Bunnell, Flagler County, Florida

Terri and Charles R. Bunnell

Bunnell is the county seat for Flagler County and is located on U.S. 1, about 24 miles north of Daytona Beach. It has a population of about 2300. For detailed information about Bunnell, Florida go to http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=8388 or for buying/shopping info, go to http://www.bunnellflorida.com/.

But if you're looking at this page, then you're interested in the history of the name, not the demographics. It's actually kind of disappointing; no Bunnell dynasty there I'm afraid. This was provided by Phil Bunnelle back in 1991 and was in Vol. V, No. 3, page 38 of the Bunnell/Bonnell Newsletter..

"According to one source, the town was founded about 1881 by Alvah A. Bunnell, who built a saw mill there. Another source says that he operated a cypress shingle mill around the turn of the century and prevailed on the railroad to make stops at his plant. For lack of a better name, they called it the Bunnell stop. By 1903 the settlement, then called Bunnell, was big enough to have a post office. Alvah moved on to Miami about that time, and no other Bunnell seems to have been involved in subsequent development of the town, nor is one living there now [1991].”

“Real estate promoters pushed the development of the area, and in 1913 Bunnell was incorporated as a town. Two years later there were 40 registered voters there. In 1917 it became the [county] seat of newly formed Flagler County.”

“In the 1930s Bunnell was a lumber and turpentine town, with the turpentine produced from pine resin. Pines are still grown for pulp wood and the rural area to the west and south is noted for potatoes and cabbage, as well as raising livestock.”

“Once the leading city in the county, Bunnell is now a backwater, with new real estate developments taking place elsewhere, most notably Palm Coast, an ITT community development to the north, and to a lesser degree, Flagler Beach to the east.”

“In 1988 Bunnell had a population of 2,300 with businesses mainly engaged in local retailing.”

In Vol. XII, No. 1, pg. 9, William Brewster Bunnell wrote:

“Alvah Alonzo Bunnell, b. 1855, GA, was a wagon & drummer boy in a Fl. Regiment CSA ca. 1864-65. Alonzo died Mar. 1944, Miami, FL. He was the founder of “BUNNELL, FL”, his dad also served w/FL C.S. Forces briefly”

Claude Bunnell's database (http://www.williambunnellfamily.org/) shows Alvah as being born 22 Aug 1854 in Florida (That’s probably based on census data). He married Susan Cynthia Godwin 14 Oct 1877. They had 10 children, 8 of which were boys. There are living Bunnell descendents.

Alvah was the son of Eli and Mary Ann Phebe (Caulder) Bunnell. We don’t have his lineage beyond that.

The photo above is of two Bunnell/Bonnell Newsletter subscribers who asked about the town. They are no known relation to Alvah Bunnell.

If you have information about Bunnell,Florida and would like to share it please contact Charlie.

Updated 5 June 2005