Sneedville, Tn. 37869
March 7, 1981
Mrs. Nedlene Renner
Rte. 3, Box 81-A
Noblesville, Indiana 46060
Dear Mrs. Renner:
Thank you for the check. It was appreciated. It helps to pay for genealogical expenses incurred in securing information.
The first census of Hancock Co., Tn. listed: Fam. #77N. LIVELY BUNCH Sneedville, Tn. 37869
March 7, 1981
Mrs. Nedlene Renner
Rte. 3, Box 81-A
Noblesville, Indiana 46060
Dear Mrs. Renner:
Thank you for the check. It was appreciated. It helps to pay for genealogical expenses incurred in securing information.
The first census of Hancock Co., Tn. listed: Fam. #77N. LIVELY BUNCH, 50, b. Va., cake baker, dau. of Joseph & Rachel Bunch. Issue: Jane, 19; Jesse, 12; Wm. H., 10; Burwell, 8; Absolum, 6; and Wm. Collins, 18-they were all b. Tn. Lively m. Geo. W. Goins, 8/5/1839 in Hawkins Co.
Family #79: BENJAMIN BUNCH, 80, b. NC, wife, Mary "Polly" (Dotson), 79, b. Va. In 1860, she was in home of Washington Pridemore-her son-in-law.
Benjamin Bunch, b. 1770 in NC, m. to a small woman, Mary Dotson. She is reported to have lived to be 110 yrs. of age when she died in 1881. After Ben died, she lived with her dau., Polly "Bunch" Pridemore, back of Boyd’s Gap on Newman’s Ridge. They moved to Tn. from NC when their dau., Frankie (b. 1805, d. 1885), was a small girl. Their gr. dau., Cynthia Colins, wife of Batey (my late wife’s gr. parents), remembered making shirts for grandfather Ben and taking food to grandmother Mary after his death. Old Rev. Greenbrier Wallen preached Mary’s funeral sitting down to preach, using the text "But Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her.": (Luke 10:42) Children of Benjamin and Mary: Lambert, b. 1790; Wm., b. 1793; John, b. 1795; George, b. 1797-they stayed in NC; Celia, b. 1812 (m. Henry Fletcher, Fox Branch); Hannah, b. 1801 (m. Jesse Goodman, lived on Blackwater); Rachel, b. 1803 (m. Wm. Goodman, brother to Jesse, lived on Newman’s Ridge); Frankie, b. 1805, d. 1885 (m. Simeon Collins, son of Old Vardy & Peggy-they lived on Blackwater [Vardy]). They were my late wife’s gr. parents. They are both b. in our cemetery. This is taken from our family record.
Other Bunch names in our family record are: Caroline, Charles, Cleo, Edna, Emaline, George, Henry, Hubert, James, Jane, Jerry, John, John J., Matt, Missy, Orpha, Sally, Violet, Went & Lucy, Wm.
Marriage licenses issued: Morgan Collins to Elizabeth Bunch, 9/7/1870, Nicholas Alder, JP; Jesse Bunch to Martha Collins, 9/17/1870 (Jesse m. Martha 10 yrs. later again: Jesse Bunch to Ellen Williams, 10/12/1880); Stephen Collins to Missie Bunch, 6/8/1884-these were all in Hancock Co.;
George Goins to Lively Bunch, 8/5/1839; Rebecca Bunch to John Burchett, 12/9/1843; Boyd Stewart to Emaline Bunch, 3/15/1846; Perlainy Trent to Samuel Bunch, 10/3/1835-all in Hawkins Co.;
Collen Bunch to Rhoda Hallowell, 1785; Edward Bunch to Sarah Godwin, 1796; Solomon Bunch to Sarah Coffield, 1785; Elijah Bunch to Priscilla Bunch, 1795; Micajah Bunch to Anne Boulton, 1797; Jos. Bunch to Ann Wilkerson, 1800-these were all in Chowan Co., NC;
Blaxton Gentry to Mary Bunch, 3/14/1786; Anthony Bunch to Mary Bunch, 6/26/1787; Suprey Bunch to Mary Sims, 4/22/1799-these were in Louisa Co., Va.;
Wesley Lawson to Amanda Bunch, 1/29/1850 in Hancock Co.; James Bunch m. Edna Cole in 1871-they moved to Pope Co., Ill.
