Joseph Shantz Springer

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00116-7293
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1870, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1871, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Occupation: 1878, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• 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
• Occupation: 1911, Breslau, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1911, Breslau, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Notes:

Joseph Shantz Springer, "the eldest, is married to Rosina Roos. He resides near Mossborough, Waterloo County, where he is engaged in farming."


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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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.].

Joseph married Rosina Roos 9 Feb 1868, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Rosina (daughter of John Roos and Elisabeth G. Weicker) was born 25 Sep 1843, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 8 Jun 1902; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. Rev. Angus Riso Springer was born 31 Oct 1868, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 29 Mar 1939, Ridgeway, Welland Co., Ontario; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
2. Annie Delila Springer was born 14 Aug 1870, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 26 Aug 1937; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
3. Elisabeth Matilda "Lizzie" Springer was born 10 Feb 1873, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 8 Feb 1907; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
4. Ida Geraldina Springer was born 16 Apr 1878, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 11 May 1962; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
5. Bailie Springer was born 1879, , Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
6. Milton Bailie "Bailie" Springer was born 4 Jan 1880, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 24 Jun 1970; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
7. Emma B. Springer was born 1 Aug 1882, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 24 Jan 1970, Freeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
8. Vera Belle Springer was born 18 Jun 1885, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 28 Jan 1952; was buried , Zion United Maple Grove Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.

Other Events:

• Honoured: Moses Springer Park, Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Interesting: life story, public service, law, politics
• Website: website
• Residence: 34 Erb St. E., Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00116-7308
• Public Service: 1850, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Assessor - Woolwich Township
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; surveyor
• Elected Office: 1857, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Waterloo City - Reeve
• Directory: 1861, Wellesley Township - East Concession A Lot 03, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Surveyorman
• Elected Office: 1862, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Councillor - Waterloo City
• Elected Office: 1867, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Waterloo City - Reeve
• Land: PURCHASED 1868, 4-6 King St. S., Waterloo, Ontario; Snyder-Hahn Building 3 storey brick commericial building
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Conveyancer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Brethren
• Elected Office: 1873, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Reeve - Waterloo
• Residence: 1874, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Elected Office: 1878, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Councillor - Waterloo
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; M. P. P.
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Protestant
• Occupation: 1886, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Sheriff
• Residence: 1886, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Sherrif
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Moses Springer, "If there is a self-made, self-educated man in the town of Berlin, that man is our worthy sheriff, Mr. Moses Springer, who never had a year's schooling in his life, but was left an orphan at ten years of age and thrown entirely upon his own resources.

He was a son of Benjamin Springer, merchant and afterwards farmer, and Mary Rykeman, a prominent member of the Mennonite Church, and was born in the township and county of Waterloo, Ontario, (Near Blair on the farm lately owned by Deacon John Z. Detweiler) August 24th, 1824. His father was born near Poughkeepsie, New York, and died of cholera in Blenheim Township, Oxford County, Ontario, August 16th, 1834, and his mother died of the same dreaded disease, August 30th, 1834. His great-great-grandfather, Charles Christopher Springer, a native of Holland, an ordained bishop, was sent to Stockholm, Sweden, where he was created a baron and where Mr. Springer's great-grandfather first saw the light of day.

After being well advanced in his studies the younger Mr. Springer (the younger Mr. Springer was a Liberal and never had the least desire to associate with the nobility, hence his desire to come to America and associate with his countrymen who had settled in Delaware, then called New Sweden) was sent to London, England, to complete his theological studies. After having completed the same, he, without the consent of his parents, crossed the ocean and came to Wilmington, Delaware, (He, although the son of a Baron, worked for his passage across the ocean) where he built the first church, a stone structure which is still standing, and preached there for a number of years.

The grandfather of our Sheriff, Rev. David Springer, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and was also educated for the ministry of the Episcopal Church. He was a loyalist during the revolutionary troubles and while stationed near Poughkeepsie, New York, he was shot in his own yard soon after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was married to Margaret Oliver, (She was of aristocratic parentage. Her mother died when she was born and after she arrived at the age of maturity she was married to a nobleman and three months after their marriage the bloody persecutions of Paris broke out. She and her husband left in disguise for America. After being out on a voyage for several days, he returned with a homeward bound vessel, promising to meet her in America after the restoration of peace, but this was the last of him. It is supposed that he lost is life during the civil disturbances. The wife continued her journey and came to Poughkeepsie, New York, where she purchased a large tract of land with the money willed to her by her father) a native of Paris, France, and had a family of nine children. Soon after her husband's death, the widow with her family left Poughkeepsie, New York, and emigrated to the wilds of Canada and finally settled in Hamilton, Ontario, where she died.

