Alexander Ochs

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-44648

Other Events:

• Interesting: business
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-93214
• Occupation: 1852, Puslinch Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada; cabinet maker
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Cabinet Maker
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Roman Catholic
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Carpenter
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; RC
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Occupation: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist
• Occupation: 1901, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1911, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Notes:

Father Spetz writes "In the spring of 1857 the contract for the mason and carpentry (for St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hespeler) was given to M.Ewald and Gideon Ochs.When the stone work was finished there was a deficiency in the height of the walls which Jacob Hespeler decided to fix. He told the contractor to build the walls three feet higher and he would bear the expense."

The Story of a Parish St.Mary of the Visitation, Hespeler 1857-1982

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"Gideon Ochs ,also a carpenter,married a step-daughter of Joseph Oberholtzer ( a carpenter, too, betimes ) and lived in a house immediately across the road from Sachs. This frame house burned down and while Mr.Ochs was building the brick house now occupied by Mr. Peter F. Lindhorst, he and his family stayed with the Sachs people....


Other Times, Other Customs, Other Days, Other Ways, written by Winfield Brewster

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FIRE IN HESPELER.a frame dwelling,owned and operated by Gideon ochs,was destroyed by fire on Saturday morning.The furniture was mostly saved.The loss was about $600.00. Insured in the Waterloo Mutual for $350.00.

The Guelph Mercury Jan.22,1872

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In 1860 Messers Gideon Ochs, George Guenther and John Sachs entered into partnership in the carpenter business under the style: Gideon Ochs & Co.,which partnership subsisted until 1864 when Mr.Guenther withdrew to go with Fred Guggisburg. For a time,the two remaining partners continued. From 1867 until 1874 Gideon Ochs appears personally as a carpenter,from 1870 on as a resident.....When he went to work at the Lower Mill, Mr.Sachs took along as Millwright, Gideon Ochs,who left around 1876 and moved to a farm west of the Guelph Road just above the Block Line."

Gideon Ochs, also a carpenter, married a step-daughter of Joseph Oberholtzer (a Carpenter, too, betimes) and lived in a frame house immediately across the Road from Sachs. This frame house burned down and while Mr. Ochs was building the brick house now occupied by Mr. Peter F. Lindhorst, he and his family stayed with the Sachs people. n 1860 Messrs. Gideon Ochs, George Guenther and John Sachs entered into partnership in the Carpenter business under style: Gideon Ochs & Co., which partnership subsisted until 1864 when Mr. Guenther withdrew to go with Fred. Guggisburg. For a time the remaining two partners continued. Both partnerships owned property in Hespeler.

From 1867 until 1874 Gideon Ochs appears personally as a carpenter, from 1870 on, as resident. Because he lived in the Township and owned no property in Hespeler Mr. John Sachs does not appear on our assessment rolls subsequent to 1864 when evidently the Partnership ceased. Mr. John Sachs apparently worked with Mr. Ochs or with his brother, Henry Sachs (or both) until about 1874 when he went as Boss Carpenter, Millwright and General Maintenance man for J. Schofield & Co. where he remained until his death in 1887.

When he went to work at the Lower Mill, Mr. Sachs took along as Millwright, Gideon Ochs, who left around 1876 and moved to the farm west of the Guelph Road just above the Block Line.

Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

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GIDEON OCHS DEAD.

Gideon Ochs died Tuesday aged 84 years and 8 months. He was a highly respected and well known pioneer of this country. Mr. Ochs was a carpenter by trade and also farmed extensively. The old homestead is on the Guelph Road. He is credited with building one of the finest houses on Roos Hill. He was' of a quiet disposition but had many friends, who will regret to hear of his death. He has lived, retired for many years at his home on Queen street west, Hespeler.

His wife survives him. Other members of the family are Dr. H. Ochs, Preston; Dr. Wm. Ochs, Barrie, Miss Margt. Ochs, Barrie, Mrs. Chas. Hespeler;. Miss Minnie Ochs, at home, and Isaac Ochs in the West. The funeral will take place Thursday afternoon.-

Gideon married Catherine Wiffler 15 Sep 1861, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Catherine (daughter of Carl "Charles" Wiffler and Margaretha Allemang) was born 20 Apr 1842, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 19 Aug 1922, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Catherine Ochs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-93215
• Residence: 1861, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; W. Methodist
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist
• Residence: 1911, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Other Events:

• Interesting: story
• Name: Gideon Ochs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-26667
• Residence: 1834, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 127, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Residence: 1880, Hartford, Washington, Wisconsin, United States

Notes:

Gideon Ochs appeared in Waterloo county in 1834 on Christian Deitweiler's property which was lot # 127 of the German Company Tract. This property is a short distance north of the present Fisher Mills

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Joseph Oaks, son of Gideon and Elizabeth (Bowman) was born in Upper Canada January 16,1840.His father, born in Baden, Germany had emmigrated to Canada. There he married Elizabeth Bowman who was born in Pennsylvania. About 1850, he moved to Tonawanda N.Y. not far from Buffalo. Later he went to Washington County, Wis. when Joseph was about 14.The boy was given little schooling for he assisted in clearing the land. Joseph went to St. Joseph, Missouri in 1859 and in 1860,joined a surveying party to survey the head of the Republican River. The troublesome Indians prevented the survey being made. They were robbed of their provisions and were forced to move across the Platte by the Cheyennes. He was to have been paid $40.00 a month but the men were robbed of everything, therefore, Joseph had no money when he reached Denver in 1860.His first work in Colorado was a survey up Clear Creek to Black Hawk and Central City. All their survey equipment and provisions had to be hauled by sleds. After the survey ended, he cut cord wood and later worked on a wagon road near Boulder. In 1861 he bought a squatter's claim in Elbert County. He kept adding to his acreage until his ranch consisted of 2,000 acres, lying along Kiowa Creek 4 miles north of Elbert, then a part of Douglas County. Mr. Oaks farmed part of his land and raised cattle and hogs. He made many fine improvements on the ranch, including a large 2-story house with bath. When he retired, he moved to Elbert where he died of old age in 1906.He is buried in the Elbert Cemetery, where his wife lies in a family plot.