Hope this helps you. No charge.
"George Gowin, white male, 20-30" was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1840 census of Hawkins County,
page 235, adjacent to "Joseph Gowin, white male, 70-80," page 234. George Goins was surety for the marriage of Eme-line Bunch, his step-daughter, to Boyd Stewart May 5, 1846. George Goins received a large land grant for 5,000 acres, No. 26381, November 14, 1848 in Hancock County, in partnership with Gilford Frost and Joseph Bunch, brothers-in-law:
"George Gowen" was married to Emily "Lively" Bunch, daughter of Joseph Bunch and Rachael Bunch in Hawkins County August 5, 1839. They may have had a common-law marriage prior to that date. P. G. Fulkerson, an attorney of Tazewell wrote a column for the Sneedville newspaper en-titled "Recollections."
In one issue he wrote about the Bunch family:
"There were some families by the name of Bunch living on Newman's Ridge in Hancock County. James Bunch used to furnish the country for miles around with Clinch River fish when I was a boy. He was over six feet high, broad shouldered and a man of great physical power. At one of our old musters, he and Ambrose Day got into a dispute. Bunch struck him with one lick with his fist, and the blow killed him. The killing created a great deal of excitement in the country. It was reported and believed that the legisla-ture had actually passed a law prohibiting Bunch from hitting a man with his fist. The only other case of this kind that I remember occurred when Dan McVey killed Thomas H. White's grandfather in Tazewell. There was a woman on Newman's Ridge named Lively Bunch. She was a dark brunette, straight as an arrow and hand-some. She was a leader in her neighborhood in politics as well as in local affairs. She attended, with her cakes and cider to sell, every public gathering, and she made money. One day, in Tazewell, she called my brothers and me at a muster and gave us and some of our help all the cakes and cider we could consume. The next day we told our father that a good-looking woman had given us a big treat and never charged us a cent. He re-plied, "Yes, I know. I had just paid the bill.
In 1860, the household was listed as:
"Gowings, George 57, born in North Carolina
Bunch, Lively 65, born in North Carolina
Emily Bunch retained her maiden name after she was married to George Goins. George Goins was killed during the Civil War by Dave Collins in a raid by Confederate soldiers, ac- cording to Rev. Taylor. He walked home after he was shot, but pitched into the door and died.
Children born to George Goins and Emily "Lively" Bunch Goins include:
Emmaline Goins born about 1825
Jane Bunch Goins born about 1826
Kendy/Kendrew Goins born in 1827
Mary J. "Polly" Goins born in 1830
Guilford Goins born in 1834
Howard Goins born in 1837
Jesse "Doc" Goins born in 1838
Burton McGinnis Goins born Feb. 1, 1842
Sally Goins born about 1843
Alfred Absolom "Alf" Goins born in 1844
Tabitha "Tabba" Goins born about 1845
William Henry Harrison "Dick" Goins born in 1848
"The State of Tennessee
Know ye, That in consideration of an Entry made in the Entry Taker's Office of Hawkins County, now Hancock County, of No. 852, dated the 7th day of March 1842 by George Goins, Gilford Frost and Joseph Bunch, there is granted by the State of Tennessee unto the said Goins, Frost & Bunch and their heirs a certain tract of land containing Five thousand acres . . . on the north side of Clinch River and the waters of Blackwater Creek on Newman's Ridge . . . beginning on Rachel Bunch's corner . . . surveyed October 3, 1848.
In witness whereof, N. S. Brown, Governor of the State of Tennessee, has hereunto set his hand and caused the Great Seal of the State to be affixed at Nashville on the 14th day of November in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty eight and of Amer-ican Independence the 73rd."
