Bunce–Bittman Connection (Dad's Side)

🏛️ Paternal Synthesis & Lineage Architecture

This interactive portal documents the multi-generational reconstruction of the paternal lineage (Dad's Side), anchored by Harold Bunce and his union with Bonnie Robar. The paternal heritage encompasses two major Western Canadian pioneer branches: the Bunce ranching and homesteading family of Manitoba, Southern Alberta (Pincher Creek), and the Kootenays (Creston & Nelson, BC), and the German-Canadian Bittman pioneer family of Faust and Fort Vermilion in Northern Alberta. Click any family member node below to inspect full vital statistics, documented kinship roles, and historical notes.

🌿 Multi-Generational Kinship Inspector

Click any node to view individual profile

Subject Generation (Gen. VIII)

Timothy Andrew Bunce

b. May 10, 1985 • Ontario

Focal Relative

Crystal (Bunce) Baxter

Sister • m. Matthew Baxter

Mother of Abbygail Baxter (b. 2017)

Parental Generation & Sibling Cohort (Gen. VII)

Harold Bunce & Bonnie Robar

Father & Mother • Nelson, BC → Toronto / Wasaga Beach

Cindy (Bunce) Norris

b. 1959 • m. Brian Norris (Victoria, BC)

Danny, Lee & May Wanda

Nelson, Castlegar & Cranbrook, BC

Grandparents & Collateral Cohort (Gen. VI)

Thomas Bunce

Paternal Grandfather

1934–2010 (age 75) • Creston → Nelson, BC

Married 50 years to Electa Bittman (c. 1959–2010).

Electa (Bittman) Bunce

Paternal Grandmother

b. May 3 (~1936–1940) • Faust, AB → Nelson, BC

Daughter of Joseph & Mary Bittman of Faust, AB.

Charlie Bunce

Living Great-Uncle

Living & Working in Nelson, BC

Brother of grandfather Thomas; bridge generation link.

Thalma (Bittman) Campbell

Great-Aunt

~1928 – Dec. (exact death record under research 🟡) • Faust → Nelson, BC

m. Harold Campbell (WWII veteran ✅); mother of Karen.

Karen (Campbell) MacDonald

1st Cousin 1x Rem.

b. Jan 31, 1956 • Nelson, BC

m. Derrick MacDonald (m. Oct 19, 2010 ✅); mother of Tracy & Nancy.

Great & Great-Great Ancestors (Gen. V & IV)

Thomas Dazely Bunce

1849–1937 • Prairie Patriarch

Mary Ann Greenwood

1859–1954 • Collingwood Loop

Joseph & Mary Bittman

Faust, AB • 14 Children

Greenwood & Wray

1765–1881 • Yorkshire, Eng.

Timothy Andrew Bunce / Bunce Line

Bittman Pioneer Line

Greenwood Line (Collingwood)

Wray Yorkshire Ancestry

Individual Profile Inspector

Focal Subject

* Select any card on the family tree to inspect full vital dates, migration milestones, and documented archival evidence.

Temporal Archival Depth Across Paternal Lines

Continuous generational depth from 18th-century Yorkshire and pre-Confederation Ontario to the present.

1765 – 2026 (261 Yrs)

🗺️ Transcontinental Pioneer Odyssey & Full-Circle Loop

The paternal lines embody the classic opening of the Canadian West. From 1872 when Thomas Dazely Bunce left Ontario for the Red River settlement of Manitoba, through Calgary freighting, Porcupine Hills cattle ranching, and Crowsnest Pass crossing to Creston, to the 1933 settlement of Joseph and Mary Bittman in Faust on Lesser Slave Lake, the families traversed over 3,000 kilometers before Harold Bunce and Bonnie Robar reunited the lineage in Simcoe County, Ontario.