One of her sons, Benjamin, as already stated, settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, and finally in Oxford County, where he died. As good luck would have it Mr. Springer (Sheriff) early fell into the hands of a Mennonite, afterwards a minister and bishop, Joseph Hagey, a noble-souled man, by whom he was raised. Not satisfied with the little knowledge he had picked up at odd intervals in public school, he was proffered gratuitous aid by an honest and kind-hearted Scotchman, William Collins, to give him night lessons. Mr. Springer farmed until he was twenty years of age, taught school off and on for seven years, was for a number of years engaged in surveying, subsequently was a general merchant and latterly has been engaged in the conveyancing, insurance and general business. He assisted in establishing the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company and was its president for seven years.

In 1852 he was appointed a magistrate for the town (then only a village) of Waterloo and was elected first Reeve for the said town in 1857 which position he held for fifteen years, and when Waterloo was incorporated as a town in 1876, he was elected the first mayor and re-elected the next year without opposition and afterwards retired. Nobody took more interest in the progress and general welfare of Waterloo than Mr. Springer or has done more solid work in its municipality and that of the county. He has been secretary and treasurer of the North Waterloo Agricultural Society for twenty-four years, and was a member of the board of directors of the Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co. of London, Ontario, for about eighteen years. In 1867 he was elected to the Ontario Assembly for the N. R. of the county of Waterloo and represented that constituency until 1881 when he received the appointment of sheriff of the county, which appointment he still holds.

Mr. Springer is a Reformer in politics and while the representative of North Waterloo he gave good satisfaction to his constituency. Shortly after being appointed sheriff he moved to Berlin where he now resides. Mr. Springer is, we believe, no member of any church, but cherishes a warm regard for the Mennonites. He is well disposed, in fact, towards all christian people and very generous in support of churches and sabbath schools. In 1845 he was married to Barbara, daughter of Joseph and Catharine (Schneider) Shantz. She was born August 11th, 1825, and died October 13th, 1884. In 1890 he was again married to Sophia, widow of the late D. Bowman, Barrister, of Hamilton, and daughter of the late Henry Beasley, many years treasurer of the county of Wentworth, Ontario, and a grand-daughter of the late Col. Beasley, a member of the first parliament of Canada. Mr. Springer's family consists of the following 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.].

________________________________________

If there is a self made, self educated man, in the Town of Waterloo, that man is Moses Springer, who never had a year's schooling in his life, who was left an orphan at ten years of age, and thrown entirely upon his own resources. He was a son of Benjamin Springer, merchant, and, afterwards, farmer, and Mary Rykeman, a prominent member of the Mennonite church, and was born in the Township of Waterloo, within five miles of where he now lives, on August 21, 1824. His father was born near Poughkeepsie, New York, and died of the cholera, at Blenheim, County of Oxford, in 1834. His great-grandfather was from Stockholm, Sweden. He studied for the ministry, went to London, England, to complete his theological studies, against his father's wishes, crossed the ocean, to Delaware, then called New Sweden, built the first church in Wilmington, a stone structure, which is still standing, and preached there for some years. The grandfather of our subject, Rev. David Springer, born in Wilmington, was an Episcopal minister, and a loyalist, and was shot in his own yard, near Poughkeepsie, soon after the Revolutionary war broke out.

As good luck would have it, Moses early fell into the hands of a Mennonite preacher, Joseph Hagey, a noble souled man, by whom he was reared. Not satisfied with the little knowledge he had picked up, at odd intervals, in a public school, he was proffered the gratuitous aid of an honest and kind hearted Scotchman, William Collins, to give him night lessons, and Moses made good progress in his studies.

Mr. Springer farmed until twenty years of age; taught school, off and on, for seven years; was a number of years engaged in surveying; subsequently, was a general merchant; and, latterly, has been in the conveyancing, insurance and general business. Several years ago he assisted in establishing the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and was its president seven years.

Mr. Springer was appointed a magistrate in 1852, and still holds that office; was elected the first Reeve of the village of Waterloo, in 1857; held that office six years in succession, and, after being out two years, held it four years more; was then out of the council for a year or two, was elected Reeve by acclamation, and held the office for five years in succession; and, when Waterloo was incorporated as a town, in 1876, he was elected the first mayor, and re-elected the next year without opposition, and then retired. Nobody takes more interest in the progress and general welfare of Waterloo than Mr. Springer, or has done more solid work in its municipality, and that of the county. He has been Secretary and Treasurer of the North Waterloo Agricultural Society since 1860, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Mutual Insurance Company, of London, Ontario. He secured the railroad which connects Waterloo with Berlin.

In 1867 he was elected to the Ontario Assembly, for the North Riding of Waterloo, and continues to represent that constituency, being very popular, and giving good satisfaction. He is a Reformer of the indomitable "Grit" school, and can give a reason for his political faith.

Mr. Springer is, we believe, a member of no church, but cherishes a warm regard for the Mennonites. He is well disposed, in fact, towards all Christian people, and generous in support of the churches generally.

In 1845 he married Miss Barbara Shantz, of Waterloo, and they have ten children living, and have lost two. Two sons and two daughters are married, Joseph, the only farmer, has a family, and lives in the Township of Waterloo; Menno has his family at Strathroy, Middlesex County; Mary Ann is the wife of Henry Roos, of Waterloo; Elizabeth is the wife of Cyrus Moyer of Berlin. The other six are single.

The Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men, Ontario Volume, 1880.

__________________

"A great organizer, leader, and a self-made man, Moses Springer was in 1863 appointed the first President of the Waterloo County Mutual Fire Insurance Company (later the Waterloo Mutual Insurance Company).

Orphaned at ten, he had a limited education, and was entirely dependent on his own resources. A Mennonite, he eventually became a ward of Bishop Joseph Hagey of Preston. He farmed until twenty, and later became a conveyancer and general insurance agent.

In 1852 he was appointed magistrate for Waterloo. He was first reeve of the village of Waterloo, in 1857 for fifteen years; was the first mayor of the Town of Waterloo in 1876 for two years and became sheriff of Waterloo County in 1881. He was a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly for North Waterloo from1867 to 1881."

From Waterloo Hall of Fame website

____________________

THE WOOLWICH COUNCIL

A Woolwich Township Council was organized on January 21st, 1850. The councillors were: John Meyer, Edward Passmore, Peter Wenger, Peter Hay, and Wm. Veitch. They met "at Conestoga, in Kurtz's tavern." The members chose John Meyer as reeve and named James Dow as clerk and treasurer; Moses Springer as assessor on the east side of the Grand River and Christian Hurst on the west wide, each at 6 pounds ($24) a year; and Wm. Reynolds as collector, with a salary of five and a half per cent. of his collections. Charles Hendry was appointed auditor.

The council ordered a seal and studied a plan for building a bridge across the Conestoga River; appointed a road surveyor and considered the advisability of appointing a local superin-tendent of schools. For a number of years schools, bridges, roads, and the regulation of taverns were the chief items of business.

Waterloo County's provisional municipal council met in Berlin on May 3rd, 1852. Woolwich was represented by Reeve John Meyer and Deputy-Reeve Peter Wenger.

Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume 1933 pg 134 - Woolwich Township - Its Early Settlement by W. V. Uttley

________________

FUNERAL OF SHERIFF SPRINGER - The funeral of the late Sheriff Springer took place from the residence, Frederick street, Berlin, last Thursday afternoon, and was largely attended. Representative men from all parts of the county as well as outside points were present. Among the places represented were Galt, Guelph, Stratford, Preston, Blair, Doon and Breslau. A short service was conducted at the residence by the Rev's. Henderson and Erb in English and Germam respectively after which the cortege proceeded to Trinity Methodist Church where the pastor and Rev. Erb delivered impressive discourses, paying high tributes to the life and charactor of the deceased. After the service the casket was opened and hundreds took their last look at the remains of the late Sheriff attired in his official garb. On the casket which was literally covered with floral tributes lay his official sword and cap. The remains were taken to Mount Hope Cemetery where they were consigned to their last resting place. The pall bearers were all county officials, being Judge Chisholm, E. P. Clement, J. McDougall, J. Cook, C. Peterson and W. H. Bowlby.

Waterloo County Chronicle (186303), 15 Sep 1898, p. 5

Rsrch. Note:
Born in Doon on August 31, 1824, Moses Springer and his 10 siblings were orphaned by a cholera epidemic in 1834. Raised by Mennonite Bishop Joseph Hagey in Hespeler, he became a teacher and self-taught surveyor. In 1854 he moved to the village of Waterloo from Berlin (Kitchener) where he purchased and ran the German language newspaper Der Canadische Bauernfreund until 1862. In 1856 he opened a store on King Street in Waterloo. Springer was a well-known village leader. He sat on the Waterloo public school board for 30 years, 25 as chairman, and was the long-time secretary and treasurer of the North Waterloo Agricultural Society. Active in the insurance business, Springer was the first president of the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company in 1863, serving as President for twelve years, and a founder of the Mutual Life Assurance Company (Clarica) in 1868. He was also the first secretary of the North Waterloo Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the first manager and general agent for Economical Mutual Fire Insurance Company. When the village of Waterloo was incorporated, Springer became the first reeve, a position he held from 1857-1861, 1867-1869 and 1873-1875. Between 1857-1875 he sat on county council for 11 years and from 1867-1881 represented the riding of North Waterloo in the provincial legislature. Upon incorporation on February 10, 1876, Springer became the first mayor of the Town of Waterloo. His term in office saw the establishment of new by-laws governing community safety, public morals, business operations and the granting of incentives for new businesses to establish themselves in the growing town. As mayor, Springer negotiated an agreement in 1877 with the Grand Trunk Railway Company to run a branch line from Berlin to Waterloo, although it was not actually completed until 1882. Following his two terms as mayor, Springer went on to become sheriff of Waterloo County, a position he held from 1881 until his death on September 5, 1898. In 1968 he was honoured through the naming of a Waterloo park in his memory. From the City of Waterloo website 2005
______________________________________________________________

Website:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Springer

Residence:
Waterloo loses home of first mayor
Last minute effort to keep house from being levelled for parking lot falls short

WATERLOO '97 Heritage advocates are sad to see the home of Waterloo's first mayor demolished to make way for a spa parking lot.

Moses Springer owned the small frame house at 34 Erb St. E. from the mid-1850s to the 1880s. "I believe we could have done better to preserve it," said Nick Lawler, chair of Waterloo's municipal heritage committee.

A last-minute effort to save the house failed in part because city hall never deemed it worth saving.

"Architecturally it wasn't really a gem," Lawler said. "It was more of what it stood for. The residence of a very famous person is now gone and as we lose that historic fabric in the city, we start to lose how we relate to our past."

Springer moved to Waterloo in 1854, aged about 30. He led Waterloo when it was a village and he became its first town mayor in 1876. He was a publisher, merchant, and insurance executive. He also served in the Ontario legislature.

Springer's former home had a sagging roofline. It seemed ramshackle.

"We know he owned it and there's a very good chance he lived there," said Michelle Lee, Waterloo's heritage planner. "It lacks the architectural grandeur that we expect in heritage homes. It's tricky to convey its importance."...

Waterloo loses home of first mayor. (2016). Therecord.com. Retrieved 10 December 2016, from https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7013142-waterloo-loses-home-of-first-mayor/

Moses married Barbara Shantz 18 Feb 1845, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Barbara (daughter of Joseph R. Shantz and Catharine Schneider) was born 11 Aug 1825, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 13 Oct 1884, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Barbara Springer
• Eby ID Number: 00110-6887
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; United Brethren
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Protestant

Notes:

Barbara Shantz, "was born August 11th, 1825, and was married to Moses Springer, sheriff for the county of Waterloo. She died October 13th, 1884, leaving a large family."

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.].

________________________________

Death of Mrs. Springer

The many friends of Moses Springer, Esq., Sheriff of the county of Waterloo, will regret to learn of the bereavement he has suffered in the death of his wife, which took place at the family residence, Waterloo, on Monday last. In alluding to the sad event, the Berlin News says: - "Another of our old and highly respected citizens, Mrs. Sheriff Springer, died suddenly this morning. Mrs. Springer has been for several years an invalid, sometimes apparently near death's door but again and again rallied and got better. She had been considerably better than usual for some time past and very few had any idea that the end was near, though the nature of her disease - the dropsy - was such that it was felt that she might die any time. Deceased, who was a daughter of the late Joseph Shantz, was well known to the people of this county and highly esteemed by all who had the pleasure of her acquaintance. She was a devoted Christian, experiencing during all her sickness the fullest confidence of faith in her Saviour. She leaves a sorrowing husband and ten children, nearly all of whom are grownup and occupying good positions, two others having died when children."

Galt Reporter Oct 17 1884 pg 1

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00116-7293.2
• Epidemic: 1834, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada; Cholera

Notes:

Benjamin was a pathmaster in Blenheim Township, Oxford Co., Ontario for the 14th concession in the year 1830 and 1834. Taken from the Blenheim Township Minute Book. Oxford County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society.

___________

"... On the 18th day of June, 1812, President Madison declared war against England. This placed the Pennsylvania people in a very trying position and as they could not be induced to take up arms, they were pressed into service as teamsters and were obliged to furnish their own horses. Ox-teams were employed when no horses were to be had. Those who were required to serve in this capacity were Christian Schneider Jr., Peter Erb, Joseph Eby, Samuel Eschelman, Benjamin Springer, Frederick Herner, Jacob Bock, Henry Pannebecker, John Scheirich, Henry Wismer, John Biehn, Adam Shupe and Wildfong.

In January, 1813, General Proctor defeated the Americans near Detroit, capturing General Wilkinson with 500 men. In September General Harrison having been joined by a fierce body of riflemen from Kentucky, advanced towards Detroit in such force that General Proctor crossed the Detroit River and retreated up the Thames. On being followed by the American Army of 3500 men, he made a stand at Moraviantown with 800 British and 500 Indians under Tecumseh. This warrior was killed, and Proctor retreated in great confusion to Burlington Heights in order to join the Niagara Army. A number of the Waterloo people were up at the battle on the Thames. These Waterloo boys acting as teamsters had taken shelter in a swamp near by while the battle was being fought. An officer of the British army, seeing that all was lost, gave them warning, said 'Boys, all is lost, clear out and make the best you can,' upon which some ran, while others unhitched their horses and rode off for their lives. Christian Schneider Jr., who carried the money-safe on his wagon, cleared out on his horses, leaving the wagon with all its contents behind. In this defeat old Adam Shupe was taken prisoner by the Americans. He was taken before General Harrison who, perceiving his innocent and harmless appearance, dismissed him and granted him permission to return to his Canadian home. He lost both his horses and wagon. Christian Schneider was away the greater part of the summer. On his first trip he had a two-horse team. After being home a few weeks he had to go again, this time with a four-horse team. During this war which lasted a little more than two years, quite a number of small battles were fought in the Niagara Peninsula and in the vicinity of Detroit. Quite a few of these Pennsylvania Dutch boys were pressed to serve as teamsters and exposed to all manner of danger, but strange to say, not one lost his life through the war.

On the 24th of December, 1814, peace was made between England and the United States, leaving each in exactly the same position as they had been before the war. After peace was restored the government of Canada fully compensated those teamsters for their losses during the war and for their valuable services. Christian Schneider Jr. was paid $5.00 a day for the time he served with a two-horse team, and $8.00 per day for a four-horse team, besides they were paid for horses and wagons that were lost during the time they served the government."


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.].

Benjamin — Mary Rykeman. Mary was born 1776; died 30 Aug 1834, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Blenheim Mennonite Cemetery, Blenheim Township, Oxford Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Springer
• Eby ID Number: 00116-7293.3
• Epidemic: 1834, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada; Cholera

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00110-6849
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone of Joseph R. Shantz
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 009W, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: 1849, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 026, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Gentleman
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Joseph Shantz, "the youngest son of Isaac and Barbara (Reiff) Shantz, was born near Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1795. In May, 1808, his mother, with her three youngest children, David, Veronica, and Joseph, who was then only thirteen years of age, moved to Canada and arrived in Waterloo County in June. On the 21st or 22nd of the same month she took possession of her bush farm, being composed of part of lot No. 52, German Company's Tract. About six acres were cleared and cleaned and a log house put up, but this house was without roof and floor until their coming. The lumber was purchased in Galt and the first thing the party had to do on their arrival was to put on the board roof and lay the floor, and then the house was ready to move into. By four o'clock in the afternoon everything was put in its proper place and everybody felt happy and well at home except Joseph who stood outside the house and wept bitterly, being sick of the wild and romantic life and wishing himself home at Pottstown again. So much did he weep that his mother came out to speak words of comfort to him, upon which he said, 'O mother, what made you leave our beautiful home and come here where there is nothing but bush and flies? Why had you listen to Christian? (His brother who settled here in 1806 always spoke well of Waterloo) It is not at all as he used to say.' The mother, listening to her son's lamentable tale, said, 'Joseph, now do quit crying and come into the house with me or else I shall have homesick like you and begin to cry.' They both went into the house and that ended 'Homesick'. (This story Mr. Joseph Shantz related to the writer in the year 1869) Here he was raised and on July 8th, 1817, he was married to Catherine, daughter of Joseph and Barbara (Eby) Schneider. She was born February 12, 1799, and died September 15th, 1881. Soon after their marriage they moved on their farm, being composed of west half of lot No. 9, German Company's Tract, now occupied by their son, Moses. Here they resided until 1849 when they moved on the farm being composed of west half of lot No. 26, German Company's Tract, now in possession of his sons, Joseph and Menno. Here he built a dam and erected a sawmill and for quite a number of years did a large business in sawing during the spring months. After his sons, Joseph and Menno, were married, he divided his farm into two and gave each one about half, Joseph retaining the part with the old buildings and the sawmill. Here he died, March 19th, 1882, six months after the decease of his wife. They had a family of seven 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.].

