FAMILY CHRONICLES

Over the years, I have organized family sheets and letters and written several family histories. I do not wish for them to be lost for others. The Bunyard and Shinabarger chronicles below are in much more detail than earlier summaries found under My Research.

My Shinabarger Family History book became too large for printing and with the development of excellent computer programs dedicated to genealogy, I find it easier adding to and updating my family files using Reunion and Ancestry.com. With over 44,000 individuals in my home files, I could not easily maintain the book and histories. For those interested in downloading the final version of The Shinabarger Family History, a link is below. A link for downloading the newsletter published by family researchers, The Dozen S’s, is also below.

The research information available through Ancestry and other online sources continues to amaze. I often think, if my mother had only had these resources when she was doing family research throughout the 1960/1970/1980s, there would be far more people identified and linked in our extended family tree. Add the technology of genealogical DNA and the wonders, and discoveries do not cease.

I have posted the chapters/generations which chronicle the family history. Click on the title to download or read any chapter.

Researching Paternal Ancestors

BUNYARD FAMILY CHRONICLES

First Generation American “From Convict to Colonist” – James Beal Bunyard 1744 – 1817

Second Generation “Pioneer Settler” – Samuel B. Bunyard 1793 – 1875

Third Generation “Civil War Soldier” – Loyd M. Bunyard 1832 – 1862

Fourth Generation “Migrant Laborer” – William Washington Bunyard 1858 – 1920

Fifth Generation “Iowa Roots” – Edward Durwood Bunyard  1882 – 1952

Sixth Generation “Full Circle”

William Carl Bunyard        1913 – 1986

Russell Edward Bunyard   1917 – 1996

It is here in my Bunyard research that DNA enters the scene and totally changes the landscape of my Bunyard family chronicles. Specifics about the divergence of the two Bunyard lines – that of William Carl and of Russell Edward – are explained in greater detail under DNA Research. There are two reports. 

The first, “Bunyard DNA Results” are those resulting from the testing of my first cousin and a son of Russell Edward Bunyard, a descendant of James Beal Bunyard 1744-1817. 

The second report, “Richard E. Bunyard DNA Results” reflects the findings about my specific lineage which is NOT related to James Beal Bunyard.

JOHN LONCAR FAMILY CHRONICLE

Research and DNA testing has led to the conclusion that John Loncar is the father of William Carl Bunyard, born 1913 in Des Moines, Iowa. This report summarizes the research and supporting information that led to that conclusion:

John Loncar 1873 – 1948

DORA BROCKMANN FAMILY CHRONICLE

My 2021 visit to Celle, Germany resulted in a deeper understanding of my paternal grandmother, Dora Brockmann, who immigrated to America in 1911. I summarize Dora in depth in this report:

Dorothea Hannah Louise Johanna “Dora” Brockmann 1879 – 1968

Researching Maternal Ancestors

SHINABARGER FAMILY CHRONICLES

Earliest Generation – John Shinabarger Sr.

First Generation – An Elusive Patriarch 1700-1764

Second Generation – John Shinabarger “Ashland John” 1764-1837

Third Generation – Early Hoosier – Jacob Shinabarger 1794-1845

Fourth Generation – Spreading Roots – Simon Peter Shinabarger 1821-1902

Fifth Generation – Moving West – Ernest Franklin Shinabarger 1860-1916

Sixth Generation – Grandpa – Riley Ernest Shinabarger 1886-1966

CONNECTING FAMILIES OF THE DOZEN Ss

Shinabarger, Shinaberry Shanabarger and other Related Spellings

In July 2022, I spent some days researching family history in Virginia and West Virginia, principally in the counties of Pocahontas, Highland, Augusta and Pendleton. Surnames of interest were Shinaberry and Trimble and those allied families who married into these families. My own ancestor is John Shinabarger and DNA indicates that the Shinaberry and Shinabarger families are connected through a common ancestor. While finding papers focusing on these families, the one thing that was not covered was the current DNA research which is linking the Shinaberry/Shinabarger/Shanabarger families of early Virginia. This brief report summarizes that research and was sent to the historical libraries of those counties. Read the report at CONNECTING FAMILIES OF THE DOZEN Ss .

A second summary discussing “Surnames and Their Evolution” is also available. Each summary is an attempt to create a clearer, more precise picture of our S families and how they may be linked together.

THE DOZEN S’s NEWSLETTERS

The Dozen S’s Newsletter was written and printed from January 1968 through the winter of 1972. It was produced through the combined efforts of its Editor, Mrs. Wilson (Marjorie) Carb, Jr. and its Historian, Mrs. William (Vera) Bunyard. One of its main purposes was to find the patriarch, perhaps a common ancestor, who immigrated to America and could link the various spellings of the surnames Shinabarger, Shinaberry, Shanabarger, and Schoenberger. THE DOZEN S’s NEWSLETTERS

In the summer of 1996, I took on the task of compiling and typing my mother’s notes and research, hoping to create a short history of our family. With little intention to do much more than this, I soon became involved with literally rooms of research, personal correspondence, history books, family sheets and trees, notebooks full of data, and endless scraps of paper with notes and jottings. This volume is the result. I no longer print the book but you are welcome to download this last version.

SHINABARGER FAMILY HISTORY BOOK – 2018

My mother’s family research spanned decades. In fact, if you have a surname that is Shinabarger or one of its varieties of spellings, there is a excellent chance that your mother, grandmother, aunt or uncle once received a letter from my mother. Perhaps all of the above.

When it comes to the newsletter and Shinabarger Family History, A few people, their letters spanning decades and reflecting countless hours of thorough research, deserve special mention:

• Vera Shinabarger Bunyard, great-great-granddaughter of Jacob Shinabarger and Hannah Heller.
• Mrs. Harry (Mary Keel) Lundstrom of Indiana, great-granddaughter of Jacob Shinabarger and Hannah Heller.
• Mrs. Wilson C. (Marjorie) Carb, Jr., gr-gr-gr-granddaughter of Michael Shanabarger and Mary Long.
• Mrs. Arch (Wilfarene Lane) Henderson of Texas, great-granddaughter of Wm Shinaberry and Sisson Fisher.
• Mrs. Leland (Dorothy “Dot” Wiedenback) Shinaberry, gr-gr grandson of John Shinaberry and Ruth Yocum.
• Lily Shinabarger Jackson, great-granddaughter of Jacob Shinabarger and Hannah Heller. 
• Mrs. Derrell (Florence “Flo” Paugh) Dyke of Marysville, VA, great-grandaughter of Elizabeth Shinaberry and Michael Davis.

SHINABARGER FAMILY HISTORY BOOK – 2018

Feb 2023