Stream I 🌾

Bunce Prairie Line

Grimsby ON → Woodlands MB → Pincher Creek AB → Creston & Nelson BC

Stream II 🌲

Bittman Pioneer Line

Saskatchewan → Faust & Fort Vermilion AB → Cranbrook & Nelson BC

Stream III 🏡

Greenwood & Wray

Yorkshire Dales → Collingwood, Simcoe Co. ON → Western Prairies

Stream IV 🚂

US Pacific Northwest

Idaho, Washington & Montana Sojourns (Tacoma Munt & Missoula Bunce)

Historical Pioneer Movement & Regional Concentration

Chronological shifts from English parish emigrations to Western Canadian homesteads and mid-century British Columbia settlement.

⏳ Chronological Paternal Milestones (1765–2026)

Showing All Streams

📖 Detailed Lineage Archives & Sibling Registers

Examine the primary archival evidence, vital registrations, and documented sibling cohorts across each paternal family branch. Select a lineage tab below to explore the ranching records of Pincher Creek, the commercial fishery registers of Faust, the Yorkshire parish records, and the American Pacific Northwest diaspora.

The Frontier Odyssey of Thomas Dazely Bunce (1849–1937)

Born on March 20, 1849 in "Graimsville" (Grimsby/Gainsborough, Lincoln County, Ontario), Thomas Dazely Bunce was the son of Calgary pioneers Thomas Bunce Sr. and Elizabeth Bunce. At age 23 in 1872—just two years after Manitoba entered Confederation—he headed west to Woodlands, MB, proving up an early homestead and marrying sixteen-year-old Mary Ann Greenwood on July 28, 1874.

Porcupine Hills Cattle Ranch (Section 30, Township 7, Range 29, W4M):

Following an eight-year freighting and policing stint in Calgary (1885–1892) and a sojourn in the American Pacific Northwest (1892–1900), Thomas Dazely Bunce returned to Alberta, operating a high-elevation cattle ranch in the Porcupine Hills near Pincher Creek until 1911, when the family crossed the Crowsnest Pass into Creston, BC.

The 10 Children of Thomas Dazely Bunce & Mary Ann Greenwood

#	Child Name	Vital Dates	Birthplace	Documented Trajectory & Spouse
1	Joseph Nelson Bunce	1876–1961	Woodlands, MB	Migrated to USA; filed Social Security claim in Missoula, MT (1950)
2	Elizabeth Bunce	1878–1948	Woodlands, MB	Hotel cook in Pincher Creek (1901); m. Smith; Bellingham, WA
3	Bertha Ann Bunce	1880–1960	Portage la Prairie, MB	m. 1902 Arthur Munt in Pincher Creek; settled Tacoma, WA (6 children)
4	Thomas Bunce	b. 1884	Manitoba	Great-uncle (4th child of patriarch); his own family line unresearched; not grandpa's father
5	Serena Jane Bunce	b. 1887	Manitoba	m. Mr. Lewis
6	Caroline Bunce	b. 1890	Okotoks, AB	m. Mr. McQueen
7	Daisly / Charles Dazely Bunce	1893–1993	Idaho, USA ➔ Nelson, BC	Bridge Great-Grandfather ('Daisly Bunce'); m. Oct 2, 1926 Freida Dishman in Creston. Father of Charlie (b. ~Dec 1926, age 99) and grandpa Thomas (1934–2010). Documented centenarian (lived to age 100 in Nelson)
8	Myrtle Pearl Bunce	b. 1895/96	Washington, USA	m. Mr. Blakey (Saskatchewan settlement; family details under research 🟡)
9	Frances Jasper Bunce	1899–1966	Montana, USA	Youngest surviving son; associated with British Columbia records
10	Unnamed Son Bunce	1901–1901	Alberta	Died in infancy in Alberta

The Simcoe County Full-Circle Loop

1859 Collingwood Birth to Wasaga Beach:

In 1859, Bunce matriarch Mary Ann Greenwood was born in Collingwood, Simcoe County, ON on Nottawasaga Bay. Her descendants moved 3,000 km westward across Manitoba, Alberta, and the Kootenays.

