Barbara Cressman

Other Events:

• Name: Barbara Schweitzer
• Eby ID Number: 00028-2177
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1911, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Barbara Cressman, "the fifth and youngest child of Isaac Cressman and his first wife, was born February 6th, 1864. On March 8th, 1887, she was married to Samuel, son of Jacob and Catharine (Weber) Schweitzer. He was born March 10th, 1859. They reside west of the town of Waterloo where he is engaged in farming. Their family consists of two 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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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.].

Barbara married Samuel Schweitzer 8 Mar 1887. Samuel (son of Jacob Schweitzer and Catharina Weber) was born 10 Mar 1859, , Ontario, Canada; died 18 Sep 1930; was buried , Erb Street Mennonite Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. Gordon Schweitzer was born 22 Sep 1888, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 22 Mar 1912, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Erb Street Mennonite Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
2. Sybilla Schweitzer was born 1891, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1977; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
3. Estella "Stella" Schweitzer was born 15 Aug 1900, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 6 Mar 1990, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Erb Street Mennonite Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
4. Lloyd Sweitzer was born Sep 1909, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00028-2172
• Residence: 1865, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region: Bef 2012, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Isaac S. Cressman, "the seventh son of Abraham and Mary (Schneider) Cressman, was born July 6th, 1830. On February 28th, 1854, he was married to Barbara, daughter of Jacob E. and Elizabeth (Clemens) Schneider. She was born July 9th, 1834, and died February 21st, 1864. After her decease he was married, March 19th, 1865, to Elizabeth Schneider, sister to his deceased wife. She was born April 18th, 1840. Mr. Cressman followed farming and resided on the old "Cressman Farm" near Strasburg, Ontario, where he died August 20th, 1894. His family consisted of thirteen children, five of whom were born unto his first wife, viz:...(The five youngest of Mr. Isaac Cressman's family are unmarried and at home with their mother.)"

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 Cressman's great-great-grandfather, Nicolaus Cressman, a native of Switzerland, emigrated to the United States at an early age. In 1806, Isaacs' father, Abraham Cressman, came to the Strasburg vicinity in Waterloo County, where Issaac, his seventh son was born. Isaac resided in the Cressman Homestead, located in a beautiful wooded area where there were a tremendous variety of trees. This unique area was known for a long time as Cressman's Woods, and now is designated Homer Watson Park. Great credit is due the memory of Cressman for his determination to keep for posterity this magnificent forest that had developed through countless centuries. Because of its uniqueness, part of the property was appropriately selected as the site of the Doon Heritage Crossroads.

Cressman married Barbara Schneider, a daughter of Jacob E. and Elizabeth Schneider, in 1854, and they had five children. On the death of his wife in 1865 he married her sister, Elizabeth. Eight children were born to this couple.

Many of Cressman's descendants live in and around Waterloo County.

From the Region of Waterloo Hall of Fame

__________________________________________



Cressman.- On the 21st of August 1894, near German Mills, Waterloo Co., Ont., of paralysis, Bro. Isaac Cressman, aged 64 y., 1 m., 15 d. His remains were buried on the 24th in Strasburg at Weber's M. H. Funeral services in the C. Eby M. H., Berlin. The funeral was very largely attended. The services were conducted by S. Gehman, Noah Stauffer and J. Gingrich. Bro. Cressman was one of the descendants of the oldest settlers in the country and was highly esteemed as a neighbor, friend and brother in the church in which he has been a member for many years. He leaves a widow and a large family of children, all grown, to mourn a kind and loving companion and father, and we believe that our dear brother has gone home to the mansions of eternal rest.

