Aaron Snider

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00106-6314
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1881, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Occupation: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1901, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Occupation: 1911, Floradale, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1911, Floradale, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Retired: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Aaron Snider, "was born May 31st, 1843. He resides in Woolwich Township (Mr. Snider's farm is composed of S. E. part of lot No. 116, G.C.T. Woolwich Township) a little south of Floradale where he is engaged in farming. he is married to Caroline Reichert who was born September 4th, 1851."

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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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

__________________________

Died At his home, near Floradale, on October 16th, 1921 Aaron Snider Born May 31st, 1843 Aged 78 years, 4 months and 16 days. The Funeral Will be held on Thursday, October 20th, from the family residence near Floradale at 1. 30 p. m., thence to the Elmira Evangelical Church for services Interment at the Elmira Union cemetery. Friends and acquaintances please accept this intimation.

Funeral Card

Aaron — Caroline Reichert. Caroline (daughter of Joseph Reichert and Catharina Elizabetha "Catherine" Garnshorn) was born 4 Sep 1851, Lexington (Waterloo City), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1 Jan 1938; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. Austin Ervin Snider was born 18 May 1872, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 8 Apr 1922; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
2. Laura Annie Snider was born 7 Sep 1873, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 15 Jan 1893.
3. Harvey Edwin Snider was born 5 Jul 1875, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 8 Feb 1888.
4. Almon Arthur Snider was born 13 Dec 1876, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 20 Dec 1948, Brantford, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
5. Orton Snider was born 20 Sep 1878, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
6. Martha Ina Snider was born 19 Apr 1880, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 9 Oct 1979, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
7. Ida Minerva Snider was born 14 Jul 1882, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 12 Dec 1964, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
8. Clara Mabel Snider was born 18 Dec 1883, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
9. Alice Jemima Snider was born 31 Mar 1886, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 2 Jun 1980, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Elmira Union Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
10. Willard Carl Lorne Snider was born 3 Feb 1898, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 19 Dec 1983, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Memory Gardens Cemetery, Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.

Other Events:

• Land: Waterloo Township - Wilson's Tract (Upper Block) Lot Oxbox, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Name: Heinrich Schneider
• Residence: Bloomingdale, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6302
• Residence: 1836, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Elected Office: 1850, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; councillor - Waterloo Township
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer
• Residence: 1857, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• 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; Farmer

Notes:

Henry Snider, "the youngest of old Jacob Schneider's large family, was born near Bloomingdale, Ontario, February 2nd, 1811. On march 27th, 1836, he was married to Elizabeth daughter of Jacob C. and Elizabeth (Cressman) Snider. She was born April 19th, 1817. Soon after his married he moved on his father's old homestead where she died January 13th, 1855. Some time after the decease of his wife he was again married to Margaret, daughter of Conrad and Margaret (Kraft) Brehm. She was born October 9th, 1836. Besides being proprietor of the large farm now in possession of his son, Josiah, Mr. Snider was owner of the large roller flour mills in Conestogo, now in possession of his son, Menno S. he and the late Samuel S. Shantz always took an active part in all municipal matters pertaining to their native township and county, Waterloo. Mr. Snider was one of the first parties advocating the necessity of forming a County Agricultural Society, and after its formation was chosen as one of its first directors which position he held for many years in succession. He died January 22nd, 1877. After his decease his widow moved to St. Jacobs where she still resides"

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 Mr. Henry Snyder - The Berlin Telegraph says: - It is with feelings of sorrow that we record the death of an old and respected resident of the township of Waterloo, Mr. Henry Snyder, which took place at his residence near Bloomingdale on Monday last, the 22nd inst., after a lingering illness of about three months, aged 66 years. The deceased was one of the oldest residents of this county and was born in the old homestead, where he died, in the year 1810, his parents having settled there some four years before that date. He was widely known and highly esteemed in the community. He always took an active part in aiding every commendable public object, enjoying a large share of public confidence, and occupied the position of Councilor of the Township of Waterloo for several years and represented that township in the Provisional County Council at the time of the separation of Waterloo from the union with Wellington and Grey in 1852. For the last ten years he took an active interest in the affairs of the Agricultural Society of this riding, of which he was at one time the President. He was known as a warm and consistent Reformer. His death will be generally lamented, but especially by those who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His funeral, which took place at Bloomingdale, was largely attended.

