DAVID BUNCH, SR. CEMETERY

a/k/a

BUNCH FAMILY GRAVE YARD

a/k/a Jerktail Cemetery

On the Current River Shannon Co MO 


Directions - From Eminence go north on Hwy 19 for about 6 miles. Look for Jerktail sign on the left, (park sign, brown with yellow letters) which points to the right across the road, (that's Jerkltail road - gravel but well maintained); cemetery is on the right about 4 or 5 miles down the Jerktail road, surrounded by chain link fence.  

North of Eminence on Highway 19 to CR224.

GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 37.23, Longitude: -91.3114

A description from the land grant deed is: 
East half of the lot numbered eight of the North West quarter and the
West half of the lot numbered eight of the Northeast quarter of section 5,
in the township 29 North of range three West. Originally was 97 2/100 acres.

Please contact me if you have information about this cemetery of anyone who is buried here. 

 

Updated Sep. 5, 2009

NOTE: Since posting the Bunch Cemetery list to this website, I have had several emails from people contradicting one another. This has resulted in three separate Bunch Cemetery lists. They are as accurate at this point as I can make them. I certainly appreciate the input of family members who have information not available to me, and would welcome that information in order to make the lists more accurate and up-to-date. Known family members might consider collaborating on this matter and contacting me with the finished results. I have combined the David Bunch, Sr. and the Bunch Family Grave Yard lists because of strong evidence they are one and the same cemetery.  Thanks for any and all help.


HUSBAND & WIFE: Married 23 Jul 1865 at Irondale Washington Co MO (Bk C, P52).
 BUNCH, David J.     Mar. 12, 1833 - bef. Aug. 16, 1906.    Son of Drury Bunch and (Francis Unknown?). He was born in Cumberland Co KY, and died in Shannon Co MO, age 73.
BUNCH, Frances C. Davis     Feb. 2, 1848 - Feb. 19, 1903.      Daughter of Luke Davis & Rachel Fields. Born at St. Francois Co MO. Parents of Luke Bunch; Rachel Annie (Mrs. Andrew J. McIntire); David J. Bunch, Jr.; Phillip Bunch; Jesse M. Bunch; Alice Bunch (Mrs. James M. Perry); Julia Emily Bunch; James Arthur Bunch; Susan Bunch and Butler Bunch. Source: Robert L. Davis, whose source was The Family Bible of Julia Bunch.

'The Current Wave, Aug. 16, 1906 - Home Happenings - Dave Bunch, an old citizen of Shannon, living on Current River, died on Monday, aged about 70 years. Mr. Bunch lived here for years, and was well known by all the early settlers. He raised a large family of boys, several of whom live in the vicinity of the old homestead. Dave Bunch, in his prime, was a splendid specimen of physical manhood, being over six feet tall and very active and strong. He was counted one of the best men in the county in that day, physically, and had plenty of grit also, and he saw many 'scraps' in his day. He was strictly honest and though uneducated, was a good business man. We regret to see these old landmarks pass away, for they remind us that the world is rapidly changing, and often we lose men whose places are hard to fill. Mr. Bunch lived the allotted three score and ten years, and was strong and active until shortly before his death.'

NOTE: One descendant claims the Francis Unknown, wife of Drury Bunch, purported above to be the mother of David J., was actually David's stepmother. The date listed previously, Aug. 20, 1906, as the date of death for David, is believed to be in error so based on this researcher's comments, and on the article appearing in the paper (above), a specific date is not included here until it becomes available.

DOUBLE:
BUNCH, Edgar     Mar. 25, 1906 - Aug. 20, 1910.    Son of James 'Arthur' Bunch & Nettie Almedia Tucker. MO Death Cert.#26135 has date of birth Mar. 12, 1910 which is in error according to Robert L. Davis, who cites the 1910 census. Alternate dates from other researchers: Mar. 12, 1906 - Aug. 22, 1910.
BUNCH, Edna     Born and died Mar. 25, 1906.     Daughter of James 'Arthur' Bunch & Nettie Almedia Tucker. Twin of Edgar. Alternate information: Born & died Mar. 25, 1910.

BUNCH, Frances C. Davis     Feb. 2, 1848 - 1903.    

BUNCH, Fred      Abt. 1887 - Oct. 03, 1895.    Son of David F. Bunch, Sr. & Frances C. Davis.   He drowned in the Current River when he was 8 years old. This information was obtained from an article that appeared in a local Shannon County newspaper, "The Current Wave", and it was dated October 3, 1895. Also, it is believed that his proper first name may have been Frederick, but this is not known for sure.

Eminence, Mo. - Oct 3, 1895 -- Current Wavelets.
Little Freddie, the 8 year old son of David Bunch, died at his home on Current river yesterday morning.

Bunch, James 'Arthur'     Sep. 19, 1881 - May 23, 1922.      Son of David F. Bunch, Sr. & Frances C. Davis. Married Nettie Almedia Tucker Sep. 5, 1905 at Elvins St Francois Co MO. She was born Apr. 30, 1883 and died Nov. 20, 1962. She was the daughter of Jasper Newton Tucker & Rebecca Martelle Williams. After Arthur's death Nettie married James F. Eudy on Jul. 17, 1925. Mr. Eudy helped Nettie to raise James Arthur Bunch's children. She died at Walla Walla WA and is presumed to be buried there.

