Judith Wideman

Other Events:

• Name: Judith Frey
• Eby ID Number: 00127-7912.502
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1911, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; House Keeper
• Residence: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Judith married David S. Frey 18 Feb 1896, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. David (son of Christian Frey and Leavea "Levy" Stauffer) was born 17 Feb 1874, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 4 Mar 1913, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. Maria Frey was born 15 Nov 1898, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 12 Dec 1918; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
2. Absolom Frey was born 24 Dec 1900, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 24 Feb 1983; was buried , South Peel Mennonite Cemetery, Peel Township, Wellington Co., Ontario.
3. Leavea Frey was born 5 Mar 1903, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 15 Jul 1973, RR3, Wallenstein, , Ontario; was buried , South Peel Mennonite Cemetery, Peel Township, Wellington Co., Ontario.
4. Amos W. Frey was born 22 Jun 1905, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 25 Jan 1990; was buried , South Peel Mennonite Cemetery, Peel Township, Wellington Co., Ontario.
5. Noah W. Frey was born 19 Jun 1907, , Ontario, Canada; died 30 Apr 1983; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
6. Mannasah Frey was born 3 Jun 1909, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 23 May 1989; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
7. Menno W. Frey was born 20 Nov 1910, , Ontario, Canada; died 16 Mar 1996; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
8. Melinda Frey was born 27 Nov 1914, , Ontario, Canada; died 16 Feb 1998, Hawkesville, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Hawkesville Union Cemetery, Hawkesville, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00129-8056
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Occupation: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich 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, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1911, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Occupation: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer, own Farm
• Residence: 1921, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Menno Wideman, "is married to Judith Martin (No. 4389) and resides a little east of Elmira where he is engaged in farming. His 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.].

Menno married Judith Martin 5 Jan 1869, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Judith (daughter of Daniel Z. Martin and Veronica Schneider) was born 3 Jan 1846, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 25 Apr 1907; was buried , Elmira Mennonite Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Judith Wideman
• Eby ID Number: 00075-4389
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Notes:

Judith Martin, "the fifth and youngest daughter of Daniel and Veronica (Schneider) Martin, was born January 3rd, 1846. She is married to Menno, son of John and Susannah (Brand) Wideman."


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/203458523
• Name: Johannes Wideman
• Eby ID Number: 00129-8054
• Occupation: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist

Notes:

John Wideman, "the third son of Jacob and Barbara (Lichty) Wideman, was born in Pickering Township, York County, Ontario, November 13th, 1817. He was married, April 25th, 1843, to Susannah, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Kreuter) Brand. She was born in Berlin, Ontario, March 1st, 1825. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Wilmot Township, near Manheim, on Rev. Moses Bowman's farm. From here they moved to Woolwich Township, a little north-west of the Conestogo Mennonite Meeting House, near the 'Peterson Farm', where he died November 24th, 1856. After his decease the widow was again married to Joseph Kinzinger. Mr. Wideman's family consisted 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.].

John married Susannah Brandt 25 Apr 1843, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Susannah (daughter of Michael Brandt and Elizabeth Kreuter) was born 1 Mar 1825, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 21 Dec 1914, Floradale, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Calvary United Brethern Cemetery, St. Jacobs, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Susannah Kinzinger
• Name: Susannah Wideman
• Eby ID Number: 00129-8054.1
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Residence: 1862, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Notes:

Susannah lived with her son-in-law Josiah Shoemaker in Waterloo Township in 1901.

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00075-4351
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Occupation: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Land: 1856, Woolwich Township German Company Tract 018, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Daniel Martin, "the fourth son of Peter and Anna (Zimmerman) Martin, was born in Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 5th, 1800, and came to Canada in 1819. On April 8th, 1823, he was married to Veronica, daughter of Joseph and Barbara (Eby) Schneider. She was born July 25th, 1803. Soon after their marriage they moved on their farm now in possession of their son, Daniel, where they resided until their deaths. He died January 12th, 1856, and she died July 13th, 1872. They had a family of 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.].

_______________________

A-1-86 Probate of the Will of Daniel Martin, late of the Township of Woolwich, granted the Twenty sixth day of January, 1856, on the petition of Levi Martin and Joseph Martin, and Samuel Weber, the Executors named in said Will.

In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel Martin, of the Township of Woolwich, Yeoman, being weak in body, but of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, do make publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all writings in the nature of Last Wills and Testaments by me heretofore made. My Will is first, that my funeral charges and just debts be paid by my Executors. The residue of my Property I give, devise and dispose of as follows, to Wit:- I will that my beloved wife Veronica shall have and keep the Homestead, being part of Lot number Eighteen of the German Company Tract of Woolwich, containing One Hundred and Sixty two acres, more or less, until my son Daniel becomes of the age of Twenty one years, when he, said son Daniel is to have said Homestead, together with Four acres of Cedar Swamp, being part of lot Fifty three of said German Company Tract, to have and to hold the same forever (Excepting the hereinafter mentioned reservations) by paying Two Thousand Dollars ; namely One Thousand Dollars without Interest, in Two equal annual payments, which are to date and commence from the time he, said Daniel becomes of age, or take possession of said homestead, and which payments are to be made to my Executors. And the remaining One Thousand Dollars, the Interest thereof, he, my said son Daniel is to pay annually, in each and every year to my said wife during her natural lifetime; and immediately after her death, the said principal of One Thousand Dollars to be paid to my Executors, in Trust - however, should my said wife die before the expiration of the two years granted to my said son Daniel for the payment of the first mentioned One Thousand Dollars, and he desires a longer time for the payment of the last mentioned One Thousand Dollars, then in such case, he, my said son Daniel to pay the other One thousand Dollars in ten equal annual installments in the manner of the first, and commencing from the time the said first mentioned Thousand Dollars are fully paid up. And when my said son Daniel becomes of Age, my Executors shall sell by Public Auction, all my personal effects (Excepting such as my said Wife wishes to retain for her own use; my Executors shall at the same time, or at the time my said son Daniel takes possession of the homestead, build or cause to be built a comfortable dwelling separate, or attached to the one now occupied by us, on any part of the said farm and of such dimensions, together with Garden, and out houses, as my said wife may desire. And my said son David is yearly to deliver to my said wife, during her lifetime, one half of all the fruit which said Farm produces, and should she die before my son Dilman has fruit of his own, then said Daniel is to give him one twelfth of the Fruit, yearly produced on said farm; but not longer than fifteen years after said son Dilman becomes of the age of Twenty one years. Further my said son Daniel is yearly and every year, from the time he takes possession of said homestead - during the lifetime of my said wife, to give or cause to be given to her fifteen bushels of wheat, three hundred pounds of port, and one hundred pounds of beef, and all the firewood ready cut and fit for the stove, delivered to her door; also to keep two cows in pasture during the summer and feed them in the winter with and like his own. Further I give and devise to my son Joseph, to his own use forever, the South part of Lot Number Sixty five, of the German Company Tract of Woolwich, containing One Hundred and eighty two acres and a half ; by him the said Joseph paying to my Executors the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty one Dollars without Interest, in manner following, namely, in two equal annual payments, the first of such payments to be made on the first day of January 1861 - Should my said son Joseph stand in need of or desire it, my Executors are to lend or loan him about Five Hundred Dollars of my Estate for say Five Years, without Interest. My Executors are also to procure for my said sons Daniel, Joseph and Dilman, horses, cattle, farming implements, and other necessary things to enable them to commence farming, and charge these severally at the same rate as their Brother Levi is charged in a Book kept for that purpose. Further I will and bequeath unto my son-in-law Benjamin L. Eby, his heirs or assigns the North part of Lot number Sixty Five of the German Company Tract of Woolwich, containing One Hundred and Sixty acres, and my said Executors are to loan or lend said Benjamin L. Eby Two Hundred Dollars for five years without Interest. Further I will and bequeath unto my son Dilman, part of Lot number Forty six of the German Company Tract of Woolwich, containing One Hundred and Forty seven acres, more or less, and Four and a half acres of Cedar Swamp, being part of Lot number ninety six, of the Germany Company Tract, by him paying unto my Executors the sum of One Thousand Dollars without interest in ten equal annual Installments, to date and commencing when he the said Dilman come of the age of Twnety-one years.l Further I will and devise unto my daughters, Veronica, Mary and Judith each Four Hundred Dollars, to be paid them severally when they get married. I do hereby nominate and appoint my sons Levi Martin and Joseph Martin, and my son-in-law Samuel Weber, all of Woolwich, Executors of this my Last Will and Testament…And I further will that my said Executors shall have One Dollars and Twenty five cents per day each, while or whenever employed in business connected with my Estate.

