Benjamin Bunker (1710 - 1818)

Born 1710 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Husband of Abigail (Goodwin) Bunker — married 26 Nov 1730 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire,

Descendants

Died 1818 at about age 108 in Mount Desert, Hancock County, Maine, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gary Bunker [send private message]

Benjamin Bunker was a pioneer settler of Mount Desert.

Biography

Benjamin Bunker of Great Cranberry Island, Maine.

b.c.1710 Dover, New Hampshire

m. ABIGAIL ______

d.c.1818 Mount Desert Island, Maine

Life in Dover

Benjamin witnessed a deed at Dover 21 March 1732/33.^[1] He was granted by the Proprietors of Brunswick 63 acres on 10 Jan. 1740^[2] and an additional 115 acres on 12 Jan. 1740.^[3] In 1740 he was listed as living at the "Head of Mericoneag".^[4] He and Abigail sold to his brother James Bunker III of Durham, all his rights "in estate of James Bunker, Jr. my father late of Oyster River in Dover, N.H." on 26 Nov. 1740.^[5]

Benjamin moved back to Dover during course of the litigation with William Booker of York.^[6] Before 26 June 1741 he and others were deeded 150 acres (Lot 163) in Barrington, by Joseph Hicks and Thomas Leighton of Dover,^[7] and subsequently deeded his 12th part thereof on the same day to Partridge Farren.^[8] As a resident of Durham, Benjamin was involved in litigation with Joseph Patterson of Newington from 1741 to 1744.^[9]

The French & Indian War

On 13 Feb. 1745 Benjamin enlisted as a private in Captain Samuel Hale's Co., Colonel Moore's regiment. He was later made clerk and then promoted to Ensign on 10 Aug. 1745. He participated in the siege and capture of Louisburg on 17 June 1745.^[10]

The fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island was considered impregnable and later historians referred to it as the Gibraltar or Dunkirk of North America for the French. Two hundred British ships sailed from Halifax and set up a blockade to keep French ships from reaching Louisbourg. Transports carrying approximately 8,000 troops also went to Halifax. The siege of Louisbourg began on 22 May when 12,500 Regulars and Militiamen left Halifax and by 10 June British troops had reached the gates of the fortress and burned all the merchant ships in the harbor. By 24 June Louisbourg was completely shut off from the outside and was being bombarded by cannon and mortars. Cut off since April and surrounded by British and Colonial troops for almost two months, the French surrendered their garrison on 26 July. One newspaper reported: "By this event, France is deprived of the Key to her North American Trade, and of the Means to insult and encroach upon our Settlements." After this came the fall of Fort Duquesne and the capture of Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point.

Life in Brunswick

Upon his return from the war Benjamin was sued by James Nute of Dover 11 Nov. 1745.^[11] He was involved in litigation with Jotham Odiorne Jr. 5 June 1746.^[12]

Benjamin moved back to Brunswick between June 1748, when his son Thomas Millett Bunker was born in Dover ^[13] and 1752 when, as a resident of Brunswick, he signed a petition to form a new county in Maine.^[14] "Land on head of Merryconeage Neck, beginning on Benjamin Bunker's southwest corner" was referred to in the will of John Starbird dated 20 June 1753.^[15] Benjamin of "Merriconeag in the town of North yarmouth" (Merriconeag Neck had been set off from North Yarmouth to Brunswick and returned to North Yarmouth) sold 6 acres of Brunswick land to Thomas Skofield on 11 March 1755.^[16]

Ben was one of the 400 people who signed the "Petition of Inhabitants of Kennebec River for Protection…

"To His Excellency William Shirley Esqr Governour and Commander in Chief in and over said Province. To the Honble his Majestys Council for the Same and the Honourable House of Representatives.

Humbly Shew
The Proprietors of that Tract of Land lying on both Sides of Kennebeck River which was granted to the Late Colony of New Plymouth in their Charter, and afterwards by the Colony granted to Antipas Boys & others- Together with Sundry of the Principal Settlers and Residents within that Limits of said Tract.