BUNCH, Jesse M.    Mar. 4, 1877 - Oct. 29, 1912.      Son of David F. Bunch, Sr. & Frances C. Davis.  Married Louritta Thomas 31 May 1899. (She remarried to Joseph Vardie Wood in 1913). Jesse & Louritta were the parents of Racie Bunch, Grace Bunch, Alva Bunch, Clara Helen Bland (Mrs. James Virgil Bland) and Parilee Bunch.

Alternate dates for Jesse:  Mar. 4, 1875 - Oct. 22, 1912.  

Eudy, Infant     No dates.     Daughter of James F. Eudy & Nettie Almedia Tucker Bunch.

At least 3 unidentified graves w/ native stone markers.  (One said to be drowning victim; unconfirmed)

Update: Family tradition has it that the graves marked with "native stone markers" were for "a family who drowned in the river".  Kathy Bakke, Apr. 23, 2009.

Other children of Arthur Bunch & Nettie Tucker:

Elsie, b. Aug. 18, 1907, Nina Bell, b. Mar. 22, 1909, Arvill (or Orville) Newton Bunch, b. Feb. 17, 1911, Lula Pearl, b. Nov. 13, 1912, Virgie Mae, b. May 19, 1914, Luke 'Everett', b. Dec. 30, 1915, Ruth, b. Feb. 9, 1918, Rose Bunch, b. Feb. 9, 1918, Inis Rebecca, b. Oct. 27, 1920, and James Paul Bunch, b. Feb. 23, 1922.

All names & dates provided to Margie Starling by a daughter of Virgie Mae Bunch Broadfoot.

HERREN, John Alva    Mar. 23, 1923 - Jul. 26, 1925.       Son of Charles Herren & Racie Bunch. Informant Charles Herron. Burial Jul. 26, 1925. MO Death Cert.#22797. NOTE: The last named spelled as Herron on the death certificate is incorrect. John Alva died from Septic poisoning due to a nail wound. Update 7/7/09 by Teresa Tenholder.

LIEURANCE, Mrs. Lemuel     Died Mar. 20, 1896.

LIEURANCE, William     Died Mar. 20, 1896.

LIEURANCE, Lewis     Died Mar. 20, 1896.

The Current Wave - March 26, 1896 
Drowned in Current River -- Three people perish in that turbulent stream.
Mrs. Lemuel Lieurance and two sons drowned -- husband and daughter barley escape.
On Friday, March 20, 1896, while crossing Current River about a quarter of a mile below the mouth of lower Big Creek, this county, Lemuel Lieurance, wife and three children met with a serious accident which resulted in the drowning of Mrs. Lieurence and two sons, William and Lewis, aged respectively 7 and 13 years. The father succeeded in saving his daughter, Miss Fannie, aged 16 years from which The Wave reporter learned the sorrowful story, which is as follows:
They were crossing the river in a wagon drawn by horses and immediately after going into the water one of the horses fell and in the struggle one of the tugs came loose from the single-tree. The weight of the water against the wagon threw it into a cramp, when the box floated off and washed rapidly down the swift current, carrying with it the entire family.  In a few minutes each occupant was cast into the water and battling for life. Mr. Lieurance had never learned to swim, but in some way managed to keep up and at a distance of 300 yards below the ford caught his wife and brought her to shore and placed her on a log. When safely there she remarked: let me go and save the children. 
Looking across the stream at a distance of some seventy-five yards he saw his daughter almost drowned, and again plunged into the swift water, made his way safely to where she was and saved her from a watery grave. While returning to the shore he saw his least boy a few feet under the water floating down the stream, made a grab for him but did not succeed in reaching him.  When he returned he found his wife dead. She evidently died of fright or grief. 
The bodies of the boys are yet in the river, although constant search has been made for them since Saturday last. The recent rainfall, however, has raised the river past fording, and the recovery of the bodies is extremely doubtful. 
Mrs. Lieurance was buried on Sunday last at the graveyard on the David Bunch farm.
Mr. Lieurance, a more courageous man than who never lived, walked or floundered (as he cannot swim) through the swift waters where they were from seven to twelve feet deep, and succeeded in getting his wife and daughter to shore. Is there another man in the world who could have done as much? 
Miss Fannie is quite an intelligent young lady and gives the details of the horrible catastrophe very clearly. She stated that at the beginning a sack of bran floated against her which she held onto until rescued by her father.
 
NOTE: Another article appeared about 2 weeks later, that the boys William and Lewis were found and buried in the Bunch cemetery beside their mother. 
The family had traveled from Nebraska into Missouri. There is no relationship of the Lieurance and the Bunch families. David Bunch being the man he was, allowed their burial in his family cemetery. There were no monuments there for the three. ~ From Margie Starling

WILLIAMS, Infant    Only date - died 1932.   Infant Son of Oather Williams & Grace Bunch.

 

 

       

© 2003 - 2009 by Denise Woodside & Donita Barkley or individual contributors as shown. No portion of this site is to be considered public domain and is not to be reproduced for any purpose without express written consent of the owner of the material.