Andreas Bentz Line

Background Information:

Andreas Bentz arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Robert & Alice, master Walter Goodman, which arrived on December 3, 1740.

He married Otillia Catharina Lang on June 16, 1745 in New Holland, Lancaster, PA. It may not have been unusual for people to travel to Lancaster to be married; also, we know nothing of Otillia's family - they may have been from that area.

Andreas apparently lived in Hanover, PA, and was a member of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church there. The records of this church are now in the Hanover Public Library.

What happened to him then is unknown. He may have gone north to the Dillsburg area where one of his sons lived. No marked grave for Andreas or Otillia has been found. (The St. Matthew's graveyard no longer exists: buildings are on the site now).

Andreas & Otillia's children are shown below. Names in bold are those who have descendants we know about. Further information about these children, as well as source notes, is in the material on this and other pages.

Name
Birthdate
Spouse
Notes

Elizabeth Bentz March 21, 1749/50
Anna Christina Bentz July 11, 1753
Andreas Bentz, Jr. October 11, 1755 Elizabeth ? This is the recently found family branch.
Johan Nicholas Bentz March 5, 1758 Eve Marie Swope This is the (Dillsburg) branch most of us are on.
Maria Magdalena Bentz May 5, 1761

Until recently, we were aware only of descendants of Johan Nicholas Bentz (usually referred to as just "Nicholas Bentz"). Recently, descendants of Andreas Jr. have been located, and information on that line is now included in these web pages.

The First Few Generations

Detailed information on the Andreas's children and grandchildren, with source material, is available here. This is a good overview of the main branches of the family. It may seem complex at first glance, but it only covers three generations. It will give you a sense of what we know about the early family, and where the main known lines come from.

Genealogy Files

A set of files containing information on the known descendants of Andreas is available for download. These include Family Tree Maker (version 7.5) files, GEDCOM files, and .rtf reports. To see what's available, visit:

Downloading genealogy files

Family Sites in the Dillsburg, PA Area

The Jacob Bentz House was known as the "Bentz Homestead"; an early family cemetery is there.
The George Bentz House was another early family house; rumor has it that J.E.B. Stuart raided the barn at the time of the battle of Gettysburg.
The Barren's Church Cemetery contains many descendants of Andreas, as well as other interrelated families.
Bentz Mill still stands.
A set of maps might help you understand where all these places are in relation to one another.

Stories About Family Members

Wilbur Bentz

This page maintained by Bryan Bentz
Last updated June 26, 2000

Name	Birthdate	Spouse	Notes
Elizabeth Bentz	March 21, 1749/50
Anna Christina Bentz	July 11, 1753
Andreas Bentz, Jr.	October 11, 1755	Elizabeth ?	This is the recently found family branch.
Johan Nicholas Bentz	March 5, 1758	Eve Marie Swope	This is the (Dillsburg) branch most of us are on.
Maria Magdalena Bentz	May 5, 1761