Lydia Jane Betzner

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-200447

Other Events:

• Land: Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 106, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Eby ID Number: 00006-0922
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Agricultural Laborer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Elected Office: 1870, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; councillor, Deputy Reeve, Reeve
• Residence: 1870, Breslau, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Elected Office: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; councillor - Waterloo Township
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Elected Office: 1872, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; First Deputy Reeve - Waterloo Township
• Elected Office: 1873, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Reeve - Waterloo Township
• Occupation: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Jacob S. Betzner "was born August 11th, 1838. On February 22nd, 1870, he was married to Lydia Snyder who was born October 18th, 1842, and died November 5th, 1894. They resided on his father's old farm about two miles east of Breslay. The had a family of two daughters, namely: V Minnie and V Eliza."


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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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

______________________


Betzner - On the 2d of April, 1899, near Breslau, Waterloo Co., Ont., Bro. Jacob S. Betzner, aged 59 years, 7 months and 23 days. Bro. Betzner had been for some time afflicted with dropsy, and by the advice of his physician he went to the Berlin Waterloo hospital for treatment, from which he returned home several weeks later greatly improved. He, however, believed that the end would come suddenly, and arranged his temporal affairs accordingly, nor did he neglect his spiritual interests, for he said to his daughter some time before his death that he was ready to go, and had no fears for the future. He retired on the evening of Easter Sunday, apparently as well as usual. Next morning his daughter, in passing his room, found him in a partly recumbent position, dead. He had evidently passed quietly away a number of hours before. The remains were laid to rest in the Cressman cemetery, Breslau, beside the remains of his wife who passed away a few years ago. Funeral services by D. B. Sherk in English from Psa. 127: 2, last clause, and by Noah Stauffer in German. A large concourse of relatives and friends assembled to pay their last tribute of love to the departed brother. Two daughters remain to mourn the loss of an affectionate father.


Obituary - Herald of Truth, May 1, 1899

Elected Office:
Municipality : Waterloo Tp Years on local council: Councillor 1870-71; 1st D Reeve 1872; Reeve 1873-74
Years on Waterloo County Council 1872 1873 1874

Jacob married Lydia Snyder 22 Feb 1870, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Lydia (daughter of Jacob E. Schneider and Elizabeth Clemens) was born 18 Oct 1842, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 5 Nov 1894, Near, Breslau, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Breslau Mennonite Cemetery, Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Lydia Betzner
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6378
• Residence: 1870, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennoniter
• Residence: 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Betzner - On the 5th of November 1894, at her home near Breslau, Waterloo Co., Ont., after long suffering of cancerous affections of breast and liver, Sister Lydia, beloved wife of Jacob S. Betzner, aged 52 y., 18 d. She was a patient sufferer, and although everything that human skill could devise or affection could suggest was done, she sank gradually until at last death came and the tired body, so long racked with pain, sank to its long rest, while the soul, freed from its earthly thralldom, soared to the home for which it so much longed. She will be sadly missed in the church in which she was a devoted member, in the neighborhood, in which she was universally esteemed, and in the home, where she was a loving helpmeet, a faithful companion and an affectionate mother. She leaves a sorrowing husband and two grown daughters, beside many relatives and friends to mourn her death. Her remains were laid to rest on the 7th in the Cressman cemetery, followed by a large concourse of sympathizing friends. Funeral services were conducted by Noah Stauffer in German and David Sherk in English. The Lord comfort and sustain our dear brother and family in their deep affliction.


Obituary - Herald of Truth, December 15, 1894

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00006-0917
• Land: 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 106W, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Occupation: 1852, 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
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Samuel B. Betzner, "the eldest son, was born September 11th, 1805. On September 28th, 1828, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and Esther (Groh) Stauffer. She was born June 4th, 1810, and died February 25th, 1882. Shortly after their married they moved on the farm now possesses by their son Jacob, about two miles east of Breslau, where he died May 8th, 1879. 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.].

_________________________________


May 8, 1879 - Samuel Betzner, aged 73 years, died near Breslau.


Death Announcement - Berliner Journal, May 22, 1879

Samuel married Elizabeth Stauffer 28 Sep 1828. Elizabeth (daughter of Samuel S. Stauffer and Esther Groh) was born 4 Jun 1810, Speedsville (Waterloo Township), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 25 Feb 1882, East Of Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Breslau Mennonite Cemetery, Breslau, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Eliza Stauffer
• Name: Elizabeth Betzner
• Eby ID Number: 00117-7322
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Elizabeth Stauffer, "was married to Samuel Betzner, a farmer. They resided two miles east of Breslau where both died. See Samuel Betzner's 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.].

________________

Betzner - February 25th in Waterloo Co., Ontario, of heart disease, Sister Eliza widow of Bro. Samuel Betzner, dec,d, aged 71 years, 8 mos. and 21 days. She was buried in Cressman's grave-yard near Breslau. She was a charitable sister, and was followed to the grave by a large number of friends, showing their high esteem for the departed one. Services in German by J. Woolner, and in English by David Sherk.


Obituary - Herald of Truth, April 15, 1882

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:

• Historic Building: 437 Pioneer Tower Road, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Name: John Betzner
• Eby ID Number: 00006-0916
• Land: 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Broken Front Lot 11, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Broken Front Lot 12, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

John Betzner, "the third son of Samuel and Maria (Detweiler) Betzner, was born May 7th, 1783. In 1804he was married to Mary, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Morris) Bechtel. She was born July 11th, 1782 and died September 22nd, 1843. After their marriage they moved on his father's farm opposite Doon where he died November 3rd, 1852. To them were born five 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:
The Betzner Farmstead, composed of a farmhouse, drive shed and cultural heritage landscape, is located at 437 Pioneer Tower Road, in the southeast end of the City of Kitchener. The two-storey farmhouse was designed in the Mennonite Georgian style by John Betzner, and the accessory drive shed was designed in the utilitarian and vernacular style typical of pioneer farmsteads. Both buildings were constructed in circa 1830.

Johannes married Mary Bechtel 6 Jul 1804. Mary (daughter of George Bechtel and Elizabeth Mary) was born 11 Jul 1782 OR 22 Jul 1782, , Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania; died 22 Sep 1847, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Doon Pioneer Tower Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Betzner
• Eby ID Number: 00007-0814

Notes:

Mary Bechtel "the eldest in the family, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, July 11th, 1782. She came to Canada when nineteen years of age and on July 6th, 1804, she was married to John, son of old Samuel Betzner. He was born May 7th, 1783, and died November 3rd, 1852. They resided on a farm opposite Doon. She died on September 22nd, 1843. They had a family of five 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.].

___________________________________


Sept 22, 1847, Maria Betzner, nee Bechtel, wife of Johann Betzner, Aged 65 y, 2 m.


Death Announcement - Deutsche Canadier, September 30, 1847

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00117-7319
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Broken Front Lot 25, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

Samuel Stauffer, "was born October 5th, 1782. He, in company with his brothers and others, came to Canada and settled in Waterloo County, Ontario. He was married to Esther Groh who was born December 5th, 1786, and died March 5th, 1862. They resided near Speedsville where he died August 1st, 1859. To them 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.].

Samuel — Esther Groh. Esther (daughter of Michael Groh and Elizabeth Witmer) was born 5 Dec 1786, Warwick Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 5 Mar 1862, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Blenheim Mennonite Cemetery, Blenheim Township, Oxford Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Esther Stauffer
• Eby ID Number: 00117-7319.1
• Residence: 1852, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Residence:
Lived with son-in-law John Master.

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.].