My Great-Grandfather, George BUNN, 1857-1919, England

We have a story in our family, written up by several older members of my father's family, including my Grandmother Gillespie (née BUNN), some years ago. It states that George was orphaned when very young and raised by his neighbours, the Franz family. So sad, right? 

Wrong. Quite quite wrong. Nothing like a bit of research to clarify the facts, and also to understand how such a misunderstanding happened.

George was the only child born to William BUNN and widow Sarah (née SMITH) France. Ah, see the name of her first husband?  First clue to the Franz family myth.

Sarah was significantly older than William approximately 11 years. When her first husband, Thomas France, died in a coal mining accident in late 1851, along with her father, Thomas SMITH, Sarah had 7 children at home. Their ages ranged from Elizabeth (15) to Esther (less than 1 year). William was also a coal miner, and likely knew Thomas France from work, as well as close residence.

William BUNN lived nearby the family, in Darby Hand [Darby End], Parish Dudley, near Netherton. Their church was St Thomas in Dudley, Worcestershire. Below is a copy of their Marriage Register of St Thomas, Dudley/Netherton, with marriage date after Banns, of November 25, 1854:

You can see ages, occupation, residence, and father's names & occupations, as well as the information that Sarah's father is "dead". Neither William nor Sarah wrote their signatures, but made their mark in front of the 'Incumbent' [vicar].

George BUNN, their only living child, was born April 26, 1857, in Windmill End (also in same area in Dudley); this was just over 2 years from marriage. At that time, Sarah would have been 37 years of age, and George made her 8th living child; William was 26 years old. An interesting situation to my mind.  They usually fudged her age on Censuses after they married, or switched ages.

From the time of his birth, George would have been raised with the FRANCE children, including an illegitimate nephew only 2 years younger than himself:
   1.  Elizabeth, b. 1839 - had illegitimate son, Thomas France (3rd), in 1859
   2.  Emma, b. Oct 1840
   3.  Thomas, b. 1842   - Thomas (2nd)
   4.  Jeremiah, b. Aug 1844; m. Hannah Sherwin, 8 children [similar names]
   5.  Martha, b. 1847
   6.  Amelia "Emily", b. 1848
   7.  Esther, b. 1851

Most of the mixed BUNN/France family, with our George BUNN and including Sarah's illegitimate grandson, Thomas, can be seen on the 1861 Census for Dudley, below:

Sarah's second daughter, Emma, about 21, is likely working or married, and out of the home. Esther, youngest child, would be 10 - either she is visiting outside the home, or has died. I have not searched details of all the siblings. Yet. 

On the 1871 Census for Dudley, we see William & Sarah, with son George BUNN 13 yrs, plus Elizabeth France's illegitimate son, Thomas France 3rd, 12, listed as Nephew [of William] - actually his step-grandson.  Note that George BUNN would actually be Thomas France's step-Uncle. I have not been able to find Elizabeth France in any other records, but BUNN is a common surname in this region, and Elizabeth is one of the most common forenames. More research needed.

By the 1881 Census, we see William & Sarah alone with no children, and Sarah's eldest son, Thomas 2nd, aged 38, and his family, next door. The other Thomas France 3rd, Elizabeth's son, is shown a little ways away but still in same parish, married with 10 mo. old daughter Alice.

And,  George?  Surprise! Married in 1876, on February 14th, George, aged 18, is married for the first time, to 18 year old Mary Detheridge in Dudley. She is seen to have died in the 4th Quarter (Oct-Dec) of the same year, 1876, likely in childbirth or a serious infection, but that is not known without finding a detailed death registration .  

On the Marriage registration certificate I ordered for George and Sarah WHITEHOUSE, I slid over the statement that George was a Widower before he married our direct ancestor, Sarah Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE in summer of 1879. Since he was 22 at the time, I had somehow held the assumption this was his first marriage. Assumptions. Obviously I ought to have searched for any marriages, and questioned how a 22 year old could be a widower. 

He and Sarah Elizabeth WHITEHOUSE were married August 18, 1879, at St. Thomas Church n Dudley Parish. Their first child, Harriett BUNN was born October 31, 1879 in Netherton, by Dudley. (Harriett was my Grandma GILLESPIE.) 

George & Sarah Elizabeth BUNN moved up to Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, several years after George's step-nephew, Thomas 3rd France had moved his family there. Shipbuilding was strong in Barrow, and many labourers were needed. Both Thomas and George were experienced after working in the foundries in Dudley, so they would have had little difficulty finding jobs. 

Here George and family are on the 1881 Census for Barrow F, living at 5 Cook Street: 

In 1891 on the Census for Dudley, George's parents, William & Sarah, are living by themselves. Sarah's children by her first husband were living nearby, however. 

George BUNN and his wife were living on 8 Byron Street in Barrow in Furness [Barrow F] in the next Census, 1901, and next door at 10 Byron Street in 1911. Their eldest daughter, Harriett, married in 1899 to William John "Jack" GILLESPIE, whose family (3 generations) had sailed from Northern Ireland to work in Barrow F as well. 

