Recently I received a request for help in tracing a family from Irene Keller, Route 2, Box 140A, Minatare, Nebraska 69356. Mrs. Keller also stated that if anyone would help her search local records, she would be happy to pay for that help. I will quote part of her letter in hopes that someone reading this may be of assistance to her:

"As everyone else who is trying to trace their roots, I am having a most difficult time of it on account of courthouse fires in Ballard, Graves, and Perry County, Tennessee. Records for my Bunch ancestors are almost nonexistent. "We have some tax records of Joseph Bunch, 1847-1852, McCracken County, Kentucky. He was a practicing physician in what was then the Lovelaceville area, changed to Ballard in 1852. There he paid taxes on 160 acres of land on Mayfield Creek, and three town lots, horses, jennies and cows.

"Children born to Joseph Edward Bunch and Mary Pugh Bunch were Frances, 1849-1850; Josephine, 1852; and Margarett, 1854. I haven't been able to get a record of their birth. Maybe Dr. Bunch delivered them himself.

Children born before their move to Kentucky were John Henry, born 1836, possibly in McMinn County, Tennessee; Martha Fanny, born 1838 in Tennessee; Mary E., born 1840 in Tennessee; Nancy, born 1842 in Tennessee; Sarah, born 1844 in Tennessee; and Samuel T., born 1846-7 in Tennessee.

"The only one we know about is our John, and we can't get records for him. My grandmother tried to get in touch with some of the Bunches and Scotts in her later life. Her father, John Henry Bunch was ambushed, robbed and murdered in 1869, after selling property in Arkansas. My grandmother was born just after his murder.

"It happened close enough to Lovelaceville that John's mother-inlaw, Ruthie Ransom Scott took the farm wagon and went after his body and brought it to burial. I believe there may be an account of his death in an old newspaper of that time and area. "We do not have very many records of John Bunch's life, as their marriage in Ballard County in 1860 we have never been able to get. It is possible they were married in McCracken County, but no help from there.

"My grandmother's maternal grandparents, James Scott and his second wife, Ruthie Ramson reared her until she was 10-11 years old. Her mother remarried Jim Morgan, a Baptist minister, and they lived in Paducah and Bardwell until 1880, when they moved to Cohn County, Texas and took the children with them.

"My grandmother can only remember seeing her Bunch grandfather one time, which also indicates that he had moved from Ballard County. She and her brother George were in the 1870 census in her grandfather Scatt's home. George died at 16 years. "The only other survivor of the John H. Bunch family was the oldest, Mary Louella, reared by Joseph and Mary Bunch until 1880, when their mother took them to Texas (Joseph died about 1880). Information is scarce on the others. Mary E. evidently married a Ready, with a son Joseph Ready, born 1859. There is a marriage record for Nancy and N.C. McLeon in 1857, however Nancy was in Joseph's household in 1860, still Nancy Bunch.

"Martha married a Dr. Coleman and they were living in Calloway County in 1880. Mary, Joseph's wife was living with them. Maybe there will be some records of them in Calloway County? Then Samuel T., married Catherine?; we find a marriage record for Samuel and Kate Ross in 1874 in McCracken County.

"My thinking is that Joseph moved to Graves or Calloway County where we lost him in 1863. He may have practiced with Dr. Coleman there. One of the witnesses at Samuel's wedding in S.S. Ross's home was Brede Thompson, John Ross, and Yell Coleman; he was married by Will Ward."

If anyone can help Mrs. Keller with her search, I know it will be appreciated.

Return to the Index of Judy Maupin's Genealogical ancedotes, stories and family notes.