Sarah Bear

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00003-607.6

Other Events:

• Name: Cornelius Bear
• Eby ID Number: 00003-607
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Agricultural Laborer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1867, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; NC Methodist

Notes:

Cornelius Bear, "was born November 11th, 1843, and died February 2nd, 1882. He was married to Mary Wiffler and had 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a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character.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.].

____________


According to Cornelius Bear's death record he died in 1881, but in 1896 there is a birth registration for a Simon Bear son of Cornelius Bear and Mary Ann Wiffler. Which is document is in error or was Simon an illegitimate grand child given the grandparent's names

Cornelius married Mary Ann Wiffler 1 Dec 1867, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Mary (daughter of Carl "Charles" Wiffler and Margaretha Allemang) was born 1839, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1918; was buried , Humboldt Public Cemetery, Humboldt, , Saskatchewan, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mary Ann Baer
• Eby ID Number: 00003-607.1
• Residence: 1867, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; NC Methodist
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39053199
• Name: John Baer
• Eby ID Number: 00003-597
• 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
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

John Bear, "was born near Preston, Ontario, May 15th, 1804. His boyhood days were spent on his father's farm. When eighteen years of age he commenced life as a builder and contractor. Many a house and barn still standing in this and adjoining counties. were erected by him between the years 1823 and 1835. He was also the possessor of a beautiful farm lying between Preston and Hespeler, now owned by Anson Groh. Here he resided until the death of his wife in 1875. Then he had his home with his youngest son, Joseph, for five years. In 1880 he went to live with his son John, who resides a little west of Doon, where he died happy in the Lord, December 24th, 1894. He was converted unto the Lord when a young man, and in 1833 he joined the Mennonite Church. On December 2nd, 1838, he was ordained as Minister of the Gospel by the late Bishop Benjamin Eby. His field of labor was to be at 'Wanners', for which locality he was ordained. In 1870-71 when the first glimmerings of dissatisfaction were observable among the Mennonites, Mr. Bear was an active worker to keep up the union (The writer heard him advocate strongly in favor of union in 1870-71-72) but the spirit of disunion was carried so far (1873-4), which ultimately caused a division into the old and new communions. Mr. Bear joined himself with the new party and was one of their first ministers. We might add in conclusion that his educational attainments were very limited. Besides the acquisition of the simple elementary branches of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he in his youth was not favored, as the country was new and the schools in their primeval state. Being possessed of a very retentive memory, he exhibited a great taste for reading and was remarkably fond of investigation. He seldom accepted anything without first giving it due consideration and careful study. What little spare time he was able to snatch from the labors of the farm, he studiously devoted to the reading of such works as came within his reach. His library was composed of books pertaining to religious and devotional works. He was well versed in the Bible and works of a religious character. On February 11th, 1827, he was married to Anna, daughter of Cornelius and Anna (Detweiler) Pannabecker. She was born near Hespeler, Waterloo County, Ontario, April 23rd, 1812, and died February 16th, 1875. They had a family of thirteen 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.].

_________________________________


"Bear, John (1804-1894)

John Bear: minister and building contractor; born 15 May 1804 near Preston, Upper Canada to Martin and Catharine (Gingrich) Bear. He was the oldest child in a family of six sons and seven daughters. On 11 February 1827 he married Anna Pannabecker (23 April 1812-16 February 1875); they had ten sons and three daughters. John died 24 December 1894.

By vocation John Bear became a carpenter and builder. One of his projects was the Union Mennonite/Tunker school and meetinghouse of 1829 that predated the Wanner building of 1837. This building was used as a school until 1848. He did much of his construction work between 1823-1835. He also farmed between Preston and Hespeler (both now part of the city of Cambridge).

John Bear was baptized as a member of the Mennonite Church in 1833; on 2 December 1838 he was ordained as a minister by Benjamin Eby particularly for service in the Wanner/Hagey area of the conference. He was widely read, but had only the basic primary education of the day. He was a second generation minister in the conference; his father had been one of the first persons ordained as a minister in the Waterloo region.

When a doctrinal conflict arose in the Ontario Conference beginning in 1869, John Bear led an party of three ministers to investigate revival activities in Solomon Eby's congregation at Port Elgin, ON. Bear's group brought back a positive report in early 1870, but a division ultimately could not be averted. Bear then joined the new "Reformed Mennonites"; a group that ultimately became part of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ denomination (later known as the Evangelical Missionary Church). He served as a minister in that denomination until his death. He was ordained as an elder in that denomination on 4 March 1888 by Menno Bowman.

Bear's departure from the Ontario Mennonite conference was very significant because of his longstanding leadership role in the conference. As leader of the investigation committee to Port Elgin he carried the respect of his fellow ministers, and his loss to the movement was keenly felt."

Mennonite Historical Society of Canada https://www.mhsc.ca/

_______________________________

Wanner Mennonite Church
Begun: 1829

A small wooden meeting house was built in 1829 on a corner of the farm belonging to Samuel Bechtel which was located in the vicinity of the present-day regional headquarters of the Ministry of Natural Resources near the intersection of Highways 24 and 401. The site for this community meeting house, as well as a school and a burial ground, had been chosen on August 8, 1829. The land was donated by Samuel Bechtel and his wife Barbara (Baumann) on March 15, 1830. A new meeting house, of white brick, was built in 1837 on the east side of Henry Wanner's farm, somewhat north of the first meeting house. Meetings at first were held every eight weeks. The deed of land for the meeting house known as Wanner's was dated October 15, 1837. Early preachers were David Sherk, who had been ordained by Benjamin Eby in July 1837, Jacob Bretz, Jr., and Joseph Hagey.

Joseph Hagey was ordained bishop in 1851. During his time divisions occurred in the church by a surge of enthusiasm for a Methodist form of revivalism. Solomon Eby of Port Elgin, who announced his own conversion in December 1869, was leader of a group which believed that members could be converted through participation in revival meetings. John Baer of Wanner's became associated with Solomon Eby, and was compelled to leave the church in the spring of 1874, as were Eby and his other followers. The new church movement resulted in organization conferences which culminated in the conference on March 23, 1875 at Bloomingdale where New Mennonites and Reforming (or Reformed) Mennonites joined together as United Mennonites. The United Mennonites favored revival meetings, Sunday Schools and prayer meetings, and were opposed to the use of alcohol and tobacco.

The date of construction of the meeting house which replaced the one built in 1837 is somewhat in doubt. It is possible that a new building was erected in the early 1870s; it is also possible that the 1837 building only underwent extensive renovations at that time. There is no doubt, however, that a new brown brick church was built in 1938. An education wing was added in 1969.

The earliest Mennonite Sunday School in North America was begun in 1842 and was held jointly by the Wanner and Hagey Meeting Houses. It was discontinued after a short time because of a division of opinion within the congregations. An attempt was made later, in the mid-1860s, to begin another Sunday School, but this, too, did not last long. Many years later, on June 10, 1896, a meeting was held to organize a Sunday School. Anson Groh was appointed superintendent..

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

John married Anna "Nancy" Pannabecker 11 Feb 1827. Anna (daughter of Cornelius Pannebecker and Anna Detweiler) was born 23 Apr 1812, Near Hespeler, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 16 Feb 1875, Near Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Wanner Mennonite Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39053031
• Name: Anna "Nancy" Bear
• Name: Nancy Panabaker
• Name: Nancy Pannebecker
• Eby ID Number: 00087-5121
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Anna Pannebecker, "was born April 23rd, 1812, and died near Preston, Ontario, February 16th, 1875. She was married to Rev. John Bear."

