5]
    Bee Bunch 1

    Bunch family info:
    http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.bunch/1138/mb.ashx

    1920 Census:

    Name: Dewitt Bunch
    Age: 25
    Birth Year: abt 1895
    Birthplace: Mississippi
    Home in 1920: Pocola, Le Flore, Oklahoma
    Race: White
    Gender: Male
    Relation to Head of House: Son
    Marital Status: Single
    Father’s Birthplace: Mississippi
    Mother’s name: Annie Bunch
    Mother’s Birthplace: Mississippi
    Able to Speak English: Yes
    Occupation: Laborer
    Industry: Wagon Factory
    Employment Field: Wage or Salary
    Home Owned or Rented: Own
    Home Free or Mortgaged: Mortgaged
    Able to Read: Yes
    Able to Write: Yes

    Household Members:
    Name Age
    Annie Bunch 50
    Dewitt Bunch 25
    Effie Bunch 16
    Fred Bunch 9

    1917 WWI Draft Card:
    Name: Dewitt Bunch
    County: Le Flore
    State: Oklahoma
    Birthplace: Mississippi
    Birth Date: 16 Sep 1894
    Race: Caucasian (White)
    Eyes: Blue

    Arkansas Marriage Certificate, 1923:

    Name: Dewitt Bunch
    Gender: Male
    Age: 28
    Birth Year: abt 1895
    Residence: Arkoma, Leflore, Oklahoma
    Spouse’s Name: Ethel Buchanan
    Spouse’s Gender: Female
    Spouse’s Age: 24
    Spouse’s Residence: Van Buren, Crawford, Arkansas
    Marriage Date: 26 Feb 1923
    Marriage License Date: 26 Feb 1923
    Marriage County: Sebastian
    Event Type: Marriage
    FHL Film Number: 2133588

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    • darlingdarlene says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:12 pm

      did you say looking for Davenport??

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      • zillamutt says

        January 28, 2016 at 6:46 pm

        yes, both should link back

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        • darlingdarlene says

          January 29, 2016 at 9:10 pm

          I have a Dee Davenport in my family tree

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          • darlingdarlene says

            January 30, 2016 at 1:11 am

            I have Lindsey Davenport.. as my great grandfather..I see you have a Dee Davenport..my greatgrandfaher has a brother Dee Davenport….

          • zillamutt says

            February 5, 2016 at 4:29 pm

            I have Dee Bunch married to Cora Bell Davenport as my grandparents… both claimed to be 1/4, but having trouble proving it.

          • zillamutt says

            February 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm

            My Great Grandfathers were John Washington Bunch and Henry Sylvester Davenport

        • darlingdarlene says

          January 30, 2016 at 7:32 pm

          how?

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          • darlingdarlene says

            February 5, 2016 at 10:51 pm

            get in touch with me…..darling_of_2015@yahoo.com

  2. nasheyBunch says

    June 3, 2018 at 10:10 pm

    Cora Bell Davenport Bunch Nye
    Is my great grandmother. I have had a DNA test via 23 & me … Said I have zero native American blood in me

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    • nasheyBunch says

      June 30, 2018 at 6:55 am

      I have since learned 23andme doesNOT show Native American blood bc native America Indian tribes did not participate in world DNA project.

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