When Harold Bunce moved east from Nelson, BC to Toronto, and Bonnie Bunce (née Robar) established her residence in Wasaga Beach, the family completed a full 150-year transcontinental circle—returning less than 15 kilometers from where Mary Ann Greenwood was born in 1859.

The Bittman Lineage: Faust, Lesser Slave Lake & The 14 Children

Paternal grandmother Electa (Bittman) Bunce descends from the German-Canadian pioneer family of Joseph and Mary Bittman, who migrated from Saskatchewan during the Depression and settled at Faust, Alberta on the southern shore of Lesser Slave Lake in 1933, where they raised fourteen children.

In Faust, the family became commercial and civic anchors: operating the Bittman Corner Store, running commercial fishing boats on Lesser Slave Lake (including vessel owner Raymond Bittman from 1983 to 2024), fur farming (Herman J. Bittman), and timber logging.

Documented Members of the 14-Child Faust Cohort

Birth Slot	Individual	Vital Dates	Kinship & Geographic Details
1? (Tentative)	Doris Bittman	b. ~1926	m. Jake Marten; arrived Fort Vermilion by river June 14, 1932
2?	Thalma (Bittman) Campbell	~1928 – Dec. (exact death record under research 🟡)	m. Harold Campbell (WWII veteran ✅); settled in Nelson, BC; mother of Karen (Campbell) MacDonald; grandmother of Tracy & Nancy MacDonald
Older brother	Lawrence William Bittman	~1931 – Feb 12, 2025	Lived in Faust; passed away in Leduc County, AB at age 93 (obituary in Smoky River Express)
7th of 14	Ervin William Bittman	1935 – Nov 4, 2022	Canadian Armed Forces 1955–58; settled Cranbrook, BC (d. age 87)
8? (Infant)	Henry Richard Bittman	d. 1937	Death registered at Faust, AB; likely infant sibling
9th of 14	Julie Bittman	fl. 1930s	Explicitly documented 9th child in provincial death index
Cohort Sister	Birdie Bittman	fl. 1930s	Mentioned in regional Lakeside Leader family obituaries
Cohort Matriarch	Electa (Bittman) Bunce	b. May 3 (~1936–40)	Paternal grandmother; married Thomas Bunce c. 1960; resided Nelson, BC
14? (Last-born)	Lorraine (Bittman) Rhoades	b. Jul 4, 1943	Born in Fort Vermilion, AB; now of Ashcroft, BC; sister to Electa

Noted Bittman Figures

Bishop Gregory John Bittman (b. 1961)

Appointed by Pope Francis in 2018 as 7th Roman Catholic Bishop of Nelson, BC—presiding over the exact Kootenay diocese where Thomas and Electa lived.

Roman Norbert Bittman (1941–2017)

Celebrated Métis CBC producer of The Nature of Things, born at Fort Vermilion to a German-Canadian trapper and Métis mother (unattached cluster).

The US Pacific Northwest Diaspora: Munt, Smith & Blakey

During Thomas Dazely Bunce and Mary Ann Greenwood's 1892–1900 sojourn across Idaho, Washington, and Montana, several children were born as birthright US citizens. Even after the parents returned to Alberta in 1900, three Canadian-born children permanently relocated across the 49th parallel.

1. Bertha Ann Bunce → Munt Family (Tacoma & Lakewood, WA) 6 Children • 3 Documented Grandchildren

Bertha (1880–1960) married Arthur Munt (1878–1973, b. Barnsley, Yorkshire; railroad painter, later ordained Spiritual Church minister) in 1902 in Pincher Creek, AB; settled in Tacoma, WA by 1910. Both buried at Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, WA.

Documented Children:

Charles Flint Munt (1903–1998, Pincher Creek AB) → daughter Shirley A. Munt (b. 1929).
Edward Arthur ("Eddie") Munt (1906–2001, Auburn, WA).
Thomas Delta Munt (1908–1989, Port Guichon BC; paper-factory worker).
Elizabeth Victoria Munt (1910–1981, Bellingham WA; m. Mr. Omodt, later Kinzner; waitress) → daughters Deloris Omodt (b. ~1930) and Janice Omodt (b. ~1937).
Eugene D. ("Willie") Munt (1912–1979, Seattle WA; machine operator).
Woodrow Wilson Munt (~1916–1990, WA; pipe fitter).

