Mayor Titus Geer Simons Nevills^[1]

1820 - 1886  (65 years)

• Photos

  Desk owned by Titus Nevills The museum recently was given a handsome marquetry desk made of cherry, birdseye maple and other woods that was produced by a man in South Carolina. Not only is the piece strikingly beautiful, but it was commissioned by Titus Nevills, a successful merchant and the first reeve of New Hamburg. The desk was made by Abraham Latschaw, a well-known Wilmot Township cabinetmaker, who painstakingly crafted it over 11 years from 1845 to 1856, and documented his efforts in a pencilled notation on the bottom of one of the drawers in the desk's many pigeonholes. Conservator Richard Fuller enjoyed the month or so he spent restoring the desk to full splendour. "You don't always get the chance to work on something this magnificent," he said, passing an appreciative hand over the woodwork. Thompson, C. (2017). A legacy of our history | TheRecord.com. TheRecord.com. Retrieved 14 October 2017, from https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7623327-a-legacy-of-our-history/

  
  

• Name	Titus Geer Simons Nevills
  Prefix	Mayor
  Born	27 Sep 1820	, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1850	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	merchant, miller, carder, fuller & spinner
  Occupation	1852	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	miller and merchant
  Elected Office	1858	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Reeve/Mayor
  Occupation	1861	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Miller
  Residence	1861	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Presbyterian
  Business	1862	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Dry good store, woollen manufacturer
  		NewHamburg-TituGeerSimonsNevills-Store-1862-advert.jpg Grand Trunk Railway gazetteer, commercial advertiser and business directory, Toronto : J.L. Mitchell & A.O. Loomis, Publishers and Compilers, 1862
  Interesting	politics, life story, mill
  Name	Titus Geer Simons Neville
  Occupation	1871	Ailsa Craig, Middlesex Co., Ontario, Canada
  Eby ID Number	00032-2801.1
  Died	14 Mar 1886	Cheboygan, Cheboygan, Michigan, USA   [1, 4, 7, 8]
  Buried	Pinehill Cemetery, Cheboygan, Cheboygan, Michigan   [4, 7]
  Person ID	I10123	Generations
  Last Modified	26 Jun 2024

  
  