Joseph married Catharine Schneider 8 Jul 1817. Catharine (daughter of Joseph Schneider and Barbara Eby) was born 12 Feb 1799, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 15 Sep 1881, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Catharine Shantz
• Residence: 466 Queen st., S., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6347
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone of Cahtarine Snyder
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

SHANTZ. - Dec. 15th in Waterloo Co., Ont., of the infirmities of old age, Sister Catharine Shantz, wife of Joseph Shantz, aged 82 years, 7 months and 3 days. Buried the 17th in Martins burying-ground


Herald of Truth - Volume XIX, Number 2 - January 15, 1882 - page 29,30

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00116-7293.4

David — Margaret Oliver. Margaret was born Abt 1740; died , Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Margaret Springer
• Eby ID Number: 00116-7293.5

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00110-6535

Notes:

Isaac Shantz, "was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, January 14th, 1748. On May 4th, 1774, he was married to Barbara Reiff who was born September 12th, 1753. He died on his farm situated on the Schuylkill River, within the corporation of Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on October 11th, 1802. They had a family of nine children, eight of whom they raised. Their names are as follows: III Mary, III Abraham, III Christian, III Jacob, III Isaac, III David, III Veronica, III Samuel, and III Joseph. In 1808, she with her two sons, David and Isaac, and her daughter Veronica, moved to Canada and settled on the farm now possessed by Abraham H. Wambold, about one and one-half miles south of Berlin, and part of this farm is now possessed by Enos Shantz, one of her great-grandchildren. Here she resided until her death which took place September 25th, 1820. (Contributed by her son, Joseph) She was of an amiable disposition, rather small in statue but robust and of a quick turn. At 60 years of age she would mount her pony like a young man. She is buried in the Christian Eby Burial Ground, Berlin, Ontario. We shall now give the descendants of Isaac Shantz."


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 Barbara Rife 4 May 1774. Barbara (daughter of Christian Rife and Veronica Reiff) was born 12 Sep 1753, , Pennsylvania, USA; died 1820, South Of Berlin, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Barbara Shantz
• Eby ID Number: 00092-5275.1
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 052, Waterloo County, Ontario

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27232276
• Historic Building: 466 Queen st., S., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Interesting: religion, pioneer, story
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6346
• Historic Building: 1807, 393 Queen Street South, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Site of first log cabin
• Historic Business: 1816, 113 David Street, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Sawmill
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 017W, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 023W, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Historical Event: 29 Aug 1839, Evangelical Association Church, Waterloo, Ontario; church founding

Notes:

Joseph Schneider, "was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, May 24th, 1772. On February 21st, 1798, he was married to Barbara, daughter of Christian and Catharine (Bricker) Eby. She was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 29th, 1774, and died in Berlin, Ontario, March 13th, 1843. On May 8th, 1807, Mr. Schneider with wife and family and a large company of others (See Vol. 1 pages 39, 40 and 41 for particulars) moved to Canada and settled where now is the town of Berlin, Ontario. Here he was engaged in farming. His first buildings were erected where now his grandson, Samuel B. Schneider, lives, a little west of the Walper Block, Berlin. Here he died October 27th, 1843, leaving a family of seven 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.].

__________________________

Zion United Church

A Sunday School was established in Berlin in 1837, meeting in Jacob Hailer's carpenter shop which was located at the southeast corner of what is now King and Scott Streets. A mission was begun by Rev. Christian Holl shortly after his arrival in Berlin on May 9, 1839, and a class (or congregation) was organized several months later on August 29, 1839 by Bishop John Seybert of the Evangelical Association during a camp meeting held at David Erb's farm near Lexington. John Hoffman was the Berlin class leader; his brother, Jacob, was class leader for the Waterloo-Lexington congregation. The Berlin congregation met in the old Town Hall until their first church was built in 1841 on Queen Street South across from Church Street on land purchased as of August 24, 1841 from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schneider. The church was dedicated on September 25th of that year, with Rev. Christian Hummel of Buffalo, New York, officiating. Rev. Joseph Harlacher was pastor from 1840-1842. In 1842 the Waterloo Mission became a Circuit of the East Pennsylvania Conference. Two years later it was part of the New York Conference.

