Main Bonitz families and their origins
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Name and location of oldest ancestor |
Members |
Descendants |
Saxony state, Germany
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Jorg Bonitz of Kühnheide (b. bef 1480) Kühnhaide (Zwönitz).
Family names: Bonitz, Ponitz, Neukirchner, Schlüssel, Göthel, Günther, Sieber, Völkner, Vogel, Höfer, Bach, Hübner, Schmidt, Keller, Oeser, Wetzel, Becher, Decker, Müller, Richter, Kunz, Bauer, Löffler, Pfüller, Jähn, Uhlig, Friedrich, Stiehler, Walther, Prager, Eckert, Auerswald, Schulze, Groß, Fischer, Engelhardt, Noblit, Nobis, Neubert, Ullmann, Schelter, Arnold, Lange, Dietz, Wieland, Mälzer, Merkel, Meißner, Koch, Klinger, Escher, Leonhardt. |
515 |
Descendants |
Peter Bonitz (b. bef 1515; d. 1594), farm owner in Kühnhaide (Zwönitz). His children Jacob (b. abt 1534; d. 26 May 1614) and Oswald are mentioned in the court books of 1597. Some of his descendants can be traced to present times.
Family names: Bonitz, Ponitz, Günther, Wetzel, Neukirchner, Höfer, Göthel, Weigel, Richter, Fischer, Gebhar(d)t, Reinhold, Oeser, Decker, Becher, Müller, Ficker, Köhler, Schmidt, Sieber, Schlüssel, Bach, Hennig, Keller, Vogel, Kun(t)z, Mendt, Hahn, Lange, Walther, Friedrich, Rudolph, Austel, Häußler, Viehweger, Arnold, Hofmann, Völkner, Grabner, Groß, Roscher, Hübner, Bauer, Schuster, Thierfelder, Leßmüller, Pietzsch, Nobis, Bechler, Weber, Jähn, Schreiber, Stiehler, Auerswald, Uhlig, Pfüller, Claus, Weidenmüller, Landgraf, Leary, Stone, Seidel, Mühlenderlein, Heimpol, Prager, Bentley, Leupold, Kudoke, Stoll, Lorenz. |
1513 |
Descendants |
Georg Bonitz (b. abt 1537, d. bef. 1594), farm owner in Kühnhaide (Zwönitz). His children were Melchior Bonitz and Maria Höfer.
Family names: Bonitz, Höfer, Günther, Wetzel, Neukirchner, Schlüssel, Keller, Müller, Gebhardt, Becher, Schreiber, Kaufmann, Fischer, Sieber, Lange, Köhler, Decker, Vogel, Stöhr, Kunz, Groß, Prager, Kudoke, Schuster, Kappler, Schulze, Hauck, Mälzer, Grefner, Heinecke, Hennig. |
310 |
Descendants |
Simon Bonitz (b. abt 1544; d. 31 Aug 1620) & Christina Hain Kühnhaide (Zwönitz). |
48 |
Descendants |
Matthes Bonitz (b. abt. 1545, d. 1622) & Barbara NN Oberdorf near Stollberg.
Family names: Bonitz, Ponitz, Nötzel, Viehweger, Arnold, Bochmann, Pfab(e), Günther, Drechsel, Nobis. |
109 |
Descendants |
Michel Bonitz (b. bef 1550, d. bef. 1594) & Ursula NN in Zwönitz. His sons were Abraham Bonitz "the younger" (bef 1570 - 1632) and Georg Bonitz (b. abt 1570; d. 1613).
Family names: Bonitz, Sieber, Reinhold, Günther, Austel. |
16 |
Descendants |
Tobias Bonitz (also: Ponitz) (b. abt 1551; d. 11 Nov 1629) & Barbara NN Judge in Zwönitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Neukirchner, Schlüssel, Göthel, Günther, Sieber, Völkner, Vogel, Höfer, Bach, Hübner, Schmidt, Keller, Wetzel, Oeser, Becher, Decker, Müller, Richter, Bauer, Kunz, Löffler, Pfüller, Jähn, Uhlig, Friedrich, Stiehler, Thierfelder, Auerswald, Walther, Prager, Eckert, Schulze, Groß, Fischer, Engelhard(t), Noblit, Neubert, Ullmann, Schelter, Nobis, Arnold, Gödel, Lange. |
522 |
Descendants |
Görge (George) Bonitz (b. bef 1570, d. bef. 1608), Kühnhaide (Zwönitz). His sons were Valten Bonitz (b. bef 1590) und Hans Bonitz (b. bef 1600).
Family names: Bonitz, Schreiber, Kaufmann, Müller, Günther, Lindenberg, Köhler, Vierkötter, Honrath, Ossysek, Kudoke, Höffer, Kappler, Lüghausen, Decker, Peters, Breideneichen, Rabenschlag. |
221 |
Descendants |
Michel Ponitz (b. bef 1585) & Dorothea NN Kühnhaide (Zwönitz).
Family names: Bonitz, Ponitz, Wetzel, Neukirchner, Günther, Sieber, Grabner, Völkner, Richter, Höfer, Walther, Mendt, Lang(e), Göthel, Gebhardt, Keller, Häußler, Schlüssel, Schmidt, Kunz, Fischer, Bach, Arnold, Oeser, Schuster, Freitag, Rudolph, Reinhold, Rohn, Hauck, Kreusel. |
440 |
Descendants |
Jacob Bonitz (b. bef. 1600, d. bef. 1642) His son was Georg Bonitz, called "Georg the red", also "the lower", farm owner, judge in Kühnhaide (Zwönitz).
Family names: Bonitz, Ponitz, Günther, Wetzel, Göthel, Weigel, Sieber, Neukirchner, Escher, Roscher, Müller, Schlüssel,Laube, Schmidt, Richter, Grabner, Goldhahn, Walther, Höfer, Keller, Siegel, Mendt, Seltmann, Rebhar(d)t, Schul(t)z. |
100 |
Descendants |
Georg Bonitz (b. abt 1607; d. 1 Apr 1658) & Anna Vogel undertaker in Zwönitz. |
Family names: Bonitz, Hofmann, Neukirchner, Pfüller, Eberlein, Hahnemann, Leistner, Döring, Schlüssel, Uhlich.
53 |
Descendants |
Johannes Bonitz (b. abt 1607; d. 26 Sep 1665) & Maria Nietzel Comunity herdsman in Zwönitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Lang, Friedrich, Lencke, Bergmann, Heeg, Walther, Fritzsche. |
30 |
Descendants |
Andreas Bonitz (b. 1607; d. 21 Mar 1667) Farmer and judge in Altendorf near Chemnitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Meyer, McGregor, Türke, Herold, Knöfler, Toro, Müller, Bohne, Klenke, Schumann, Reichelt, Newman, Kupfer, Haag, Drechsler, Richter. |
77 |
Descendants |
Hans Bonitz "the red" (b. bef 1610) & Maria Rau Farmer in Kühnhaide (Zwönitz), later in Bernsbach.
Family names: Bonitz, Sieber, Schlüssel, Häußler, Völkner, Schmidt, Göthel, Müller, Günther, Richter, Neukirchner, Friedrich, Ficker, Köhler, Lang, Stieler, Prager, Baumann, Mälzer, Fischer, Beuthner. |
121 |
Descendants |
Georg Bonitz (Ponitz) (b. bef. 1620; d. 23 Jun 1658) & Sabina NN in Mittelbach near Chemnitz, Saxony. His descendants lived in Taura, Murschnitz, Burgstädt and Oschatz. |
65 |
Descendants |
Carl Michael Bonitz (b. bef. 1680, d. bef 1726) He was a farmer in Köthensdorf (Taura) and later moved to Wittgensdorf, where his family resided for several generations. One member of this family line was Christian August Bonitz (1776-1829), Dr. of philosophy, since 1816 pastor in Lengefeld.
Family names: Bonitz, Port, Endmann, Gutwasser, Gabriel. |
31 |
Descendants |
Johann Bonitz (b. bef. 1680, d. 26 Dec 1742) & Rosina Sonntag He was farmer and judge in Jahnsdorf. His son Johann Georg Bonitz then moved to Brünlos, where descendants can still be found today.
