George Johann Schlee

Other Events:

• Contractor Projects: 1 King St. W., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Walper Hotel
• Contractor Projects: 32 Weber Street West, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Zion Evangelical Church
• Residence: 10 Sims Estate Place, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: 00048-3621.1
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mason
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Mason
• Residence: 1891, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Evangelical
• Possessions: 26 Sep 1891, 46 Ahrens St. W., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Grantee
• Residence: 1896, 96 Queen St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1897, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1901, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Rubber manufacturer
• Residence: 1906, 87 Lancaster St. W., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1907, 70 Victoria St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; button manufacturer
• Residence: 1907, 96 Queen St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1911, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Manufacturer, Buttons
• Residence: 1911, 121 Queen St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1911, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist
• Elected Office: 1913, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; councillor - Kitchener
• Occupation: 1921, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Manager, Button Factory
• Residence: 1921, 121 Queen St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1921, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist

Notes:

George Schlee was born June 4, 1858 on a farm near Centreville, a few miles east of Kitchener. In 1876 he apprenticed as a stone mason in Listowel, Ontario, returning to Berlin following his marriage to Eva Hallman of Hanover in 1882.

In 1890 he purchased the construction firm of Jacob Baetz and became prime contractor of the community for imposing residences and civic buildings such as the Walper House, Zion Evangelical Church and a major portion of the K-W Hospital.

Following a visit to the United States, he returned home filled with enthusiasm for the potential in manufacturing of rubber footwear. With his initiative and drive, he organized the Berlin Rubber Company in 1899 and supervised the construction of the first rubber factory in Waterloo County on the corner of Margaret Avenue and Breithaupt Street. Through his vision, and the support of men like Jacob Kaufman and A.L. Breithaupt, the rubber industry was established in this community. In 1906 he sold his interests in the Berlin Rubber and founded the Berlin Button Works (Kitchener Buttons Ltd.), remaining active in this business until his death October 31, 1944

Waterloo Hall of Fame 2008 website

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PROMINENT KITCHENER COUPLE OBSERVE 50th ANNIVERSARY

Mr. and Mrs. George Schlee Were Married at Hanover-Receive Purse of Gold.

Mr. and Mrs. George Schlee of Kitchener received the congratulations and best wishes of friends on Tuesday on the occasion of their golden wedding aniversary. They were married 50 years ago in Hanover, since which time they have resided in Kitchener where Mr. Schlee owns the Kitchener Button factory

Mr. Schlee was born on June 4. 1858, about 1 miles east of Centreville [10 Sims Estate Place], where Mr. Harvey Sims now resides. He received his schooling at Centreville. He was a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Carl Schlee. At the age of 18 he went to Listowel to learn the building trade with his brother, the late Mr. John Schlee. In 1882 he was married to Miss Eva Hallman at Hanover.

Mr. Schlee worked for eight year as a contractor for Mr. Jacob Baetz. He then purchased Mr. Baetz' business, conducting a contracting business for eight years which he later sold to Casper Braun. He started the Berlin Rubber Company in 1898, making it a joint stock company. This was the beginning of the big rubber industry.

In 1906 Mr. Schlee sold his rubber stock to Mr. A. L. Breithaupt and started the Berlin Button Works, Later he changed the name to the Kitchener Buttons, Ltd.

Mr. Schlee was one of the first directors of the Ames Holden Rubber Company. He is 74 years of age.

Before her marriage Mrs. Schlee was Miss Eva Hallman. She was born in Wilmot Township, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christian Hallman, but spent most of her girlhood in Hanover, She was married to Mr. Schlee by Rev. J. Mager, pastor of the Hanover United Brethren church.

The bride and bridegroom of 50 years ago were attended by the bride's brother, Mr. Jesse Hallman and his fiancee, now his wife, now residents of Port Huron, Mich. They and the officiating clergyman, Mr. Mager, were present at the golden wedding celebration which took the form of a family dinner at their home on Frederick St. The members of their family include G. Ervin, Eldon H., and Wilfred H. and Miss Lillie M. Schlee and their four grandchildren were present. Mr. and Mrs. Schlee were presented with a purse of gold. Out of town guests included Mrs. Schlee's brother, Mr. Noah Hallman, of Stratford.

Waterloo Chronicle, 1 Dec 1932, p. 1

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Mr. George Schlee secured the contract for the mason work of Oberholtzer's Shoe Factory to be erected near the Berlin Station.

Waterloo County Chronicle, 20 Apr 1893, p. 5

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The First Rubber Factory

The change of the town into a city was mostly owed' to the manufacturers. As a rule, they began on a modest scale. The secret of their success was given out by the late George C. H. Lang: "Our men are trained for their business and aim to make better commodities than anyone else." Up till then, on what was the town chiefly nourished ? Boxes, buttons, chemical preparations, confectionery, furniture, leather, pianos, pork products, racycles, shirts and collars, felt and leather shoes, suspenders, trunks and bags, and woodworking machinery.

Then in came Miss Rubber Latex.

In the winter of 1898 George Schlee and Nelson Good visited the chief rubber centres of the United States. Mr. Schlee, on his return, set about the forming of a company to manufacture rubber footwear. He had earlier been a building contractor and experienced in tackling big things. He succeeded in interesting Jacob Kaufman, A. L. Breithaupt and Louis Weber in a venture to make rubber footwear. The company was named: The Berlin Rubber Company, Mr. Schlee was appointed manager, and they erected a factory in Margaret Avenue, near the railway. In January, 1900, Mr. Schlee came down town wearing the first pair of rubbers turned out by the plant. Soon, they were making between 800 and 1000 pairs a day.

Three years later, Mr. Kaufman organized the Merchants Rubber Company to make rubber footwear, and erected a giant factory in Breithaupt Street. One of his executives was T. H. Rieder. Mr. Kaufman sold that industry in 1906 to the Dominion Rubber Company. A year later his son, Alvin R. Kaufman, induced him to form the Kaufman Rubber Company to make rubber footwear. Situated at the corner of King and Francis Streets, it is one of the city's largest industries, and is headed by Mr. A. R. Kaufman. With regard to Mr. Jacob Kaufman's life work, he never asked for nor received any bonus or concession from the city.

Mr. Schlee stayed with the Berlin Rubber Company until 1906, when he sold his shares to Mr. A. L. Breithaupt. Mr. Schlee then organized the company now known as Kitchener Buttons Limited, to manufacture vegetable ivory buttons. His associates were his three sons: Ervin, Eden and Wilfrid. A large factory was built on the corner of Edward and Victoria Streets. Eden and Ervin have since identified themselves with other businesses. In recent years the company began the manufacture of furniture knobs and radio control knobs. In 1932, Mr. Wilfrid Schlee opened a market for those specialties and the Yo-Yo Stop in Great Britain. Mr. George Schlee, now in his 80th year, has done his full share for the advancement of the city.

A History of Kitchener, W. V. (Ben) Uttley, Kitchener, Ontario 1937

Residence:
Mr. Geo. Schlee has sold his beautiful residence on Queen street, north, to. Mr. Jos. Zuber, of the Grand Central Hotel. The sum of about $11 000 was paid for it.

The Chronicle Telegraph 26 Sep 1907, p. 3

Elected Office:
Years Served: 1913-14

George married Eva Hallman 29 Nov 1882. Eva (daughter of Christian Hallman, II and Leah S. Bechtel) was born 18 Aug 1863, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 11 Dec 1944; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. George Ervin "Ervin" Schlee was born 19 Dec 1883, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 27 Apr 1956; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
2. Lillie Minerva Schlee was born 21 Mar 1885, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1979; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
3. Walter Charles Christian Schlee was born 16 Aug 1892, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 29 Nov 1893, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
4. Edon Hallman Schlee was born 22 Dec 1894, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 1985; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.
5. Wilfred Hardy Schlee was born 21 Mar 1897, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 23 Aug 1983; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.

Other Events:

• Name: Charles Schlee
• Name: Karl "Carl" Schlee
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-34093
• Birth: CALC 13 May 1825
• Occupation: 1854, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; labourer
• Residence: 1854, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 118, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; laborer
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Historic Building: 1863, 10 Sims Estate Place, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Farmer
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Occupation: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Laborer
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran

Notes:

CULTURAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT "Chicopee" FORMER SIMS ESTATE (Wendy Schearer Landscape Architect Ltd, March 3, 2004)

Pg 7, the Gardener's house once possessed an outhouse that has been removed

Pg. 9, Sims Estate Place remains a private road so as to maximize tree preservation

Appendix 1 - "The original farm house, the "Gardener's House" was part of the Karl Schlee farm. There was a house, drive shed, barn, outhouse, smokehouse and stone gates.", "The white swans that swam in the ravine ponds were housed in the Schlee barn in the winter. Indoor plumbing was only added to the gardener's house after the war."

Appendix 1 - Harvey Sims employed a full time gardener, first Henry Strack and then Bill Strack, his brother. Bill and his wife lived in the Schlee house.

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HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROPOSED VACANT LAND CONDOMINIUM 787AND 811 MORRISON STREET [Road] (Mayer Heritage Consultants, July 2003)

Pg. 17, "This early 1 ½ story farmhouse, referred to as the Gardener's House is a stone residence of uncoursed rubblestone construction, built in 1863-1864. The house was owned by Karl Schlee. The builder is unknown. Chapple (2002) reports that "The building is in good condition and has undergone few changes". There are basically only two significant changes to the exterior appearance of this residence, but the changes might b considered to be visually jarring as they are of a somewhat anachronistic character. These changes are in the form of additions to the residence. The first is the vestibule addition at the front of the house that is constructed of a material visually at odds with the stone construction of the house. The second is the constructing, and recent cladding in a modern "yellow" vinyl siding, of a sloped roof addition to serve as a sunroom or utility room. There is no auto garage or other storage facility associated with this residence."

Pg. 32, "The Gardener's House: This dwelling which dates from the 1860's is to be retained. It is still relatively intact but has been altered by way of modern additions (front vestibule and side lean-to additions). The house is constructed of stone, and from its appearance, seems to be in relatively good condition. A second stone structure located to the rear, is a Smoke House. The residence is somewhat small with respect to the proposed plan. The ultimate owner of this property (Lot 31) may well wish to construct an addition to increase the living space. Should this prove to be the case, the new owner should have the addition designed in a manner that will preserve the original lies of the dwelling, and have the addition constructed of stone/cast stone to match the existing stone. At the same time, the modern cladding of the addition on the west side of the dwelling might be replaced with a cast stone veneer to match the existing stone. Similarly the front vestibule might well receive a more sympathetic treatment to blend better with the overall appearance of the house, while retaining its weather proofing features.

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CHICOPEE, FORMER SIMS ESTATE: PRESERVATION WORKS REPORT - ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVANCY OF ONTARIO (Chapple Heritage Services, November 20, 2002)

Section 3.3 (no page numbers), "Significance of the Stone Farmhouse: According to the City's records, the one and one half storey home originally owned by Karl Schlee was erected in 1864 as a farmhouse. The builder is unknown. As a pre-Confederation farmhouse of uncoursed rubblestone construction, the gardener's house is a relatively rare heritage resource in the Kitchener area. The free-standing stone smokehouse to the rear of the house, dating from 1892, once a typical outbuilding in the 19^th century, is today an uncommon survivor. The building is in good condition and has undergone few changes."

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[Schlee] FAMILY HISTORY, ISSUE 1 (Gary Schlee, 1988)

Carl Heinrich Christian Schlee arrived in Preston from Hamburg (originally from Ventschow Mecklenburg Schwerin) in 1853.

Married for a second time by F.W. Bindemann to Maria Rapine in 1854

Moved from Preston to Centreville in 1854, "renting a small frame house on six acres behind Chicopee. It was located on Lot 118 of Waterloo Township's Upper Block, and they lived there for the next 43 years. In the 1880s or 1890's, their son George renovated the house for them. It is still standing."

The house had a stone smokehouse c. 1870[??], that was still standing in 1988. Son George Schlee was said to have built the smokehouse at age 14. He went on to train as a stone mason and later built the Walper Hotel, The Berlin-Waterloo Hospital (now the Scott Pavillion at Grand River Hospital), Zion Evangelical Church, King St. Baptist Church and 96 Queen St. N Kitchener. George sold his construction business and then founded the Berlin Rubber company with Jacob Kaufman, A.L. Breithaupt and Louis Weber. George acted as the manager and built the Margaret Avenue factory on the rail line (later Uniroyal, but burnt down in the early 1980s?)

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The will of the late Charles Schlee has been filed for probate. His widow and son, Geo. Schlee, are the executrix and executor respectively.

The Chronicle Telegraph 17 Apr 1902, p. 4

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DEATH OF CHAS. SCHLEE.

The hand of death removed another of the county's early settlers Wednesday evening, when Charles Schlee, father of Mr. Geo. Schlee of this town, passed away at the age of 77 years. Deceased who had been living a retired life in Berlin for the last five years, had been suffering from dropsy and heart trouble since January last and these coupled with his advanced age, bastened the end.

Charles Schlee was born in Mecklemburg, Germany, in 1825, and immigrated to Preston, Canada, in 1853, where he lived two years. During this time his wife died, the fruits of the union being one daughter, now Mrs. Salyerds of Preston. In 1855 he bought a small farm east of Centreville and was married to Mary Rappien. Here they resided for 41 years, moving to Berlin about five years ago. Seven children were the fruits of the second marriage, four of whom are living, viz., Mrs. Eckold of Kincardine, George of Berlin, Mrs. Giles of Oxford, Nebraska, and Mary at home.

The Chronicle Telegraph 27 Mar 1902, p. 6

Carl married Maria Elizabeth "Mary" Rapean 19 Dec 1854, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Maria was born 19 Jun 1827, , Germany; died 25 Apr 1903, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; was buried , Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria Elizabeth "Mary" Schlee
• Name: Mary Rapean
• Residence: 10 Sims Estate Place, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-34094
• Residence: 1854, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1854, Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 118, Waterloo County, Ontario
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1871, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran
• Residence: 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Lutheran