The second church building was built of brick on the same site in 1866, and dedicated in 1867; Rev. C.A. Spies was pastor at the time. The old frame church was sold and moved to Elgin Street where it was used as a dwelling. In the same year Berlin became a station.

The present church building was built in 1893 on Weber Street; dedication services were held on June 15, 16 and 17, 1894. This building was heavily damaged by fires in 1942 and 1965 but was renovated and restored each time.

The union of the Evangelical Church and the United Brethren in Christ Church on November 16, 1946 created the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The name of the church was to change again, to Zion United Church when the Evangelical United Brethren Church joined the United Church of Canada on January 1, 1968. Of interest: some maps of early Berlin show this church as a German Methodist church.


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

___________________________

SCHNEIDER, JOSEPH, settler and sawmill owner; b. 24 May 1772 in Lancaster County, Pa, son of Jacob B. Schneider and Maria Herschi; m. 21 Feb. 1798 Barbara Eby, sister of Benjamin Eby*, and they had seven children; d. 27 Oct. 1843 in Berlin (Kitchener), Upper Canada.

Joseph Schneider's father immigrated with his parents to Pennsylvania from the Palatinate (Federal Republic of Germany) in 1736. In 1806, three years after Jacob's death, two of his sons, Christian and Jacob, settled in block 2 (Waterloo Township), in the vicinity of present-day Kitchener. Joseph and a group of other Mennonites followed them, making the month-long journey in horse-drawn wagons. Schneider purchased and settled on lot 17 of the German Company Tract of block 2. It was the attraction of inexpensive land, as well as the desire to remain under British rule in the years after the American revolution, that brought many Mennonites to the area, among them Benjamin Eby and Samuel D. Betzner*. Geographical isolation allowed them to practise their religion and language freely, although at first it forced them to travel to such centres as Dundas for supplies and services.

Schneider was an active figure among the Mennonite settlers and, with Eby, is often regarded as a founder of Kitchener. He helped open the first local road, which ran from his farmstead to the Dundas road and was known as Schneider's road until the 1870s. In 1808-9 he and four other heads of families hired a teacher to open the first school in the area. He was involved four years later in the building of the first Mennonite meeting-house, headed by Eby; in 1834 Schneider participated in the construction of a new church. Perhaps as early as 1816 he had built a sawmill on what is still known as Schneider's Creek, and in the 1820s a blacksmith shop and tavern were erected by Phineas Varnum on land leased from Schneider. Together these enterprises formed the commercial nucleus of the developing village, known variously as Sand Hills, Ebytown, and, later, Berlin. In 1835 Schneider strongly supported the establishment of its first newspaper, Heinrich Wilhelm Peterson*'s Canada Museum, und Allgemeine Zeitung, of which he was a stockholder.

Schneider died on 27 Oct. 1843. Among the possessions he left to his family were traditional objects valued by Pennsylvania Germans, including a tall case clock, the works for which he had brought with him in 1807. The clock still stands in the house he built about 1820, Kitchener's oldest structure and now a museum. In other local collections are two family bibles: one, in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario, a rare edition published in Zurich in 1560 by Christoph Froschauer and brought to Upper Canada by Schneider; the other, in the possession of a descendant, printed in Lancaster County in 1805 and containing striking examples of fraktur (ornamental writing), executed by teacher-artist Jacob Schumacher in 1821.

Schneider's farming and milling operations were continued by his youngest son, Joseph E., who in 1849 had the family's history printed in Berlin in a small booklet, possibly the earliest published genealogy in Canada. In 1874 he was a charter member of the Reforming/Reformed Mennonites (later the Missionary Church) .
E. Reginald Good and Paul Tiessen