Galt Reporter Feb 2 1877 pg 1

Henry married Elizabeth Snider 27 Mar 1836, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth (daughter of Jacob C. Snider and Elizabeth Cressman) was born 19 Apr 1817, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 13 Jan 1855, Near Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Bloomingdale Mennonite Cemetery, Bloomingdale, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elisabeth Schneider
• Name: Elizabeth Snider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5881
• Residence: 1836, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

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:

• Name: Jacob C. Schneider
• Eby ID Number: 00106-5817
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Occupation: 1835, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; miller
• Residence: 1845, 194 Forsyth Dr., Waterloo, Ontario
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Gentleman
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Jacob C. Snider "was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, February 19th, 1791. On July 21st., 1812, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Anna (Schowalter) Cressman. She was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, June 10th, 1791 and died in Waterloo, Ontario, January 12th, 1879. Soon after his marriage he moved on his farm a little to the west of the town of Waterloo where he resided until his death. Not many years after his arrival in Waterloo County he purchased the mill property belonging to the estate of Abraham Erb. Here he was engaged, besides farming, in the milling and saw-mill business and later erected the distillery. He died June 19th, 1865, leaving a family of nine 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.].

__________________________

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

The congregation was founded in 1837 by Rev. F.W. Bindemann, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Kitchener; early services were held in homes or other suitable meeting places. Property for the first church building was purchased from Jacob C. Snider for 5 shillings (approximately $1.25). The cornerstone was laid in the spring of 1838 and dedication services in the new church at 72 King Street North in Waterloo were held in the fall of the same year. Rev. Bindemann was pastor. He was replaced in 1841 by Rev. Jacob Huettner of Preston who then ministered to both congregations. When the church's first membership list was compiled on October 24, 1841, the congregation numbered sixteen persons.

The frame church was destroyed by fire and replaced by a new, larger one in 1883. This, too, was destroyed by fire - on October 31, 1959. The congregation then built a new stone church at a new location on Willow Street, with dedication taking place on October 14, 1962.

Early pastors except for Rev. Bindemann (1837-1841), who was asked to resign in 1841, were Revs. J. Huettner (1841-1849), F.A. Peifer, Immanuel Wurster (1851-1855), and Jacob Hoelsche who began his ministry in 1855. Rev. Wurster ministered to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Preston jointly with St. John's for one year until assuming charge of only Preston in 1855.

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

_______________________


On the 19th of June, in Waterloo Co., C.W., of liver complaint and dropsy, Jacob Schneider, aged 74 years, and 4 months. He was born in Franklin Co., Pa., in 1791, emigrated with his father to Waterloo Co., C.W., in 1805; married to Elizabeth Kressman in 1812, and leaves an aged widow and 5 children to mourn their loss. He was calm and composed during his sickness and we hope he has gone from this weary world to rest in his Father's house in heaven. He was buried on the 21st, followed to the grave by a large concourse of relatives and friends, on which occasion the brethren Geo. R. Schmidt and Joseph Hegey preached a funeral discourse from Rev. 3: 21. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I I(sic) also overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne." E.S.

Herald of Truth July 1865 - Vol. II, No.7 Page 56

______________________

On September 1st, 1829, Abraham Erb transferred 240 acres of land including his saw-mill and flour-mill to Jacob C. Snider, who had moved from Pennsylvania to a farm a little west of the present town, and Mr. Snider, great-grandfather of Frederick W. Snider, who is now, with his partner, the owner of the same flour mill, carried on business here for many years.

As the waterpower was not sufficient for his purposes, he installed a steam plant. As he then had more power than he required, he added a distillery to his other lines, and this branch of the business was carried on actively for a long time.

His son Elias then rented the mill, and, as he objected to having the still, his father removed it to his own farm. Jacob C Snider transferred 320 acres to his son Elias in 1853, (see County Records), including the mill property and much of what is now the central part of town. A landmark for many years was a tall poplar tree which stood near the mill. It was said that early in the century a poplar switch was used to drive a team of horses from Pennsylvania, and, on his arrival, the driver planted the switch near the mill. It grew to be a very large tree, five feet or more in diameter, and for many years a heavy cable circled it several times as an anchor for a tall iron smokestack, the bark finally growing over the cable. The tree was cut down in the 90's to make way for street improvements, the tree having been planted before there was a street.

The community had a very slow growth for three decades or more after Abraham Erb first located in the cedar swamp, for Jacob C. Snider, like his predecessor, was not anxious to sell his land in small lots to intending settlers. He had a large family and preferred holding his lands as an inheritance.

....In the year 1854, Elias Snider sold most of his holdings of land to John Hoffman and Isaac Weaver, retaining the mill property, the dam and various lots. The price obtained was said to have been $32,000. The land was surveyed by Mr. Schofield, a well known Berlin surveyor of that time, staked off into lots, and the lots sold.

Sixteenth Annual Report of the Waterloo Historical Society, 1928, A Historical Sketch of the Town of Waterloo, Ontario, Clayton W. Wells, L.D.S., D. D. S.

________________________

Snider - Forsyth - Home
194 Forsyth Dr, Waterloo
Part of Lot 22, German Company Tract


The Germany Company, originating in Pennsylvania, was initially comprised of 26 shareholders. These shareholders raised 10,000 pounds to purchase 60,000 acres of property which came to be known as Waterloo Township. The property was bought from Richard Beasley. He, along with two partners, had purchased a total of 94,012 acres from the Crown who held the land in trust for Chief Joseph Brant of the Mohawk or Five Nations Indians. This transaction took place in 1798.

Lot 22 of the German Company Tract originally comprised 448 acres stretching between boundaries now defined approximately by streets Erb and Glasgow. It was sold by David and Jacob Erb, agents of the German Company, to Abraham Gingrich in 1805. In 1815, David Gingrich, Abraham's son, sold the lot to John Binkley of Ancaster. Binkley, in turn, sold the entire 448 acres to Jacob C. Snider in 1842.

Jacob C Snider was a Mennonite. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1790 and worked as a yeoman. His wife, Elizabeth, was born in 1791. The house at 194 Forsyth Drive was built by Jacob C. Snider in 1845. This fact is recorded in the census records of 1861. The original house was a two-storey, typical Georgian frame with walls 15 - 16 inches thick. These walls were made of concrete and brick, and were covered by a clapboard exterior. The entire house, at that time, was comprised of the present day living room and centre hall.

In 1853, Jacob C. sold the property to his nephew, Samuel S., a farmer. In 1864, Samuel took out a mortgage for $6,000 from the Canada Permanent Building Society. The mortgage was discharged in 1863 according to the 1861 census. Samuel and his wife Anna had 8 children - Cyrus, Elizabeth, Catherine, Hiram, Samuel, Menno, Susanna and Titus. With a family of this size it is speculated that the money was used for very needy additions. These included four second floor bedrooms, a third floor attic, a dining room, and the present-day kitchen. The architectural design of the addition was Gothic rather than the original Georgian. This is evident in the pointed cathedral window, the centre peaked roof, and the decorative mouldings above the east and west entrances to the centre hall.

One of the interesting additions to the house involves a separate building of brick construction which may be entered from the living room of the main house. The date of this addition is unclear according to some reports. It was used as a laundry prior to 1936. In a recent interview with Mrs. Howard Snider, who moved into the house as a new bride in 1929,[Howard and Linda were married in 1919] this addition was referred to by her as the "milk house," for the farm was still operational in those years. Mrs. Snider's daughter recalls, "my sister was old enough then to do the selling [of milk] to the townspeople. We would bring the milk from the barn, and use the milk house as our dairy." It is quite possible, however, that this building had been constructed prior to 1851 as "the doddy house" of Jacob and Elizabeth, for the census records of that year described their home as a "one storey brick." It was a very common Mennonite practice in those days for parents to have an add-on building constructed to the home of a son or daughter. Housed in this room is an enormous Dutch oven which was used for cooking. It remains uncertain whether this was the original location, or whether it had been relocated from another area of the house. While the large metal doors used to close the oven have been removed to expose the hearth, the cranes for supporting huge cooking pots remain.

Of the 448 acre property, Samuel sold 117 acres to his son, Titus, in 1903 for $8,000. In 1908, the executors of Titus Snider sold the property to George H. Hahn for $10,550. Six years later, the land was returned to the Snider family, this time to Jacob S., a ninth child of Samuel S., born after the 1861 census. The cost was $17,550. For the same amount Jacob sold the land to his son Howard S. in 1929. Jacob and his family then moved to the farm house now designated as 131 William Street West [Waterloo]. Howard sold various parcels of his land off, including a sizeable portion to the Westmount Golf and Country Club, and 56 acres, a
at a cost of $16,782 to John Derby C. Forsyth.

The Forsyths, who purchased the property in 1936 never lived at 194 Forsyth Drive, the street which now bears his name. It was purchased as a guest house. Shortly after they acquired the property, the old barn was torn down and an elaborate new one was built. Pine beams from the old were salvaged and sawed into mellow panelling for the livingroom and master bedroom of the house. "He didn't want to leave the land empty," said Mrs. Forsyth, "so he put in grain and bought a herd of purebred Jersey cattle. He lost money every year."

In 1947, the house was sold to Dominion Life Assurance Company. They planned a housing development and put the house up for sale. While the tender of Dr. Archie Case was not the highest submitted, his plans for the house most appealed to the company, and the property became his the following year. In his renovations, three-quarters of the house was replastered, and the old fashioned closed stairway was opened onto the centre hall. Part of the livingroom was put up on jacks, and garages were constructed under it at basement level. Adverse to change of any sort in the refurbishing, Dr. Case contracted for copies of the rotting window sashes, interior trim; and clapboard for exterior repairs was specially milled.

In 1963, the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. J. Askin. Subsequent owners to the Askins included Mr. and Mrs. D. D. Epp in 1978 - 1980, and a Ms. D. Crossan and a Mr. D. Zimmer, 1980 - 1982.

Much of the research for the history was done by Marg Rowell, Waterloo. This was printed with permission by Marion Roes from the framed history hanging in the hall of the 2008 owners.

Jacob married Elizabeth Cressman 21 Jul 1812. Elizabeth (daughter of John Cressman and Anna Schowalter) was born 10 Jun 1791, , Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died 12 Jan 1879, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Snider
• Eby ID Number: 00028-2064
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Residence: 1845, 194 Forsyth Dr., Waterloo, Ontario
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Elizabeth Cressman, "the third daughter, was born June 10th, 1791. She was married to Jacob C. Schneider who was born February 19th, 1791, and died June 19th, 1865. She died January 12th, 1879. To them were born nine 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:

• 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

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:

• Eby ID Number: 00028-2061
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Broken Front Lot 10, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

John Cressman, "son of Nicolaus Cressman, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1755. He was married to Anna Schowalter who was born April 4th, 1761, and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, July 2nd, 1829. They with their family of seven children, moved to Canada in 1807, and settled in Waterloo County, near Freeport, Ontario, on the farm lately owned by Daniel B. Snyder. Here he died in 1818."


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.].

John — Anna Schowalter. Anna was born 4 Apr 1761, Of, Pennsylvania; died 2 Jul 1829, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Anna Cressman
• Eby ID Number: 00028-2061.1
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image