Family names: Bonitz, Auerswald, Bochmann, Neukirchner, Hofmann, Freitag, Claus, Günther, Löffler, Albrecht, Püschmann, Kretzschmar, Barth, Bach, Müller, Drechsel, Keller, Nobis, Scheibner, Kempt, Arnold. |
305 |
Descendants |
Joachim Bonitz (b. bef 1700) lived in Güsen at the Elbe river, an area where Bonitz families can still be found today.
Family names: Bonitz, Gereke, Finke, Bathe, Wittenborn, Schulz, Mätlau, Meseberg. |
61 |
Descendants |
Christoph Bonitz (b. bef. 1730) Farmer in Altendorf near Chemnitz. His sons were Johann Samuel Bonitz and Johann Gottfried Bonitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Lämmel. |
22 |
Descendants |
Christoph Bonitz (b. bef. 1730, d. aft. 1777) Farmer in Dorfchemnitz near Zwönitz. His son Johann Christoph then moved to Oberdorf near Stollberg, where the family lived for at least another 5 generations.
Family names: Bonitz, Hofmann, Nobis, Becher, Schwind, Roth, Kunz. |
30 |
Descendants |
Christian Bonitz (b. bef 1780) was a weaver and citizen of Burgstädt, Saxony. His son Christian August then moved to Frankenberg, where the family resided for several generations.
Family names: Bonitz, Richter, Oebser, Hahn, Zschunke, Schadebrod, Funke, Ufer(t), Rothe, Metzler, Kreschnak. |
37 |
Descendants |
Johann Friedrich Bonitz (b. 1794) & Dorothee Elisabeth Klingenberg in Burg near Magdeburg.
Family names: Bonitz, Höppner, Michel, Gutenmorgen, Braunsdorf, Bühnemann, Natho, Klingenberg. |
24 |
Descendants |
Christian August Bonitz (b. bef 1795) & Christine Friederike Zschäk, weaver in Greiz. |
12 |
Descendants |
Johann Christian Bonitz (b. abt 1796, d. 3 Nov 1858) & Johanne Marie Dürrschmidt Sergeant of the grand duke and government messenger in Weimar.
Family names: Bonitz, Tromsdorf, Schmidt, Jupe, Pinkau, Isringhausen, Tismer. |
67 |
Descendants |
Johann Gottlob Bonitz (b. bef. 1795) & Hanna Christina Carolina Uhle Farm estate owner in Altendorf near Chemnitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Borde, Kupfer, Gerstenberger, Vogelsang, Uhle. |
32 |
Descendants |
Carl Friedrich Bonitz (b. bef. 1805, d. 30 May 1876) & Christiane Caroline Löffler He was worker at a slate quarry in Lenkersdorf. Three of his grandchildren emmigrated to Mellen in Wisconsin, USA, where the famiy still resides today.
Family names: Bonitz, Brand, Koosmann, Meiselwitz, Kerr, Lawrence, Langley, Dahlke, Lawver, Hoffman, Moon, Gribbins, Yost, Schöffler, Riess, Lattimer, Krause, Vogel, Toldness, Steffens, Siems, Kreß, Hankins, Leopold. |
157 |
Descendants |
Frederick (Friedrich) Christopher Bonitz (b. abt 1818) & Alwine NN emmigrated from Saxony to Texas where he worked as a farmer. His family today can be found mainly in Oklahoma and Oregon.
Family names: Bonitz, Durr, Bowen, Moore, Johnston. |
31 |
Descendants |
Johann Gottlieb Bonitz (b. bef. 1820, d. 1892) & Johanna Friedericke Neuhaus Niederrabenstein |
10 |
Descendants |
Gottfried Bohnitz (b. bef 1820) & Wilhelmine Stutzer Inland sailor and skipper in Derben.
Family names: Bonitz, Bohnitz, Ulrich, Hünecke, Knochenhauer, Kohlmann, Stutzer, Steinke. |
36 |
Descendants |
Karl Wilhelm Bonitz (b. bef. 1820, d. bef. 1888) & Karoline Wilhelmine Seinig textiles salesman in Lößnitz. His son Julius Hermann Bonitz was a baker and moved to Frankfurt/Main.
Family names: Bonitz, Morgner, Wiegand, Knopp. |
12 |
Descendants |
Carl Gottlieb Bonitz (b. 21 Jun 1827; d. 7 Mar 1903) & Johanne Christiane Henriette Riedel born in Taura, he was a brick mason and painter in Leipzig. One of his children was the confectioner Woldemar Bonitz, who owned a coffee house in Libau (Liepaja). |
11 |
Descendants |
August Friedrich Bonitz (b. 7 Aug 1827; d. 29 Aug 1889) & Friedericke Christiane Sonntag Stocking knitter from Altendorf, later in Röhrsdorf near Chemnitz.
Family names: Bonitz, Gaube, Göthe. |
20 |
Descendants |
August Friedrich Bonitz (b. bef 1830) & Christiane Amalie Förster
Family names: Bonitz, Estler. |
20 |
Descendants |
Karl Hermann Bonitz (b. 30 Jul 1833; d. 20 Jan 1920) & Johanna Rosina Meister Tailor in Callenberg near Hohenstein-Ernstthal.
Family names: Bonitz, Merkel, Schramm. |
24 |
Descendants |
Karl Benjamin Bonitz (b. 4 Mar 1838; d. 1915) & Christiane Caroline Woller Salesman in Thalheim. His sons Karl Bruno and Theodore Albert went to America around 1885.
Family names: Bonitz, Loy, Guadagnini, Rush, Wambold, Küchler. |
21 |
Descendants |
Maximilian C. Alexander Bonitz (b. in Mar 1850; d. 21 Oct 1902) & Emma Kreutler (or Schneider) from Crimmitschau, Saxony, emmigrated as young man to Ashland, VA, USA, where he worked as taylor and cigar maker.
Family names: Bonitz, Everbeck, Cross, Wood. |
18 |
Descendants |
Karl Bernhard Bonitz (b. 8 May 1863 in Thalheim; d. 1920) & Anna Auguste Schletter Knitting factory worker in Thalheim. His sons Paul and Albert Bonitz both settled in New Jersey, USA.
Family names: Bonitz, Paxton, Mulrine. |
30 |
Descendants |
Gustav Anton Bonitz (b. 23 Jul 1865 in Niederaffalter; d. 1918) & Emma Auguste Drummer (or Dittrich) Knitter and mining worker in Oberaffalter and Oberdorf. |
21 |
Descendants |
Albin Bonitz (b. bef 1885) & Fanny NN Niederwürschnitz => Pfreimd, Oberpfalz. |
12 |
Descendants |
Emil Bonitz (b. abt 1894; d. 1971) Saxony => Kempten (Allgäu)
Family names: Bonitz, Foth, Schmitt, Heise. |
14 |
Descendants |
Hannover area / Harz Mountains
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Hans Jurg (Georg) Bonitz (b. abt 1658; d. 14 Oct 1711) & Lisa Lindemann Mining Master in Zellerfeld
Family names: Bonitz, Helbig, Andrews, Seidenspinner, Fischer, Moses, Quelch, Hunken, Huth, Wachsmuth, Volkmann, Mansfield, Burns, Taylor, Wootten, Blalock, Reisinger, Müller, Fuchs, Stegner, Mahns. |
143 |
Descendants |
Wenzel Bonitz (b. 1750 in Prag/Praha, d. 31 Oct. 1833) & Elisabeth Schmölzer. They lived in Weisskirchen (Banat, formerly to Hungary, today in Serbia). His parents came supposingly from Zellerfeld.
Family names: Bonitz, Kuhn, Krubinski, Fischer, Massjung, Harlacher, Schmidt, Böhm, Schuster, Marter, Müller, Habschied, Eakin, Weisz, Wagner, Reed, Breckenridge, Poppe, Majoros, Hellebrand, Erger, Birck, Erger, Hummel, Filipon, Bolbecher, Leisman. |
193 |
Descendants |
August Bonitz (b. bef. 1805 ) & Johanne Christiane Röthel He lived in Zellerfeld/Harz and probably descended from the Bonitz there. Later he resided in Lautenthal near Hannover.
