Benjamin Franklin Bentley and Mary Van Voorhis

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Husband Benjamin Franklin Bentley ^{1 2 3 4}

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           Born: 28 Dec 1821 - Carroll Twp, Washington Co, PA 1 2 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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         Father: House Bentley (      -      ) 5 6
         Mother: Frances "Fanny" Wallace (1782-      ) 2 5 7

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       Marriage: 15 Feb 1849 1 2

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Wife Mary Van Voorhis ^{2 3 8 9}

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           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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         Father: Daniel "Uncle Danny" Van Voorhis (1783-1852) 10 11 12
         Mother: Mary Frye (1788-1881) 13

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Children

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1 F Mary Martha Caldwell ⁴

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            AKA: Mary Eudora Caldwell 2
           Born: 1849 4
     Christened: 
           Died: 12 Sep 1876 2
         Buried: 
         Status: Foster Child
        Child-Par.Rel.: Father: Adopted

         Spouse: Alexander McLean Walker (      -      ) 4
           Marr: 1871 4

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General Notes: Husband - Benjamin Franklin Bentley

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He was reared in Carroll township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, in the primitive subscription schools of which he received a fair education for those early days. He lived on the family farm four or five years after marriage, and then moved to Monongahela, where he afterward made his home. He built a comfortable and commodious residence in 1873.
He and his wife were members of the Baptist Church, in which he served as deacon, and in his political affiliations he was a Republican.

He was three years old when his parents removed from the mill property in Carroll Township to the farm, and the event was well remembered by him, as he greatly feared at the time that the movers had forgotten to bring a little wagon which had been made for him by some of the mill hands. He was reared on the farm, assisted in the clearing of the sugar camp, and before attaining his majority his father's death occurred, and the farm, consisting of 300 acres, was divided between him and his brother Sache. He remained on the farm, engaged in agricultural pursuits for many years, and for two years operated a coal mine on the land, after which he disposed of the land and moved to Monongahela City, which was then but a small town, and there for a short time engaged in the grocery business. He also ran a livery stable for a limited period. For some years he lived in retirement at No. 530 West Main street, in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. Mr. Bentley was a Republican in politics and was the first mayor of Monongahela City elected on the Republican ticket. He served in many public offices and was a member of the original fair board.
He and his wife were members of the First Baptist Church of which he was a deacon from the erection of the church.

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General Notes: Wife - Mary Van Voorhis

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During her younger days, she was quite an artist in oil paints, and without any instruction whatever produced some very fine paintings, which, with some curios obtained by Mr. and Mrs. Bentley on their annual trips to the south, formed quite an interesting collection.

1 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 1145.

2 Joseph F. McFarland, 20th Century History of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens (Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1910), Pg 810.

3 John S. Van Voorhis, The Old and New Monongahela (Pittsburgh, PA: Nicholson, Printer and Binder, 1893), Pg 196.

4 F. S. Reader, Some Pioneers of Washington County, Pa. - A Family History (New Brighton, PA: F. S. Reader & Son, 1902), Pg 66.

5 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 32, 1145.

6 F. S. Reader, Some Pioneers of Washington County, Pa. - A Family History (New Brighton, PA: F. S. Reader & Son, 1902), Pg 64.

7 F. S. Reader, Some Pioneers of Washington County, Pa. - A Family History (New Brighton, PA: F. S. Reader & Son, 1902), Pg 65.

8 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 633, 1145.

9 F. S. Reader, Some Pioneers of Washington County, Pa. - A Family History (New Brighton, PA: F. S. Reader & Son, 1902), Pg 67.

10 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 695.

11 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 633, 1059.

12 John S. Van Voorhis, The Old and New Monongahela (Pittsburgh, PA: Nicholson, Printer and Binder, 1893), Pg 187.

13 John S. Van Voorhis, The Old and New Monongahela (Pittsburgh, PA: Nicholson, Printer and Binder, 1893), Pg 194.