  Family	Margaret Erb,   b. 11 Jul 1822, About Two Miles South-East Of Berlin, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 24 Oct 1909, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 87 years)
  Married	1842  [1, 3]
  Children	1. Malissa Rhuhamah Nevills,   b. 13 Feb 1843, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 10 Nov 1843, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)   2. William Henry Nevills,   b. 17 Aug 1844, New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 20 Nov 1913, Gaylord, Otsego, Michigan, USA  (Age 69 years)   3. Mary Samantha Nevills,   b. 20 Jul 1846, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Dec 1892, Parkdale, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 46 years)   4. John Neville,   b. 1847, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   5. John Emery Neville,   b. 1 Jul 1848, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 22 Jun 1908, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 59 years)   6. Samuel Nelson Nevills,   b. 28 Oct 1850, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 13 Aug 1851, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)   7. Titus Geer Simons Nevills, Jr.,   b. 2 Jun 1852, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 4 Sep 1852, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)
  Last Modified	26 Jun 2024
  Family ID	F2921	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  "The Sheriff is in charge of T.G.S. Nevills' store, Ailsa Craig. The last seen of the "Old War Horse" was aboard the ferry between Sarnia and Port Huron, where he was overheard humming the well-known lines from Nancy Lee about, 'The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be, Away with me across the sea.'" London Advertiser July 18 1881 _______________________________________ Death of T.J.G. Nevils "Sunday evening last, about 5 o'clock, the dead body of Mr. Nevils was discovered by some of his neighbors, through his bedroom window, the door having previously been tried but found fastened. After the fact of his death became known, the door was forced and the proper officers summoned to take action. Mr. Nevils lived in a house on the Duncan road, near the residence of J.B. McArthur, and carried on the business of a tailor and repairer of garments, and for some time had lived alone in the house. The jury impanelled returned a verdict that the deceased came to his death from natural causes. J.H. Tuttle, the undertaker, took charge of the body, telegraphing to the dead man's friends the facts in the case. The disease that carried him off is claimed by some to have been dropsy and by others to have been Bright's disease. Two sons of the deceased arrived Monday from Vassar, and preparations made for burial. He was buried in the village cemetery Tuesday afternoon.".'" "The Cheboygan Democrat" Thursday, March 18, 1886 _______________________________ Built second grist mill in New Hamburg; according to E.W.B. Snider, Neville had a sawvmill and a flour mill which operated for some time, but eventually "the water freshets made conditions very unfortunate, destroying mill dam and damaging buildings, so that where formerly a thriving busines was done, today there is barely a trace left of the industries: Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume 6 pg 29 ________________________________________ The first name of the place was Cassel, but was shortly changed to New Hamburg. Wm. Scott was one of the most prominent among the pioneer business men. He, about 1834, became possessed of a lot of land and a grist mill. Most, if not all of this property, he purchased from Absolom Schade. According to some one Goschman was the builder and first proprietor of the mill. Scott added a saw mill and distillery, the little group of buildings being located just at the rear of where the Wm. Tell Block now stands. Later a woollen mill was erected on the site of the distillery. Meantime, Charles Kirkpatrick opened the first general store and other tradesmen followed. T. G. S. Neville was the second merchant, following Kirkpatrick in 1835. Neville also built a grist mill and established a second woollen mill. He became the owner of considerable land and was a leading figure for some years, becoming the village's first reeve in 1858. In 1852 Scott erected the large four-story frame flour mill, still familiar to nearly everyone, as it was burned down only six years ago. In 1837 a second visitation of cholera epidemic dealt the place a severe blow. These are, in the main, the facts in connection with the earliest, history of New Hamburg. The names and occupations of a few of the other . early settlers are herewith given in the hope that they may prove of some interest. Special Industrial souvenir number of New Hamburg: containing a comprehensive review of the natural advantages and resources of the village of New Hamburg, 1908, Berlin Daily News, Berlin, Ontario _______________________ Titus was named after Titus Geer Simons after his father's commanding officer in the War of 1812 and was reported to have been born in West Flamborough, Wentworth Co., Ontario. He served on Waterloo County Council in the years 1858-1864.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] Book - Vol I 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..., 621. [S134] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1851, Div 3 Pg 7. Titus G.S. NEVILLE Miller & Merchant Ontario 32 Margaret NEVILLE Ontario Methodist 29 Wm. H. NEVILLE Ontario Methodist 7 Mary Samantha NEVILLE Ontario Methodist 6 John E. NEVILLE Ontario Methodist 4 Richard FLYNN Clerk Ontario 15 Vinzance WEIS Labourer Germany Roman Catholic 24 William GREEN Labourer Ontario 18 Rebecca MITTCHEL Labourer Ontario 16 Hannah KILBORN Labourer Ontario Methodist 33 Georg SHMIDT Labourer Germany Lutheran 30 [S844] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1861, Sect. 10 Page 63. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176558821. [S379] Directory, ON - Business Directory of Canada West. [S134] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1851, Div 3 Pg 7. [S378] News - USA, Michigan, Cheboygan, Cheboygan - The Cheboygan Democrat, 18 Mar 1886. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), Apr. 1, 1886. Died Mar. 14, 1886, T. G. S. Nevilles, formerly of New Hamburg, died in Cheboygan, Mich. at age of 66 years.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 27 Sep 1820 - , Ontario, Canada Occupation - merchant, miller, carder, fuller & spinner - 1850 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - miller and merchant - 1852 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Reeve/Mayor - 1858 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Miller - 1861 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Presbyterian - 1861 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Business - Dry good store, woollen manufacturer - 1862 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - 1871 - Ailsa Craig, Middlesex Co., Ontario, Canada Died - 14 Mar 1886 - Cheboygan, Cheboygan, Michigan, USA Buried - - Pinehill Cemetery, Cheboygan, Cheboygan, Michigan  = Link to Google Earth