from The History of Hendricks County (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914)--pages 274-276
The life of a farmer is one of comparative obscurity, yet such is the peculiar fitness of things that in no other station in life do we find men of sounder character and stronger principles than in the environment of the farm. Surrounded by nature, the farmer's life is one which offers fewer temptations and more facilities for developing strength than does the artificial life of the cities. And, as in the last analysis, it is character which counts, so in the end the life of an honest, upright farmer, like Mr. Bunten, may outweigh the life of a man who occupied a much larger place in the eyes of the world.
John Henry Bunten, of North Salem, was born in Marion Township, Hendricks County, Indiana, on February 24, 1850, his father being a native of Mercer County, Kentucky, and his mother of Randolph County, North Carolina. Henry Harvey Bunten was born in 1818 and was the son of William and Leanna (Wilson) Bunten. When Henry Harvey Bunten was a young man he and his parents came to Marion Township, this county, from Kentucky, and here William Bunten entered government land and lived the remainder of his life as a farmer. He was married to Frances Robbins, who was born in 1819, the daughter of William and Leah (Lamb) Robbins. She was a small girl when her parents left North Carolina in wagons to make the long trip across the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Ohio River valley to this county, where the family entered government land in Marion Township. Henry H. Bunten and Frances Robbins were married when they were both very young and lived the simple life of farmers all their lives, he dying in 1898, and his wife two years later. Henry H. Bunten was county commissioner of Hendricks County at one time, and, with his wife, was a life-long member of the Christian Church, in which he was a deacon and elder for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Harvey Bunten were the parents of nine children, eight of whom grew to maturity. At the present time three daughters and John H., whose history is here presented, are the only living children of this marriage.
John Henry Bunten was reared on the home farm and upon reaching manhood was given the management of the home place. He and his sister, Sarah E., stayed at home, caring for their parents until their death. Sarah E. is now the wife of William I. Gill, whose career is portrayed elsewhere in this volume.
Mr. Bunten was married April 28, 1904, to Mrs. Pearl D. (Hadley) Duncan, the widow of Elmer Duncan, and the daughter of James and Jennie (Fleece) Hadley. James Hadley was born in 1847 in Marion Township, this county, and was the son of Edmond R. and Sarah S. (Ragan) Hadley. Edmond R. Hadley was born in North Carolina, the son of James C. and Mary (Richardson) Hadley. When Edmond R. was a small boy, his parents came to Hendricks County, Indiana, and located southwest of Danville, where James C. entered government land. On this farm James C. Hadley lived and died, a life-long farmer and stock raiser. Edmond R. Hadley grew up on the farm and married Sarah S. Ragan, who was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, the daughter of Abner and ______ (McCown) Ragan. She came to this county in early childhood with her parents, who first settled in Putnam County, but later came to Hendricks County. After Edmond R. Hadley's marriage he was given a farm of forty acres by his father in Marion Township, this county, and as the years went by he added to this until he had seven hundred acres of fine farming land at the time of his death in 1875. Edmond R. Hadley and wife were the parents of eight children, two of whom died in childhood. Three or four years before his death Mr. Hadley bought a farm in Eel River Township, and here he remained for the rest of his life. James Hadley, the father of Mrs. J.H. Bunten, was married October 25, 1871, to Louisa J. Fleece, a native of Eel River Township and the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Davis) Fleece. John Fleece was a child when he came to this county with his parents. Elizabeth Davis was born in this county and was a sister of Walter Davis, the father of Quincy A. Davis, whose family history is given elsewhere in this volume. Since his marriage James A. Hadley has followed farming pursuits in Eel River Township, and for the past thirty-four years he has lived in North Salem. In 1901 he sold all of his land but twenty acres, which adjoins North Salem. He owns a threshing and shredding outfit and still engages in that business. Mr. Hadley is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while he and his wife are both members of the Christian Church.
Mrs. Bunten was born in Eel River Township, this county, and in 1891 married Elmer C. Duncan, the son of George H. and Nancy (Davis) Duncan. For two years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Duncan lived in this county, then went to Colorado, where they remained for the next seven years. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Duncan assisted his father in a tile factory, but upon his removal to Colorado he engaged in gardening and fruit raising. He died in June, 1900, at the age of thirty-three years, leaving his widow with one son, Glenn D. After Mr. Duncan's death his widow came back to the home of her parents and lived with them until her marriage to Mr. Bunten.
After Mr. Bunten's marriage he built his present home in North Salem, and lived there for about four years. He then returned to the farm, but two years later moved back to North Salem and now rents his farm out. He is the owner of one hundred acres of fine farming land and also has the management of forty acres adjoining, which belong to his sister.
Mr. Bunten is a staunch Republican in his political views but has never been a blind partisan in defense of his party. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and he and his wife are both members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Religiously, their affiliation is with the Christian Church, to which they give their earnest and zealous support. Mr. Bunten is a man in whom everyone reposes the utmost confidence, for his word is to him a sacred obligation and he has always been ready to assist in every good work and help those in need. He has a wide acquaintance throughout the northern part of this county, and is highly respected by all of those with whom he has come in contact and who know him personally.