Saturday, April 22, 2023

1739 Henry Pence of Iggelheim, Germany

Henry Pence/Bentz


Tremont City, Ohio

22 July 1878

(edited to relevant parts)

Mssrs. Editors: You will confer a special favor upon not only the writer, but a very large circle of friends and relatives by giving publicity to the following genealogical record of the Pence family. While on a visit to David Pence, of Madriver Township, the writer obtained from Mr. Pence the family record, which was commenced 118 years ago.


Henry Pence, the father, and Mary Blimly, the mother, emigrated from Germany in their youth. Henry Pence was born A.D. 1740, just 36 years prior to the Declaration of American Independence, and died A.D. 1826, being 86 years old at his death. Mary Pence died A.D. 1829, in her 80th year. The family consisted of nineteen children, two of whom died in infancy, and whose names are not given. The other seventeen grew to man and womanhood, were all married, and together with their wives and husbands were at one time gathered around the family board during the lifetime of both parents. The record is in the German language, but was translated by the Rev. John Pence, as follows, giving their births in their respective order - 

George   16 Aug 1766

Jacob     15 Sep 1767

Henry    4 Jan 1768

Abraham 7 Sep 1769

Magdalena   3 Jan 1771

Sussannah   4 Jun 1772

John        15 Jan 1774

Barbary    2 Nov 1775

David        4 Feb 1777

Joseph        26 Sep 1778

Samuel        4 Feb 1780

Anna        10 Oct 1781

Isaac        21 Jul 1784

Elizabeth    22 Feb 1786

Benjamin    25 Apr 1787

Mary        9 Jun 1789

Reuben    28 Jun 1791


The original name was Bentz, but by reasons of the German dialect the name stands as above. I will not trespass upon your indulgence by giving anything additional at present.


Yours truly,

S.H. Wallace

No comments:

Post a Comment

Berks County, PA

From a 1958 letter from Mrs. Bausmen, she notes the following: " George Jacob Bentz was a member of the old Lutheran church in 1743 at...