Herald of Truth , Vol. XXXI, No. 18, September 15, 1894 - pp. 286, 287

_______________________

Isaac Cressman's great-great-grandfather, Nicolaus Cressman, a native of Switzerland, emigrated to the United States at an early age. In 1806, Isaacs' father, Abraham Cressman, came to the Strasburg vicinity in Waterloo County, where Issaac, his seventh son was born. Isaac resided in the Cressman Homestead, located in a beautiful wooded area where there were a tremendous variety of trees. This unique area was known for a long time as Cressman's Woods, and now is designated Homer Watson Park. Great credit is due the memory of Cressman for his determination to keep for posterity this magnificent forest that had developed through countless centuries. Because of its uniqueness, part of the property was appropriately selected as the site of the Doon Heritage Crossroads.

Cressman married Barbara Schneider, a daughter of Jacob E. and Elizabeth Schneider, in 1854, and they had five children. On the death of his wife in 1865 he married her sister, Elizabeth. Eight children were born to this couple.

Many of Cressman's descendants live in and around Waterloo County

The Waterloo Region Hall of Fame

Isaac married Barbara Snyder 28 Feb 1854, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Barbara (daughter of Jacob E. Schneider and Elizabeth Clemens) was born 9 Jul 1834, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 21 Feb 1864, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Barbara Cressman
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6364

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202659390
• Eby ID Number: 00028-2107
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Biehn's Tract Unnumbered Lots Doon, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Bechtel Tract, Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Occupation: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Abraham Cressman, "was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Decenber 13th, 1789. In 1806, when in his seventeenth year, he came to Canada. On June 21st, 1814, he was married to Mary, daughter of Christian and Elizabeth (Erb) Schneider. She was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, June 9th, 1794, and died near Strasburg, Waterloo County, Ontario, May 19th, 1864. He died December 29th, 1871. To them was born a family of twelve 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.].
___________________________________


On the 29th of December, in Waterloo county, Ontario, Abraham Cressman, aged 82 years and 16 days. His remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of friends and relatives on the 31st to Eby's burying-ground. He was a beloved brother in the Mennonite church.

Herald of Truth - Volume IX, Number 2 - February 1872, page 29, 30

Abraham married Mary Schneider 21 Jun 1814, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Mary (daughter of Christian Schneider and Elizabeth Erb) was born 9 Jun 1794, Franklin Co., Pennsylvania; died 19 May 1864, Near Strasburg, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202659056
• Name: Maria Schneider
• Name: Mary Cressman
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5974

Notes:

Mary Schneider, "was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, June 9th, 1794. She was married, in Waterloo County, June 21st, 1814, to Abraham Cressman and died near Strasburg, Ontario, in 1864."

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:

• Residence: 466 Queen st., S., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6348
• Residence: 1837, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Jacob E. Schneider, "was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, September 2nd, 1800. On November 18th, 1827, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham and Molly (Miller) Clemens. She was born February 8th, 1810, and died May 20th, 1870. Soon after his marriage he moved a little east of Berlin, on the farm now possessed by his son, Joseph, where he resided until his death which took place October 2nd, 1884. "


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 married Elizabeth Clemens 18 Nov 1827. Elizabeth (daughter of Deacon Abraham L. Clemens and Magdalena "Molly" Miller) was born 8 Feb 1810, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 20 May 1870, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Schneider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6348.1

Notes:

Elizabeth Clemens, "was born February 8th, 1810. On November 18th, 1827, she was married to Jacob E. Schneider. They resided on a farm two miles south-east of Berlin where she died May 20th, 1870"


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: 00028-2105

Notes:

Daniel Cressman, "the second son of old Nicholaus Cressman, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, October 25th, 1762. In 1787 he was married to Esther, daughter of Abraham and Mary (Hoch) Bechtel. She was born July, 1766. They resided in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he was accidentally killed by a heavy laden waggon passing over his body, March 1st, 1795. To him and his wife were born three children, namely:...The widow, in 1804, was again married to Philip Bliehm (See Philip Bliehm's family) and in May, 1806, they moved to Canada and settled in Waterloo County where she died."


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.].