Family names: Bonitz, Huneke, Müßel, Frick. |
27 |
Descendants |
Franz (Francis) Bonitz (b. 18 Feb 1826; d. 30 Mar 1895) & Wilhelmina Lyding (Lerding) Upholsterer, Hannover => NY, USA. Parents: Friedrich Bonitz and Katharine.
Family names: Bonitz, Bigg, Keeney, Dinovo, Carey, Haynes, Scheck, Vago, Palmedo, Walter, Harris, Corbett, Dumont, Moore. |
82 |
Descendants |
Albert Bonitz (b. 1 Apr 1854, d. 16 Apr 1918) moved to Duderstadt/Harz with his wife Anna and 3 children in 1905. According to his burial record, he was born as Albert Boniec in Kuchary near Pleschen in Poland.
Family names: Bonitz, Hinzen, Gabich, Derichs. |
25 |
Descendants |
Rhineland Area
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Laurentius (Lorenz) Boenitz (also: Benitz) (b. abt 1695; d. 7 Sep 1756) & (1) Anna Catharina Schwobthaler, & (2) Francisca Wagner Endingen near Freiburg (Baden).
Family names: Benitz, Boenitz, Böniz, Wagner. |
26 |
Descendants |
Charles (Karl) Bonitz (b. 8 Jul 1858; d. 16 Jul 1932) & Katharine Wirth (Wirtz, Worth?) from Koblenz?, moved to the USA in 1884. His parents were Karl Bonitz and Katherine Barth.
Family names: Bonitz, Scott, Kokinda, Wall, Grabowski, Fabricatore, Roth, Black, Argust, Aten, Lopez, Travis, Rose, Rassmusson, Phipps, Hammerstone, Adams, Ingold, Suminski, Love, Nahlen, Lower, Ames, Berry, Decker. |
103 |
Descendants |
Rudolf Bonitz (b. abt 1870) Lived in the Köln (Cologne) area. His son Heinrich (Henrique) emmigrated to Brazil in 1922.
Family names: Bonitz, Soares, de Oliveira, Gomes. |
21 |
Descendants |
Others
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Jürgen Bohnitz (b. 24 Sep 1767, + 10 Aug 1845) & Mantje Erken He was a sailor and captain in Midlum on the island Föhr on the German coast of the North Sea.. Many of his descendants later emmigrated to the U.S. |
30 |
Descendants |
John Edward Bonitz (b. abt 1825; d. 23 Jan 1899) A tailor from Germany who came to New York City approx. 1860. He was married twice: to Mary Thomas, who died in 1866 from Cholera, and to Amelia Louise NN.
Family names: Bonitz, Conlon, Bernardo, Ernst, Clabault. |
21 |
Descendants |
Antonio (Tony) Bonitz (b. 11 Sep 1882; d. 16 Mar 1970) & Giovina (Genevieve) DiCamille of Castel Frentano, Italy. Antonio emmigrated to the U.S. in 1910. The Bonitz family name was derived from the Italian name Abbonizzio. Tony had 8 children, whose families mainly live in Ohio.
Family names: Abbonizzio, Bonitz, Neal, Dougherty, Furmanchik, Oresko, Fuschino, Bankert. |
90 |
Descendants |
Jorg Bonitz of Kühnheide is mentioned in 1497 owning the largest land property in Kühnhaide near Zwönitz. His asset is an estimated "80 Schock" in size. Jorg is also referred to in a note of 1497 in his position as guarantor. In this document he is granting permission to use his estate as pawn. Documents can be found in the Weimar and Dresden historical collections (Landeshauptarchiv).
The precise descendants lines of Jorg are currently not finally documented. Some individual researchers have partly reached different conclusions than the Kühnhaide family book. In this book his descendants line stops after 7 generations. Other researchers, however, have connected him to younger lines like the one linking to reverend Carl Friedrich Bonitz from Langensalza. His son, philologist Hermann Bonitz, was well-known in Austria and Prussia for his achievements in reforming the countries' schooling systems.