Children all born in Barrow F: 

  1.  Harriett, b. 31 Oct 1879 [my line], d. 1962 BC Canada; m. Jack
          GILLESPIE, 6 ch.

  2.  Emily "Emmy", b. 7 Mar 1882, d.15 Mar 1951 Barrow F; no
          marr, no ch

  3.  George Wm, b. 8 Feb 1884, d. 29 Mar 1936 BC Canada; m. Louisa
           Jones; 6 ch

  4.  Thomas, b. 12 Dec 1886, d. 8 Oct 1917 Belgium WW1; no marr.
           no ch

  5.  Sarah "Cissy", b. 10 Feb 1889, d. 20 Jul 1965 Barrow F; m. Wm.
           Caulfield, 2 ch

  6.  Beatrice, b. 1891, died first year.

  7.  Ethel May, b. 1 Jun 1893, d. 17 Jan 1981 Washington USA; m. Jm.
           Bullas, ch

  8.  Esther Matilda, b. 10 Aug 1895, d. 16 Dec 1946 Barrow F; m. Herbert
           Scobie, ch

  9.  Benjamin "Ben", b. 10 Dec 1898, d. 1 Nov 1982 BC Canada; m. Alice
           Bradshaw, no ch.

  

On June 2nd, 1911, George BUNN sailed on the Empress of Britain  from Liverpool to Québec, with his son-in-law, Jack GILLESPIE. Jack was following his younger brother Jim, who had emigrated in 1907, settling in Ontario. George's eldest son, George Wm. Bunn, had previously emigrated and landed in Vancouver BC in 1910. England's burst of economic growth was slowing down and work was hard to come by. There was quite a wave of English immigrants to Canada during this period 1900-1920. Jack GILLESPIE did not bring his family over at the same time... that's another story!

However, George became sick in Canada, and he returned to England shortly afterward, in the fall of 1911. Several other Bunn children emigrated from England to Canada, settling on the west coast.

And in December of 1919, George died in Barrow in Furness, aged 62 years.

I have no photographs of George BUNN, but perhaps a cousin somewhere has one to share-? And I also don't know what his hobbies were, whether he like to read, sketch, play cribbage, fish, go for long walks, did he like dogs, telling stories-? Some details do not come down to us, after several generations.

In summary: He was never orphaned and adopted by a FRANZ family. On the contrary, both his BUNN parents were alive and well into the 20th Century, living in Dudley region of Worcestershire, England. His father, William BUNN, may be the same-named person who died in the 3rd Quarter (July-Sep) of 1902; his mother, Sarah, in 1918. 

But it was an interesting story, wasn't it?  And all those FRANCE family members - they're also all step-cousins of George BUNN's descendants. I've added all of them to the Lost Cousins website and hopefully one will contact me at some point in time.

The direct line of George BUNN has these first generation surnames:
 BUNN, BELL, OLIVER, OSBORNE, PLUMRIDGE  (((waving to all my cousins))) 

If you know anything more about any of the above BUNN individuals, I would be so pleased for more details. And if you wish more information on them, I'm also happy to share. Contact me at my address at the bottom of the page calewis at telus dot net or, in the Comments section.

My Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments. Do know that I value your comments immensely.  You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my personal genealogy posts.

Cousins of all sorts are very welcome to request copies of certificates etc. that I have in my possession.  Email address at the bottom of the page.

I might request a cup of coffee as payment, however!

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #28: William BUNN, 1831-?

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 28th installment, William BUNN, my 2nd great-grandfather on my father's side.

Above you can see the 20 Nov 1854 marriage registration record for William BUNN & Sarah (SMITH) France. There is a marked age difference in this couple, William shown as 23 yrs, Sarah as 34 and widowed. They were married at the Parish Church, St. Andrew, in Netherton, Worcester, by G.S. Trankes, incumbent, witnessed by James Mackay and Mary Maria Block; both bride and groom making their "mark" on the registration form.  

Aside from the ages of the bride and groom, are more details:  William is working as a Miner, his father is James Bunn, Farmer.  Sarah's father was Thomas Smith, a miner, (dead before 1854).  Both are living at Darby Hand (Darby End), in Netherton. 

I researched Sarah France further, and found she had married aged 17, to Thomas France, a coal miner who died in the fall of 1851. With both her husband and father dead between 1851-1854, it is possible both men died in mining accidents, but I have not found a list of their names at this point.

Sarah and her first husband, Thomas France, had 7 children, the youngest less than a year old when Thomas died. This is quite an undertaking for a young man - to marry an older woman with 7 children. It puzzles me. He likely knew of Thomas and Sarah France through a common mining job. 

On 26 April 1857, their only child was born, George BUNN, my great-grandfather. 

Two years later, Sarah's eldest child, Elizabeth, aged about 20, had an illegitimate child, whom she named Thomas, likely after her father. Thomas France was brought up by William & Sarah, and Elizabeth disappeared from the household after the 1861 census when she is listed as unmarried, aged 22, working as a Nail Maker. Possibly she married, leaving her son to be brought up by her mother and step-father.

