The European origins of our Bentz's is not absolutely known. Richard Pence writes:  "Beginning as early as 1727, the name Pence appears in passenger lists to Pennsylvania as Panse, Pentes, Pense, Penss, Bentz, Benns, Benss, Bense, Bantz, Bence, Banse - probably others - and in its feminine form, Pensin or Bensin. A number of places of origin are cited for these early families, including what is now Germany, Switzerland and Holland, but few of  them have been traced to specific areas. " ²

Our Direct Line Bentz first appears in America disembarking in Philadelphia from the ship Loyal Judith 25 Sept 1732 [Robert Turpin, Master, from  Rotterdam, but last from Cowes after Clearance there^Footnote1]. He was 23 at  the time of his arrival and some purport a brother accompanied him, but this is difficult to prove without access to European records identifying the two as clear siblings. See Ship Loyal Judith in the page "Bentz's on Ships". 
Johannes BENTZ, from the Judith, settled in Manchester Township [now West Manchester Township York County, Penna ] He was Lutheran, and one of the signers of  Charter for Christ Lutheran Church in York, Pa. September 1733. Like many of our early German immigrants,  he was likely escaping the nearly constant warfare and terrible religious upheaval and persecution of the post reformation era. He and his wife Maria Magdalena Surname UNKNOWN, who he may or may not have met here, , had 11 children, the eldest of which was Michael [born Sep 1735 in Manchester twp, York County] and the youngest of which was Peter [Johann Peter / Hans Peter.[incorrectly identified in other studies of the line as a Grandson to the immigrant and therein presented  as  son to his in fact eldest brother Michael]. As an adult, Peter took up residence in Conewago Township, York Co., Penna . Both Peter and his brother Michael are among our patriots in these pages. being some of our  associators, that is, patriots serving without force of draft and early in the Revolutionary effort.  Peter married Anna Maria HUMRICHHAUSEN in Lancaster within the First Reformed Congregation; She herself had several brothers serving in the war for liberty when she saw  her husband off  to join their cause. Of the seven children known to Michael and Anna Hurmrickhouse BENTZ, Michael [very possibly named for his uncle and/ or an as now lost European grandfather] removed to the town of York, and became a merchant there, raising a family with his wife Anna "Annie" Quickel . Annie Quickel had been born in Conewago twp. and she was the grandaughter of Quickel's [Zion] Church's founder Michael Quickel   in which cemetery [among others]  can be found numerous of our ancestors of many names, including those with the beautiful Penna Dutch Fraktur stones attributed to Annie's  carving father and brothers.   Michael and Annie's  daughter Mary [Maria Elizabeth] Bentz was assumedly born in York, York  in 1834, but no record of her baptism has been found, although most of her siblings are found in the Baptismal records of Christ Lutheran Church in York. Mary Elizabeth married twice, and was pregnant at 21 with her second child Anna Kate "Annie" when  her first husband William Henry STAIR died. Mary Elizabeth [nee BENTZ] Stair  eventually remarried, and her children were raised in the town of York where her 2nd husband Rueben LEBER was a tanner and courier and her brother a musician and organist -This Bentz generation  is deeply involved in the St John's Episcopal Church of York.  Mary Eliz Bentz's Dtr Annie STAIR married Samuel McCurdy Swope and moved west like her forebears, assuming residence 1876 with her groom  in Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania where he was raised,   Photos of Mary Elizabeth Bentz, and Anna Kate Stair Swope, her daughter are included in the geneological pages related to this family, being lovingly passed down from Annie to her Swope grandchildren.