George S. Bechtel

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00007-0702
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

George S. Bechtel "was born March 30th, 1844, and died October 13th, 1865. He was not married."

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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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: 00007-0688
• Occupation: 1851, 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; Gentleman
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Levi L. Bechtel "son of George B., and Esther (Livergood) Bechtel, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1809. He came to Canada with Jacob S. Shoemaker in 1826. He was a miller by trade. In December, 1831, he was married to Magdalena, daughter of old Jacob and Mary (Erb) Schneider. She was born at Bloomingdale, Ontario, December 6th, 1806, and is the only one of her father's family of ten children, living, and one of the first white children born in this township. She is still enjoying the best of health and works around the house like a young woman. Her mind and memory are yet as strong as ever. When the write paid her a visit, November 20th, 1894, she gave him the names of all her children, grand-children, and great-grandchildren, together with the dates of birth of each and dates of death of those who died; also gave him names of persons to whom each of her children and grand-children are married, and dates when such marriages took place. At present she has her home with her grand-daughter, Mrs. O. Wismer of Baden, Ontario. Soon after their marriage they moved on a farm two miles north of Bloomingdale, now in possession of John S. Bowman, where he died December 7th, 1868. Their family consisted of 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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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.].

Levi married Magdalena Schneider Dec 1831. Magdalena (daughter of Jacob Yost Schneider and Maria "Mary" Erb) was born 6 Dec 1806, Bloomingdale, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 30 May 1895, Near Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Bloomingdale Mennonite Cemetery, Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Magdalena Bechtel
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6301
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Magdalena Schneider, "was born at Bloomingdale, Ontario, December 6th, 1806. In December, 1831, she was married to Levi L. Bechtel and died at Mr. Snyder's near Bloomingdale, Ontario, May 30th, 1895"


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:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22433115
• Eby ID Number: 00007-0686
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 009E, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

George B. Bechtel "was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, near Pottstown, May 24th, 1777. On November 16th, he was married to Esther Livergood. They resided on his father's old place near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where she died March 2nd, 1814, leaving a family of four children, namely: V Catharine, V Levi, V George L., and V Isaiah L.. After the decease of his first wife he was married to Maria, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Tyson) Shoemaker, November 25th, 1817. She was born January 21st, 1793, and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, February 6th, 1840. They moved to Canada in 1829, and resided for two years on the farm now possessed by Joseph M. Brubacher, about two miles north of the town of Waterloo. From here they moved on the farm now possessed by Dilman S. Shantz. The second union was blessed with six children, namely: V Noah, V Rudolph, V Abigail, V Leah, V Esther, and V Isabella."


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.].

George married Esther Livergood 16 Nov 1806. Esther was born Abt 1780, Of, Pottstown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA; died 2 Mar 1814, Near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Esther Bechtel
• Eby ID Number: 00007-0686.1

Other Events:

• Land: Bloomingdale Mennonite Church, Bloomingdale, Waterloo, Ontario; donated land for church
• Name: Yoch Schneider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6103
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 069, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Wilson's Tract (Upper Block) Lot 9, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Wilson's Tract (Upper Block) Lot 11, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Residence: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Probate: 8 Mar 1853, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Jacob (Yoch) Schneider, "the seventh member of his father's family, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, January 24th, 1764. In 1790 he was married to Mary, daughter of Christian and Mary (Scherch) Erb (No. 2777). She was born March 2nd, 1766 and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, near Bloomingdale, August 27th, 1835. In 1806 he, with his wife and family, his brother Christian and family, and others, moved to Canada and settled in Waterloo County. Old Yoch, as he was generally called, settled on the east bank of the Grand River, near Bloomingdale, on the farms now possessed by Benjamin S. Snyder, Josiah S. Snyder, and Rev. Menno B. Bowman where he was engaged in farming and acquiring real estate so as to be able to give a large farm to each one of his children. His family consisted of ten children and were all married save one, and resided within the same neighborhood. He died February 6th, 1853,."


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.].

__________________

Jacob Snider: The Last Will and Testament of Jacob Snider, late of the Township of Waterloo.

… I, Jacob Snider, Sr. of the Township of Waterloo, Yeoman, being of sound and perfect mind and memory…I give and bequeath to all my sons and daughters, share and share alike, all my freehold and personal property of what kind and nature soever, except my farm, Levi Bechtel now living on for which I hold the deed for which is Lot No. 69 in Waterloo aforesaid, the said Levi Bechtel is to have the benefit of the said Lot during his natural life, then the said lot is to fall to his children, and all the share and shares arising out of my property after my decease which falls to my daughter Magdalene, wife of Levi Bechtel and will remain for the heirs of daughter Magdalene, except for the yearly interest, which Levi Bechtel was to have during his natural life. Should my said daughter Magdalena die, and Levi marry again, he should still have the benefit of the farm, but not the interest of any money out of the estate. .Further, I order and desire and it is my Will that the share that falls to 'my' daughter Elizabeth Snider shall remain on interest during her life, for which interest my daughter Elizabeth Snider shall be kept during her life with good and sufficient meal and drink, washing and lodging and other things necessary for her comfortable support during her life, and after her death, her share is to be divided amongst the other sons and daughters, except Magdalene, wife of Levi Bechtel, who is to have the interest or he as long as he does not marry again, and after hid decease all shall fall his children the heirs of my daughter Magdalene, the Lot No. 69, which I hold the deed will be seen by the receipts after my decease aled also notes signed by Levi Bechtel as well as by others so that all my estate will be made equally share and share alike as before mentioned, always to save her share for her and her children only the benefit of the farm during his natural life and the interest of all moneys till he married again, then that is to be stopped for his first children…And I do nominate, constitute and appoint in full power, as my own person, my son Christian J. Snider and my son Jacob J. Snider, Executors of this my Last Will and Testament.

