Franz Joseph Benitz
(1850 - 1881)
(Last updated: Saturday June 20, 2009)
Currently please see his summary under Wilhem's Children.
These are notes to be completed:
* * * UNDER CONSTRUCTION * * *
Oakland: Work, newspaper reference.
On 12 December, 1876, Frank left estancia "La California" to go it alone. He had been exploring north Argentina for possible ventures, particularly the province of Tucumán. According to Alfred's biography (see chapters XI, XII, & XIV), Frank was a discordant member of the family. In the late 1870's he had an estancia (ranch) in northern Argentina (name and exact site unknown) where he is reputed to have fathered a family out of wedlock (likely true: during the military dictatorships of the 1970's, an Argentine army officer attempted to visit "La California" with his family - there to show them the ancestral home). Through mismanagement Frank not only lost his estancia but the family was forced to sell a quarter of "La California" to pay his debts - the westernmost league (2,500 hectares). On 1st of June, 1881, he married Elizabeth Bihsel at "La California". Four months later (about 19 October) while on a hunting trip with his brothers, Frank vanished from his campsite; somewhere on the arroyo El Toba near Espín in north-eastern Santa Fé province, a few kilometers SE of today's town of Vera. He had gone ahead of his brothers. They found his campsite undisturbed but no sign of Frank. He was assumed murdered or drowned; he was 31 years old. We do not know what happened to Elizabeth, his widow, as there is no further mention of her in the family records. Frank and Elizabeth had no children. (Alfred's biography - chapter XIV - gives her name as Elisa Burchell and mentions she was from the area near where Frank drowned - intriguingly close to the Colonia California co-founded by Franz Benitz in 1866.)
Apparently, at about the same time as he invested in Colonia California, Franz also invested in other colonies that didn't come to fruition, for instance: Colonia Espín. The following is from an e-mail from Javier, dated 26 April '02:
...in a a note dated February, 14th, 1882, Alexander McLean (another of the founders of Colonia California) wrote to the governor of Santa Fé saying: "que habiendo fallecido Don Francisco Benitz sin cumplir con las condiciones del contrato sobre fundación de la Colonia Espín, como fiador del contratante señor Johnson, a quien sucedió el señor Benitz, estoy obligado al pago de la fianza de tres mil pesos fuertes, establecida en dicho contrato. En consecuencia ocurro ante V.E. suplicándole que teniendo en cuenta el mayor valor del terreno, los gastos cuantiosos hechos por mí y otros para cumplir el contrato y las crecientes pasadas que hicieron del campo del Espin una isla, se digne exonerar de dicha fianza, mandando cancelar la hipoteca que al efecto he constituido sobre mi casa habitación..." (the government finally granted the petition as asked by McLean). [3,000 pesos fuertes = approx. $68,190 US Dollars-2000]
[Translation by PBz: "Don Francisco Benitz having died without meeting the requirements of the contract for founding the Espín Colony, as guarantor for the contractor Mr. Johnson, who was succeeded by Mr. Benitz, I am obliged to pay the guaranteed amount of three thousand pesos fuertes established in said contract. Consequently I come before Your Excellency begging you to take into account the increased value of the land, the large expenses made by me and others in fulfilling the contract and the past floods which made an island of the Espín land, please void said guarantee, ordering cancelled the mortgage that I obtained to that effect upon my home..."] (the government finally granted the petition as asked by McLean). [ 3,000 pesos fuertes = approx. $68,190 US Dollars-2000]
Javier has found the name William Benitz in some of these documents. At this time we don't know if this "William" is Franz's brother or son.