There is a story in my family that the cousins 'knew':  George BUNN had been orphaned and brought up by a neighbouring family, the Franze's, and that he mistakenly thought his surname was Franz for some years.  

Of course, the actual truth was that George Bunn was brought up surrounded by France step-siblings, and in particular a step-nephew Thomas France, only 2 years younger than him. It is easy to see how he might well have thought his surname was France when he was younger. George was definitely NOT orphaned, as both William & Sarah BUNN are found on the 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 Censuses. See 1861 Netherton Census below:

Thomas France moved up to Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, to work in the businesses related to a very busy shipbuilding industry, and his step-uncle George BUNN moved his wife and eldest child, Harriet (my grandmother) to Barrow as well, only a year or two later. It is possible that either or both William and Sarah followed them up to Barrow, and possibly died there. More research to do.

In Dudley, William worked as a Miner in 1850s, but in 1861 he is listed as a "Furnaceman"; in 1871, as a "Furnace Man (blast)". In 1881, he is listed as a "Scavenger", in 1891, as a Laborer. Here's a link to a photo of men working around a Blast Furnace. 

I lost track of William and Sarah after the 1891 Census, and am still searching. Hopefully, I will be able to find more details of their lives. Their ages are quite variable on each of the Census forms, and I wonder if they switched birthdays at one point.  

Do you have more information about William BUNN?  William was husband to Sarah SMITH France, father of George BUNN (b.1857), step-father to the France children: Elizabeth & step-grandfather to her son Thomas (b.1859), Emma, Thomas, Jeremiah, Martha, Amelia (Emily), and Esther.  

I would love to hear from you if you have further details of the family, with sources. Unfortunately, sources are thin on the ground for the early 1800s, and the Bunn surname is a very common one in the Black Midlands. George, William, James - these are also quite common forenames, and it makes it very challenging to be certain one has the 'correct' Bunn! An English contact of mine laughed, telling me that if you threw a rock in Dudley you would likely hit a Bunn!

You can contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below. Thanks for visiting!

SATURDAY NIGHT FUN - Sarah SMITH France BUNN

Ohhhh, Randy Seaver, - you do love to give us reasons to go digging into our ancestors' lives!!

Here's Randy's "rules"":
1) What year was one of your great-grandmothers born?  Divide this number by 90 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."
2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an "ahnentafel" - your software will create this - use the "Ahnentafel List" option, or similar). Who is that person, and what are his/her vital information?
3) Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the "roulette number."
4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook status or a Google Stream post, or as a comment on this blog post.

1. My greatgrandmother, Amelia Ann "Millie" PETTYGROVE was born in Oregon Territories in 1844, giving me a number of "20" for my Ahnentafel list of ancestors.  I'd love to write more about her - but another time, perhaps.

2. #20 on my Ahnentafel list - thank you RootsMagic5  for making this so easy - was Sarah SMITH France BUNN.  That is, her maiden surname was SMITH, she 1st married a France, then married 2nd to a BUNN.
Her Vital information:
Born:  25 Nov 1820, Netherton, Worcestershire, England; to parents Thomas SMITH and Elizabeth (unknown).  Thomas SMITH was listed as a coal miner, deceased, on her marriage registration with William
Married:  1st:  Thomas France, 4th Quarter 1837, Dudley, Worcestershire, England; Thomas died about Dec 1851; the couple had 7 children.      2nd marriage:  20 Nov 1854, Dudley, Worcestershire, England, to William BUNN (his 2nd marriage as well - 1st wife died within one year of marriage): 1 child, a boy (my greatgrandfather).
Died:  after 1891, in Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, England (still to determine final death date, burial).

3.  Three facts about Sarah:
*  Sarah was born in Windmill End/Netherton, Worcestershire, England; no other siblings are known to date
*  Sarah's eldest daughter, Elizabeth France (b. 1839) had an illegitimate son, Thomas France, b. 1859, who was raised by Sarah and her 2nd husband William alongside their only Bunn child, George BUNN, b. 1857.  (George's grandchildren mistakenly thought he had been adopted by the France/Franz family, and wrote it up as facts about George Bunn and his unknown ancestors!)
* Sarah apparently moved up to Barrow in Furness around 1891 or so, to live with her son George BUNN and his family; her grandson and his family, Thomas France, also had moved up to Barrow.

I have so much still to find out about Sarah.

When did she move up to Barrow?  With, or without her husband William?  Did she live with her grandson's or her son's family?   Her son George BUNN came to Canada with my grandfather in June 1911, but became sick and returned to Barrow, dying a few years later.      How did she know William BUNN? - he was several years younger than her, had no children, and when he married her, she had 7!  A very challenging family to take on, I must say.

Life must have been very hard for her - and I haven't been able to find any relatives in my searches, who might have supported her.  Thomas, like her father, was a coal miner, and likely died from a coal mining accident of which there were several around the time that Thomas died in 1851.

Thanks Randy - once again, I find myself with more questions - or was that your intention!?