Will dated 24^th June 1841
Witnesses Jacob S. Shoemaker and Henry Snider.
Proved 8^th March 1853
Died [not entered]
Inventory given of £646/3/6


Wills of Waterloo County Register A 1853-1871, transcribed by Frances Hoffman

Residence:
Lived with son Henry.

Jacob married Maria "Mary" Erb 1790. Maria (daughter of Christian Erb and Maria Scherch) was born 2 Mar 1766, Warwick Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 27 Aug 1835, Near Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Bloomingdale Mennonite Cemetery, Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria "Mary" Schneider
• Name: Mary Erb
• Eby ID Number: 00032-2777.8
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00007-0682

Notes:

George Bechtel "was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1732. He was married to Susannah Bidding. They have had a large family but the names of only four have been received"


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.].y

George — Susannah Bidding. Susannah was born Abt 1735, Of, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Susannah Bechtel
• Eby ID Number: 00007-0682.1

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00106-5813

Notes:

Jacob Schneider "was born in the Palatinate, in 1727 or 1730, came to this (USA) country when a mere lad and was raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When some twenty years of age he was married to a Maria Herschi (now Hershey), a descendent of Andrew Hershey who settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1719. This marriage took place on April 1st, 1755. They had a family of fifteen 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.].

_________________________________


AFTER 200 YEARS, FAMILY LEGACY IS STILL GROWING

Schneiders celebrate bicentennial by Valerie Hill

WATERLOO REGION (Jun 25, 2007)Two hundred years ago this month, Joseph Schneider and his brothers Jacob and Christian arrived at a wild tract in Upper Canada where they faced dense, old growth forests, swamps, ever-flooding creeks and the wildly beautiful Grand River.Could Joseph Schneider have imagined that through his influence and hard work, these traditional hunting grounds of the Huron Indians would eventually become Kitchener, a hub of industry and industrious people? This place became Schneider's legacy and there are still remnants of his influence, including a few thousand Schneiders, Sniders and Snyders, all variations of the same name.On Saturday, June 30, the clan will celebrate its illustrious ancestor with a reunion. The last gathering was in 1909, when news reports of the day claimed a couple of thousand people showed up, many from hundreds of kilometres away. That reunion was for the kin of all three brothers.This weekend's event will be just the family of Joseph Schneider.Vern Sherk is a seventh generation Schneider who was aware of his family history as a youngster, but a couple of decades ago his interest really piqued."There was more information available," he explained, citing documents and books by local historians.Suddenly, having all this accessible information gave Sherk a new appreciation for his family, for Joseph Schneider.He learned that his ancestor arrived in Waterloo County with his brothers, his wife Barbara and four of what would grow to be a family of seven children.They travelled with several other Mennonite families -- Erbs, Ebys and Webers, among others, whose ancestors had come to the U.S. decades earlier to escape religious persecution. This particular group came from Lancaster County, Penn., with four heavily laden wagons and a dream of finding inexpensive, fertile land.Waterloo County was divided into parcels of 448 acres for the settlers, but first they had to cut the trees, pull the stumps, plow the land and build homes and barns. Early settlers faced endless days of intense labour yet viewed it as an opportunity, not a hardship.The results of that labour are to be seen across the city today: the 1820 Joseph Schneider Haus Museum on Queen Street was the family homestead and Victoria Park was part of the farm that Schneider refused to sell, even as industry sprang up on adjacent properties.
One of the symbols of his family's success was a clock.Susan Burke, curator at Joseph Schneider Haus, explained that with their Swiss and German background, time keeping was important to the settlers. The Schneider family clock was carefully transported from Lancaster to their new home. Over the generations, the clock eventually was lost to the family until a Schneider descendant spotted it while visiting a Kitchener home. The owner sold the clock back to the Schneider family and it's now on loan to Schneider Haus. This clock is on the family reunion's logo and used in its catchphrase "Time To Come Home."Miriam Sokvitne, now in her 90s, is the family matriarch, a woman of considerable presence. The Schneider heritage is precious to the retired nurse who is also keeper of family heirlooms and history.Her father, Joseph Meyer Snyder, returned the clock to the family, wrote a book about their history and bought the homestead after it had been used as rental housing for several years. Sokvitne begged then-premier John Robarts to have the site declared a heritage site. "I not only cried, I bawled," she said, remembering her passionate outpouring.Once the homestead was back in the family, Sokvitne and her husband travelled the countryside searching for heirlooms. From spinning wheels to toys, these artifacts will be on display at the reunion with, of course, the clock as centrepiece, a symbol of the man known as Kitchener's founding father, Joseph Schneider.


Monday, June 25, 2007 ,The Record Newspaper , Kitchener, Ontario

Jacob married Maria Herschi 1 Apr 1755, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. Maria was born Abt 1732, Of, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria Schneider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5813.2

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58525406
• Eby ID Number: 00032-2777

Notes:

Christian Erb, "was born in Warwick Township, in October, 1734. He was married, in 1756, to Maria Scherch. She was born in 1737. They resided in Warwich [Warwick] Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When well advanced in years they came to Canada, and made their home with their daughter, Elizabeth (Mrs. Christian Schneider), who resided at Doon where they both died. He died July 7th, 1810, and she died August 17th, 1814. Both lie buried in the Blair cemetery. They had a family of twelve children, namely:...Of the twelve children of the family, seven, namely Abraham, Jacob, John, Magdalena, Anna, Mary, and Elizabeth, resided in Canada, and two of the children of Susannah, Mary and John."

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 Maria Scherch 1756. Maria was born 1737, Of, Warwick Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 17 Aug 1814, Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Blair Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria Erb
• Eby ID Number: 00032-2777.1