That there are now a Considerable Number of Settlers within said Tract which are dayly making Improvments there. That your Petitioners the Proprietors are accommodating them with Grants of Lands for their Encouragement and have at a Considerable Expense procured a number of Germans to Settle there, and are lying out Two new Towns at their own Expence and appropriating Lands to be given Gratis to such as will come and Settle within their Tract, and are determined to do all that lyes in their Power to render it a well peopled and Flourishing Settlement, so that Your Petitioners humbly Conceive that in a few years this Settlement may become a Barrier against both the French and Indians, and in all other Respects of Great Benefit to the Public, was it not that Your Petitioners the Settlers by Reason of their situation, and present weak State are exposed to the Indians & in a defenceless condition against their Hostilities, and the Precariousness of Indian peace gives such just Apprehension of Danger as extreamly discourages Your Petitioners the Settlers in their Business and must tent to deter others from Settling with them to the Manifest Obstruction of the further peopling and Improving the Tract aforesaid in which the Interest of this Province is greatly concerned- Your Petitioners beg Leave therefore to Recommend themselves to your wise Care and Protection, and pray that some Measures may be by your Wisdom concerted for their Safeguard and Defence against the Enemies to whom they are exposed or otherwise Relieve Your Petitioners upon the premises as to Your Excellency- and this Honourable Court shall seem proper, and Your Petioners &c. April 22, 1755… Benj Bunker” .^[17]

He and Abigail of the "Dist of Harpswell" deeded land to Robert Speer Jr. on 15 Aug. 1758.^[18]

"... the fourth and final French and Indian War was fought between 1754 to 1763. This proved to be the last gasp of the French in the 13 colonies, and the one that cost them Canada forever. ... Near the end of that war, Benjamin Bunker and his family became the first settlers on Maine's Great Cranberry Island. Some records suggest that they may have been the first settlers in the whole Mount Desert Island region. The large island's first two settlers did not permanently settle until the summer of 1762, ..." ^[19]

Move to Great Cranberry Island

Benjamin and Abigail then moved from Harpswell sometime after 22 July 1759 (when his son was baptized there) to Great Cranberry Island before 3 October 1763, when the "Seawall that makes a peninsula, on which Benjamin Bunker dwells" was found there by Governor Francis Bernard's surveyor John Jones.^[20]

The struggle between England and France for the possession of Acadia did not end until Wolfe's victory over Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham 13 Sept. 1759 and effectively prevented any permanent settlement by the English in Eastern Maine before 1760. On 27 Feb. 1762 the Massachusetts General Court granted Mount Desert Island to Governor Francis Bernard. His "Journal of a Voyage to the Island of Mt. Desert 1762" entry for 3 Oct. 1762 states that two families were settled at the head of the river and four were settled upon one of the Cranberry Isles.^[21] The journal entry for 7 Oct. 1762 mentions "Solmer's log house" at the head of the river. This was Andrew Somes who settled there in June 1762, according to his letter to Eben Parsons dated 20 April 1816. The other settler "at the head of the river" was James Richardson, who also arrived in the summer of 1762.^[22] When Governor Bernard's surveyors John Jones and Barachias Mason surveyed the grant in 1763, Jones states he found on Great Cranberry Island "Bunker's house" and "Bunker's seawall on which Benjamin Bunker dwells" and "Jno Bunker's hutt." As no one but Bunkers were found on Great Cranberry Isle in 1763, it is logical to conclude that they were the ones mentioned by Governor Bernard as the "four families that were settled upon one of the Cranberry Isles" in 1762.

Benjamin deeded Little Cranberry Island to "my son John Bunker" on 20 July 1768^[23] and land on Great Cranberry Island to "my sons Isaac and Aaron Bunker" 1 August 1768.^[24]

During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin and his sons Isaac and Benjamin Jr. took up land later referred to as the "Ebenezer Eaton lots" at Norwood's Cove and Clark's Point on Mount Desert Isle.^[25] The sale of this same land to Rev. Ebenezer Eaton of Sedgwick on 21 Oct 1801 from Nathaniel Bennett of North Yarmouth states: "The said lots were taken up and settled in the years 1775 and 1776 by Benjamin Bunker, Benjamin Bunker Jr. and Isaac Bunker."^[26]

Benjamin was made surveyor of roads at a Mount Desert Plantation meeting on 25 March 1777. Mount Desert was not incorporated as a town until 17 March 1789 and included the Cranberry isles until 16 March 1830. The "Names of Persons in Possession of Land 23 June 1785" in the Bernard or western half of Mount Desert Island included Benjamin Bunker.^[27] Benjamin Bunker, "gentleman," deeded 100 acres on Great Cranberry Island to his son John Bunker 14 Oct. 1786.^[28] Under the Massachusetts General Court Resolve of 29 June 1787, Benjamin Bunker was deeded 100 acres as a "settlers right":

“I Benjamin Bunker of Mount Desert… Gentleman In consideration whereof I acknowledge my Self fully satisfied by Mary Bunker the wife of my son Benjamin… a parcel of land containing one hundred acres situated lying and being in the Town of Mount Desert… which hundred acres are allowed and granted as a Settlers Right… the 29th day of June 1787. Togeather with all the Buildings… this Twenty first day of August… one thousand seven hundred and ninety three…
Benjamin Bunker
In presence of
Samuel Emerson
Davis Wasgatt”^[29]

The 1790 Census lists only one Benjamin Bunker family and that family included two males over age 16, and as none of the children of Benjamin Bunker Jr. were then age 16 this implies that Benjamin Bunker Sr. was then living with his son Benjamin Jr. Also on 21 Aug. 1793 "Benjamin Bunker of Mt. Desert Gentleman" deeded to "Mary Bunker the wife of my son Benjamin," the 100 acre settlers right granted to him by the Massachusetts General Court Resolve.^[30] This implies that Abigail was by then deceased.

Both he and his son Benjamin Jr. were included among "Names of Persons in Possession of Land" on 23 June 1805 at Mount Desert.^[31] It being necessary for the old settlers to prove their claims under the Resolve of 1785, a "Commissions Proceedings at Mt. Desert" was held in 1808 at which Benjamin Bunker Sr. testified.^[32]

He died about 1818 and lived to the extraordinary age of 108 or 110.^[33] A letter dated 9 January 1874 from John Bunker, born 1802, addressed to Horace Gilley Bunker states:

"My great-grandfather Bunker settled at Mt. Desert. He lived to a great age, 108 years, and he had five sons, John, Aaron, Isaac, Benjamin, and Silas. Isaac settled at Gouldsboro, Silas at Sedgwick, and the others at Mt. Desert in the vicinity of Norwood's Cove."^[34] It is stated in the "History of Durham" that he was buried in a field owned in 1913 by Mrs. Joseph Smith, across the highway from the Bunker Garrison and near the river in Durham. ^[35]

The Bunker name is on many places in the area, Bunker’s Head on Great Cranberry, with South Bunker’s Ledge nearby, on Little Cranberry there is Bunker’s Neck and Cove with East Bunker’s Ledge between them and Mount Desert.

Account of the Bunker Family on MDI by T.L. Spurling Sr.

The following is a story about the Bunker family written by T.L. Spurling Sr. and found on the Bunker Family Association web site:

"When Ben and his family first came to these islands, the conditions were harsh - very much different than they are today with so many modern conveniences that we take for granted. In many places the trees grew right down to the water’s edge and clearings had to be made for the hay fields, gardens and their homes, These, latter were at first made of logs, chinked with moss and banked high with brush during the winter. Fishing, trading and lumbering were the first occupations. Fish could be had in great quantity near the shore for most of the year. They were salted or smoked and thus could be kept for some time, as well as eaten fresh. An old Indian jingle goes thus: “Salt fish and potatoes, the fat of the land, if you don’t like this, then starve and be damned”! They were also used in trade with passing vessels. Cod and Mackerel were the fish most caught and herring. Halibut were of no value then, nor the tuna, known a “horse mackerel”. Living by the sea, the settlers were much better off than the inland farmer. Lobsters were so plentiful in those days that an indentured servant considered himself lucky if his contract stated he would not have to be served them more than twice a week. Sea birds were in great variety and abundance and were prized, not only for their meat, but for their feathers as well. These were used in bedding and pillows and for trading. Clams could always be found and dug at the right tides. Many early sea coast families have been kept alive by this means. Some have subsisted on just clams and potatoes for a good part of the winter. Their vegetable gardens, of course, were planted as soon as possible, especially rows of potatoes. The islands also yielded wild berries that were eaten in season and also made into jams and jellies; raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and the abundant cranberry. The sea faring men used to take barrels of the cranberries with them on long voyages, as they were a good combatant of scurvy. It was said that the Cranberry Isles first got their name from Governor Bernard when he noted the growth of these berries here. The earliest of our settlers came “down to Maine”, mostly in small open sailing boats, referred to as “Chebacco Boats”. A few did come by larger craft such as brigs and schooners, as there was coasting [freighting by boat] by these islands during this time, en route to points east and Canada and to our larger settlements to the west. Goldsboro, to the east was settled early and Ellsworth, north of Mount Desert, up the Union River, was later to become one of the larger lumbering centers of the state.

"At first, before the people of the Cranberries became better settled and organized and had built a method of trade and transportation, they used more home made and home grown products, such as growing flax for linen to make sails for their vessels. All boots, as well as shoes were made of leather; no rubber boots [that we take for granted]. No one working around the water in those days could expect to have dry feet. As soon as possible, livestock were brought on, sheep being a very important animal, both for its meat and its wool used for home spun clothing. There were a few cows and oxen for plowing and hauling, but no horses, at first.

"These islands at the time of our early settlers were more coveted than the mainland. They were easier for the keeping of livestock, in many cases no fences were needed as they couldn’t stray too far. Of course, all the important trading, freight and transportation was by water; the ocean a very effective moat, so to speak. It kept the desired elements on and the undesirable off. These islands were a snug, self sustaining ample area, sometimes referred to as “The ship that would not sink”. You were also nearer the fishing grounds. When nets were needed, these were oft times knit by the women folk. Most of the ladies had herb gardens also and were very adept in time of sickness. No medicine then, was of much help in the epidemics of smallpox, typhoid, cholera etc, that could frequently ravish a community. Much of this unwittingly brought on by the crews of visiting vessels. Before the pioneers had been here very long, a saw mill and grist mill were built and in operation at Somesville, at the head of Somes Sound. Now better homes could be built of sawn lumber and their grain could be ground. Large families were the thing to help the parents in their many chores about the house, grounds and boats, for in those days the worry of raising cash for college or education was not in the reckoning…there were no such schools at first. Usually there was someone in the settlement who could teach the children to read, write and cipher. Sometimes, their parents could. It wasn’t until the early 1800's that the Cranberry Isles voted for a school district to be laid off. Religious services were held in houses and on good days later, excursions would be made by boat to Mount Desert to attend church. Town meetings were also organized. In 1789, the town of Mount Desert was formed, which included most of the islands in this area. It was not until 1830 that the town of Cranberry Isles came into being, as a town separate from Mount Desert. Even though the settlers were better established, money was still scarce. Most of their local necessities were achieved by their own efforts, swapping with their neighbors and trading with passing vessels that would bring and deliver letters for them and also such goods as they could not produce. Every settler tried his best to get enough land for his house, garden, a hay field, and a woodlot. Later, he might add an apple orchard and a rhubarb patch. These early islanders balanced their hard life with frequent recreation, visiting back and forth with neighbors, as well as nearby islands. Dances were held in larger buildings; also spring festivals and dancing around an island maypole with skating and sliding in the winter time. There was a semi-“work-playtime”, when a house or barn was raised, or a pile of wood needed to be chopped, for someone who had no able men-folk. The ladies had quilting bees. Boating made good sport for the young men, who became skilled at an early age. Gunning for sea birds and an occasional deer on the larger islands, made these island men superior marksmen. The Revolutionary War came along with it, English men O’ War began to harass and pillage the coastal settlements. Ben Bunker had taken a part in the capture of Louisburg in the earlier French War, as had his island neighbor, Job Stanwood, on Little Cranberry, who had lost an arm in this battle. Ben’s son, John, [known as Capt. Jack] cut out a British supply ship down the coast at Wiscasset, during the Revolution and sailed home, where its cargo helped feed his hungry relatives and neighbors. He sailed it “Down East” to hide it in a safe spot, said to be at Roque Island, where today there is still, on the charts a Bunker Harbor. Another of Ben’s children was Comfort Bunker, who married John Manchester, a Revolutionary War soldier of Mount Desert. He happened to be away one day, when a British landing party made a visit to his home on Manchester Point. They killed all the family’s livestock for shipboard rations, took all the winter supplies and shoved off. Luckily, John had his musket with him and soon after his return, he and Comfort spied a moose swimming across the sound. They were able to row out to it, shoot it and tow it ashore. This with what few supplies they were able to beg and borrow from their neighbors got them through to better times. These were some of the hardships these people put up with in those days in addition to their regular pioneer life.

"A few of the earliest settlers received land agreements from Governor Bernard, but after the Revolution their grants were lost. Two new applicants applied for land claims, these were his son, John; and a French woman, Madam Barthelmy De Gregoire; granddaughter of Sieur De Cadillac, who had a French claim much earlier. Sir John Bernard had sided with the colonists, while his father remained loyal to the crown; so the American Congress gave him the western half of Mount Desert and De Gregoire the eastern half including the Cranberry Isles. The division was made down along Somes Sound and was known by the older people as “The French Line”. Madame De Gregoire soon sold much of her land to the early settlers and squatters; 100 acres for five Spanish milled dollars. Several years later, during the War of 1812, the British sloop of war “Tenedos” appeared between the islands one day in August 1814. Its Captain was looking for Yankee shipping and had heard that Benjamin Spurling and Joseph Bunker had vessels hidden in nearby Norwood’s Cove on Mount Desert. This is an interesting story in itself that might be related to another time. Anyway, the islanders were able to drive the English away from the cove and save the vessels. Joseph, was one of Ben Bunker’s grandsons and a son of Capt. Jack. Now, as time moved on, living was gradually easier for the island people. Coastal shipping was now at its peak and lasted well through the 19th century. By 1870, almost every bit of land that could be improved for corn field, hay field or pasture and every site for a new gristmill on Mount Desert Island had been taken up. Lumbering, ship building and coastal transportation lasted until nearly the end of the 19th century, but the days when the islanders main livelihood depended on the forest and sea was coming to an end. The coming of steamboats and the summer residents were changing things. Very few larger sailing crafts were being built now. Many island people worked for the “summer people” at least part of the time. This changed their kind of livelihood to a great extent. Of all their former ways of earning a living, only fishing could be counted on for sure and some local boat building. By the 20th century the gas engined boat was starting to come into use thus putting an end to commercial sail. Soon after, the automobile, likewise, was putting an end to the steamboats. Finally, electricity came to the two larger Cranberry Isles in 1928.

"Two world wars have greatly changed life on our islands. Many young men have gone into lobster fishing, as have others from away, who have made the islands their home. Some of the older ones, who first came as summer visitors have bought property and retired here, “Where it's quieter and more peaceful”, they say, “Without the pressure, smog and rat race”. Transportation by boat is much better and more dependable now that in past years. The mail and ferryboats of Beal and Bunker Inc., do a good business. For many years Elisha Bunker owned and operated a boat yard on Great Cranberry and his nephew, Raymond, of Mount Desert; is nationally known for his excellently built work and pleasure boats. These Bunker men are descendents of the old Ben Bunker, listed as Ensign in our Maine family archives, said to have reached the age of 108. Most of us native island people here today also claim Ensign Ben, as our ancestor. Some descending through his son, Capt. Jack and others through his daughter, Comfort Bunker Manchester and some, like myself, through both. There are many other mainland Bunkers living nearby who also descend from two more of his children, Silas and Isaac.

This is my story of our area and a courageous ancestor, who came here many years ago and played an important role in colonizing these island frontiers."

Children

i. John Bunker, born 1730 in Dover N.H.; m.1. c.1752 Abigail Young, 2. 7 Aug. 1785 Hannah Hadlock; died Abt. 1810.

ii. Aaron Bunker, born 1735; m. Sarah ______ (d. Feb. 1821); died February 1821.

iii. Comfort Bunker, born 1736 in Durham New Hampshire; m. 20 July 1756 North Yarmouth, John Manchester

iv. Isaac Bunker, born Bef. 1747 in Brunswick Me; m. Esther Ives; died Abt. 1825.

v. Silas Bunker, born 1746 in Probably Durham New Hampshire; m. 21 Nov. 1771 Mary Foss; died February 15, 1829.

vi. Thomas Millett Bunker, born June 26, 1748 Dover, NH

vii. Mary Bunker, born 1754; died Abt. 1845.She married (1) 27 Oct. 1770 Cranberry Isles, Clement Stewart.She married (2) Eliakim Eaton

viii. Abigail Bunker, born 29 June 1755, m. 30 June 1777 Reuben Salisbury

ix. Sarah Bunker, born 14 Sept. 1758 Harpswell

x. Benjamin Bunker, born July 22, 1759 in Harpswell Maine; m. 1777 Mount Desert Island, Mary Stanley; died 1828-1830.

Sources

1. ↑ New Hampshire Province Deeds- Vol. 28, p. 183
2. ↑ York Co. Registry of Deeds- Vol. 27, p. 163
3. ↑ York Co. Registry of Deeds-Vol. 24, p. 48; History of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell- George Augustus Wheeler & Henry Warren Wheeler, Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston, 1878- p. 39
4. ↑ History of Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell- George Augustus Wheeler & Henry Warren Wheeler, Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston, 1878- p. 865
5. ↑ NH Province Deeds- Vol. 29, p. 211
6. ↑ NH Province Court file- 23,178
7. ↑ NH Province Deeds- Vol. 26, p. 409
8. ↑ NH Province Deeds- Vol. 86, p. 84
9. ↑ New Hampshire Province Court File- 25, 117
10. ↑ Roll of New Hampshire Men at Louisburg, Cape Breton, 1745- George C. Gilmore, E.N. Pearson, Concord, NH, 1895- p. 31; Louisbourg Soldiers- NEHGR- Vol. 24, p. 379 (Oct. 1870); Louisbourg Soldiers- NEHGR- Vol. 25, p. 268 (July 1871); History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire- Everett S. Stackpole, Durham, 1913- Vol. 1, pp. 111-2; Notable Events in the History of Dover, New Hampshire, From the First Settlement in 1623 to 1865- George Wadleigh, Dover, NH, 1913- p. 141
11. ↑ New Hampshire Province Court File- 22, 189
12. ↑ New Hampshire Province Court File- 21, 780
13. ↑ Baptisms in Dover- NEHGR- Vol. 41, p. 89 (Jan. 1887); Collection of the Dover Historical Society- p. 154
14. ↑ Collection of the Maine Historical Society, 2nd Series- Vol. 12, p. 197; Bangor Historical Magazine- Vol. 3 (1888), p. 189
15. ↑ York County Probate- Vol. 8, p. 249
16. ↑ York Co. Deeds- Vol. 30, fol. 281
17. ↑ Mass. Archives- Vol. 136, pp. 270-280
18. ↑ York Co. Deeds- Vol. 34, p. 6
19. ↑ http://rebunkerfamily.com/files/Download/Chapter%209_Good%20Hearts,%20Stout%20Men.pdf
20. ↑ John Jones Field Notes- original at Maine Historical Society- Me Hist Soc Spec Coll. 1203
21. ↑ Sparks Manuscripts in Harvard College Library
22. ↑ Old Hancock County Families-William Macbeth Pierce, Hancock Co. Pub., Ellsworth, 1933- p. 35; Mount Desert: A History- George E. Street, Houghton Mifflin Pub. Co., 1926- p. 115
23. ↑ Lincoln County Deeds- Vol. 11, p. 53
24. ↑ Lincoln County Deeds- Vol. 13, fol. 121
25. ↑ Hancock County Deeds- Vol. 10, p. 42
26. ↑ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, 2nd Series- Vol. 2, p. 440; Maine Historical Magazine- Vol. 8, p. 22
27. ↑ Collections Maine Historical Society, 2nd Series- Vol. 2, pp. 442, 447
28. ↑ Washington County Deeds- Vol. 1, p. 63 then Eastern Lincoln County Registry of Deeds
29. ↑ Hancock County Registry of Deeds- Vol. 2, p. 428
30. ↑ Hancock County Registry of Deeds- Vol. 2, p. 428
31. ↑ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, 2nd Series- Vol. 2, p. 447
32. ↑ Collections of the Maine Historical Society, 2nd Series- Vol. 2, pp. 440, 442
33. ↑ Sprague's Journal of Maine History- John Francis Sprague, 1913- Vol. 14, p. 181; An Historical Sketch of the Town of Deer Isle, Maine, with Notices of its Settlers and Early Inhabitants- George L. Hosmer, Stanley & Usher, Boston, 1886- p. 168
34. ↑ Sprague's Journal of Maine History- John Francis Sprague, 1913- Vol. 14, p. 181
35. ↑ History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire- Everett S. Stackpole, Durham, 1913- Vol. 1, p. 240

• Dover, MDI, Harpswell, & North Yarmouth V.R.
• Bunker Genealogy: Ancestry and Descendants of Benjamin 3 (James 2, James 1) Bunker- Edward Carleton Moran Jr., Rockland, 1942- pp.8-9
• http://www.hancockcountydeeds.com/maps/roll19B_20090217_0001.png

• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/l/i/e/Charles-Liebow-Maine/GENE1-0003.html

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mainegenie/BUNKER.htm

• http://www.bunker.org/bbunker.html