Bunce Genealogy and History Supplement, Part 1 of 10

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Martin ADSIT, son of Elisha and Bathsheba (_____) ADSIT of Hillsdale, Columbia Co., New York, was born about 1802 based on his age of 48 in the 1850 census for Hornby, Steuben Co., New York. According to a descendant, Martin’s birthdate was 1 Jul 1802. His occupation was listed as farmer. At the time of the census two daughters of Martin and Nancy (BUNCE) ADSIT were living in their household: Sophia ADSIT, born ca. 1836 (age 14); and what looks like Anna or Annis ADSIT, born ca. 1846 (age 4), both born in New York. Martin Adsit died 10 Mar 1892. Sophia married Franklin CAREY of the Town of Dix, Schuyler Co., New York, on 31 May 1859, and Annis became the wife of Charles Wesley LEE of Hornby. The name of Martin ADSIT of Hornby, N.Y. appears on p. 12 as descendant No. 113A, as well as on p. 2 of the supplement with the names of his wife Nancy, and their children, Sophia, Annis and Oscar F., b. 25 Jan 1830 d. 28 Nov 1894, in the book, Descendants of John Adsit of Lyme, Connecticut by Newman Ward Adsit (1878-1949), 1900. The name of Oscar ADSIT also appears in a city directory of Corning, Steuben Co., N.Y. in 1891, as a wood and coal dealer.

According to a descendant, an obituary for Martin ADSIT appeared in The Corning Daily Journal, Monday, March 14, 1892, as follows:

“The death of Martin Adsit, was mentioned in the Daily Journal of Friday. He was born July 1, 1802, in Hillsdale, Massachusetts. He had been a resident of Hornby since 1834. His wife died in 1868, since which time he has mostly resided with his daughter, Mrs. Wesley Lee. He leaves one daughter, Mrs. Frank Carey of Hornby and one son Oscar F. Adsit of Corning. Mr. Adsit was an upright man and good citizen, and he had the respect and confidence of all. He was a farmer during his active life. For the last 5 years he had been suffering from paralysis, and for 2 years he was in a semi-conscious condition. He became a believer in the Second Advent theory 45 years ago and thus remained.”


In the 1850 census for Hornby, Steuben Co., New York, Nancy (BUNCE) ADSIT was aged 43 and her birthplace was recorded as Mass. On the date the census was taken, July 20, 1850, she would have been 44 years of age, but on the official date of the census, June 1, 1850, her age would still have been 43, according to the BUNCE family Bible record.

Schedule I.—Free Inhabitants in  the Town of Hornby  in the County of  Steuben  State of  New York  enumerated by me, on the  20th  day of  July,  1850,  W. Baukary (?) , Ass't. Marshal
Dwelling-
house
Families numbered in order of visitationThe Name of Every Person in house on the 1st day of June, 1850Description.Profession, Occupation or Trade of each Male Person over age 15Value of Real Estate OwnedPlace of Birth
Naming the State, Territory
or Country.
A
g
e.
S
e
x
Color—
white,
black,
brown
or
mulatto
175176Martin Adsit48M
Farmer
N.Y.


Nancy Adsit43F


Mass.


Sophia Adsit14F


N.Y.


Annis Adsit4F


N.Y.

Additionally, in an email from George Rogers of 10-Jun-2001, who maintained a website on the Town of Hornby, Steuben Co., NY, wrote:

“Martin Adsit born 1802 first appeared in the Hornby 1840 Census as Martin Adset with his wife and two children living with him.”

1 Male 10 & under 15 (Born 1826-1830) ?
1 Male 30 & under 40 (Born 1801-1810) Martin
1 Female under 5 (Born 1836-1840) Sophia
1 Female 30 & under 40 (Born 1801-1810) Nancy

“Oscar Adsit born 1830 first appeared in the 1850 Hornby Census, family 170, with his seventeen year old wife Nancy and a three month old daughter, so it is likely he had not been married long. Martin was nearby, family 176, with only one daughter born before 1840. In the 1860 Census Martin and Oscar were families 229 and 230.

