Gordon Albert Christian Eby

Other Events:

• Interesting: story
• Name: Christian Gordon Eby
• Name: Gordon C. Eby
• Name: Gordon Eby
• Residence: 409 Mill St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00023-1793.7
• Birth: 20 Sep 1890, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Military: 1914, WW1; WW1, 108th Regiment, Service #126368
• Military: 1914, WW1; WW1, Private, 108th Regiment / 118th Battalion

Notes:

Eby, Gordon C., son of Mr. and Mrs. Christian Eby, was born at Kitchener, Ont., Sept. 21, 1890; died at the K-W Hospital, Kitchener, Aug. 17, 1965; aged 74 y. 10 m. 27 d. In 1921, he was married to Elsie Hewitt, who survives. Also surviving are 4 sons (Ward, Foster, Gary, and Timothy), 3 daughters (Ruth - Mrs. Murray Hill, Anne - Mrs. Douglas Millar, and Louella), and 16 grandchildren. One son preceded him in death. Two months previous to his death he renewed his faith in Christ. Funeral services were held at the First Mennonite Church, Aug. 20, in charge of C. F. Derstine.

Gospel Herald - Volume LVIII, Number 37 - September 21, 1965 - pages 841, 842

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Gordon Eby's diaries shine a light on Kitchener's past

KITCHENER Berlin was to become a city at the stroke of midnight, and young Gordon Eby did not want to miss the chance to record history in the making.

He loaded his gramophone into the back of his horse-drawn wagon, and headed downtown to record the celebrations. There was to be music, fireworks and parties, and Eby aimed to capture it all. But he was left heartbroken instead. "I started setting up the machine, while putting the horn on I bumped my coat pocket against the side of the rig, smashed the blank record which was in it … that of course put an end to record-making tonight," he wrote in his diary in June 1912.

Berlin, as Kitchener was then known, was a happening place in Eby's time. Electricity had only arrived two years earlier, and Eby - a Mennonite farmer who'd spent almost four months wages on his beloved gramophone - was busy documenting the exciting changes in his hometown....

Eby's diary entries are full of his observations on everyday life in Waterloo Region more than a century ago. While his father, a traditional Mennonite "charmer" was a remnant of different era, Eby was intrigued by anything new.

"He turned his back in some ways on his Mennonite heritage. He spent most of his time going to movies and plays," said Harper, a teacher at Elmira District Secondary School who also works with the Rural Diary Project at the University of Guelph.

Like a lot of citizens at the time, Eby was swept up the city's emerging status, with its growing population of 15,000 and bustling factories. "Berlin was coming into its own," she said. "We see Kitchener become a city through his eyes. He was very excited about it." Eby didn't just document early Kitchener with his diary entries. He also took hundreds of photos of people and things he saw, and owned one of the city's first flash-photography cameras while still in his early 20s.

Eby, who earned his living collecting manure and growing vegetables on land that is now Rockway Golf Course, used new technology as a social outlet, Harper said. His camera and gramophone were novelties, and drew crowds wherever he went. What he didn't realize is how he was helping historians more than a century later....by Greg Mercer

"Gordon Eby'S Diaries Shine A Light On Kitchener'S Past". Therecord.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 9 July 2016.

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Eby, Gordon C., son of Mr. and Mrs. Christian Eby, was born at Kitchener, Ont., Sept. 21, 1890; died at the K-W Hospital, Kitchener, Aug. 17, 1965; aged 74 y. 10 m. 27 d. In 1921, he was married to Elsie Hewitt, who survives. Also surviving are 4 sons (Ward, Foster, Gary, and Timothy), 3 daughters (Ruth - Mrs. Murray Hill, Anne - Mrs. Douglas Millar, and Louella), and 16 grandchildren. One son preceded him in death. Two months previous to his death he renewed his faith in Christ. Funeral services were held at the First Mennonite Church, Aug. 20, in charge of C. F. Derstine.

Gospel Herald - Volume LVIII, Number 37 - September 21, 1965 - pages 841, 842

__________________________________

Kitchener Pioneer's Kin Dies


Gordon C. Eby, 74, the last surviving great-grandson of Kitchener pioneer Benjamin Eby, died today at K-W Hospital after an illness of several months. Mr. Eby was born in Kitchener, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Christian Eby. He lived at 409 Mill St. He was a member of First Mennonite Church, the first church in the community, founded by Bishop Eby in 1813. Mr. Eby unveiled a plaque commemorating Bishop Eby at the church six years ago. Kitchener got its original name, Ebytown, from the bishop. Mr. Eby was an assistant foreman at J. M. Schneider Ltd. for 34 years until his retirement in in 1960. He was a member of the Schneider's Veterans Club and the firm's 20 Year Club. He served overseas with the 118th Battalion from 1915 to 1919, and after the armistice served in Germany as an interpreter, using the High German he learned in the Mennonite school that his great-grandfather founded. He was a member of the Kitchener branch of the Canadian Legion and the Waterloo Historical Society. Mr. Eby's main hobby was gardening, and he developed a new type of apple that is now being tested at the University of Guelph, the Vineland experimental nurseries and Stark Nurseries in the United States. Surviving are his wife, the former Elsie Hewitt whom he married in Kitchener in 1921; four sons, Ward of New Westminster, B.C., Foster of Baden, Gary and Timothy of Kitchener; three daughters, Mrs. Murray (Ruth) Hill of Blair, Mrs. Douglas (Anne) Millar and Loella of Kitchener and 16 grandchildren. One son predeceased him. The body is at the Schreiter Sandrock Funeral Home until Friday when removal will be made to the First Mennonite Church ofr a service at 2: 30 p.m. with Bishop C.F. Derstine officiating. Burial will be in East End Mennonite cemetery. Contributions to the crippled children's centre will be accepted as expressions of sympathy.

Christian — Elsie Maude Hewitt. Elsie (daughter of George Morton Hewitt and Elizabeth "Eliza" Ward) was born 4 Oct 1900; died 16 May 1974; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elsie Maude Eby
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-180813

Other Events:

• Residence: 409 Mill St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00031-2429
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Laborer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1868, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Military: 1869, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; 29 Regiment of Waterloo
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Labourer
• Occupation: 1890, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; market gardener
• Occupation: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Gardener
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1901, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Basket Gardening

Notes:

Christian Eby, "was born December 15th, 1842. He was married May 24th, 1868, to Catharine Clemens. They reside at the "Two Bridges", South Ward, Berlin. He follows gardening in summer and butchering in winter. They have a family of six children...They are all at home yet and unmarried save James Edward who is married and resides in Berlin."


Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].

Christian married Catharine Clemens 24 May 1868, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Catharine (daughter of Abraham B. Clemens and Magdalena Eby) was born 10 Apr 1848, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 21 Feb 1918, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Catharine Eby
• Eby ID Number: 00023-1793
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1868, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Catharine Clemens, "was born April 10th, 1848. On May 24th, 1868, she was married to Christian Eby. They reside in Berlin where he is engaged in gardening and butchering. To them were born six children, namely: VIII Lydia Ann, VIII James Edward, VIII Isabella, VIII Jacob Foster, VIII Isaac C. (dead), and VIII Christian."


Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-179355
• Residence: CA 1918, 44 Locust St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1918, 65 Nelson Ave., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

George married Elizabeth "Eliza" Ward 25 Dec 1895, Burslem, , Staffordshire, England. Elizabeth was born 19 Aug 1872, Burslem, , Staffordshire, England; died 1949, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth "Eliza" Hewitt
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-179357

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206243286
• Eby ID Number: 00031-2424
• Residence: 1840, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer

Notes:

Isaac Eby, "the eldest son of Benjamin Eby, was born in Berlin, July 30th, 1808. He spent his single days at home on his father's farm. On October 30th, 1831, he was married to Veronica, daughter of John and Mary (Shantz) Shoemaker, who was born February 2nd, 1815, and died July 20th, 1894. In November of the same year of their marriage they moved on their farm, situated two and one-half miles east of Berlin, being the north-west part of lot No. 120, German Company's Tract, in the township and county of Waterloo, containing by admeasurement 188 acres. The farm was, with the exception of a few acres where their first house and log stables stood, heavily timbered with all kinds of hard wood. Wolves, bears and deer were quite numerous then, and the howling of wolves was their evening band. Here they lived for nearly forty-three years. A few months before his death he disposed of his farm to Mr. Moses Betzner. Of the numerous assistants they had on their farm George Schmidt, afterwards a minister of the Gospel in the Mennonite Church, James Potter, now residing in Berlin, Jacob Becker, Barbara Rudy, now Mrs. Valentine Knechtel and mother of Rev. S. R. Knechtel, and Martha Allardyce, now of Toronto, were their favorites. These were always considered as members of their family. To Isaac Eby and his wife was born a family of ten children"

Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].

Isaac married Veronica Shoemaker 30 Oct 1831. Veronica (daughter of Johannes "John" Schumacher and Maria "Mary" Shantz) was born 2 Feb 1815, Frederick Twp., Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died 20 Jul 1894, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168923638
• Name: Fran Shoemaker
• Name: Veronica Eby
• Eby ID Number: 00112-7024
• Residence: 1840, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Website: 2009; Photograph

Notes:

Veronica Shoemaker, "was born February 2nd, 1815, and came to Canada with her mother in 1829. On October 30th, 1831, she was married to Isaac Eby and in November of the same year they moved two miles east of Berlin, on the farm now owned by John Schmitt where they resided until his death, in May, 1874. She then moved to Berlin where she died July 20th, 1894."


Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].

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Eby.-At her residence, King St. East, Berlin, Ontario, at 9-50 A.M., July 20, 1894, Sister Veronica Eby, widow of the late Bro. Isaac Eby, aged 79 y. 5 m. 18 d. Funeral on the 23d at 2 o'clock, from her late residence to the Mennonite Cemetery. Services were conducted in English by S. R. Knechtel, (Evangelical) from John 11:25, 26, and in German by Bro. Sam'l Bowman, from 2 Cor. 3:1. A large concourse of friends and relatives had gathered to pay their last tributes of respect to the deceased sister.

Many could not get into the spacious meeting house. Thus one by one the first generations of Canadian born settlers in Waterloo county pass away. Her husband, Bro. Isaac Eby, was the first white child born in Waterloo county. Sis Eby was an earnest Christian, and her place in the Eby Mennonite M. H. in Berlin was very seldom vacant at the time of meeting. Since the death of Bro. Eby she had been living in town. She leaves a family of children grandchildren and great grandchildren and a large circle of relatives and friends to mourn her departure. Several of her children preceded her to the grave. Peace to her ashes.

HERALD OF TRUTH , Vol. XXXI, No. 16, August 15, 1894 - Page 255

Website:
Grace Schmidt Room of Local History Digital Collection


Description: Black and white, studio portrait of Jacob S. Shoemaker's (1798-1875) sisters and daughters. They are identified as follows: back row from left to right: Aunt Barbara Huber (Mrs. Henry), Aunt Mary Ann McNally (Mrs. John), Aunt Lena (Magdalena) Clemens (Mrs. Joel); middle row from left to right: Aunt Mary Myers (Mrs. Michael), Aunt Magdalena (Mrs. Barnabas Devitt), Aunt Veronica Eby (Mrs. Isaac); and front row from left to right: Aunt Hannah Hett (Mrs. Caspar), Aunt Elizabeth Shoemaker (Miss).

The women in the front and back rows have been identified as the daughters of Jacob S. Shoemaker. The women in the middle row have been identified as sisters of Jacob S. Shoemaker and the daughters of John Shoemaker and Mary Shantz, according to Ezra Eby's book.

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00023-1784
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Abraham B. Clemens, "was born February 11th, 1814. On March 18th, 1834, he was married to Magdalena Eby. After his marriage he took possession of his father's farm where he resided until some time after his wife's death when he made his home with his daughter, Catharine, where he died March 2nd, 1888. She was born May 19, 1810, and died July 22nd, 1883. To them were born eight children"


Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].

____________________________


CLEMENS. - On the 20th of March, at the residence of his son-in-law, Christian Eby, Berlin, Ontario, of the infirmities of old age, Bro. Abram B. Clemens, aged 74 years, 1 month and 9 days. He was buried on the 2d in Eby's burying-ground at Berlin. The deceased brother was born in Montgomery Co., Pa., and came with his parents to this country when it was yet a howling wilderness. He was a member of the church from his youth. He leaves three children, and many friends and relatives here and in Michigan. Funeral services by J. Bowman and M. Erb, from 2 Tim. 4: 6-8 and 2 Cor. 5: 1. Peace to his ashes.


Herald of Truth, Vol. XXV, Number 7, April 1, 1888, Pages 108, 109

Abraham married Magdalena Eby 18 Mar 1834. Magdalena (daughter of Deacon Samuel Eby and Elizabeth Break) was born 19 May 1810, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 22 Jul 1883; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Magdalena Clemens
• Eby ID Number: 00031-2758
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Housekeeper
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Magdalena Eby, "was born May 19th, 1810, and died July 22nd, 1883. She was married to Abraham B. Clemens who was born February 11th, 1814, and died March 20th, 1888. To them were born eight children, namely: Elizabeth, Samuel, Susannah, Jacob E., Magdalena, Jane, Catharine and Veronica."


Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.].