The bulk of the Bender family in this country has come to be identified with that group of early Americans known as the “Pennsylvania Dutch”. The early English settlers coined this term and although they really meant to say “Deutsch”, meaning German, the word soon became corrupted into “Dutch”. They applied this name to those German, Swiss and even French Huguenots who had arrived here in the 1700’s and settled first in that small area roughly defined as south-central and eastern Pennsylvania. In the late 1700’s many of these immigrants, or their descendants, began migrating down into the Shenandoah Valley area of Maryland and Virginia and into certain counties of North Carolina, The early 1800’s brought the big land lotteries which attracted these people to Georgia, Missouri, etc. At this same time the big push into Ohio and the Midwest began.
In 1724 about ten thousand Palatines embarked from French ports destined for New Orleans. They have been swallowed up with the French immigration to Louisiana and their German surnames “Frenchified” .
The big immigration in Texas occurred in the 1840’s and the California Gold Rush attracted a number of them.
“The Romance of Names” – “…official surname especially connected with country life is Pinder, also found as Pinner, Pender, Penner, Ponder and Poynder, the man in charge of the pound or pinfold.” “…the Panter, or Pantler, who was, at least etymologically, responsible for bread…”.
“Meanings and Origins of American Family Names” – “Bender (German), one who made casks, a cooper.” “Painter (English), one who covers buildings & ships with tint or an officer in charge of bread in a large household.”
[box type=”info”] The reader’s first reaction in viewing this booklet might be to question the ability of the typist to correctly transcribe. In order to conserve space, “(sic)” or “both spellings (dates, etc.) are as they appear in the records” have not been used where there is a conflict of information, as in the case of the material under Egle’s “Notes & Queries” where you will find Maria Elis Binder nee Giger one place & Mary Elizabeth Geiger another. Even the dates are different! But do rest assured that the entire contents have been carefully checked for accuracy. [/box]
Surnames:
Bender, Binder, Pender, Pinder, Painter, and Paynter.
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