“The proximity of the families in the 1850 and 1860 Census, the missing male of Oscar’s age who appeared in the 1840 but not the 1850 Census and the lack of other Adsits in the area leads one to conclude that Oscar was Martin’s son.

“Both Martin and Oscar were missing from the 1870 Hornby Census. It is possible Martin and Nancy moved to Yates County. In 1880 the widowed Martin was back in Hornby living with his daughter Annice who had married Charles Wesley Lee in 1871. The Lees were still in Hornby in 1910 and 1920.”


According to Joanne (ANDERSEN) WELLS, her father's full name was Edmund Gill ANDERSEN, who d. 14 Oct 1923 in Oregon, and her mother was Neva HOFFLICH, born 30 Jul 1894, one of two daughters of George Adam and Elva Anna (MILLHOLLEN) HOFFLICH.


Amanda WALLING, daughter of Jacob and Leah (KRESS) WALLING, married Jonas BAKER as his second wife and resided in Nunda, Livingston Co., New York. They had one child, a daughter named Katie, who was born in 1864. The 1870 census p. 20, lines 8-13 for Nunda, Livingston Co., New York reveals that Amanda's mother, Leah (KRESS) WALLING, age 70, and Amanda’s sister, Sarah WALLING, age 50, occupation, dressmaker, were also members of the household. There is a probate record for Jonas BAKER in the county records.


The name of “Elvina COLE” is wrong. The correct name for this daughter of Leonard COLE was Elvira Lawrence COLE. Accord­ing to the Leominster City Clerk’s Office her birthdate was 5 May 1849. Also her name appeared in the household of her father, Leonard COLE, at the time of the 1850 census at age 1. Her name appears as “Elvira BELL” on the probate record for her father, Leonard COLE, in August, 1885, so she had married prior to 1885 and was a resident of Leominster at the time of her father's death.

A record for Alvira F. Bell, b. 1850, was found on the 1880 census for Leominster, Worcester Co., Mass. It seems likely that this is the household of Elvira Lawrence (COLE) BELL, dau. of Leonard and Mary (HARRIS) COLE. This record was from the FamilySearch website. This record was the only one displayed, when using "Elvira Bell, b. 1849, plus or minus 2 years, in Mass." as the search terms. No children were recorded in the household. Interestingly, Herbert Bell's occupation was teamster, the same as that of Leonard Cole, so he may have become acquainted with the Cole family in connection with his business.

Extract: 1880 United States Census
Census Place: Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts
Source: FHL Film 1254565; National Archives Film T9-0565; Page 480C

HouseholdRela-
tionship
S
e
x
Marital
Status
R
a
c
e
A
g
e
Place
of Birth
OccupationFather’s
Birthplace
Mother’s
Birthplace
Herbert BELLSelfMMW28ENGLTeamsterENGLENGL
Alvira F. BELLWifeFMW30Mass.House
Keeping
Mass.Mass.

SOURCE: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1880 United States Census
Copyright ©2000, 2002 FamilySearch (TM) Internet Genealogy Service


Lewis BENNETT was born 12 Mar 1812 and died 12 Sep 1897 at Bradford, N.Y. The 1855 New York state census shows Lewis, age 43, was born in Onondaga County, probably at Fabius, where a record of the family of Ephraim BENNETT appeared on the 1810 U.S. census. This census also showed Thankful BENNETT, age 45, born in Massachusetts, as well as a daughter Florence E., age 3. Lewis was one of 10 children of Ephraim BENNETT, a veteran and pensioner of the War of 1812, and Jemima (WEBSTER) BENNETT. Sources: Letter from Bradford, New York Town Historian, the book, The History and Genealogy of the Governor John Webster Family of Connecticut, and a letter dated 30 Jul 1978 from Wm. K. Storie, another BENNETT researcher. Ephraim BENNETT was born in Orange Co., N.Y. and was age 69 as recorded in the 1855 New York state census, then residing with his son, Ephraim BENNETT, Jr. Jemima (Webster) BENNETT is buried in the South Bradford Cemetery with the dates of 1790-1854 on her gravestone. Lewis and Thankful BUNCE may have had a son named Albert BENNETT, since in 1924 Samuel F. KRESS left a portion of his estate to a cousin "Albert BENNETT of Painted Post, N.Y."; however, Albert may have been a cousin on the KRESS side of the family, also. They were also the parents of a daughter, Rosetta, b. 5 Feb 1849, but her name did not appear on the 1855 New York state census, so probably she died young.

A sister of Lewis BENNETT was Polly Ann BENNETT b. 9 Mar 1828 in Barrington, Yates Co., New York, who married Henry WIXON. Lewis also had a brother Ephraim BENNETT, d. 2 Feb 1907, age 83y 2m 10d, who may have been the same Ephraim BENNETT who served as Supervisor of the Town of South Bradford in the late 1800’s. Records on Lewis BENNETT in Clayton’s History of Steuben County, New York include that he served as Collector of Taxes 1853-54 and was Supervisor of Bradford for the years 1857, 1867 and 1871, and was trustee of the Baptist church (pp. 194-95, 197). Also a man named Lewis BENNETT served in the Civil War from the town of Wayland (p. 425).


Thankful (BUNCE) BENNETT is interred in the South Bradford Cemetery with the dates of 1810-1880 on her gravestone, which agree with the old BUNCE family Bible dates on her. Sources: Steuben County Cemetery Index and letter from South Bradford, New York town historian.


Grace Elnora (COLE) RYAN BIRINGER passed away at Fort Myers, Lee Co., Florida on 7 Aug 1979. Her husband, Harry BIRINGER, also died there in December, 1980, at the age of 66.

The following records are in the Social Security Death Index:

Harry Biringer
Birthdate: 23 Jun 1914
Death date: Dec 1980
Social Security No.: 154-03-4160
Last known location: Florida
Zip code of last residence: 33909
Zip code of last payment: 33907

Grace Biringer
Birthdate: 24 Jan 1915
Death date: Aug. 1979
Social Security No.: 058-22-9686
Last known location: Florida
Zip code of last residence: 33909
Zip code of last payment: 33908

A copy of Form SS-5 Application for Social Security Number, dated Nov. 18, 1943, was obtained for Grace BIRINGER. She then recorded that her full name was “Grace Eleanor (COLE) RYAN,” that she was unemployed and residing at 4624 Ave. L, Brooklyn, N.Y. Her parents’ names were given as “Charles C. Cole” and “Veronica Monsees.” Her date of birth was given as Jan. 24, 1915, birthplace: “NYC, NY.”


Chauncey BOYCE’s name appeared on the 1850 census for Barrington, Yates Co., New York, age 45, a farmer with real estate worth $15,640, birthplace: New York, in the 208th family enumerated on the census. The spelling of his surname in the census was “Boyes.” According to S. C. Cleveland’s History and Directory of Yates County, New York, p. 159, he died in 1850, leaving a widow and five children, two of whom were said to have been unmarried at the time of his death. He was said to be the son of John BOYCE of Hillsdale, Columbia Co., New York, and Beulah (TUTTLE) BASSETT BOYCE of Connecticut. At the time of his death he was serving as Supervisor of the township of Barrington, not Starkey, Yates Co., New York. The names given for Chauncey BOYCE’s children in Cleveland’s history of Yates Co. New York were all confirmed by the census record of 1850, with the exception of the eldest daughter, Maria, whose name did not appear on that record. The US GenWeb site for Yates Co., New York says there’s a probate record for Chauncey Boyce’s estate.


Abstract No. 2302 of the book, Genealogical Gleanings Abstracted From the “Yates County Whig” 1823-1855 by Dianne Stenzel, © 1991, published by Heritage Publishing, Inc., states that “Edmund BOYCE of Barrington, Yates Co., and Susan BASKIN of Milo, Yates Co., were married 2 Jan 1854 in Milo.” Edmund BOYCE spent his life in Yates County, and died there, was buried beside his wife Susan A. BASKIN, in the Hillside Cemetery at Dundee, New York, where the dates on his gravestone are “Dec. 21, 1832 - Jan. 10, 1901.” The dates on the stone for his wife, Susan A. (BASKIN) BOYCE are “May 23, 1837 - Sept. 6, 1907.” Also buried near them are Frankie E. “1855 - ”; Fred. L. David 1864-1940 and Helen C. David 1862-19__. Helen C. David was a daughter of Edmund and Susan BOYCE, because according to an obituary for Mrs. Susan BOYCE found at the Yates County Historical Society she died Sept. 9, 1907 and was survived by Mrs. Helen David and Miss Franc. The name of Edmund BOYCE (age 26) appears on the 1855 New York State census (9th family enumerated in the census) in Barrington, Yates County, New York, where it says he was a landowner and farmer and resided in a dwelling constructed of logs, worth about $50; his birthplace was given as Yates Co. Susan A. BOYCE was recorded as age 18, wife, born in Yates County. One daughter appeared on this record, Elizabeth, age 4 months, but apparently she died young, since there was no record of her in S.C. Cleveland’s History and Directory of Yates County, New York, published in 1873.


John BOYCE did not remain in Iowa, as was stated in Cleveland’s history of Yates County, but returned to Yates County at some point in time, since he died there and is buried in the Hillside Cemetery in Dundee, New York beside his wife, Lucretia. Their gravestone gives his dates of birth and death as “Aug. 2, 1829 - July 27, 1889.” The dates given for “Lucretia, his wife” are “June 27, 1821 - Jan. 3, 1904.” Also buried with them are two others, Mary J. BOYCE, Nov. 1862 - June, 1864, and another stone with just initials on it, no dates. The family of John BOYCE also appears on the 1855 New York state census (26th family) where it shows he was a farmer and landowner, age 25, residing in a frame dwelling worth about $600. Also residing with him was his mother, Betsey TAYLOR, age 46, birthplace, Mass., and she had lived in Yates Co. for a total of 26 years. His wife Lucretia was 32 years old, birthplace Yates Co., and she had resided in Yates County all of her life.


The name of Margenia BOYCE appears on the 1855 New York State census in the home of her older sister, Maria (BOYCE) HEALD. Her age at that time was 7; her birthplace was given as Yates County. She married a man named Delazon COOK, and had five children of whom only 4 were still living at the time of the 1910 New York Census:  Edwin D., b.ca. 1871; Mabel, b.Nov., 1873; Creon Jesse, b. 31 May 1876; Lewis B., b. Nov., 1884; and Louis, b. 1886. The names of Creon J. and Lewis B. Cook appear in the obituary of their aunt, Melissa BOYCE.


The 1860 census for Barrington, Yates Co., New York, p. 6, dwelling 40, family 40, shows that Melissa Boyce was aged 20, and resided with her mother, Betsey (Bunce) Boyce, aged 51, and her sister, Margenia, aged 13, and that Melissa was employed as a school teacher. They lived next door to Betsey Boyce's oldest daughter and her family, Fletcher and Maria Heald.

An obituary for Melissa BOYCE was found at the Yates County Historical Society in Penn Yan, New York. The obituary states she had died at age 78 years at Dundee, Yates Co., New York, and gave her date of birth as 14 Feb 1840 at Barrington, New York, and her date of death was 5 Aug 1918. She apparently never married and was survived by five nieces and two nephews, whose names were given as:  nieces, Mrs. Mate SEARS, Mrs. S. A. VAN LIEW, Miss Franc BOYCE and Mrs. Fred DAVID of Dundee, Mrs. Henry CAMPBELL of West Mentor, Ohio, and nephews, Creon J. COOK and Lewis B. COOK of Buffalo. She was buried in Tyrone, New York.


Vina JACKSON, listed as a daughter of Asa JACKSON in the Bunce Genealogy and History, was probably the child named Lavina JACKSON, female, age 7, whose name appears on the 1850 Henderson Co., Illinois census record in the household of Asa JACKSON, and also was listed as one of his children in the book Portrait and Biographical Record of Hancock, McDonough and Henderson Counties, Illinois, pp. 416-17. Also, there is a marriage record in the Henderson County, Illinois records dated 10 Feb 1867 of Lavina F. JACKSON to George M. BROWN.


An obituary in the newspaper, Dundee Observer, dated 18 Aug 1880, stated Eunice (CLEVELAND) OLNEY had married Loomis BUNCE about 8 years after the death of her first husband who had died about 1860. Her age (31) on the 1850 census for Barrington, Yates Co., New York in the household of her first husband, Rev. David B. OLNEY, 169th family enumerated in the census, indicates she was born about 1819. She passed away 13 Aug 1880, in Dundee at her home. The 1855 New York state census (66th family) showed that “Unis C. OLNEY” was age 36, birthplace: Ontario Co., [NY] and had lived in Yates Co. for the previous 9 years. Her then husband, Rev. David B. OLNEY, was age 35, had been born in Steuben Co., [NY], was a Baptist clergyman, and had also lived in Yates Co. for 9 years.

Eunice (Cleveland) Olney Bunce was related to President Cleveland, as her name appears in the book The Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families, compiled by Edmund Janes Cleveland and Horace Gillette Cleveland, and published in 1899. This book states that Eunice was a daughter of Ephram W. and Hannah (Watkins) Cleveland of Naples, Ontario Co., New York. An obituary published 18 Aug 1880 in the Dundee Observer said she died at age 68 years, leaving no children. Her estate was distributed to nephews and nieces.


According to F. Muriel (DORSEY) BUNCE, she and Stanley R. BUNCE were married 4 Oct 1933, in a Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado. She was a daughter of William Denton and Lillian Howell (SIMS) DORSEY of Estes Park, Colorado.

Florence Muriel (DORSEY) BUNCE, the widow of Stanley R. BUNCE, passed away at the age of nearly 92 years, on 22 June 2005, in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon, leaving a number of descendants. She was born on 16 Aug 1913, in Estes Park, Larimer Co., Colorado. She once stated that her family had moved to Estes Park from the state of New Jersey, and one of her parents was related to the family of former President Richard M. Nixon.


Photo of Jack and Bonnie Bunce, June, 1980, California
Forrest J. Bunce and his second wife, Bonnie Mae (Kelly) Bunce, June, 1980.
Forrest Jackson BUNCE married Bonnie Mae (KELLY) HEDGES in Carson City, Nevada, about 1953; it was the second marriage for both. They had no children. Bonnie had had several children by her first marriage.  Forrest J. BUNCE passed away in California on 28 May 1985. Bonnie Mae (KELLY) HEDGES BUNCE passed away on June 25, 2007, at the age of 96 in Lone Pine, Inyo Co., California. See the web site Find-A-Grave for further information.









Evelyn Veronica COLE married her first husband, Arthur ULLBERG, probably in New York City, when she was 20 years old or about 1932. They were divorced in 1947, and then she and her two sons moved to Denver, Colorado. She had dropped out of high school to work for the New York Telephone Com­pany, and worked for a number of other employers, as well, during her life. She eventually obtained a general equivalency diploma for high school in Denver, Colorado when she was over 60 years of age.

Evelyn V. (COLE) ULLBERG BUNCE CORBITT passed away in Denver, Colorado on 1 Apr 1987.

The following information appears on the Social Security Death Index for her:

Corbitt, Evelyn
Social Security No.: 148-20-0233
Date of Birth: 28 Nov 1912
Date of Death: Apr 1987
Zip code of last residence: 80220 (Denver, Adams, CO)

A copy of the Form SS-5 Application for Social Security Number, dated May 27, 1943, was obtained for Evelyn Corbitt, and she recorded on it that her full name was then Evelyn Veronica (COLE) ULLBERG, that she was unemployed and residing at 63 W. Palisade Blvd., Palisades Park, NJ. Her parents' names were given as "Charles C. Cole" and "Mary Monsees." Her date of birth was given as Nov. 28, 1912, birthplace: "NYC, NY."


A newspaper clipping from The Oregonian, announcing the celebration of the 50th wedding anniversary of George C. and Stella Pearl (WILLIAMS) BUNCE, stated that they were married at Newkirk, Kay Co., Oklahoma on 24 Jun 1920.