2. Charles Dazely Bunce & Freida Dishman (Creston & Nelson, BC)

Born 1893 in Idaho during the family's American sojourn; returned to Canada. Married Freida Dishman on October 2, 1926 in Creston, BC at the Dishman ranch (Rev. J. Herdman presiding). Lived as a beloved centenarian to age 100, passing away in Nelson on Jan 10, 1993.

3. Joseph Nelson Bunce (Missoula, MT)

Eldest son born 1876 in Woodlands, MB. Moved permanently to Montana, filing his US Social Security retirement claim in Missoula, MT on Nov 1, 1950 before passing in 1961 (aged ~85).

4. Elizabeth Bunce → Smith Family (Bellingham, WA)

Born 1878 in Woodlands, MB; worked as a hotel cook in Pincher Creek in 1901 before marrying Mr. Smith and residing in Bellingham, Whatcom County, WA; passed in 1948 (~70).

5. Myrtle Pearl Bunce → Blakey Family & Frances Jasper Bunce

Myrtle (b. 1895/96 WA) married Francis Llewellyn Blakey in Saskatchewan (sons Vernon, John, Thomas). Frances Jasper Bunce (1899–1966, b. MT) was the youngest son, associated with British Columbia records.

Regional Settlement Balance

Geographic footprint across all paternal branches:

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1. Colonial USA & 1636 Hartford Founders

The American root of the surname traces to Thomas Bunce (1612–1683), one of the original Puritan proprietors who founded Hartford, Connecticut in 1636 with Rev. Thomas Hooker and fought in the 1637 Pequot War.

Crossing into Peel County, Upper Canada:

Descendants expanded westward through Connecticut into Western New York (Yates, Steuben, and Chautauqua counties) and Ohio. Western New York sits directly across Lake Ontario from Grahamville (Chinguacousy Township, Peel County, Ontario), where Thomas Dazely Bunce was born on March 20, 1849.

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2. Illinois & Colonial Virginia Dishman Line

Paternal great-grandmother Freida (Dishman) Bunce (1908–2000) was the daughter of Walter Henry Dishman (1873–1919), born in Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois.

French Huguenot & Southern Trail:

The Moultrie County Dishmans descend from Keziah Dishman (Iredell County, NC, 1798) and the colonial Virginia Dishman dynasty, originally founded by Samuel Duchemin, a French Huguenot immigrant who anglicized his name in Rappahannock County, Virginia in the late 1600s.

DNA Verified via Kitrina Dishman (171 cM, 2%) & K.O. (206 cM, 3%).

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3. Mexico & Southwestern Borderlands

The Bunce surname connects directly to Mexican history and the US-Mexico borderlands across three distinct historical channels:

New Mexico Homesteads: James Hyrum Bunce and Florence (Reich) Bunce established homesteads in Blanco and Farmington, San Juan County, New Mexico (part of Mexico prior to 1848), raising 9 children.

Mormon Colonies in Chihuahua: Allied branches of the 1852 western migrations participated in establishing the famous late-19th-century colonies in northern Mexico: Colonia Juárez and Colonia Dublán in Chihuahua, and Sonora.

Yuma-Sonora Border Trail: Descendants of Peter Bunce Jr. settled on the Mexican border in Yuma, Arizona, running cross-border commerce into Sonora.

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4. Germany: Verlage & Bittman Bloodlines

Timothy Andrew Bunce descends directly from two distinct ethnic German pioneer bloodlines on his paternal grandmother's side:

Joanna Verlage (Northwestern Germany): Mother of Electa Theresa Bunce. Originating in Westphalia (Münsterland / Rheine) and Lower Saxony. Proved by Victor Verlage (137 cM, 5 seg, 44% NW Germany) and Helmut Verlage.

