BUNCH CEMETERY

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.

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.

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.

HERRON, John Alva Mar. 23, 1923 - Jul. 26, 1925. Son of Charles Herron & Rosie Bunch. Informant Charles Herron. Burial Jul. 26, 1925. MO Death Cert.#22797.

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

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