George C. BUNCE passed away in Portland, Oregon on 30 Jun 1981.


Ina Ernestine (SWERN) BUNCE passed away in Denver, Colorado on 10 Jun 1991, and she rests next to her husband.


John Wesley BUNCE passed away in Denver, Colorado on 16 Jun 1983 and was interred in a cemetery in Denver, Colorado.


The date of death given for Josiah BUNCE on p. 10 of the Bunce Genealogy and History is wrong. He died on 18 Sep 1844, six months after his marriage to Hilda TAYLOR. He was buried in the family plot at the old Methodist-Episcopal Cemetery near Warsaw, Yates Co., New York. His date of death, Sept. ___ 1844, age 32, is on the monument at the plot. Someone once wrote me that there was a cholera epidemic in the area of Yates Co., New York in the mid-1840s, and it may have been the cause of the early death of Josiah Bunce.


Leslie R. BUNCE died at home from cancer in Denver, Colorado on 4 Jul 1986, and was interred in the Masonic section of a cemetery in Denver, Colorado a short distance from the graves of his parents.


According to a biographical sketch about him on p. 574 of History of Yates County, New York by Lewis Cass Aldrich, D. Mason & Co., Publishers, published in 1892 at Syracuse, New York:

Bunce, Loomis, was born in Massachusetts, in 1840, and when nineteen years of age came with his father and settled in Barrington, Conn., [sic] His father, Peter Bunce, was a farmer and had eleven children. Loomis was a millwright by trade, and in company with John Spicer carried on that business, building many mills in this and adjacent counties, also carry­ing on farming extensively. He married Mary, daugh­ter of William Holmes, of Steuben County, N. Y., by whom he had two children, Melvin N., who was killed at the battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and Eliza, wife of Hon. Geo. P. Lord, who resides in Dundee. Loomis Bunce died in March, 1878. He was twice married, his first wife dying in 1867, and his second wife, Eunice C. Olney, widow of Rev. D. B. Olney, in 1880.

The statement that Loomis Bunce was born in “1840” is a typographical transposition error, since he was born in 1804 per a family Bible record, which is also confirmed by his age given in the 1850 census record, where it gives his age as 46. That Loomis BUNCE was said to have come with “his father, Peter BUNCE” and 10 siblings to “Barrington, Conn.” is another error, since the family actually lived in the Town of Barrington, Yates Co., New York. There is no such place as “Barrington, Conn.,” and never has been, to my knowledge. This error may reflect a misunderstanding on the part of the author of the history that perhaps Loomis’ only surviving child in 1892, Eliza Ann (BUNCE) LORD, may have stated her BUNCE ancestors were originally from Connecticut, or the reference to “Conn.” may have also been a reference to the fact that Eliza’s grand­mother’s family, the LOOMIS family, was originally from Connecticut. It is likely a portion of the original entry for Loomis BUNCE was deleted during the editing process as evidenced by the fact the first sentence ends with a comma and not a period.

Of further interest are two land records found in Liber 18, pp. 292 and 293 in the Office of the Yates County Clerk in Penn Yan, New York, dated 1843, where it is recorded that Loomis BUNCE sold property to the First Society Methodist Episcopal Church of Barrington. He sold property to the church for $100.00 for the church building, and later for the sum of $10.00 deeded property to the church:

“For the purposes hereinafter mentioned and ex­pressed [description of the property] to have and to hold the same in trust for the express purpose of a public burying ground for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of the Town of Barrington and all other persons who may wish or desire to use the same as a burying ground under the direction and superinten­dence of the trustees of the First Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Barrington aforesaid.”

Thus it appears that Loomis BUNCE and other members of the BUNCE family of Barrington, Yates Co., New York, as well as many other early Yates County pioneers, are buried on land which he had owned at one time. These land records also show that he was a Justice of the Peace in 1843 in Dundee, New York. Unfortunately this First Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Barrington is a defunct church, and no one knows what happened to its records. Loomis BUNCE’s only surviving child, Eliza Ann (BUNCE) LORD, wife of George P. LORD, had no children, and so this BUNCE line has become extinct.


