York County, Pennsylvania

Where to Go

When in York County, PA, there are two places to place on your agenda: The York Heritage Trust and the York Archives. What I found on the Bentz's in the Heritage Trust library alone would be more than enough to keep me busy for a week of Saturdays.

Here's a quick overview of the Heritage Trust:
1. The library card index: #1224 is dedicated to all the variant spellings of the Pence's that covers tax records, vitals, cemeteries, etc.
2. Private Bentz cemeteries: There are two in York County that are formally documented.
3. Bentz family genealogies: There are four Bentz family genealogy books.
4. Bentz family collection: Lastly, there is a box in the back, about twice the thickness of an old slide carousel box, which houses personal letters, inquiries & answers, photostats, personal recollections, and other miscellany. Hundreds of pages, some written in clear type and well-annotated, and others in illegible script. This box holds a lot of treasure, but would require a significant amount of time to untangle.

Bentz Cemeteries

There are two Bentz cemeteries listed in the York Heritage Trust files. While these are specific to our family, it may be that there were other family burial grounds that are now lost, and others that gradually became public cemeteries over time.

• Dover Twp: located on "the Old Bentz Farm", which was under the ownership of the Zimmerman family by 1944. There are no longer any markers visible.
• Warrington Twp: this cemetery was walked in 1953. Very few stones left. Three Bentz/Pentz family member markers remain:
• Jacob Pentz: 12 Dec 1781 - 22 Mar 1835; aged 53 years, 4 months and 10 days
• Susannah Pentz: 6 Sep 1790 - 20 Mar 1812; aged 31 years, 7 months, and 19 days
• Mary Bentz: 20 Jan 1790 - 4 Jun 1827; aged 37 years, 4 months and 14 days

According to two sources (baptisms at Zeigler's Church, North Codorus Twp and an obituary in the York Gazette dated 31 Mar 1835) Jacob was the son of Nicholas and Eve (nee "Gentzler" – other sources say "Swope") Pentz. It places his birth at 23 Nov 1781 and his death as above. This Jacob was christened at Wolf's Church, West Manchester Twp. Further, the two women noted below him are described as his wives. His first wife: Susanah Lau (daughter of Michael and Anna Mary Lau) b. 1 Aug 1780 and d. 10 March 1812; together they have three children. His second wife: Mary Bushy (daughter of Nicholas and Christina Nell) with birth and death dates matching the grave marker noted above exactly; together they have ten children, of whom at least three "died young".

Jacob's line: Andreas Bentz (immigrant founding father) --> Johan Nicholas Bentz (b. 1758 Codorus Twp) --> Johan Jacob Bentz.