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WHO WAS - Jonathan Bender
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By Howard Strawbridge July 6, 1956

Jonathan Bender was born Jan. 1, 1832, in Centre County, Pa. His parents were Jacob and Mary Bender and his brothers and sisters were William, Henry, Rebecca, Sarah, Elizabeth and Amanda Bender.

Jacob Bender, the father, bought a farm of 89 acres located one mile south of Wallaceville on March 18, 1854. He bought it from Michael Spangler and paid $1,250.

Jonathan as a youth of 19 became one of the charter members of the Methodist Church of Wallaceville which organized in 1851. Evidently he had some connections with this community some three years or so before his father bought the Spangler farm. Possibly Jonathan was living with some members of the Goodwin family.

Jonathan Bender was probably the greatest Methodist that ever lived in this general area. Besides his affiliation with the Wallaceville Church, he served time as a local preacher of the Fairview Church. Then in 1871 he was one of the charter members of the Chapmanville Church, and served as its first class leader. he was one of the six trustees who purchased the lot on which to build the church edifice in Chapmanville in 1878. He was one of the helpers in assisting the main carpenter, George Beers, to build the structure. After the building was completed he always tolled the church bell for the funerals held there.

He married Mary Holder on September 25, 1860, at the Sunville parsonage with Rev. S.S. Stuntz performing the ceremony.

The couple once lived on a place just south of the present Goodwin's Corners before moving into Chapmanville in a residence which once stood directly across the road from the place presently owned by Mrs. May Morse. Mrs. Bender paid Isaac K. Arters $375 for this 6 1/2 acre place on Feb. 13, 1872. Here Mr. and Mrs. Bender spent the remainder of their married life. There was a small but good apple orchard here.

Mr. Bender was a carpenter. He was remembered as having done quite a bit of work at the William Goodwin farm near Fairview. He also worked on sawmills often. He was known as the best tie hewer in this part of the country. He was a very peaceable good citizen. he had a peculiar twang to his speech. For example, in pronouncing the proper name "Sharp," he would enunciate the short sound of 'a' (as in at) when followed by the letter 'r'.

Mr. and Mrs. Bender had two children, William J. Bender and Effie Bender, wife of Samuel Sharp.

The Benders sold one quarter of an acre to the Advents of Plum on which to build their new church building about 1884.

Mrs. Bender died on Nov. 3, 1888 from cancer. She had been ill about two years.

During the period around 1890 Mr. Bender withdrew his name from the church when under the pastorate of Rev. E. J. Stinchcombe. The reason was that the society commenced to sponsor public suppers which was against Mr. Bender's religious thoughts.

During the winter of 1906 his neighbors had a surprise birthday party for him which pleased him very much. Shortly afterwards his house burned down one night. Probably sparks from the chimney caused the blaze. He is remembered as bemoaning the fact that he didn't even get his late wife's photograph saved from the flames. Mr. Bender then moved in with his daughter, Mrs. Samuel Sharp, in the present house of Mrs. Mancie Gray.

The shock of the fire caused Mr. Bender to fail rapidly, and he died on April 17, 1906, with no doctor in attendance. Final services for him were conducted in the Methodist Church.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription ofinformation from both early and late (current contributors) work.