Western Pioneer Days Biographies and Genealogies of Early Settlers with History of Elbert County

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He was born July 19, 1809 in Spessart, Germany, and died April 01, 1890 in Hartford, Wisconsin.

Egidius — Elizabeth Bowman. Elizabeth was born 10 Mar 1821, , Pennsylvania, USA; died 16 Feb 1891, Hartford, Washington, Wisconsin, United States. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Ochs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-44890
• Residence: 1880, Hartford, Washington, Wisconsin, United States

Other Events:

• Name: Charles Wiffler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-23031

Notes:

The name of the person who was the real founder of the largest and to the inhabitants of Preston the most important establishment has so far been mentioned only incidentally, but since he well deserves special mention, a brief review of his achievements will no doubt prove interesting. The name of this party is Mr. Robert Hunt, a quiet, unassuming man, benevolent in disposition, closely attending to his business and possessed of superior tact and business qualities. It was about the year 1845 that Mr. Hunt came to Preston. The water privilege now known as that of the Preston Woolen Mills was acquired by purchase in 1832 by one Charles Wiffler, a German blacksmith, who conceived the idea of starting a wool carding shop, but being unable to carry out that idea, he sold the premises, in 1842, to one Hiram Kinsman, who built a frame two story building in which he carried on wool carding for the farmers in the vicinity. Woolen mills, as we know them, were unknown here in those early days. The farmer brought his wool to the carding mill, had it carded, the carder deducting a usual percentage of the wool for his work, and the farmer took home his carded wool. His wife and daughters spun it into yarn and then this yarn was woven into homespun by the weaver who wove by hand loom, the cotton warp being bought in the stores. Mr. Robert Hunt, upon seeing the water power and premises, at once discovered a mine of wealth latent there which only required energy, tact and means to develop. He purchased the premises from Mr. Kinsman in 1845, and set to work with that earnestness, perseverance and forethought which were his peculiar characteristics. The old frame building proved too small, a stone factory was erected and to this were gradually additions and numerous outer buildings. Mr. Hunt's wealth increased with the increase of his premises. A most disastrous fire consumed the whole interior of the main building, but phoenix-like there soon arose from its ashes a large building, filled with the most improved machinery. In 1855 'Mr. Andrew Elliott of Galt became a partner of 'Mr. Hunt and the premises and business were considerably enlarged.

Fifth Annual Report Of The Waterloo Historical Society, 1917

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In the year 1832, Carl Wiffler was running a Blacksmith shop on the site of the Pattinson Mill at Preston and he sold his land to one Kinsman of Galt in 1842. Meantime on the 11th day of September, 1840, by deed registered as number 312 he purchased from Michael Bergey, then of the Township of Puslinch, three parcels of land containing together two acres and one road. One of these parcels containing one-half acre, having a frontage on Queen Street of 132 feet and a depth back southerly there from of 165 feet was located immediately to the east of the James Sault house property, then owned by John George Allendorf.

A second parcel containing one acre had likewise a frontage on the south side of Queen Street of 132 feet and it extended back south to a depth of three hundred and thirty feet, and it lay immediately east of the half-acre lot. After selling out in Preston to Kinsman Mr. Carl Wiffler came here and probably in the year 1843 built a blacksmith shop with dwelling above on the one-acre parcel. This building, legend has it, was later converted into the Fire Hall shown on some of the ancient pictures of Queen Street.

On December 1 st, 1845, by deed number 445, Wiffler sold the half-acre lot to Robert Forbes and your attention is called to the description in it "Being composed of a Village Lot in New Hope near the Blacksmith Shop on the south side of Queen Street". A man named George Steffler comes somehow into the picture in con-nection with this one-acre parcel. It may be that he was a blacksmith operating this blacksmith shop subsequent to Wiffler's demise, presumably as tenant of the estate.

Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

Carl — Margaretha Allemang. Margaretha was born 1808, , Germany; died 21 Jan 1883, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Margaretha Oberholtzer
• Name: Margaretha Wiffler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-23032
• Residence: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Notes:

Mrs. Wiffler, whose maiden name was Allemang, had three children; Charles who learned the Waggon Making trade, Catharine who married Gideon Ochs and Elizabeth who never married, but for many years worked as a seamstress. By that I mean she went to a house where the Ladies had materials they wanted made up into dresses; and her work was, in the main, with the top notch families in the district hereabouts. She made, for instance, most of the gowns for the daughters of Jacob Hespeler, and she kept little bits of pretty-much all the nice materials she worked with and years after when Minnie Ochs, her Niece, was building a crazy patch quilt, Aunt Lizzie brought her down a lot of these patches and went over them telling what dress this was from, that this other patch was of the dress that Miss Hespeler wore to someone's wedding, etc. All that sort of history. It must have made a fine afternoon of it for Minnie.

Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-94950

Ignatius — Catherina Bauer. Catherina was born 1776, of, Spessart, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Catherina Ochs
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-102528