Waterloo Region Generations
A record of the people of Waterloo Region, Ontario.

Arthur James Diesbourg

Male 1894 - 1953  (58 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Arthur James Diesbourg 
    Born 21 Sep 1894  Belle River, Essex Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Business Blue Tope Beer 
    Business Huether Brewing Limited 
    Business 1930  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Huether's Tri Pure Ice Company also known as Kitchener Tri Pure Ice 
    Kitchener-Business-KitchenerTri-PureIceCo-0001-icepick.jpg
    Kitchener-Business-KitchenerTri-PureIceCo-0001-icepick.jpg
    FindAGrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/221990351 
    Residence 1953  Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Eby ID Number Waterloo-118885 
    Died 14 Feb 1953  , Florida, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Buried Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Person ID I118885  Generations
    Last Modified 25 Apr 2024 

    Family Grace Louise Murphy,   b. 17 Apr 1893, of, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1972  (Age 78 years) 
    Children 
     1. Mary Karolyn "Karolyn" Diesbourg,   b. CA 1925, of, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location
     2. Arthur James "Jim" Diesbourg,   b. 14 Aug 1937, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Dec 2014, Freeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 77 years)
     3. Robert Thomas Diesbourg
    Last Modified 26 Apr 2024 
    Family ID F40248  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • A solemn requiem high mass will be offered at St. Louis RC Church, Waterloo, Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, for the late Arthur Diesbourg, 118 John Blvd., Waterloo. Mr. Diesbourg, 58, died Monday in Florida. The body will arrive in Kitchener Thursday afternoon and will rest at the Schreiter Sandrock Funeral Home from 4 o'clock until 9: 30 a.m. Saturday when prayers will be offered prior to removal to the church. The Knights of Columbus will assemble at the funeral home Friday at 8 p.m. to recite the rosary. Interment will be in Woodland RC Cemetery. Mr. Diesbourg is survived by his wife, the former Grace Louise Murphy, one son, Arthur James, and one daughter, Mary Karolyn, all of Waterloo; six brothers, Theodore and Frank, Windsor; Emile, Charles and Blaise, Belle River, Ont.; Henry, Humboldt, Sask.; two sisters, Mrs. Julia McMahon, Belle River, and Mrs. Joseph Renaud, [rest of obituary was not photocopied].


      The Kitchener-Waterloo Record 2 Feb 1953

      _________________

      Heritage Study and Heritage Impact Assessment Proposed Region of Waterloo Multimodal Hub 16 Victoria Street North, 50 & 60 Victoria Street North, and 520 & 510 King Street West, Kitchener

      ... 520 and 510 King Street West

      At the junction of Victoria Street North and King Street West, and bordered on the west by the railway, these properties were the home of Huether's Lion Brewery (1856-1953).

      The name Huether is pronounced 'Heater'. The original business was started by innkeeper/brewer Wilhelm Rebscher at the corner of King and Princess Streets in Waterloo. In 1856 Adam Huether and son Christopher from Baden, Germany, rented the premises and continued the business as the Lion Brewery. The 1861 census states that the Lion produced 728 barrels of beer valued at $3,646, and employed three men at $17 a month each.

      Nine years later Christopher was able to purchase the property from the Rebscher estate, and build a hotel that is still operating as the Kent (now Huethers Hotel). Following family practice, Christopher's son C.N. joined the firm in the 1890s. At this time reference is occasionally made to it as the Waterloo Brewing Company.

      C.N., with a new partner, then created the C.N. Huether Co. in 1894. Employing 15 men this operation was sold to the Kuntz's for malt storage after Christopher's death. C.N. moved down the street to Berlin (Kitchener).

      When C.N.'s Berlin Lion Brewery opened at the corner of King and Victoria Streets it brewed lager exclusively and featured, in deference to the Boer War, the Ladysmith label. This brew was soon dropped in favour of the popular Pilsener and Wuerzburger lagers. The newly named Berlin Lion Brewery Ltd. was enlarged. in 1906 by the addition of an icehouse. Employing 25 hands, it could now produce 32,000 barrels annually. A Berlin Waterloo Industrial Review for 1908 boasted that: "Absolute purity, freedom from all deleterious ingredients are conditions that exist in the superior lager beer manufactured by the Berlin Lion Brewery".

      Temperance, as to be expected, hurt business, and while it remained open, the name was changed to The Huether Brewery Ltd. in 1919. A year later it was closed and leased to a coconut-processing concern. The company was reorganized and opened in 1924 to produce strong beer for export, and near beer for the local market. The company, however, was found to be in violation of temperance restrictions, and ordered to pay Ontario luxury tax arrears. The brewery was saved from failure in 1927 when two Windsor area businessmen, Arthur Diesbourg and William Renaud acquired it. With careful management Huether Brewing Co. Ltd. finally showed a profit of $17,000 in 1934. Two years later they introduced Blue Top Beer. This brand proved to be-so popular that the company's name was changed to match their leading brand.

      In 1948 disaster struck when a foxed batch of beer reached the market. While this was not the end, the new brands, New Yorker Lager and Premium Ale, did not completely reverse the company's fortunes, and the name was changed to the Ranger Brewing Co. Ltd. in 1952. Rather than face an increasingly competitive and centralized brewing market, the firm was sold to Canadian Breweries in 1953. Operated as Dow Brewery Ltd. until 1961, the site was demolished in 1964 to make way for a Brewers Retail Store. ...

      The Landplan Collaborative Ltd.

      landscape architects, environmental planners, heritage planners
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      April 5 and 9 , 2012

  • Sources 
    1. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Death Notice of Arthur Diesbourg - 18 Feb 1953.

    2. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/221990351.

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 21 Sep 1894 - Belle River, Essex Co., Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBusiness - Huether's Tri Pure Ice Company also known as Kitchener Tri Pure Ice - 1930 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1953 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 14 Feb 1953 - , Florida, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth