A family that I want to learn something about is the Pender/Bender/Painter family in Culpeper County, Virginia. A short paragraph here recently added to what I do know, but I would be interested in more.
Addam Painter was in Culpeper Class 92, of which the other members were Lt. Michael Garr, John Wilhoit, John Slaughter, Elisha Yager, Matthias Smith, Andrew Finks, Wm. Bates, Wm. Bates, Jr., Jesse Vawter, Ephraim Klugg, Robert Baxter, and Matthias McDonald. Addam was the selection, and no note to the records indicates that he hired a substitute. So, I would presume he saw service. This would be 1781. There are no Painter, Pender, or Benders in the 1787 tax list.
Adam took communion at the Lutheran church on Christmas Day 1775, on Easter of 1776, Pentecost of 1776, and Christmas of 1776. After being so attentive to the festival days, he makes no more appearances there. Elisabetha Bender was there on Christmas 1775. Demilia was there on Easter of 1776 (when she was confirmed), and on Christmas of 1776. From the baptismal register we find that Adam and Demilia were husband and wife, for Hezeckiel, their son, was baptized on 28 Jul 1776. The boy had been born 16 Jun. This is a case of marriage before confirmation (perhaps even baptism). The family was probably quite young then. (There could be two Demilias.)
For what it is worth, the sponsors of the baby were Andrew Carpenter and his wife Barbara (Weaver), and Moses Broyl and Elisabeth Breil [consistency is not one of the hallmarks of the scribes at the Lutheran church]. A Moses Broyl had married a Barbara Carpenter, and there are too many Elisabeth Breils to even hazard a guess. Though sponsors are often relatives, I suspect that in this case the Benders had no relatives in the community. Again, they were probably in transit, trying different communities.
I have a note on the margin of some material that the maiden name of Johann Theobald Christler's mother was Bender. Johannes Bender left Germany for Pennsylvania on 20 April 1719. I do not know if Adam Bender has any relationship to the Christlers. Certainly they did not show up in his choice of sponsors for his son Hezeckiel.
We have learned that Adam is buried on Horse Creek in Washington Co., Tennessee.
Whether the name Painter could be derived from Bender and Pender, the answer is, "Yes!" The P and B are interchangeable. The first "e" in Pender would be pronounced as the vowels in "hay." The "d" and "t" are easily interchanged. So it would be very logical to go from Bender to Painter. (Bender > Pender > Paynder > Paynter > Painter.)
(02 Aug 01)
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