The monument for the BUNCE family in the old Methodist Episcopal Cemetery in Warsaw, New York states that Mary (HOLMES) BUNCE was age 54y, 9m, 21d when she died on 29 Jun 1867, which would have given her an approximate date of birth of 12 Sep 1812. Another source for her date of death is a copy of the probate record on file at the Surrogate Court for Yates Co. in Penn Yan, New York. Her parents may have resided at Pleasant Valley, Steuben Co., New York, since that is where she gave birth to her first child, Ann Eliza BUNCE, according to Eliza’s obituary.


The 1880 census record for Tescumseh, Shawnee Co., Kansas, p. 10, Enumeration District 125, 74th dwelling, 80th family, gives an age of 57 for Mary B. (KRESS) BUNCE, which confirms her birthdate of 1822, since the census was taken as of 1 June 1880, and her birthday was in October, when she would have turned 58. In the probate record for her father, John Jay KRESS, who died at Starkey, Yates Co., New York in January, 1869, Mary B. BUNCE is listed as one of his heirs and the address given for her was Tescumseh, Kansas. The New York State census for 1855 of Barrington,Yates Co., New York recorded the spelling of her name as “Balinda BUNCE.”


Melvin N. BUNCE died 2 Jul 1863 on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. According to a memoriam written about him by Rev. BOWN, a Methodist minister of the Dundee Methodist Church in 1862, his family and friends were unable to find his body after the battle and so it is presumed he was buried on that battlefield. He served in Co. B, 126th Regiment, N.Y.S.V. A record of his death for him is etched on the BUNCE family monument at the old Methodist-Episcopal Cemetery in Warsaw, Yates Co., New York where it says he was 20 years and 28 days on the day of his death, thus giving him an approximate date of birth of 4 Jun 1843. Additionally the smaller foot stone for him in that family plot has a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) decoration on it.

In the book, New York in the War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1865, compiled by Frederick Phisterer, published in 1890 in Albany, NY by Weed, Parsons and Company, on p. 475 is a brief history of the 126th Regiment in which Melvin served. It says there in part:  “Col. Eliakim Sherrill received authority, July 15th, 1862, to raise this regiment in the counties of Ontario, Washington and Yates; it was organized at Geneva, and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years Aug. 22d, 1864 [sic]. . . . The regiment left the state Aug. 26th, 1862.”


The 1880 census record for Tescumseh, Shawnee Co., Kansas, on microfilm reel 26, p. 10, 74th dwelling, 80th family, Supervisor’s District No. 2, Enumeration Dist. No. 15, reflects the following information about the family of Peter BUNCE:

NameS
e
x
A
g
e
R
a
c
e
Relationship
to Head of
Household
Marital
Status
OccupationPlace of
Birth
Birthplace of FatherBirthplace of Mother
Peter BunceM56*W[self]MarriedFarmerNew YorkMass.Mass.
Mary BunceF57*WWifeMarriedkeeping houseNew YorkPenn.**Penn.**
George BunceM19*WSonSingle[none given]KansasNew YorkNew York
Melvin BunceM17*WSonSingle[none given]KansasNew YorkNew York

* Since individuals were asked to report their age as of June 1, 1880, Peter’s age is correct, because he would not have been 57 years old until October 18, 1880. Likewise, Mary (Kress) Bunce’s age is correct since she would not have been 58 years old until Sept.  22, 1880. George K. Bunce’s age is also correct since he was 19 years old on March 1, 1880. However, based on family records, Melvin’s age should have been recorded as 16, since his birthdate was April 10, 1864.

** The information about Mary Bolender (KRESS) BUNCE’s parents being natives of Pennsylvania is wrong, based on the information in the 1855 and 1865 Starkey, Yates Co., New York census records which state both of her parents (then living) were born in New York state. It is possible the reference to Pennsylvania was based on the fact that her g.grandfather Christian KRESS lived in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania in 1759, for awhile before moving to Sussex Co., New Jersey, then apparently north into Orange Co., New York, and by 1790 he had moved to what was then Chemung, Tioga Co., New York.


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