Witness by A. J. Peterson and Joseph Good
Will dated 1 January 1856
Proved 26 January 1856
Inventory £1709/15/-
Died 12 January 1856

Surrogate Court Records Copybook Register A 1853-1871 transcript to 1863. Frances Hoffman transcriber.

Daniel married Veronica Schneider 8 Apr 1823. Veronica (daughter of Joseph Schneider and Barbara Eby) was born 25 Jul 1803, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 13 Jul 1872, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Fanny Schneider
• Name: Fronica Schneider
• Name: Veronica Martin
• Residence: 466 Queen st., S., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00106-6383
• Grave Photograph - Find A Grave: Gravestone Image
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist
• Occupation: 1861, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Laborer
• Residence: 1861, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite
• Residence: 1871, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonite

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/235831418
• Eby ID Number: 00129-8051
• Occupation: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist

Notes:

Jacob Wideman, "the only one of Rev. Henry Wideman's family who resided in Waterloo County, was married to Barbara Lichty. He resided in Woolwich Township where he was engaged in farming. To them was born 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.].

Jacob — Barbara Lichty. Barbara was born 1780, , Pennsylvania, USA; died 15 Oct 1855; was buried , Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Barbara Wideman
• Eby ID Number: 00129-8051.1
• Residence: 1851, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mennonist

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: 00129-8054.2

Michael — Elizabeth Kreuter. Elizabeth was born 1767; died 1 May 1837; was buried , Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elizabeth Brandt
• Eby ID Number: 00129-8054.3

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38400277
• Interesting: story, pioneer, religion
• Eby ID Number: 00075-4295
• Residence: 1830, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 010, Waterloo County, Ontario

Notes:

Peter Martin, "was born in West Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, February 26th, 1769. He was married to Anna Zimmerman, December 25th, 1793. She was born February 18th, 1775. He followed farming in his native state, but owing to the poor harvests for several years in succession, together with low wages and many business failures, caused him to make arrangements with his numerous family to move to Canada. Two of his daughters, Barbara, married to David Martin and Maria, married to Christian Zimmerman, remained in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, while the parents with fourteen of their children, together with Daniel Weber and others, moved to Canada in 1819. They, at their arrival here, settled first on the farm now owned by Dilman Shantz and the heirs of the late Abraham Groff, but not finding this to their taste they finally located on the farm now possessed by Menno Gingerich. Here they resided until their deaths. He died March 2nd, 1831, and she died December 12th, 1836. They had a family of seventeen children, all of whom were married."

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 Meeting House

According to Isaac Horst, "Martins meeting house was the first of the Old Order places of worship to be built. A meeting house is reported to have been built in 1830; burial was begun in the adjoining cemetery in 1831. Martins was aptly named. The first three bishops of the area were Martins, all descended from the pioneer, Peter Martin. The land on which the house stands was formerly owned by Martins (1979: 376)." Peter Martin, Jr. purchased 220 acres of land from his brother, Henry Martin, on May 8, 1824. Apparently he set aside four acres for a meeting house and burying ground at that time. The first burial is reported to have been that of Peter Martin, Sr., who died March 2, 1831. The meeting house was enlarged in 1900.

John Weber was the first minister, followed by Abraham W. Martin, Samuel Weber, Paul Martin, Tobias Martin and Urias Martin. At one time surrounded by countryside, the meeting house and cemetery are now completely encircled by the commercial development brought about by the rapid expansion northward of the city of Waterloo.

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

________________________________

...Martin was 62 when died in 1831, just 12 years after coming to Canada, but his important role in local history was not forgotten. His home doubled as the Martin's Church before the Martin's Meeting House on King Street North was completed.

The meeting house still stands today, next to the Martin's cemetery that holds Peter Martin's remains. Across King Street was the Martin's School (SS21), in use until 1972. It's gone now.

Because of his large family, 17 children in all, Martin was once described as "probably the most vigorous progenitor in the history of the region." His story is told in a booklet Thou Art Peter, published in 1983 by the Mennonite historian Isaac Horst of Mount Forest.....

Flash from the Past: Peter Martin House once stood in Waterloo, Waterloo Region Record 4 May 2013 Jon Fear, Record Staff

Peter married Anna Zimmerman 25 Dec 1793. Anna was born 18 Feb 1775, Of, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; died 9 Dec 1836, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• FindAGrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38400457
• Name: Anna Martin
• Eby ID Number: 00075-4295.1

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.].