Part 1            BOOK of BONAWITZ and BONEWITZ       Page 1
	                                                         1968

    This is a study of what is presently known about the first 
known Bonawitz in America, the progenitor of most of the Bonawitz, 
Bonewitz, Bonawit, etc., families in America today. A great amount 
of information was collected by Gail Jones, now Mrs. E. Breitbard 
of Miami, in the years since 1960. Gail, a Bonawitz descendant, 
obtained information from our relatives in many states. She has 
given this material to me. I have studied the family somewhat 
independently for several years. Mr. C. E. Koppenheffer of Emporium, 
Pennsylvania has made very considerable contributions to both of us.
    ADAM is the first Bonawitz known to have been our ancestor. He 
was on a list of taxpayers in Heidelberg Township, Berks County, 
Pennsylvania in 1754. Berks County was erected from Lancaster County 
in 1752. ADAM purchased land at present day Robesonia in 1760 and 
died in May 1761. Orphan's Court records at Reading establish the 
family composition. A Jacob Bonnawitz or Bonnewitz wrote a will "over 
the Blue Mountains" in Berks County in 1770 and died there in 1771.
    ADAM'S will was formal in nature and was signed with a "b". This 
does not establish that ADAM could not write. He may have been quite 
ill, since he died about two weeks later. Jacob wrote his own will 
in German and signed it, naming only his wife Anna Maria and a married 
daughter Christina. He referred to himself as "the old man" and left 
some land. Witnesses were Adam Mohr and Peter Schmid.
    German males over age 16 who entered the country at Philadelphia 
at that time were considered aliens and were required to sign a 
promise of allegiance to the King of Great Britain. The signature 
of a passenger who arrived September 13, 1749 on the ship Christian 
satisfactorily matches the signature on Jacob's will. ADAM'S entry 
is still open to speculation.
    ADAM mentioned his oldest son in his will, naming him as Johann 
George. The name Johann was commonly given to male children by the 
German immigrants of that time, sometimes as a first name of two 
sons or all sons. Something to do with Saints. The Orphan's Court 
at Reading listed all of ADAM'S children when probate action occured 
in May of 1765. Listed were "John George now of 13 or thereabouts, J
ohannes age 7 thereabouts, Jacob age 4 thereabouts and Catherine 
age 9 or thereabouts." ADAM'S wife Juliana had remarried to George 
Heberling. George Heberling was on tax lists there in 1765 and 1766. 
Juliana reverted to the name Bonawitz and sponsored the baptism of 
her daughter's daughter in May 1775 at St. Daniel's (Comer) Church 
near Robesonia. For our purpose, the second generation consists 
of JOHN GOERGE born 1752. CATHERINE born 1756, JOHANN born 1758, 
and JACOB born 1761. CATHERINE has been traced only to 1785.
    The small town of Bonnewitz has existed near Pirna, a suburb of 
Dresden, since 1378, though the spelling has varied at times. No 
proof has been established that our ancestors lived there. The 
name is found in records of the Rectory of Coburg as early as 1754 and a 
David Bonnawitz was born at Coburg and married at New York in 1854. 
Several others immigrated at about that time.

     The signatures below are from the ship list and Jacob's will.