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:

• Name: Charles Wiffler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-23031

Notes:

The name of the person who was the real founder of the largest and to the inhabitants of Preston the most important establishment has so far been mentioned only incidentally, but since he well deserves special mention, a brief review of his achievements will no doubt prove interesting. The name of this party is Mr. Robert Hunt, a quiet, unassuming man, benevolent in disposition, closely attending to his business and possessed of superior tact and business qualities. It was about the year 1845 that Mr. Hunt came to Preston. The water privilege now known as that of the Preston Woolen Mills was acquired by purchase in 1832 by one Charles Wiffler, a German blacksmith, who conceived the idea of starting a wool carding shop, but being unable to carry out that idea, he sold the premises, in 1842, to one Hiram Kinsman, who built a frame two story building in which he carried on wool carding for the farmers in the vicinity. Woolen mills, as we know them, were unknown here in those early days. The farmer brought his wool to the carding mill, had it carded, the carder deducting a usual percentage of the wool for his work, and the farmer took home his carded wool. His wife and daughters spun it into yarn and then this yarn was woven into homespun by the weaver who wove by hand loom, the cotton warp being bought in the stores. Mr. Robert Hunt, upon seeing the water power and premises, at once discovered a mine of wealth latent there which only required energy, tact and means to develop. He purchased the premises from Mr. Kinsman in 1845, and set to work with that earnestness, perseverance and forethought which were his peculiar characteristics. The old frame building proved too small, a stone factory was erected and to this were gradually additions and numerous outer buildings. Mr. Hunt's wealth increased with the increase of his premises. A most disastrous fire consumed the whole interior of the main building, but phoenix-like there soon arose from its ashes a large building, filled with the most improved machinery. In 1855 'Mr. Andrew Elliott of Galt became a partner of 'Mr. Hunt and the premises and business were considerably enlarged.

Fifth Annual Report Of The Waterloo Historical Society, 1917

______________________

In the year 1832, Carl Wiffler was running a Blacksmith shop on the site of the Pattinson Mill at Preston and he sold his land to one Kinsman of Galt in 1842. Meantime on the 11th day of September, 1840, by deed registered as number 312 he purchased from Michael Bergey, then of the Township of Puslinch, three parcels of land containing together two acres and one road. One of these parcels containing one-half acre, having a frontage on Queen Street of 132 feet and a depth back southerly there from of 165 feet was located immediately to the east of the James Sault house property, then owned by John George Allendorf.

A second parcel containing one acre had likewise a frontage on the south side of Queen Street of 132 feet and it extended back south to a depth of three hundred and thirty feet, and it lay immediately east of the half-acre lot. After selling out in Preston to Kinsman Mr. Carl Wiffler came here and probably in the year 1843 built a blacksmith shop with dwelling above on the one-acre parcel. This building, legend has it, was later converted into the Fire Hall shown on some of the ancient pictures of Queen Street.

On December 1 st, 1845, by deed number 445, Wiffler sold the half-acre lot to Robert Forbes and your attention is called to the description in it "Being composed of a Village Lot in New Hope near the Blacksmith Shop on the south side of Queen Street". A man named George Steffler comes somehow into the picture in con-nection with this one-acre parcel. It may be that he was a blacksmith operating this blacksmith shop subsequent to Wiffler's demise, presumably as tenant of the estate.

Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

Carl — Margaretha Allemang. Margaretha was born 1808, , Germany; died 21 Jan 1883, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , New Hope Cemetery, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Margaretha Oberholtzer
• Name: Margaretha Wiffler
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-23032
• Residence: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1861, Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Notes:

Mrs. Wiffler, whose maiden name was Allemang, had three children; Charles who learned the Waggon Making trade, Catharine who married Gideon Ochs and Elizabeth who never married, but for many years worked as a seamstress. By that I mean she went to a house where the Ladies had materials they wanted made up into dresses; and her work was, in the main, with the top notch families in the district hereabouts. She made, for instance, most of the gowns for the daughters of Jacob Hespeler, and she kept little bits of pretty-much all the nice materials she worked with and years after when Minnie Ochs, her Niece, was building a crazy patch quilt, Aunt Lizzie brought her down a lot of these patches and went over them telling what dress this was from, that this other patch was of the dress that Miss Hespeler wore to someone's wedding, etc. All that sort of history. It must have made a fine afternoon of it for Minnie.

Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176887467
• Name: Martin Baer
• Eby ID Number: 00003-596
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Lower Block Conc. 1 Lot 06E, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Residence: 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Lower Block Conc. 1 Lot 06, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

Martin Bear, "was born in York County, Pennsylvania, in 1774. At the time when he was a young man, real estate in Pennsylvania, especially in the older counties, became so high in price that the majority of farmer's sons who wished to follow their paternal calling, were not in a financial position to procure a farm for themselves, hence the desire to seek homes elsewhere. This caused young Martin to make a journey to Canada to see the country before he would move here. In the summer of 1800 he arrived at old Joseph Schörg's who had located on the Grand River, opposite Doon, a few months previously. Finding the nature of the country, soil, timbers, and waters even beyond his expectations, he decided to settle here and immediately selected a tract of land (Now in possession of Anson Groh) situated between Preston and Hespeler, of which he cleared several acres and erected a small log house thereon, then returned to Pennsylvania. Early in spring, 1801, he in company with his wife and others, moved to Canada, and upon their arrival here each party settled on the locations made the year previously. In a few years nearly all these early settlers had comfortable homes. Old Mr. Martin Bear was an ordained minister of the Mennonite Church. He was one of the first that was ordained in this county (Ordained in 1808 by Bishop Moyer of the Twenty). He was married to Catharine, daughter of Abraham and Anna (Hunsicker) Gingerich. They had a family of thirteen 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.].

Martin — Catharine Gingrich. Catharine (daughter of Abraham H. Gingrich and Barbara Hunsicker) was born CA 1782, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 6 Mar 1849, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176887449
• Name: Catharine Bear
• Eby ID Number: 00039-3129

Notes:

Catharine Gingerich, "second daughter, was married to Martin Bear. They resided about one mile east of Preston, on the farm now possessed by Anson Groh, where they had a numerous 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.].

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29726013
• Historic Building: 655 Blackbridge Rd., Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; 2 story stone house
• Military: War of 1812
• Eby ID Number: 00087-5083
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 128, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Lower Block Conc. 2 Lot 09, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Land: Bef 1831, Waterloo Township - Beasley's Lower Block Conc. 3 Lot 08, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

"The Pannebeckers (To have a complete history of the Pannebecker family, write to Mr. Samuel W. Pennypacker, Philadelphia, Pa., and get the book, "Historical and Biographical Sketches of the Pannebeckers", edited by Pennybecker. It is well worth the money and one of the most complete works of its kind in existence) were of the first settlers of German origin who settled in Pennsylvania over two hundred years ago. We find them to have been a prominent family in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania as early as 1709."

Cornelius Pannebecker, "a native of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was born December 8th, 1770. In April, 1792, he was married to Anna Dettweiler, sister to old Rudolph Dettweiler who resided near the Wanner Meeting House at Hespeler. She was born November 16th, 1775, and died October 27th, 1855. In 1810 they, in company with Christian Shantz and family, Jacob Shantz and wife, and others, moved to Canada and settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, near the present village of Hespeler, on the farm now occupied by Peter Wier. Here they resided until their deaths. He died June 22nd, 1855. To then was born a family of thirteen 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.].

____________________

About the year 1822, Joseph Oberholtzer, a sawyer, and Cornelius Pannabecker, a blacksmith, both sound men, had come to the conclusion that, having regard to the fact that so many new buildings were being put up by the settlers, a saw mill in this locality would pay.

In 1823, Joseph Oberholtzer bought from Christian Strome (Strohm) 24 acres of land lying both sides of the River Speed at some distance below the present D. W. & W. Buildings and on it they erected a small saw mill building, installed sawing machinery and built a dam on the Speed to furnish power to operate it.