Daniel married Esther Bechtel 1787. Esther (daughter of Abraham Bechtel and Mary Hoch) was born Jul 1766, Of, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died 20 Jan 1833, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Esther Bliehm
• Name: Esther Cressman
• Eby ID Number: 00007-0809

Notes:

Esther Bechtel "daughter of Abraham and Mary (Hoch) Bechtel, was born in July, 1766. She was married to Daniel Cressman and had a family of three children, namely: VI Elizabeth, VI Abraham, and VI Mary. After the decease of her first husband she was married to Philip Bleam, with whom she had four 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.].

Other Events:

• Historic Building: Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Christian Schneider's homestead
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5816
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Biehn's Tract Unnumbered Lots Doon, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

Christian Schenider, "was born August 28th, 1758. In 1789 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Christian and Maria (Scherch) Erb (See No. 2777). She was born in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, January 23rd, 1770, and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, September 29th, 1818. In 1806 they, in company with others, emigrated to Canada and settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, near where now is the village of Doon. Here he resided for a number of years. It was his intention to construct a dam across the creek flowing through his plantation and have a grist mill erected thereon. But in order to have the desired "head of water" he found that the "back water" would flood a few acres of Mr. Biehn's swamp adjoining that of his (Mr. Schneider's) property, This, although worth nothing, or comparatively little, Mr. Biehn would not sell to Mr. Schneider and thus prevented the building of a grist mill. Mr. Schneider died August 6th, 1850, leaving a family of eleven 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.].

Historic Building:
Two story wooden house built about 1807

Christian married Elizabeth Erb 1789. Elizabeth (daughter of Christian Erb and Maria Scherch) was born 23 Jan 1770, Warwick Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 29 Sep 1818, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Doon Presbyterian Cemetery, Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Schneider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5816.1
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image

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.].

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19903938
• Eby ID Number: 00023-1830
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Broken Front Lot 21, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

Abraham Clemens L., "the eldest son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Lederach) Clemens, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, July 3rd, 1781, and when four years of age his parents moved to Chester County where he was raised. In 1807 he was married to Magdalena, daughter of John and Hester (Steiner ) Miller. She was born February 8th, 1786, and died February 1st, 1847. In 1809 they moved to Canada and settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, a little north of Preston on the farm owned until recently by their son Joel Here they both died. His death took place January 26th, 1845. In 1815 he was ordained deacon of the Mennonite Church for the Hagey field of labor. This position he held until his death. To him and his wife were born ten children, "

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

__________________

Mennonite families suffered misfortunes, such as childbirth deaths of women, accidental work deaths of men, frequent deaths of infants and young children, and the scourges of cholera, typhoid and tuberculosis. Cholera epidemics of the 1830s especially in July-August 1834 - could be devastating. Funerals were usually arranged by neighbours and friends, but the community was so demoralized in 1834 that, as Deacon Abraham L. Clemens wrote to his brother in Chester County in 1836, "the neighbours did not go out to assist one another as in any other disease so that there was no funeral held."

BUILDING COMMUNITY ON THE FRONTIER: the Mennonite contribution to shaping the Waterloo settlement to 1861 by Elizabeth Bloomfield

Abraham married Magdalena "Molly" Miller 1807. Magdalena (daughter of John Miller and Hester Steiner) was born 8 Feb 1786, , Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died 1 Feb 1847, North Of Preston, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Hagey Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19903751
• Name: Magdalena "Molly" Clemens
• Name: Molly Miller
• Eby ID Number: 00079-4778

Notes:

Magdalena Miller, "daughter of John and Hester (Steiner) Miller, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 8th, 1786. She was married, in 1807, to Deacon Abraham L. Clemens who was born in the same place, July 3rd, 1781. In 1809 they moved to Canada and settled a little north of Preston where they both died. He died January 26th, 1845, and she died February 1st, 1847. See No. 1830. (Could not ascertain whether Magdalena and Margaret Miller were any relation to I Jacob Miller)."


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.].