Toronto and York Land Registry Office (Toronto), "Old York County," deeds, 5, no.1839 (mfm. at AO). Waterloo South Land Registry Office (Kitchener, Ont.), Waterloo Township, abstract index to deeds, German Company Tract, lot 17 (mfm. at AO). E. E. Eby and J. B. Snyder, A biographical history of early settlers and their descendants in Waterloo Township, with Supplement, ed. E. D. Weber (Kitchener, 1971), 136. John English and Kenneth McLaughlin, Kitchener: an illustrated history (Waterloo, Ont., 1983). Hannes Schneider and his wife Catharine Haus Schneider, their descendants and times, 1534-1939, ed. J. M. Snyder (Kitchener, [1940]). Herkommen und Geschlechts Register der Schneider Familie (Berlin [Kitchener], 1849). P. G. Klassen, "A history of Mennonite education in Canada, 1786-1960" (d.ed. thesis, Univ. of Toronto, 1970), 73-74. W. V. Uttley, A history of Kitchener, Ontario (Kitchener, 1937; repr. [Waterloo, 1975]), 17. M. [H.] Snyder Sokvitne, "The Joseph Schneider house, 1820," Waterloo Hist. Soc., [Annual report] (Kitchener), 1966: 20-27. W. V. Uttley, "Joseph Schneider: founder of the city," Waterloo Hist. Soc., Annual report (Waterloo), 1929: 111-19. G. K. Waite, "Joseph Schneider sawmill operations, 1848-1859," Waterloo Hist. Soc., [Annual report], 1985: 57-65.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online 2000 University of Toronto/Université Laval

____________________

JOSEPH SCHNEIDER
Founder of the City

The first stones in the city's foundation were laid in South Queen Street, in 1807, by Joseph Schneider. He was born in Lancaster County, Pa, in 1798, and married Barbara, sister of the Rev. Benjamin Eby.

On Lot No. 17, Pioneer Schneider built a log cabin. It stood on the east side of Queen Street, where John McKay's former home rests. Next he cut a roadway from the house to the Walper House corner and easterly to No. 57 East King Street, where he built a barn. South Queen Street was the first thoroughfare in the city and until the eighteen-eighties was called Schneider's Road.


A History of Kitchener, W. V. (Ben) Uttley, Kitchener, Ontario 1937 pg 16

Historic Building:
Joseph Schneider's house is the oldest surviving in Kitchener dating from 1820 and has been made into the Joseph Schneider Haus Muesum.

Historic Building:
Now on this site is Barra Castle a 15 unit apartment building, due to be renovated for other purposes (2009).

Historic Business:
Joseph Schneider's Saw-Mill

The pioneers had then begun to replace their log-houses with frame homes. To meet a demand for lumber Joseph Schneider built a saw-mill in 1816 on Schneider's Creek. It rested on the easterly side of David Street, opposite Victoria Park. The mill dam was above the railway, and the mill-race crossed David Street between Schneider Avenue and Roland Street. The up-and-down or "muley" saw was run by an overshot waterwheel.1a

1aA History of Kitchener, W. V. (Ben) Uttley, Kitchener, Ontario 1937 pg 17

Historical Event:
A Sunday School was established in Berlin in 1837, meeting in Jacob Hailer's carpenter shop which was located at the southeast corner of what is now King and Scott Streets. A mission was begun by Rev. Christian Holl shortly after his arrival in Berlin on May 9, 1839, and a class (or congregation) was organized several months later on August 29, 1839 by Bishop John Seybert of the Evangelical Association during a camp meeting held at David Erb's farm near Lexington. John Hoffman was the Berlin class leader; his brother, Jacob , was class leader for the Waterloo-Lexington congregation. The Berlin congregation met in the old Town Hall until their first church was built in 1841 on Queen Street South across from Church Street on land purchased as of August 24, 1841 from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schneider.<sup>1a

1a</sup>Ambrose, Rosemary. Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide to Churches Established Before 1900. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada: Waterloo-Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1993. [used the kind permission of Rosemary Ambrose 2011]

Joseph married Barbara Eby 21 Feb 1798, , Pennsylvania, USA. Barbara (daughter of Christian Eby and Catharine Bricker) was born 29 Apr 1774, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 13 Mar 1843, 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/27232187
• Name: Barbara Schneider
• Residence: 466 Queen st., S., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00031-2422

Notes:

Barbara Eby, "the third daughter of Christian Eby and his wife, Catharine Bricker, was born April 29th, 1774. On February 21st, 1798, she was married to Joseph Schneider who was born May 24th, 1772, and died October 27th, 1843. She died March 13th, 1843. In 1807 they, in company with some of the Ebys and Erbs, moved to what is now Berlin, Waterloo County, Ontario. They settled on lot No. 17, U. B., of the Township of Waterloo, now forming part of the town of Berlin. The old homestead is now owned by a grandson, Samuel B. Schneider. Here they raised a family of seven 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.].