THE BENTLEY BROTHERS. These well known citizens and prosperous agriculturists of Union township are of English descent. During the Colonial period one George Bentley was drafted into the British service and came to America as a member of the royal troops. After the war he located permanently in Chester county, Penn., where he was married to Jane Carson, a native of Ireland. Their son Joseph was born in Chester county, Penn., and for some time resided in Shireoaks, Washington Co., Penn. He was married to Mercy, daughter of Samuel Dailey, and then settled on a part of the Nathan Dailey tract. He afterward bought the Logan tract, and there built the stone house and distillery which is yet standing, the latter having been in operation until 1862. Children were born to these pioneers as follows: Benjamin, Levi, Eli, Jesse, Absalom, George, Mary (wife of Thomas Wilson) and Wilson, all of whom are now deceased. Jesse Bentley, son of Joseph and Mercy Bentley, was born in 1797, in the old stone house at Shireoaks, Washington Co., Penn. In 1820 he was married to a cousin, Mercy Dailey, and moved to Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio, where he followed the business of millwright. He remained in that place eight years, where four children were born to him, namely: Angeline, Caroline, Carrodan and David. The family then returned to the old home at Shireoaks, Washington Co., Penn., locating on the Taylor farm, where Benjamin, the fifth child, was born. The father followed the coal business here between the years 1828 and 1840. He died in 1842, and the family continued to reside on the farm until 1855, when they moved to Parkersburg, W. Va., and years later went to Sadorus, Champaign Co., Ill. The mother died in 1869, and in 1879 David and Benjamin returned to Pennsylvania, and took charge of the estate left by their uncle, George Bentley. They remained until June, 1892, when they sold the place for $350 per acre to a manufacturing company, since which time they have retired from active life. Samuel and Joseph are yet living in Illinois. David Bentley was born November 3, 1826, and Benjamin was born August 25, 1829. Both are members of the Republican party.

Text taken from page 913 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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