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Author Topic: Female name on a 1884 probate record  (Read 2640 times)

Offline floppyslater

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Female name on a 1884 probate record
« on: Sunday 10 April 16 21:19 BST (UK) »
Hi All,

I am having trouble with the name of the female listed on this probate record.  This is what I have translated so far . . .

Certificate of ______________ Bentz wife of Chas. Bentz, telegraph and telephone messages.

Other records indicate that Charles Bentz's wife may have been Valerie or Valeria.  The family was of German extraction living in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. 

Any suggestions would be most welcomed.

Offline groom

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 10 April 16 21:31 BST (UK) »
Looks like Couviera as the first letter is similar to the C of Chas.
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Offline Jackiemh

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 10 April 16 21:40 BST (UK) »
I think that it is Louviera Bentz
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Offline sami

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 10 April 16 21:52 BST (UK) »
Quote from: Jackiemh on Sunday 10 April 16 21:40 BST (UK)
I think that it is Louviera Bentz

I agree with Louviera. The first letter looks more like an 'L' than a 'C'.

Either way it seems a long way from Valerie or Valeria.

sami
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Offline craggagh

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 10 April 16 21:53 BST (UK) »
Hello -

I would read her first name as Louviera.

craggagh.

Offline groom

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 10 April 16 22:22 BST (UK) »
Quote
Other records indicate that Charles Bentz's wife may have been Valerie or Valeria

What records are they? Perhaps she used an anglicised version of her name but her official name was used on the probate record. Have you got a death certificate?
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Offline floppyslater

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 10 April 16 22:35 BST (UK) »
I only found out that Charles Bentz had a wife because of these probate records.  If anyone has ancestry.com they can look at the actual documents:

http://interactive.ancestry.com/8802/005576570_00639/1090634?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/53563523/person/27582254338/facts/citation/323807214805/edit/record

It appears that Charles's wife quickly remarried after he was killed in a train accident on May 24, 1882.  His brother, Rudolph Benz, is suing his estate for unpaid boarding.  The estates of two other deceased brothers, Jacob and John Henry Benz, are also listed in the record as part of the suit against Charles's widow.

I suspect that Rudolph was going after Charles's wife since she remarried very quickly.  The name of her second husband is George K. Rebes.  What is odd is the choice of words in the suit to describe her new marriage.  The lawyer who drafted it didn't use the term re-married or second marriage but instead used the term "intermarried".  I wonder if the two may have been related?

Offline MelOfFife

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #7 on: Friday 22 April 16 06:41 BST (UK) »
on the first , at first glance it looked like a 'C' but I think its an 'L' now -Louviera... but... that doesn't jive with the second which looks like Valeria in my opinion
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Offline matthewj64

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Re: Female name on a 1884 probate record
« Reply #8 on: Friday 22 April 16 07:41 BST (UK) »
There's a petition paper dated 1884 (accessed via Ancestry) where she renounces her right to administer the estate of Charles Bentz, she signs her mark(x) to the name Laveria K Reber

Add: which was in with the other papers already mentioned. Its spelled about four different ways - my guess would be its meant to be Valeria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeria_(given_name)
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