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The Benzes came from Batenburg, in what was then West Prussia, to Syracuse in 1857. John and Elizabeth, my great-great grandparents, arrived with their eleven year old son, George S., in a Syracuse that scarcely resembles the place we know today (Bigelow, 1987). The family’s first address, according to the 1857 Syracuse directory, was 220 North Salina St. The north side of the city, at that time, was called Germantown. Catholic Germans tended to reside at the north end, near what was then the salt industry, and were largely unskilled laborers. Protestant Germans (predominantly Lutheran) congregated at the south end of Germantown, and were mostly skilled craftsmen (Bigelow, 1987). This profile appears to be reflected in John’s trade, listed as "silverplater."
Unfortunately, it does not appear that John had much of an opportunity to ply his trade. The Syracuse directory of 1859 lists Elizabeth as a widow. Thus, it is very likely that John may have died within a year after his arrival. Another plausible theory, albeit less desirable, is that John may have left the family to seek his fortune in what was then a burgeoning society ripe with opportunity. Wives left behind were frequently referred to as "widows" to protect their pride and place in the community. I have thus far been unable to locate his grave site, or any information pertaining to the cause or exact date of his death.
Some time in the early 1860’s, George S. moved to Oswego, working as a craftsman in a local furniture manufacturing establishment. Not long thereafter, he married Sophia Coppel (or Catel, depending on the version of the Oswego City Directory to which one subscribed). Not long thereafter, Elizabeth moved from Syracuse to join the household. George became a naturalized citizen on October 3, 1866. About that time, he and William Dain entered the furniture business. This was soon to become Benz & Son Furniture, a business in which George remained until his death in 1922.
George and Sophia had six children: George N. (the "& Son" of the furniture business), Emma, John, William, Frederick, and Norman (my grandfather). John, Fred, and Norman all became dentists and, one by one, moved back to Syracuse, where that branch of the family remained. By most accounts, the elder George went on to become a rather prominent figure in the Oswego German community. (A copy of his obituary provides the most information I was able to find about his life’s accomplishments.) He outlived his spouse by almost fourteen years. His mother, Elizabeth died in 1886, at the age of 86. Her obituary simply reads: "BENZ--In this city, August 28, 1886. Elizabeth, relict of the late John Benz, aged 86 years," the cause on her certificate of death: "old age."
Norman T. Benz married Eva Born in 1907. Donald, my father, was their first child, born in 1909. He was followed two years later by Joseph, and four years later by Karl. Both my father and my Uncle Joe are alive today. Karl died at the age of four from one of a possible multitude of then undiagnosed childhood illnesses. My grandfather died in 1952, two years before my birth. In 1970, my grandmother passed away at the age of 89.
In 1950, Donald N. Benz married Mary A. Gere and shortly thereafter had two sons, Robert (1952) and David (1954).
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