STUMPP - Part II, RL 55, p. 661 - Bergdorf census of 1816.
"Bender, Maria 55, her children Michael 16, Elisabetha 12, George 31, his wife Margaretha 27, their daughter Elisabetha Margaretha 2 1/2, Valentine, 1812, 25, is with the family at Number 22 removed, his wife Maria, their children Anna Maria, 1812, died, Balthasar Ludwig and Philipp, also Martin, 1812, 16, emigrated to Kassel, Anna Maria Dorothea, 1814 died, Katharina, emigrated to Kassel."

All agree that this is our Bender family.
The question becomes one of identifying the husband, who must have died prior to 1816.

WHEELER (1992)
Origin based on dialect places the family on the German-French border.
"[The Kassel families] all seemed to have spoken a distinctive dialect found only in the Nurenberg area and a small pocket on the border between Alsace (Elsass) and the Pfaltz."

MERKEL, ROSS D (phone conversation 29 Jun 1995)
The widow's name was Maria Appolonia Neuhart.
Her husband was Johann Georg Bender from Lembach, Elsass.
Rev. Merkel refused to share any source information that could verify this possibility.

ST PETERSBURG RECORDS, 185x deaths
Two of Maria's sons were born in Elsass.
Bender, Valentin, d. 1 May 1851, Glückstal Parish, 65y 9m 17d (therefore b. 14 Jul 1785), Lchnbach (Lembach), Frankreich (Elsass).
Bender, Michael, d. 1 Sep 1856, Glückstal Col., 58y (therefore b. about 1798), b. Siebach (Seebach), Elsass.

SCHOCK (2007)
Found Johann Bender/Maria Neuhart on www.kindelberger.de which used Dennis A. Kastens as their source.

KASTENS, Dennis A., Nothweiler Familes 1500-1850, 2001 (30 Aug 2007)
Nothweiler, Elsass church records confirm place of origin.

Bender (B-6), p. 23
"Johann Georg Bender b. 30 May 1750 Langensoultzbach + by 1816 Nothweiler.
(Son of Philipp Heinrich Bender (1712-1772) / Maria Christina Mallo (1716-1782).
Emigrated 1808 to Bergholz, Moldova, Russia.
Married Maria Appolonia Neuhart 13 Oct 1778 Lembach."

GCRA DVD 2008: G200 discs/Disc 1/Points of Origin/Origins-a-f.pdf. p. 11

C. [B-55; B-21; K-64.]
(1) In addition to earlier authenticated origins for this family, Joh. Georg & Maria Appolonia (Neuhardt) Bender also lived in Rumbach/Pf, where one child was born and two children died, FHL #193, 195. (Merkel) (Vol 12-2); [TAS - son, Georg in B-55, 1816, died 1822, spouse - Margaretha Haller (B-51), remarried to Johannes Rath (B-34).]
(2) Bender, Martin, 1809, nach Kassel/Od; RL:64 (GP - Martin, Philipp, Valentine, Maria Catharina Bender are siblings.) (Pritzkau) (Vol 12-1)
(3) Bender, Philipp, 1808, nach Neudorf/Od; RL:251 [TAS - this is Johann Philipp, *1815, son of Martin Bender, K-64].
(4) GP - See B-21, 55, 84, K-49 for Anna Marie Becker Bender, wife of Valentin. (Merkel) (Vol 8-1) (Vol 8-2)
TAS/GP/RM - Johann Georg Bender and wife, Maria Appolonia Neuhardt, first lived near Rumbach, Pfalz at Reinighof (birth place of dau, Eva Margaretha Bender, *1781, +1836, 2nd? wife of Jacob Hausauer, K-4, 1816); then lived in Lembach, Elsass, by Wingen (birthplace of son, Valentin Bender); and by 1798, lived in Oberseebach, Elsass (birth place of son, Michael Bender, *1798, +1856, B-55 & B-105).
Birth place of daughter, Elisabeth Bender (*1802, wife of Johannes Heupel, K-174) not listed on her death record.
The Bender family came to South Russia from Cleeburg in 1809 in the company of Johann Jakob Haussauer of KRL:4 - see Haussauer Passport PL:VI,#16.
The persons accompanying Johann Jakob Haussauer (KRL:4) were
his wife, Eva Margaretha Bender (*ca 1781 Rehöthaler Hof or Reinighof/Rumbach, Pf, +23.8.1836; age 34, 1816 KRL:4);
his in-laws, Johann Georg Bender and his wife, Maria Appolonia Neuhardt;
and their 7 other children -
Georg Bender (*ca 1784 Pf?, age 31 1816 BRL:55, m Margaretha Haller; +1.1.1822 - widow remarried to Johannes Rath of BRL:34);
Maria Katharina Bender (*ca 1784 El?, m after 1812 to Johann Martin Ketterling; age 27, 1816 KRL:8);
Valentin Bender (*ca 15.7.1785 Lembach/El, +1.5.1851; age 26, 1816 BRL:21, m Anna Maria Becker of KRL:49);
Martin Bender (*ca 1791 El?, age 20 KRL:64, m Katharina Schmidt);
Anna Dorothea Bender (* ? El, +1814, BRL:55);
Michael Bender (*ca 1798 Oberseebach/El, +1.9.1856; age 16, 1816 BRL:55;
m1 Susanna Nagel; m2 Johanna König);
Elisabetha Bender (*ca 1802 El?, +28.10.1875; age 12, 1816 BRL:55; m Johannes Heupel).