Matilda Werth

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-256894
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-118392
• Birth: 19 Mar 1812, , Germany
• Occupation: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1881, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer

Notes:

St. John's Wellesley Township Evangelical Lutheran Church

A log church, located on Hesson Strasse or Hessian Road south-west of St. Clements and north of Bamberg (9 miles southeast of Linwood), was built in 1850 and dedicated in 1852 - one of a joint charge with St. Peter's, Heidelberg and First St. Paul's of Wellesley Village. Rev. F.A. Peifer (1852-1856), who organized the congregation in 1852, was the first pastor. He was followed by Revs. F.V. Wunderlich, F. Hildebrandt, Jacob Werth and Daniel Stahlschmidt (1860-1872). Destroyed by fire in early 1870, the church was replaced immediately with a new stone building across the road (on the south side) which was completed and dedicated in June, 1872. The church was associated with Heidelberg from 1860 until 1907 when it was joined with the Linwood Parish. In August 1991 the church appeared to be in good condition, with the grounds well kept. Four services are held each year. The marker above the front door reads: Deutsche Ev. Luth. Kirche 1872.

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]

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St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church

Begun: 1845

The church is said to have been in existence by 1845 when early services were conducted by Rev. F.W. Bindemann. A log church, located approximately a mile outside Heidelberg, was built in 1851. Other early pastors are said to have been Revs. F.V. Wunderlich, C. Lorenz and Jacob Werth. However it was not until 1860 that the first full-time pastor arrived, in the person of Rev. Daniel Stahlschmidt (1860-1873).

Construction of the present church was begun in 1867, although the date marker above the front door reads 1869 (Ev. Luth. St. Petrus Kirche 1869). The roof and steeple were replaced after a lightning strike in 1876. The church building was renovated c.1900 and a basement was added. A new parsonage was built in 1908.

St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Erbsville, founded in 1852, was a branch of Heidelberg. The two congregations remain a joint parish..

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]

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St. Matthew's Lutheran Church

A congregation was organized c.1850 by Rev. F.W. Bindemann, and services were held in a schoolhouse until the first church, which was to be used for 39 years, was erected in 1853. Rev. Jacob Werth of St. Jacobs was the first pastor. He was followed by Rev. T. Huschman (1853) of Waterloo; Rev. Werth returned to Conestogo from 1857-1860. Rev. Daniel Stahlschmidt (1860-1871) from Heidelberg came next, followed by Rev. Salinger (1871-1875) from Elmira, and Rev. Schneider of Waterloo from 1876-1881. The congregation joined the Canada Synod in the 1860s. In 1866 the congregation adopted a new constitution in which the name designated for the church was St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church Congregation.

Plans were begun in 1889 to build a new and larger church. Accordingly, in 1892, the old church was replaced with a new one which was built on the same site. The cornerstone was laid in early summer and dedication services were held on November 6, 1892. The pastor at the time was Rev. Goos. The interior of the church was enlarged in the years 1922-1925 to provide a chancel and sacristy; the interior of the church was also redecorated and new pews were installed. The church celebrated its 90th Anniversary on August 30, 1942, and its Centennial in 1953.

Conestogo was joined in a parish with St. James Lutheran Church, St. Jacobs, in 1905, an association which is still in effect.

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]

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St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church


An Evangelical Lutheran congregation, known at first as the North Woolwich Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, was organized in 1850. Land was purchased in Elmira and a small log building, completed December 25, 1857, became the first church. The first sermon had been preached on Easter Sunday, 1852 by the Rev. Jacob Werth (1852-1859). He was followed by Revs H.W.H. Wichmann (1859-1860), C.F.A. Kaessmann (1861-1867) and J.L. Rau (1868-1870). Plans were made soon after the arrival of Rev. Rau on April 16, 1868 for a new and larger church. Construction of the new white brick church was begun in the Spring of 1869. The cornerstone was laid on July 1st and the church was completed and dedicated on December 19, 1869. A parsonage was purchased in 1879. Property was purchased for a cemetery on the Guelph Road in 1884; additional land was acquired in 1910.

The congregation became self-supporting with its own full-time pastor in 1905. Rev. A.R. Schultz, who began his ministry to St. James on January 9, 1879, was pastor at that time and was to continue to serve the congregation until his death in November 1911. Two years after the arrival of Rev. J. Strempfer on March 17, 1912, discussions began regarding a newer and larger church. The final service was held in the old church on April 26, 1914 and the next day its removal began. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on July 12, 1914, services began in the basement on November 29th, and on May 9, 1915 the present church was dedicated. English services were held as early as 1917 but it was not until January, 1935 that they were preached on a regular basis - every other Sunday. In 1939 German language services were discontinued. Continued growth of the congregation and lack of sufficient space resulted in a large addition in 1962-1963 of the Christian Education wing and Parish Hall. Dedication of the new complex was in June 1963. (The datestone on the church reads: "St. Jacobus Ev. Luth. Kirche 1914".)

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]

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From 1850 until a small log structure was erected in 1857, local Lutherans met in homes and rented buildings. Among the mid-century pastors was Rev. Jacob Werth, who lived in St. Jacobs and supplemented his ministerial pay by making and selling his popular coffee extract.

mills, r. (2017). Elmira's lively congregations move forward from 1912. TheSpec.com. Retrieved 8 December 2017, from https://www.thespec.com/living-story/7982303-elmira-s-lively-congregations-move-forward-from-1912/

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Jacob is reported to have been born in Hilden, Prussia, Germany, documentation needed.

Jacob — Philipina "Phoebe" Schmidt. Philipina (daughter of Daniel Jacob Schmidt and Elizabeth Bischoff) was born 14 Mar 1829, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; was christened 5 Apr 1829, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; died 1 Jul 1916, Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, USA; was buried , Saint James Lutheran Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Philipina "Phoebe" Werth
• Name: Phoebe
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-256889
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Other Events:

• Name: Jacob Schmidt
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-272229
• Residence: 1841, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
• Residence: 1851, Gainsborough Twp., Lincoln Co., Ontario
• Occupation: 1861, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1861, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Daniel married Elizabeth Bischoff 4 Sep 1825, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Elizabeth was born 14 Jan 1806, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany; died Aft 1865. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Schmidt
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-272230
• Residence: 1841, Spesbach, Bayern, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
• Residence: 1851, Gainsborough Twp., Lincoln Co., Ontario
• Residence: 1861, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran