Monsignor William C. Gehl

1873 - 1960  (~ 86 years)

• Name	William C. Gehl
  Prefix	Monsignor
  Born	Dec 1873	Maryhill (New Germany) Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	religion
  Residence	1881	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Catholic
  Occupation	1911	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Priest, Catholic Church
  Residence	1911	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Catholic
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-143825
  Died	2 Jul 1960
  Buried	Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I143825	Generations
  Last Modified	28 Jan 2025

  
  

  Father	Anton Wilhelm "Anthony" Gehl,   b. 14 Dec 1831, Schierschwenden County, Erfurt Province Germany ,   d. 15 Nov 1908, Maryhill (New Germany) Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario  (Age 76 years)
  Mother	Caroline Schumacher,   b. 31 Mar 1836, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 4 Feb 1913, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 76 years)
  Married	15 Jan 1856	Maryhill (New Germany) Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario   [3]
  Family ID	F18144	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  St. Joseph's Church, Hamilton, Ontario

  
  

• Notes

  St. Clement's Roman Catholic Church The first Catholic missionaries in the area were Father James W. Campion, Father Cassidy and Father John Cullen - beginning c.1828. They were followed by the St. Agatha missionaries, Fathers John Louis Wiriath (1834-1837) and Peter Schneider (1838-1844), but it was Father Simon Sanderl (1844-1848), also from St. Agatha, who organized the construction of a church. The deed for the land, located on the northwest corner of Duke and Guelph (now Dolph) Streets and purchased from the Erb brothers (for five shillings), was dated March 9, 1846, but it is thought that building actually began in 1844. The new church was reported to be "perhaps the only substantial Catholic church west of Toronto" (Spetz 1916: 139). Services were held more or less monthly for many years as priests were in short supply and had to be shared by other congregations. Regular monthly services began in February 1882 with the arrival of Father William Kloepfer of Berlin who looked after Preston as well. Then, beginning in 1889 Preston and Hespeler became missions of Galt. Finally, on March 25, 1905, Preston received its own resident pastor, Rev. Jonas Lenhard. By now it had become apparent that a new and larger church was definitely needed but it was not until January 1907, when Father William Gehl was pastor, that land further along Duke Street was purchased. The cornerstone for the present church was laid September 4, 1911, and the basement of the building was ready for use the following year. The basement continued in use for services until the church was completely finished in 1922. The old church had been torn down in the summer of 1915. Fire on December 26, 1971 caused considerable damage, but the church was not damaged structurally. Repairs were made and the church was rededicated on June 25, 1972. Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose __________________ Monsignor Gehl was a native of Maryhill, son of Anthony Gehl and Caroline Stauffer. He was educated at Maryhill and St. Clements, studied Philosophy in St. Jerome's College in Berlin. He also studied theology at the Grand Seminary in Montreal and ordained a priest in St. James Cathedral in Montreal Dec 17, 1898. Serving in St. Clements in Preston from 1906 to 1926 activing as second resident priest. During this time the St. Clements Churc and Rectory was built as well as St. Clements School in Preston. After leaving Preston he served in Hamilton, then Paris and Brantford. In 1928 he was was named a domestic prelate with the title of Monsignor and became Vicar-General of the Hamilton diocese in 1930. He retired in 1949 when he returned to Preston. He is buried in Holy Sepluchre Cemetery in Hamilton. Cambridge Mosaic , Jim Quantrell, 1998, City of Cambridge [abbreviated snippet from original text in book] _____________________________ July 2. Msgr. William C. Gehl, 86, a native of Maryhill was ordained in 1898 and served his church in the Preston - Hespeler Mission before building St. Clement's in Preston. After appointment as rector of St. Mary's Cathedral in Hamilton he held pastorates in Paris, Brantford and Dundas. On his retirement in 1949 he returned to live in Preston's oldest house, a converted log cabin. Forty-Eighth Annual Volume of the Waterloo Historical Society Mar 1961

  
  

• Sources

  [S224] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1881, Div 1 Page 27. [S1669] Census - ON, Waterloo, Preston - 1911, Div. 24 Pg. 34. [S91] Church Records - ON, Waterloo, Maryhill - St. Boniface Roman Catholic [found cited on various sources on the internet and family histories]. Anton Gehl s/o Wilhelm & Margareta Cross married 15 Jan 1856 to Carolina Schumacher d/o Felix & Margareta Steffler, witnesses: Wilhelm Gehl, Felix Schumacher & Anton Gehl

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - Dec 1873 - Maryhill (New Germany) Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario Residence - Catholic - 1881 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Priest, Catholic Church - 1911 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Catholic - 1911 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth