Edmund Hoelsche

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-151553
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Clerk
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Other Events:

• Name: Jacob Hoelscher
• Name: Jacob Holsche
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-35600
• Occupation: 1852, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Minister
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Preacher
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Minister
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Notes:

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church

It is believed that a congregation was formed in the 1850s and that services were held in the Free Church, Bridgeport (built in 1848) prior to 1861 when the congregation's first pastor, the Rev. Jacob Hoelsche (1861-1873), began his ministry. The congregation was regularly organized at that time. Services and Sunday School continued to be held in the Free Church. Rev. Hoelsche was followed by Revs. J.L. Rau (1876-1878) and A.R. Schultz (1878-1882) who were from Elmira, and by Rev. Immanuel Wurster from Preston, 1882-1887.

A church was built at 606 Lancaster Street in 1889; consecration of the new building was held on July 22, 1889. The congregation was on the Conestogo-Breslau Circuit at the time. The church was enlarged considerably in 1939 with basement renovations and the construction of an addition to the back of the church. Dedication for this major task was on October 1, 1939.

The 80th Anniversary of the founding of the organization of the congregation was celebrated on October 19, 1941 with the dedication of a new entrance to the church. Land on Waterloo Road (now Bridgeport Road) was purchased in 1949, with plans to build a newer and larger church. It was not until May 27, 1956 that a ground-breaking ceremony was held to signal the beginning of construction of the new church. The cornerstone was laid July 15, 1956, and on March 31, 1957 the new church was offically opened and consecrated by Dr. A.G. Jacobi, President of the Canada Synod. Final services had been held in the old church one week before, on March 24, 1957. (The old church building had been advertised for sale on February 9, 1957.)

According to Eylands (1945: 92) the church at one time was joined in a parish with St. James in St. Jacobs, and St. Matthew's, Conestogo. Of interest: The hand which was on the steeple of the old church is now on the former Freeport United Church which was relocated in 1962 to Doon Heritage Crossroads.

Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose

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St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church

The congregation was organized on December 1, 1834 by the Rev. F.W. Bindemann (1834-1838). Worship services were held in homes and barns until the Lutheran Rudel brothers erected a stone building for this purpose at the corner of what is now Queenston Road and Montrose Street. The premises were also made available to other congregations when they were first established in Preston. Land for a Lutheran church was purchased in 1837 and a frame church was built in 1839 on King Street on the site of the present St. Peter's. This fifty foot by forty foot church with its sixty foot tower was Preston's first church, called Christ Church, and was free for the use of all denominations. The building was used until replaced by the present-day stone church. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on August 21, 1887. The old frame church had been relocated before then to a lot on the corner of Queen and Church Streets where the congregation worshipped until the new stone church was ready for consecration in 1889. Weekly evening services in the English language began at that time.

A new parsonage was built in 1913 on land behind the church, and renovations and improvements have been made to the interior of the church over the years. A new Christian Education wing was built in 1957 (cornerstone: January 27, 1957) and dedicated in 1958. Pastors who followed F.W. Bindemann were Revs. J. Huettner (1838-1849) who was the first regular pastor, F. Hildebrandt (1849-1850), Jacob Hoelsche (1850-1854), and Rev. Immanuel Wurster who served the congregation from 1854-1881. Rev. Wurster also ministered to St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hespeler.

Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose

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St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

The congregation was founded in 1837 by Rev. F.W. Bindemann, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Kitchener; early services were held in homes or other suitable meeting places. Property for the first church building was purchased from Jacob C. Snider for 5 shillings (approximately $1.25). The cornerstone was laid in the spring of 1838 and dedication services in the new church at 72 King Street North in Waterloo were held in the fall of the same year. Rev. Bindemann was pastor. He was replaced in 1841 by Rev. Jacob Huettner of Preston who then ministered to both congregations. When the church's first membership list was compiled on October 24, 1841, the congregation numbered sixteen persons.

The frame church was destroyed by fire and replaced by a new, larger one in 1883. This, too, was destroyed by fire - on October 31, 1959. The congregation then built a new stone church at a new location on Willow Street, with dedication taking place on October 14, 1962.

Early pastors except for Rev. Bindemann (1837-1841), who was asked to resign in 1841, were Revs. J. Huettner (1841-1849), F.A. Peifer, Immanuel Wurster (1851-1855), and Jacob Hoelsche who began his ministry in 1855. Rev. Wurster ministered to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Preston jointly with St. John's for one year until assuming charge of only Preston in 1855.

Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose

Jakob — Franziska. Franziska was born 1817, , Wuerttemberg, Germany; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Franziska Hoelsche
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-35601
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran