Eustace Guy BENHAM

1895 - 1984  (89 years)

• Name	Eustace Guy BENHAM
  Birth	29 Jun 1895	Wildwood, Cheboygan Co., MI
  Gender	Male
  Death	04 Oct 1984	Brunswick, Oceana Co., MI
  Burial	08 Oct 1984	Mt. Hope Cemetery, Shelby, Oceana Co., MI   [1]
  Person ID	I61	Benham Family Tree
  Last Modified	16 Nov 2025

  
  

  Father	Charles Henry BENHAM,   b. 22 Sep 1848, Geneva, Ontario Co., NY d. 24 Nov 1927, Flint, Genesee Co., MI (Age 79 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Alice Katherine RICHARDSON,   b. 07 Jul 1853, Binghamton, Broome Co., NY d. 04 Jul 1922, Onaway, Presque IsleCo., MI (Age 68 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	31 May 1871	Lansing, Ingham Co., MI   [2]
  Family ID	F48	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Ethel Frances REINTGUS,   b. 24 Jul 1896, Bay City, Bay Co., MI d. 06 Dec 1951, Muskegon, Muskegon Co., MI (Age 55 years)
  Marriage	05 Jul 1913	Baptist Parsonage, Onaway, Presque Isle Co., MI   [3]
  Divorce	1938
  Children	+ 1. Maxine Ethel BENHAM,   b. 16 Mar 1914, Onaway, Presque Isle Co., MI d. 14 May 2010, Muskegon, Muskegon Co., MI (Age 96 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 2. Guy Maxwell BENHAM,   b. 28 Jul 1915, Allis Twp, Presque Isle Co., MI d. 04 Apr 2004, Muskegon, MI (Age 88 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Philip Bruce BENHAM,   b. 30 May 1919, Allis Twp., Presque Isle Co., MI d. 27 Jul 1921, Allis Twp., Presque Isle Co., MI (Age 2 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 4. Charles Frederick 'Chuck' BENHAM,   b. 17 Jan 1921, Allis Twp., Presque Isle Co., MI d. 13 Oct 2010, Brooklhaven Medical Facility, Apple Ave, Muskegon, MI (Age 89 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 5. Living
  Family ID	F46	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	16 Nov 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Nedra Skinner WALKER,   b. 04 Oct 1912   d. 02 Dec 1999 (Age 87 years)
  Marriage	1940
  Children	+ 1. Wayne Hale BENHAM,   b. 21 Dec 1936, Muskegon, MI d. 2017, Penn Yan, NY (Age 80 years)
  Family ID	F47	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	16 Nov 2025

  
  

• Notes

  They rented the Kidd farm from Estelle Kidd, who had two daughters. No one (Maxine, Chuck or Max) remembers a husband. Max Benham says.... Guy built a lot of houses around Muskegon. In the Depression the family didn't do badly. Guy traded a couple of houses for some cars from Dobson Motors. Neither cars nor houses were selling well, but Dobson didn't know that houses were selling worse than cars. They were beautiful cars, including a Flying Cloud, which they drove around Muskegon. That's how he got started in the car business in Muskegon. When in Onaway, he devised a way to repair a defective differential in the Maxwell car, a generic problem in all Maxwells. He learned by trial and error. Max says that he took one apart and when he tried to put it together, he did it wrong. He asked a local car mechanic how to fix it. The mechanic called in his friends and they had a big joke at Guy's expense. After he learned to fix the part, he made money at it. he was well-known around Onaway, as was his father. Guy tried working in a logging camp. Max said that the first evening when the men took off their clothes to go to bed, they hung them around the fire to dry. That was his last day. He could not stand the odor. _____________________________ Ethel and Guy were divorced in 1940. ______________________________ Around 1950 he had a bowling alley in Lakewood, outside of Muskegon. When JLBW was in India with her parents, the roof collapsed from the weight of snow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1920 Census. Allis Twp., Presque Isle Co., MI self Father Mother Benham, Guy Head Rent M W 24 able to read and write MI MI MI Ethel wife F W 23 able to read and write MI MI Can Maxine daughter F W 5 MI MI MI Maxwell son M W 4 4/12 MI MI MI Philip son M W 7/12 MI MI MI

  
  

• Sources

  [S51] JLBW attended funeral. [S58] Marriage License. Bk 4, Page 62, Number 932, Ingham County, Michagan. [S57] Marriage License Number 3. Presque Isle County, Michigan.