In 1962 a (potential) descendant of Jorg Bonitz registered a Bonitz family coat of arms. This coat of arms is assigned to the descendants of the textile mill owner Friedrich Gottlob Bonitz (1773-1840) who, according to this particular research, is an 8-fold great-grandson of Jorg Bonitz of Kühnheide. |
Peter Bonitz can be proven as a hereditary farmer in Kühnhaide from 1546. In 1597 the two sons Oswald and Jacob Bonitz are mentioned in the settlement of his inheritance. He had 12 married grandchildren, who laid the foundation for this largest continuous Bonitz family to date. There are currently 1513 known bearers of the Bonitz name from this lineage.
The descendants of this family were for many generations landowners (farmers), carters and craftsmen (manual workers, masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, later also mill owners and tanners). Around 1685, Elias Bonitz, the first "citizen and lace merchant" appears in this line, whose family later also owns the wire mill in Schwarzenberg.
In the course of time, some branches also settled in the surrounding communities such as Dittersdorf, Hormersdorf, Lenkersdorf or Elterlein. |
Carl Friedrich Bonitz was a manual laborer and slate quarryman in Lenkersdorf near Zwönitz and died there on May 30, 1876. At his marriage with Christiane Caroline Löffler in 1828 he is described as the youngest son of Christian Friedrich Bonitz, resident and manual laborer in Lenkersdorf. However, this father is not found in the records so far. He had 10 children and at least 13 grandchildren, of which three sons of the handworker and railroad official Carl Friedrich Bonitz in Alberoda emigrated to Mellen in Wisconsin, USA, and had large families there. Many of the present Bonitz families in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California descend from this line.
Another branch of this family leads to the hosiery maker, salesman and composer Ernst Emil Bonitz, who moved from Burkhardtsdorf to Dresden via Chemnitz. His grandson was the church music director, organist and choir director Eberhard Bonitz, who moved with his family from Dresden via Ellwangen to Lingen, and whose seven children continue the musical tradition of this family. |
Hans Jurg Bonitz (also called Georg) lived in the late 17th century in the little town of Zellerfeld in the Harz Mountains. The city was a mining location, and so his profession was also "Mining Master". With his wife Lisa Lindemann he had 6 children, but only the family of his oldest son Andre Friedrich (called Bunitz) is more exactly known. Andre, also employed in mining, married Maria Lastenbein in 1706, they had 5 children. A great-great-great-grandson of Hans Jurg, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Bonitz, emigrated with his family to the USA around 1855. There he founded the large branch of the Bonitz families from the Wilmington / Goldsboro (North Carolina) area. |
Wenzel Bonitz was born 1750 in Praha (Czech Republic). His parents are supposed to have come from Zellerfeld in the Harz Mountains. At the approximate age of 20 years, Wenzel moved to Weisskirchen in the Banat region (hungarian: Fehértemplom, serbian: Bela Crkva). The region once belonged to Hungary and is a part of Serbia today. All Bonitz families of Weisskirchen have their common origin in this lineage. Many of today's members of this family can be found in Austria and southern Germany. A great-grandson of Wenzel, Anton Bonitz, moved to the U.S. in 1895. He settled in Pennsylvania as farmer and hotel owner. |
Jürgen Bohnitz was born Sep. 24, 1767 in Midlum, Föhr, one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. His parents were Boh Jürgens (1728-1781) and Marret Jensen. Surnames at those times did not follow our modern rules of naming and spelling. As a result, this family was referred to as Bohn, Bohnitz, Bonitz but also Bohnsz.
Jürgen Bohnsz was initially named Jürgen Bohn, according to the church records. He was born in 1767 in Midlum to Boh Jürgensen and died there on Sept. 10, 1845. On his tombstone, his name reads Jürgen Bohnitz, and both of his sons are mentioned in the church records as Boh Jürgen Bohnitz and Capt. Erich Jürgen Bohnitz.
Being a captain, he sailed and commanded various trading ships between 1795 and 1821, mainly on routes between Copenhagen and southern Europe. On June 26, 1800 he was granted citizenship of Copenhagen.
His son Erich Bohnitz also was a captain and was quite wealthy. Föhr at that time still belonged to Denmark. When it was annexed by Prussia in 1867, he kept his loyalty to Denmark until his death. |
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Last update of this page: March 14, 2024 © 2000-2024 by Jochen Bonitz |