Copy of the Last Will and Testament of Rachel Bunch deceased
County Court Record
Page 494 and 495
State of Tennessee
Hancock County
Be it remembered that at a county court began and held for the county of Hancock on the first Monday
of April being the 6 th. day there of 1896 present and presiding the worshipful court and J. B. Southern
chairman, the following proceedings were had to wit.
Boyd Stewart and wife Emaline Stewart, make application to set up and supply the record of the last
will and testament of Rachal Bunch deceased the record of which having been burned in the Court House at
Sneedville and the original lost out of the file of wills in the Court House at Sneedville and in the County Clerks
Office where it was kept and the same destroyed so it can not be produced and the said Boyd Stewart and
Emaline Stewart having proved in open court an attested copy of said Rachal Bunch’s will made and copied
by the County Court Clerk and the original having been proven destroyed and the record of the same proven
burnt up and the same the proof of the same in open court this day; the said attested and proven copy is
hereby ordered to be recorded in the book of wills as the true will of Rachal Bunch deceased. Said will being
in the word and figures following to wit.
I Rachal Bunch of Hancock County State of Tennessee do make and publish this my last will and
testament hereby revoking and making void all other wills by me at anytime made
1 st. I direct that my funeral expenses and all my debts be paid as soon after my death as possible out my
money I may die possessed of, or may first come into the hands of my Executors
2nd. Secondly: I give and bequeath to my eldest grand daughter Emaline Stewart one half of my lands lying in
the gap of Neuman’s Ridge where the said Emaline now lives; one half of my stock of hogs, one half of my
bedding, bed clothes and weaving clothes, also my table and cupboard and also one half of my pots or iron
vessels.
3rdly I give and bequeath to my other grand daughter Martha Jane Bunch the other half of my lands in the
said gap where on the said Martha Jane Bunch now lives; one half of my stock of hogs, one half of my
bedding, bed clothes, one half of my weaving clothes, also my chest, one half of my pot and iron vessels; one
smoothing iron, one chestnut Sorrel mare and colt and Sorrel mare with a blased face which I bought of
Joseph Bunch and as I hold a note on George Goins and Lively Goins for seventy five dollars and the
payment secured by deed of trust. Now when this payment is made, and collected my desire is for Martha
Jane to have thirty dollars of that money and the residue to be given “Viz” to Jesse Goins, William H. H.
Goins, Burton McKinney Goins and Absolom K. Goins and to be equally divided between them – I also
further give and bequeath the said Jesse Goins, William H. H. Goins, Burton McKinney Goins and Absolom K.
Goins my tract of land containing forty two acres known by the name of Bolen tract on Neuman’s Ridge and to
be disposed of in no other way, but for their own proper use.
4thly I give and bequeath to Jesse Bunch, Lively Goins, Francis Bunch, Samuel Bunch and Joseph Bunch
the sum of my daughter Lively one dollar cash to be equally paid by Emaline Stewart and Martha Jane Bunch
out of their share of the estate or to be raised and paid by them. Last I do hereby nominate and appoint
William Babb my executor in witness where of I do this my will set my hand and seal this 19 th day of May
1848.
Signed sealed and published in our presents and we have subscribed our names hereto in the presents of the
testator this 19 May 1848.
Rachal her mark X Bunch
F? M Burke
James his mark X Moore
B. G. Sullivan
State of Tennessee
Hancock County
I Richard Mitchell clerk of the county court of said county do certify that the foregoing is a true and correct
copy of the last will and testament of Rachal Bunch deceased as found on record in my office given under my
hand at office in Sneedville 27 day of January 1858.
Richard Mitchell Clerk
By A. Campbell D. Clerk
State of Tennessee
Hancock County
I B. J. Drinnon Clerk of the County Court of said county do hereby certify that the foregoing is a
true and correct transcript of the record in the foregoing case as appears of record on file in my office in the
matter of Rachal Bunch’s last will and testament and the same is hereby certified given under my hand and
the seal of the county court at office in Sneedville the 4 day of April 1898 and of American Independence the
121 year