Joseph Bittman (Faust & Saskatchewan): Ethnic German pioneer from Saskatchewan and Faust, AB. Proved by Judith Conrad (107 cM) and Dale Marten (5%).

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5. The Ancient Cooper Trade Convergence

A remarkable linguistic and cultural convergence unites both the Bunce and Bittman family surnames across centuries:

Bunce & Bittman: Two Words for Master Cooper

Bunce: In Southern Germany and Switzerland, many families bearing the surname Bunce are anglicized forms of Alemannic Bunz or Bünz, meaning a barrel maker or cooper.

Bittman: In Germany and Austria, Bittmann derives from Middle High German Bütte (a wooden wine tub or barrel)—literally a cooper or tub maker!

Across England, the Rhineland, and the Canadian Prairies, both paternal lines share an ancient artisan heritage.

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6. English Dazely / Dazeley Origins

The maternal maiden name of Elizabeth Bunce (mother of Thomas Dazely Bunce) establishes the four-generation family name Daisly / Dazely:

Cambridgeshire & Bedfordshire:

The surname Dazely or Dazeley is an ancient English locational surname originating from Derisley Farm in Woodditton, Cambridgeshire, and historic parish registers in Bedfordshire and Essex.

Carried forward to Nelson, BC by centenarian Charles Dazely Bunce (1893–1993, age 100) and living streetcar mechanic Charlie Bunce (b. 1926, age 99).

📊 Master Paternal Kinship Register & Filtering Engine

This interactive database consolidates documented individuals across eight generations of the Bunce, Bittman, Greenwood, and Joynt lineages. Filter by family line, generation, or search by keyword to explore archival records.

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Showing 22 Entries

Generation / Lineage	Full Name (Maiden/Variants)	Vital Dates	Primary Geographic Nodes	Documented Kinship Role & Details

Ancestry & Kinship of the Bunce & Bittman Families

🏛️ Paternal Synthesis & Lineage Architecture

🌿 Multi-Generational Kinship Inspector

Individual Profile Inspector

Temporal Archival Depth Across Paternal Lines

🗺️ Transcontinental Pioneer Odyssey & Full-Circle Loop

Historical Pioneer Movement & Regional Concentration

⏳ Chronological Paternal Milestones (1765–2026)

📖 Detailed Lineage Archives & Sibling Registers

The Frontier Odyssey of Thomas Dazely Bunce (1849–1937)

The 10 Children of Thomas Dazely Bunce & Mary Ann Greenwood

The Simcoe County Full-Circle Loop

The Bittman Lineage: Faust, Lesser Slave Lake & The 14 Children

Documented Members of the 14-Child Faust Cohort

Noted Bittman Figures

The Greenwood & Joynt Ancestry: Yorkshire Dales to Simcoe County

Deep British Lineages

The US Pacific Northwest Diaspora: Munt, Smith & Blakey

Regional Settlement Balance

1. Colonial USA & 1636 Hartford Founders

2. Illinois & Colonial Virginia Dishman Line

3. Mexico & Southwestern Borderlands

4. Germany: Verlage & Bittman Bloodlines

5. The Ancient Cooper Trade Convergence

6. English Dazely / Dazeley Origins

📊 Master Paternal Kinship Register & Filtering Engine

🔍 Archival Breakthroughs & Disambiguation Engine

1. The "Middle Thomas" & Senior Card Solution

2. The Faust vs Fort Vermilion Bittman Clusters

3. Digital Search Collisions Disambiguated

4. The Daisly Bunce Bridge: Charles Dazely Bunce & Freida Dishman

Archival Research Dossiers & Evidence Reports

Master Bunce Family Tree & Daisly Resolution

The Bridge-Generation Father & 1926 Discovery

American Descendants: Munt, Smith & Blakey

Norris Branch Deep Dive

Charlie Bunce Trail & Whitewater Oral History

Campbell & MacDonald Lineage

Comprehensive Paternal Research Dossier

International Dossier: USA, Mexico & Germany