After it had been in operation for a time they discovered to their sorrow that their mill was not big enough to handle the huge logs the farmers were hauling in to be sawn, and so, later, when their frail dam went out in a flood it was not replaced; They salvaged what they could and wrote off the rest to profit and loss. They had made the mistake of building too small and they paid the shot.


Le Rue De Commerce, Other Times Other Customs Other Days Other Ways, Winfield Brewster 1954

__________________________

Unwilling participants in the War of 1812

About 20 Mennonite men were conscripted to haul supplies for an 1813 engagement

...No one was exempt from non-combatant duties, although some resisted at times. Some were fined heavily in court. Cornelius Pannebecker removed the wheels from his wagon to save it, although his horse and son were still conscripted. Elizabeth (Gabel) Bechtel was threatened at sword-point by an officer who knew she was hiding oxen, which he sought for a massive-scale transport operation to the Detroit River.

Waterloo Region Region 23 Jun 2012 Jonathan Seiling

_________________________________

About the year 1840, the third saw-mill in New Hope was erected. It was located just below the Forbes Mill site by a partnership composed of another great-grandfather of the write, the late Cornelius Pannebecker, and one Joseph Oberholtzer, whose sister was married to Bergy.

Cornelius Pannebecker arrived from Montgomery County, Pa. in 1810 and was the son of a Mennonite minister who lived on the Schuylkill River at the present site of Spring City. Joseph Oberholtzer was evidently a native of the same county in Pennsylvania and located here probably in 1826 and information in hand also points to his having been the son of a Mennonite preacher. The family was of Swiss descent, while Pannebecker was descended from a Dutch family which had migrated for a few years into Germany about Kriegaheim near Worms, before participating in the exodus of Quakers and Mennonites to Pennsylvania, about the year 1700.

It would appear that Bergy's first saw-mill was too far up the river and the partnership mill too far downstream to quite meet the tastes or requirements of the times, for within a few years Cornelius Oberholtzer erected the fourth saw-mill about midway between these two points, and with it a small foundry or shop, probably for mill repairs etc. Some particulars of this fourth mill are available.

It continued in operation until sometime in 1864, although it evidently changed ownership, September 27th, 1863, to a partnership composed of George Randall, then of Berlin, Herbert M. Farr of Waterloo and Shubel H. Randall of New Hampshire, the purchase price according to the Galt Reporter files of that time being $8,000. The old mill was used to saw the timber and lumber for the Randall-Farr Woolen Mills, two stone structures erected in 1864, but as the saw-carriage had capacity only for logs up to 16 feet in length, the large timbers for the new Woolen Mills had to be hewn and were not sawn. It had been said with perhaps some little exaggeration, that the process of sawing logs of large diameter with the vertically operated drag-saw then in use was so slow that the operator after starting to log, had time to walk up town a half mile or more to the hotel, for liquid refreshments and return before the cut was finished.

The timbers of white-pine, taken out of this Oberholtzer mill when the woolen-mill buildings crowded it out of its place were used in the construction of the Lewis Kribs saw-mills which in 1865 were located close to the old public school site. When Mr. W. A. Kribs erected his present manufacturing buildings alongside the G. T. R. lines in 1902, these same old timbers were for the third time used and are at the time of writing, as sound as when first used in 1840.


Tenth Annual Report of the Waterloo Historical Society, 1922, pages 213 - 224.

Historic Building:
In 2009 this 2 story fieldstone house was in good condition, still used as a residence and their are still farm buildings on the site. There is a great deal of new construction not far from the house and soon the house will be surrounded with new housing.

Cornelius married Anna Detweiler Apr 1792. Anna (daughter of Abraham Detweiler and Elizabeth Kolb Ziegler) was born 16 Nov 1775, , Pennsylvania, USA; died 27 Oct 1855, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Wanner Mennonite Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29726056
• Name: Anna Pannebecker
• Eby ID Number: 00087-5083.1