You live as long as

The Benitz Family website.

See the Update Log for the

Patagonian Party !!

Loading up pictures - please send me yours!!

Please help keep Fort Ross open!

Due to the California State Park budget crisis,

Fort Ross (key to our heritage) is open only 3 days a week.

William & Josephine Benitz

Generation #1 for ALL with Argentine-born Benitz ancestors

    Wilhelm Böniz (1815-1876) and Josefa Kolmerer (1830-1912) are the original ancestors of all Benitz born in Argentina.  Both emigrated from Endingen, in Baden, WB to Texas (1832) then California (1842), JK to North Carolina (1833) then California (1845).  They married (1846) and lived at Fort Ross and later in Oakland (1867); in 1874 the entire family emigrated to Argentina, establishing estancia "La California", in Santa Fé.

Photos of "La California"

circa 1888

Estancia "La California" 1890 diary

We have recently rescued the Californina diaries from oblivion (the attic at the Piquete) and can now show the first diary that did not become a rat snack.

[Click here for more La California diaries]

Josephine Benitz de Schreiber 1900 diary

Travel with Josephine, John & Bertha on their grand tour of Europe, staying at fine hotels, shopping, and seeing the sights.

Alfred A. Benitz's 1874 diary

His record of the family's journey from Oakland to Rosario via Panama, New York, Southampton, and Buenos Aires.

Estancia "La California" 1888 diary

Most of it... rats got to it before we did.  We used as the background to the text the lithograph of La California, drawn by John Schreiber in 1878.

John E. Benitz's diary 1904-1911

The only personal diary of his that has come down to us.

Alfred A. Benitz's biography

"This book gives the story of the life of Don Alfredo Benitz, or Uncle Alfred, ... compiled directly from his own diaries, and from information given by those fortunate enough to have heard of some of his adventures from him personally."

About us

   This site is intended for all who are interested in the Benitz family.   It includes Benitz family trees and history, and announcements of family events.  Family members wishing to post items of family interest to the site may do so by submitting it to the site administrator... and then wait... and wait... and wait some more.

    This website is copyrighted.  However, you are free to quote from it but we ask (1)  as a matter of courtesy that you provide  appropriate attribution and (2) that you refrain from representing material borrowed from this site as your own original work.  Please credit  this source as: "The Benitz Family Website (benitz.com)".  If you are printing from the website, for most of the pictures shown we have versions of them with considerably higher pixel resolution that will produce much better results, copies of which we might let you have at our discretion.

Site Administrator:     Peter Benitz

e-mail address:  

All questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms welcome (?).

Web Slave:    René Anderson Benitz

e-mail address:    

Peter & René at estancia 'La Isleta', Corrientes, Argentina

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