Martin Wurm

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-81089

Martin — Elizabeth Prang. Elizabeth (daughter of Johann "John" Prang and Marie Decher) was born 15 Dec 1862, , Ontario, Canada; died 1949; was buried , Saint Peters Lutheran Cemetery, Zurich, Huron Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Mathew Wurm
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-30824
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; labourer
• Occupation: 1853, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; farmer

Matthias married Margareth Ellenburger 31 Jul 1853, Greenbush (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Margareth was born 2 May 1830, , Germany; died 24 May 1923, Zurich, Hay Twp., Huron Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Saint Peters Lutheran Cemetery, Zurich, Huron Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Margareth Wurm
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-81107
• Residence: 1853, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Other Events:

• Name: Heinrich Wurm
• Name: Henry Wurm
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-30822
• Occupation: 1852, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; carpenter

Notes:

Zurich Herald May 30, 1902 (social section) p.4 c2

The Oldest Voter--Grandfather Wurm In His 93rd Year, Polls Another Grit Vote

HENRY WURM was out as usual on election day to cast his ballot. Mr. Wurm is in his 93rd year, having been born at Homburg An Der Ohm, Hesse Darmstadt, on the 20th of November 1809. He came to Canada in the year 1837 and lived in Berlin and Breslau until the spring of 1855 when he came to his township and has been a resident here continuously since.

Mr. Wurm was a carpenter by trade and did considerable work in that line in the early days of the village of Zurich. He owned a fine 100 acre farm just south of the village which he gave to his two sons MATTHAIS and HENRY, about 20 years ago, while he and his aged partner spent their declining years in the village. His wife died about ten years ago and he has since been making his home with his graddaughter Mrs. JOHN FUSS and later with his daughter MRS. CASPER WEBER, and is now living with his daughter-in-law MRS. HENRY WURM JR. on the old homestead. It is to be hoped the old gentleman will be spared to enjoy many more years of life. It is the general opinion that he is the oldest voter to come to the polls in South Huron.

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Among the early settlers of Berlin were August Fuchs, a jeweller, from Baden ; George Jantz, a grocer and tavern keeper, also from Baden ; Anselm Wagner, a potter from Alsace


Theobald Spetz, The Catholic Church in Waterloo County Book I

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Anselm Wagner was the first potter in Berlin and had a shop for many years on King street south.

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How More German Families Were Brought In

At that stage there was a further influx of German hand-workers. In the main they came from Hesse, with sprinklings from Baden, Saxony. Mecklenburg, and other States. Woodworkers predominated. The Dorf however boasted a weaver, wagonmaker, hatmaker. a tailor (John Nahrgang), two shoemakers, and several carpenters, while Anselm Wagner, potter, made shilling crocks and flowerpots for the Hausfrau. A Dr. Klinkert was the first doctor

A History of Kitchener

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King Street , North Side

Frederick Street.

Bishop Benjamin Eby's farm came to the corner of King and Frederick Streets. Next to Frederick Street, Frederick and William Miller erected a frame building and used it as a general store. After the grading operations spoken of this building had to undergo the same process as the St. Nicholas Hotel. It was considered a fine building in its day with large windows on each side of the centre door. Henry Stroh finally bought the building and tore it down in 1868. Jacob Stroh has some of the window sash, shutters, stairway, etc., still in his possession. Later the building was occupied by Jacob Eckstein cigar maker and tobacco dealer. Mrs. Warren with a family lived on the second story for a number of years.

Vacant lot. Next a large brick building with double deck porch along the front, the Queen's Arms Hotel, built about 1840 and continued as a hotel until about 1860. A Mr. Butchard was the first landlord and later Levi Weber. From this hotel the first omnibus met the trains at the G.T.R. station in Berlin in 1856. Before that day it was a stopping place of stage coaches operating from Hamilton and Galt to Berlin and beyond. The old Queen's Arms long vacant and practically ruined as a building was sold finally and made room for the Market Building and Town Hall in 1869.*

Next we come to the John Roos house. This also had a double-deck veranda with heavy posts as was the style 1840-50. The building was later turned into a hotel known as the Market Hotel and kept by Casper Heller.

A lot with a log cabin in the rear, occupied by Jacob Sauer, who had come from Pennsylvania, father of Mrs. John Roat.

* See 1922 Annual Report W. H. S., p. 210.

A harness shop occupied by John Roat, then by his son John and later by John Haugh, a son-in-law of John Roat.

A garden. A dwelling, 4 or 5 feet lower than the street which had been filled up, where lived the Susand family. Mrs. Susand had a reputation with juveniles for tarts and molasses taffy sold in lc. bars. Her children were in the habit of selling these wares to passengers at the G.T.R. station. After her husband's death about 1860, widow Susand moved her shop to Foundry Street North, and there continued until she died. Susand was an ex-slave. In 1857 at a nomination meeting for Council, he was nominated and stood a good chance of being elected, as a joke. However, the more thoughtful element among the voters prevailed.

A two story, frame building, lengthwise with King Street, built in the '30's. After street grading this had to be raised so that what had before been the ground floor became the cellar or basement.

A house occupied by Wm. Hawke,-known as Bill Hawke- a mason. A stout, easy-going man. His wife was in the habit of standing in the door way, with white lace cap, smoking a clay pipe. The east end of this building was occupied by Winters, a hatter, the first hat maker in Berlin. He made the old style, broad brim, Mennonite hats in fashion up to about 1845. At the corner of Scott stood a brick building of good size with gable toward King Street, used to stable the first fire teams for a number of years. Later John Wagner had a waggon shop above and George Ward a blacksmith shop underneath. Scott Street was, however, not opened until many years later.

A one and one-half story building rough cast, gable facing King St., occupied by H. W. Peterson, who began publishing the "Canada Museum", in 1835 and so continued until 1840 when he went to Guelph as first Registrar of the County of Wellington. This was the first newspaper published in Waterloo County.

Jacob Hailer's house, a one and one-half story, frame building with porch along the front partly enclosed by lattice work. In this house was born in 1834, Catherine Hailer, who married Louis Breithaupt. She is said to have been the first child born in Berlin of parents who came from Germany. Hailer's barn was some distance back from the street and next along on the street front was his shop where he manufactured spinning wheels, etc., and chairs which had a large distribution. Hailer was an expert wood turner. He had two foot-power lathes and a number of German assistants from time to time, continuing his shop for about 40 years.

A two story frame building lengthwise with King Street, erected by Dr. John Scott. He had a drug store with two good-sized windows at the front. On the east gable of the building was a sign, "Med. Hall" in large letters. The sign was legible long after Dr. Scott's death. The doctor pursued his practice on horseback for which he used three horses. He was the first medical practitioner in Berlin, coming in 1834, at the time of the cholera epidemic. For a few years before he was married he boarded at the Gaukel Hotel. His later house, after the one described, is still standing on Weber Street at the rear of the Kitchener Public Library.

The old Scott house on King Street was later occupied by Franz Martin who kept a saloon. Martin had a musical family, with the zither as their principal instrument, which all the children could play.

A one and one-half story, frame building, painted, occupied by Anslm Wagner, a potter.

A brick building 1 ½ story lengthwise with King Street, the west end of which was John Eby's drug store, the rest of the building being his dwelling. This was the first regular drug store in Berlin.

A brick building with a frame extension in the rear used by David Eby as a pump shop. Part of the brick building is still standing, the rest having been cut off for the opening of Eby Street North.

A one story hip roof brick cottage occupied by Geo. Eby, a Notary, who came to Canada in 1804. He died in this house. A considerable fish story is told of how he followed a sturgeon in the Conestoga River, part of Grand River, and finally speared it.

A one and one-half story building, probably rough cast, occupied by Hy. Wurm, a carpenter employed at the Simpson factory.

A two story brick building painted red occupied by Henry S. Huber.'

A handsome brick building, two story, with veranda along the front and ground floor considerably above the street level, with broad steps, the width of the building, leading to it, was built in 1850. Some time later it was occupied by Casper Heller and known as the Royal Exchange hotel. Following the old custom its swinging sign had "Last Chance" on the side toward the village and "First Chance" outward, referring to liquid refreshments. Heller kept a good hotel and had also a large shed and ham next east of the hotel.

On the corner a steam grist mill was erected, about 1860. Louis Seyler, a German, was the miller. The custom was for farmers to bring in their wheat to have it ground, getting in return flour, bran and middlings, the miller retaining his toll. Later Lehnen & Shelly operated this mill.

REMINISCENCES OF BERLIN (NOW KITCHENER) By JACOB STROH Contributed by Joseph M. Snyder.

Johann married Elisabetha Lein 26 May 1835, Bleidenrod, , Hessen, Germany. Elisabetha (daughter of Johann Lein and Anna Maria Diegel) was born CALC 23 Oct 1801, Bleidenrod, , Hessen, Germany; died 26 Sep 1891, Zurich, Hay Twp., Huron Co., Ontario, Canada; was buried , Saint Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Zurich, Huron Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Elisabetha Becker
• Name: Elisabetha Wurm
• Name: Elizabeth Lein
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-30823

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-96153

Nicholas married Anna Barbara Lauer 28 Feb 1816, Bleidenrod, , Hessen, Germany. Anna was born 1780, Of, Bleidenrod, , Hessen, Germany; died 30 Jan 1856, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Anna Barbara Wurm
• Name: Barbara Lauer
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-96184

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: dnf-96185

Johann — Anna Maria Diegel. Anna was born Abt 1770, Of, Bleidenrod, , Hessen, Germany; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Name: Anna Maria Lein
• Eby ID Number: dnf-96186