Mayor Edward Frowde Seagram

Other Events:

• Business: Seagram, Harris & Bricker
• Interesting: sport, story,
• Name: E. F. Seagram
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-192283
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Church of England
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican
• Occupation: 1901, Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Bookkeeper
• Elected Office: 1906, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mayor - Waterloo
• Occupation: 1911, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Manufacturer
• Residence: 1911, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican

Notes:

Death Follows Two Operations

Famed Financier and Sportsman Played Great part in Life of Waterloo

Benefactions Were Many

Industrial and Sporting Careers Woven Into Very Fabric of Home Town

Edward Frowde Seagram, known everywhere in the Twin City Business sporting and social circles as "Ed", passed away suddenly in the Toronto General Hospital Private Patient Pavilion yesterday afternoon at 4:25. The late Mr. Seagram, who had suffered recently from a stomach ulcer, entered the hospital a week ago Sunday and was operated on the following day.

The operation was a serious one but Mr. Seagram rallied well and all week the reports from Toronto were of an encouraging nature. Sunday he suffered a relapse and was operated on a second time. Sunday and Monday the family was called to his bedside as it was realized that his condition was extremely serious.

Activities Very Varied

Ed Seagram's activities were woven into the industrial and sporting fabric of the Twin City, especially Waterloo, as it was the fortune of few men's activities to be Socially, he and his family have taken a leading part and philanthropically he occupied a prominent but comparatively unobtrusive part in the life of the Twin City, and especially his beloved Waterloo where he was born 63 years ago.

As a young lad at school he was moulded first as a sportsman and later as a business man. In both spheres he rose to the top, as did his illustrious father. Like his father he also entered the political field and was mayor of Waterloo in 1906 at the age of 33 years, a comparatively young age for mayors at that time. He was re-elected in 1907. Previously he had served as alderman in 1901, 1903, 1904 and 1905.

Early he learned the value of good sportsmanship taught by cricket. Later he played hockey with distinction and later still he entered the racing field at which sport he was a conspicuous figure for many years. He also was an ardent bowler, curler, fisherman, hunter and golfer. Mr. Seagram in his earlier days played lacrosse and football well.

Fraternally he was a member of the A.F. and A.M. and the I.O.O.F.

Gifts to Church

In politics he was a Conservative and, though he was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate, he never allowed his name to go before a convention. IN religion he was an Anglican and his benefactions to the Church of the Holy Saviour will long be remembered, he with his brothers tom and Norman having only recently donated the funds for an extension of the church and beautification of it that will make it one of the best, if not the finest church of its size in Ontario.

He was born in Waterloo on September 28, 1878 and was educated at Lakefield preparatory school, Trinity College, Port Hope and McGill University, Montreal. The late Mr. Seagram entered business in 1894 with his father the late J. E. Seagram, the famous distiller. He was manager from 1900 to 1911, vice-president 1911 to 1920 and subsequently president.

At his death the late Mr. Seagram was president of the following companies: J. F. Seagram and Sons, Ltd. Waterloo; Frowde Ltd., Waterloo; Glubes Furniture Co, Waterloo; Canada Barrels and Kegs Co., Waterloo; Waterloo Trust and Savings Co., Kitchener, Waterloo, Preston and Galt; vice-president of the Que-On Mines Co.; director of the Lake Erie and Northern and Grand River Railways; director of the Numaque Mines; director of the Mutual Fire Insurance Co.; president of the Merchants Casualty which recently sold out to the Economical Mutual Co. of Kitchener and a partner of the Beverage firm Seagram, Harris and Bricker which has offices at Toronto, Kitchener, Galt and Guelph.

Many Laud Life of E.F. Seagram

Sportsmen Generally and Waterloo Citizens in Many Walks Pay Tribute

As the racing world today paid tribute to Edward F. Seagram as a man of sterling qualities and a perfect sportsman, in equally warm terms and depth of feeling. Waterloo executives and leaders in various spheres gave expression to the esteem and regard in which he is held locally as the community's most prominent citizen and many times its benefactor.

Helped Many

Ford S. Kumpf, president of the Dominion Life Assurance Company: "the town of Waterloo has lost an outstanding citizen and a keen business man. I knew him well. The Biblical phrase "Let not your left hand know what your right hand doeth" was an outstanding characteristic of Mr. Seagram in many of his charitable actions. He helped many a needy person and needy cause and no one but the recipient of his big heart ever knew of it. He will be sadly missed by a host of friends."

Canon R. J. Seaton-Adamson rector of the Church of the Holy Saviour, Waterloo: "A great loss will be felt by the Church of the Holy Saviour in the death of Mr. Edward Seagram. For many years, he, together with his family have been members of this church and Mr. Seagram by his several munificent gifts made from time to time showed his direct personal interest in its welfare. Many of the beautiful internal furnishings were his gifts to the church and it is with great regret that one realizes he was not permitted to see the accomplishment of still greater adornment of the church which he together with his brothers was so keenly interested in and had arranged for."

Band Will Miss Him

The services of the Waterloo Musical Society Band will be offered to the family. C. F. Thiele, director said today, On behalf of the society and himself, Mr. Thiele expressed deepest sympathy and great indebtedness to the Seagram brothers. "I personally feel the loss most keenly because of his keen interest in the band and his feeling of friendship," Mr. Thiele said.

The highest tribute to Waterloo's outstanding citizen was paid the memory of Mr. Seagram by a fellow sportsman, Dr. F. G. Hughes. Closely associated with Mr. Seagram for many years in both curling and bowling circles. Dr. Hughes was deeply affected by his passing. He had started bowling with Mr. Seagram in 1898 when the Waterloo Club was formed and for many years, including this year, the two were Waterloo Tankard skips.

Kitchener Daily Record Feb 2 1937 pg 3 & 11

Edward — Edna Irvine MacLachlan. Edna was born 4 Sep 1880, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada; died 29 May 1925, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. Joseph Edward Frowde Seagram was born 11 Aug 1903, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
2. Elenor Stuart Seagram was born 9 Dec 1904, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
3. Campbell Alexander Seagram was born 9 Apr 1906, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 17 Feb 1982, , Collier Co., Florida, USA.
4. Captain Philip Frowde Seagram was born Apr 1911, , Ontario, Canada; died 8 Mar 1941, London, England; was buried , Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, , Surrey, England.
5. Annette Jean Irvine Seagram was born 1917, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.

Other Events:

• Business: Waterloo Distiller and Flouring Mill
• Hobbies: Horse Racing
• Student: Galt Collegiate Institute - 200 Water St. N., Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Name: Joseph E. Seagram
• Residence: 22 Willow St., Waterloo, Ontario; Bratton House
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-43676
• Residence: 1851, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Episcopalian
• Residence: 1869, Stratford, Perth Co., Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Distiller
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican
• Elected Office: 1879, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Councillor - Waterloo
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Merchant
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Church of England
• Elected Office: 1884, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Councillor - Waterloo
• Business: 1887, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Waterloo Distillery and Flouring Mills
• Occupation: 1891, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Distiller
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican
• Occupation: 1901, Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Distiller
• Occupation: 1911, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Distiller
• Residence: 1911, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Church of England
• Website: 2007
• Website: 2008

Notes:

Church of the Holy Saviour

Anglican services were conducted twice a month in Waterloo by Rev. E.W. Murray from St. John's Anglican Church, Berlin, as early as 1876. These services were held in St. John's Lutheran Church on King Street North in Waterloo; a Sunday School was begun about the same time. A decision was made at a meeting of Waterloo Anglicans on January 17, 1895 to begin regular Sunday services, and the first of these services was conducted on January 27th by Rev. Frederick J. Steen of Berlin. The present church, known then as St. Saviour, was built in the Fall of 1897 and was officially opened on January 10, 1898 by Bishop Baldwin of the Diocese of Huron. At that time the church was still a mission of St. John's in Berlin. This arrangement continued until the arrival of the congregation's first resident rector, Rev. R.A. Armstrong, in June 1901.

A rectory was purchased in 1910 at the corner of Allen and Mary Streets, and in 1912-1913 the Parish Hall was built through the generosity of Joseph E. Seagram. On October 26, 1919 the church, with the present name of Church of the Holy Saviour, was consecrated by Bishop David Williams. The chancel was rebuilt and new pews were installed in 1926-1928. The richly decorated interior of the church, in carved oak, was executed in stages in the years 1926-1928 and 1935-1937, memorial gifts of the Seagram family and others. Of particular interest are the "Last Supper" above the altar, the chancel and narthex screens, the pulpit and lecturn, all worked by craftsmen of the Globe Furniture Company of Waterloo. The years 1935-1937 also saw the erection of the tower. An addition to the Parish Hall was built in 1954.

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

_______________________

SEAGRAM, JOSEPH EMM, distiller, sportsman, and politician; b. 15 April 1841 in Fisher's Mills, near New Hope (Hespeler, later Cambridge), Upper Canada, son of Octavius Augustus Seagram and Amelia Stiles (Styles); m. December 1869 Stephanie Urbs in Upper Fort Garry (Winnipeg), and they had four sons and two daughters; d. there 18 Aug. 1919.

Octavius Seagram and his wife emigrated from Wiltshire, England, to Upper Canada in 1837 with the resources to purchase two farms and a tavern at Fisher's Mills. Seagram died in 1848 and following his wife's death four years later their sons, Joseph Emm and Edward Frowd, were placed under the guardianship of Michael Boomer*, the Anglican clergyman in Galt (Cambridge). The boys were sent to William Tassie's boarding-school there. Joseph spent six years at this school and after graduation he attended the Bryant and Stratton Business College in Buffalo, N.Y., for a year.

Seagram returned to Galt in 1860 and was taken on as a junior bookkeeper at a local axe-handle factory. He left it after a fist-fight with a senior bookkeeper. He was subsequently employed as a bookkeeper at a mill in Galt and later managed a mill in Stratford. Looking for employment closer to his Galt home, Seagram was hired in 1864 by Wilhelm Hespeler* to supervise Hespeler's interest in a milling operation in Waterloo. The mill serviced the local grain market, a general store was attached to it, and Hespeler and his partners, George Randall and William Roos, found a valuable sideline in distilling surplus grain into whisky. Seagram's arrangement with Hespeler included the privilege of living in Hespeler's home. While there he met and courted Hespeler's niece, and the two would marry.

Seagram proved a successful manager and, perhaps more than the partners, he saw the potential for the distilling business. In 1868 he bought out Hespeler's share and in 1873 he acquired Randall's. The name of the business was changed to Seagram and Roos in 1881. Two years later Seagram bought out Roos as well, and the company became a sole proprietorship under the name of the Joseph Seagram Flour Mill and Distillery Company.

After assuming control, Seagram began to pursue with great resolution the distilling part of the business. In 1883 he produced a special blend of whisky, Seagram's 83, to celebrate his acquisition of the company and in 1887 it was sold for the first time. It would prove to be his best-selling brand. Two other name brands were distilled: Seagram's Old Rye for sale in Ontario and Seagram's White Feather for Quebec. Seagram's determination to concentrate on distilling was made clear in 1886 when he sold the dry goods business.

Though not the first to distil Canadian whisky on a large scale, Seagram was among the most aggressive of the Canadian producers and exporters. His distillery had shipped whisky to both the United States and Britain as early as 1875, but Seagram accelerated this business after he gained complete control. By the early 1890s he was sending large quantities of whisky and other liquors directly to New York, Chicago, and Detroit for distribution. This penetration of the American market supplemented the growing success that Seagram's products were enjoying in Canada.

In 1911 Seagram incorporated the company as Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Limited. At this point his sons Edward Frowde and Thomas William took a more active role in the company's operation. In 1913 the family met to celebrate Thomas's wedding and Seagram Sr had a special blend of whisky prepared for the event. The blend appealed to Seagram so much that he ordered wider production of the whisky, which became known as Seagram's V.O. (meaning very own); it was brought out of bond in 1917. Following Seagram's death, the presidency of the company would be assumed by Edward, but in 1928 control was acquired by the Bronfmans of Montreal.

Seagram's success in business allowed him to pursue with vigour his passion for horse-racing. In 1860, at the age of 19, he had purchased a half share in a racehorse in Galt. From this beginning came a racing dynasty based in the growing Seagram stables near Waterloo. Seagram regularly visited more advanced racing farms in Britain and imported a large amount of breeding stock. Canada's leading turf journalist of the period, Edmund King Dodds, noted in 1909 that "for over twenty years [Seagram] has spent money lavishly importing choice blood, both from England and the United States." This lavish spending brought unprecedented success. Seagram's horses began running in the Queen's Plate in 1889 and in 1891 he won the race for the first time. His horses would win it ten times and the King's Plate five times before his death in 1919. Between 1891 and 1898 his horses won eight consecutive Plates and in six of them a Seagram horse also placed second. This record made him, in the opinion of the Canadian Magazine in 1900, "probably the greatest Canadian horse-breeder." Dodds made the point that Seagram's stables were also important in improving the bloodstock of Canadian horses in general. Seagram held annual sales at which the surplus stock of well-bred animals was sold at reasonable prices.

Seagram was influential in the creation in 1881 of the Ontario Jockey Club, which sought to regulate horse-racing and improve the public perception of the sport. He was elected to its board in 1898 and from 1906 to his death he was its president. In 1903 he donated a $2,000 prize and a trophy for a race to be run by horses owned in Canada; it continues to this day.

Success also led Seagram into the realm of politics. In 1881 he was elected to represent the South Ward on Waterloo Town Council. An outspoken supporter of the National Policy tariff, in 1896 he gained the Conservative nomination in the federal riding of Waterloo North. He campaigned actively on the tariff and ignored the Manitoba school question, which dominated the election in other regions. Seagram won the seat away from the Liberals, who none the less formed a government under Wilfrid Laurier.

Opposition politics did not suit Seagram and by the election of 1900 he was considering withdrawing. He was persuaded to reconsider, however, in part by an arrangement between the Conservative and Liberal organizations that allowed him to be acclaimed and Liberal Louis Jacob Breithaupt to stand unopposed in the provincial by-election in the riding. Seagram ran again successfully in 1904. Though he chose not to run in 1908 - he was then 67 - he contributed substantially to the campaign against the young William Lyon Mackenzie King*, who still won, and played a prominent role in his defeat in 1911. King argued that his loss had been due in large part to liquor moneys: "Dozens of voters in doubtful polls were bought . . . Joseph Seagram and his allies have corrupted them." After the Conservatives returned to office in 1911, Prime Minister Robert Laird Borden* offered Seagram a Senate seat, but he declined, suggesting a younger man.

Seagram is also remembered in Waterloo for his philanthropy. Most notable among the causes he supported was the Berlin and Waterloo Hospital. In 1893 he had donated a 14-acre parcel on the border between Berlin (Kitchener) and Waterloo to the Hospital Trust, with the provision that admission never be refused to any patient "by reason of his or her Nationality, Race, Colour, Religious belief or want of Religious belief." In addition, Seagram was a founding member of the Waterloo branch of the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and a sponsor of local sängerfeste, which celebrated the music and culture of the area's German inhabitants.

Joseph Seagram remained active in the operation of his distillery and racing stable until his death in 1919. An Anglican, he was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Waterloo. His influence within the community is reflected in the fact that his racing colours, black and gold, became the colours of the city of Waterloo and later of the University of Waterloo. Seagram had always prided himself on his remarkable physical resemblance to Edward VII and, despite the ego this pride suggests, within his community the similarity was appropriate.

Andrew Thomson

AO, RG 22-155, O. A. Seagram, 1848-52. Seagram Museum Arch. (Waterloo, Ont.), J. E. Seagram papers; Joseph Seagram and Sons Limited papers. Berliner Journal (Berlin [Kitchener], Ont.), 4 Aug. 1886. Daily Telegraph (Berlin; Kitchener), September-November 1900, August 1919. News-Record (Berlin; Kitchener), 1877-1900, August 1919. Canadian men and women of the time (Morgan; 1898 and 1912). E. K. Dodds, Canadian turf recollections and other sketches (Toronto, 1909). Trent Frayne, The Queen's Plate (Toronto, 1959). Horseman, "The Queen's Plate," Canadian Magazine, 15 (May-October 1900): 270-72. "Joseph Emm Seagram (1841-1919)," Waterloo Hist. Soc., [Annual report] (Kitchener), 64 (1976): 18-22. W. F. Rannie, Canadian whisky: the product and the industry (Lincoln, Ont., 1976). Standard dict. of Canadian biog. (Roberts and Tunnell), vol.2. George Tompkins, "A history of the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital," Waterloo Hist. Soc., Annual vol., 52 (1964): 44-60.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online 2000 University of Toronto/Université Laval https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/seagram_joseph_emm_14E.html

__________________________


J. E. SEAGRAM. (North Waterloo.) Joseph Emm Seagram was born in the County of Waterloo, Ont., in 1841. He is the son of Octavius Augustus Seagram and Amelia Styles, who both came from Bratton, Wiltshire, Eng. He was educated at Galt Grammar School, and was married in 1869 to Stephanie Erbs, of Galt, Ont. Mr. Seagram carries on an extensive business as a miller and distiller. He takes an active interest in municipal affairs, and has been a Town Councillor of the thriving town of Waterloo, Ont., where his business is located. He was first returned to Parliament at the general election of 1896 as a Conservative. Waterloo, 0.

Personnel of the Senate and House of Commons, Eighth Parliament of Canada Elected June 23, 1896, Portraits and Biographies of the Members, Montreal, John Lovell & son 1898, pg 206

1851 - Joseph Seaghram is in same household as John Barbour.

Website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E._Seagram

Website:
https://www.thewaterlooway.com/wiki/index.php?title=Joseph_Seagram

Joseph married Stephanie Erbs 23 Feb 1869, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Stephanie (daughter of Augustus Erbs and Maria Magdalena Hespeler) was born 8 Apr 1847, , Alsace Lorraine, France; died 4 Aug 1909, Cushings Island, Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Stephanie Seagram
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-43677
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Church of England
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Anglican

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46438595
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-389130
• Residence: 1837, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Octavius Augustus Seagram and his wife, Amelia Stiles, immigrated to Canada from Wiltshire, England in 1837. They purchased two farms and a tavern in Fisher Mills, near Galt (now Cambridge, Ontario). The couple had two sons, Joseph Emm, born in 1841, and Edward Frowde, born in 1842. These boys were orphaned in their teens, and lived for six years at Dr. Tassie's boarding school in Galt. After spending a year at business college in Buffalo, New York, Joseph Seagram returned to Canada, where he worked as a bookkeeper and manager at various mills in Galt and Stratford. In 1864 he went to work for William Hespeler at the Granite Mills in Waterloo, which was to be the foundation of his career as a distiller. In 1869 he married Stephanie Urbs, daughter of Jacob Hespeler's sister Marie, thus connecting himself with some of the most prominent families in the area, such as the Warnocks and Hespelers.....

https://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/discipline/SpecColl/archives/sfamily.html 2010

Octavius married Amelia Stiles 1837, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Amelia was born 1814, Bratton, , Wiltshire, England; died 7 Apr 1852; was buried , Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46438612
• Name: Amelia Barbour
• Name: Amelia Seagram
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-158893
• Residence: 1837, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1851, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Episcopalian

Other Events:

• Name: August Erbs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-41056

Augustus married Maria Magdalena Hespeler 22 Jun 1843, Baden-Baden, Baden, Baden-Baden, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Maria (daughter of Johann Georg "George" Hespeler and Anna Barbara Wick) was born 21 May 1814, Eningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany; was christened 22 May 1814, Eningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany; died 12 Jan 1892, Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria Magdalena Erbs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-41057

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213179152
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-149509

Edward married Elizabeth Glasier 15 Mar 1808, Bath, Somerset, England. Elizabeth was born 1791, , Wiltshire, England; died Jul 1843, , England; was buried , Bratton Churchyard, Bratton, , Wiltshire, England. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213179153
• Name: Elizabeth Seagram
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-214307

Other Events:

• Name: George Hespeler
• Name: John George Hespeler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-86859
• Residence: 1809, Eningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Notes:

It is reported that Johann George Hespeler was born 8 Nov 1784 in Eningen, Wurttemburg, Germany and married Anna Barbara Wick 27 July 1809 in Ehingen who was the daughter of Jacob Wick and Marie Ursula Wick. Anna was born 26 Nov 1791 in Eningen. Johann was employed as a merchant businessman with the house of Mayer Amschel Rothschild. Sources are needed to confirm.

Johann married Anna Barbara Wick 27 Jul 1809, Eningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Anna was born 26 Nov 1791, Ehningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany; died 21 Dec 1881, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Anna Babette Wick
• Name: Anna Barbara Hespeler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-86860
• Residence: 1809, Eningen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• Residence: 1861, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Christian
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1871, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Death of Mrs. Hespeler
From Galt Reporter

Obituary - We record this week the close of a very remarkable life, in the death of Mrs. Hespeler, aged 90 years and a few days, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, person in Galt. Mrs. Hespeler was one of the links connecting the present life with that of the last century. She was born at Ehningen, Wurtemberg, Germany, and witnessed there for many years most of the stirring events which occurred during the Napoleon wars. She frequently saw Napoleon 1, and many of the Crowned Heads of Europe at that time, as well as many of very celebrated Generals of the allied armies. In 1812 she witnessed the return of the French Army on its retreat from Moscow, and her description of their terrible sufferings and appearance from wounds, frost-bites and hunger, were most thrilling. Her description may be best appreciated when it is known that of the Wurtemberg contingent which accompanied Napoleon 1, in the Russian campaign, only five percent, ever again reached their homes.

Early in the present century Mrs. Hespeler and her husband were largely engaged in business with the House of Meyer Anschel Rothschild, of Frankfurt, the founder of the great Banking House. She often spoke of the little back parlor at Zion Rothen Schilde, and the quiet steadfast business manner of the great man who has since left his mark upon the financial dealings of all Europe. In 1840, her husband died, leaving her with all the responsibility of a large family to bring up and educate. In 1852 she decided to emigrate to Canada, where her children had preceded her, her two sons, the late Jacob Hespeler, and Mr. Wm. Hespeler, then occupying prominent positions as Millers, Merchants and Manufacturers at Preston, Hespeler and Waterloo. In 1872 Mrs. Hespeler returned to Germany, thinking there to end her days, but returned, we believe, within the year, finding, like so many under similar circumstances, that so far as her native country was concerned, she had outlived her friends and could no longer enjoy the changed features of the old home life. Possessed of a very retentive memory, and having been a most extensive traveler in that country and Italy, her reminiscence of scenes there were always powerfully described and very interesting, and when in her later years she met her old friends, nothing gave her greater presence than when talking over the eventful scenes through which she had passed her long life.

Guelph Mercury - Dec 24 1881 pg 1