Colin Groff

1830 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Colin Groff
  Born	1830	, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1856	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Occupation	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Druggist
  Residence	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	FC
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-155000
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I155000	Generations
  Last Modified	12 May 2024

  
  

  Father	William Groff,   b. 1811, , Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Caroline,   b. 1809, , Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F38737	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Charlotte Rogers,   b. 1837, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 5 May 1870, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States  (Age 33 years)
  Married	6 Nov 1856	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Children	1. Margaret Groff,   b. CALC 8 Nov 1859, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 30 Mar 1945, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 85 years)   2. Ida E. Groff,   b. 24 Jun 1861, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Charlotte "Lottie" Groff,   b. 25 Jun 1865, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	13 May 2024
  Family ID	F38736	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  King Street , North Side From Francis to Water Street. he ground was used by H. F. J. Jackson for stabling, etc., on his contract for building the Grand Trunk Railway through a large part of Waterloo County. Later he built his residence on this plot. The plot east of Water Street was used as a drill ground by the Berlin Volunteer Company of the Waterloo Battalion, 1864-67. They mostly drilled in the evenings and had some quite young volunteers, Jacob Stroh, 16 years, one of them. The trustees of the New Jerusalem Church bought the corner in 1869 and in 1870 erected the present Church. This had the first pipe organ in Berlin, built by Claus Maas of Preston. Haller's hat and felt-working shop. He made the first felt boots and shoes, worn largely by the farmers, in winter, in this vicinity. Open space up to Henry Brickner's house. A frame building one and one-half story high and located a little back of the street. Later a brick building was erected on the open space. At the westerly corner of Young Street Mr. Bricker built a cooperage in 1860. At the easterly corner of Young and King Streets was Wendell Brunner's blacksmith shop, a rough frame building. Behind it, on Young Street, was another frame building used as a waggon shop by Christian Huinbrecht. Vacant place and next a three story brick building, lengthwise with King Street, divided into two parts, used as stores for a short time. Later it was a paint shop and still later a warehouse for the Simpson factory across the road. The third floor of this building was the first habitat of the Berlin Militia, organized in 1864 at the time of the American Civil War. Colonel Pickering was the first drill master. He was sent from England to drill the Canadian Militia. The local company had at first no rifles and had to use Wooden substitutes for their drills. A three story brick building erected by C. Schneucker and used as a hotel. The third floor was a large hall used for a number of years, for balls and concerts. Paul Schmidt moved into the building in 1860. It was then called the Schneucker and Schmidt Hotel. A later landlord was Mr. Zinger and the name was changed to The North American Hotel. Toward the rear and just east of the Hotel was a barn and horse shed, with wide approach from King Street. A one and one-half story frame house 15 or 20 feet back from the street line with gable and veranda facing King Street, occupied by Paul Schmidt and later by his widow. A very early building one and one-half story, rough cast; the dwelling of Sam Trout, a blacksmith. A later occupant was James Godbold, son of Godbold who lived on the corner of Wellington and King Streets. Jacob, son of James, brakeman on the Grand Trunk, was killed while on top of a freight car in St. Mary's, the train passing under a low bridge which Godbold did not see as he was looking at a circus beside the track. A tailor shop was also in this building which stood originally at the corner of Foundry and King Streets. A two story brick building with gable toward King Street and occupied by Henry Gauntley. On the second floor there was a paint shop and at the rear a wagon shop. A brick building, the blacksmith shop, for many years, of Sam Trout. A vacant lot. At the Foundry St. corner a frame building, Reinhold Lang's tannery with his house, alongside, one and one-half story with frame porch. Later Mr. Lang moved his business to Charles Street, the site of the present Lang Tanning Co. plant. Jacob Y. Shantz erected the Canadian Block, three story brick, corner of King and Foundry Streets, in 1856. The front was set back from the street line and had a verandah extending to the edge of the sidewalk. There were three stores, the corner, Cole and Graf [Colin Groff druggist], druggists; then Wm. Young, groceries and liquors; and next H. S. Huber, general store. The old blacksmith shop was used as a warehouse by Huber. The Canadian Block while still fairly new, burned down about 1862 in the Spring. The fire started in the corner drug store, during the night. The walls remained standing after the fire was out but were considered dangerous and were pulled down by the firemen. One wall, in this operation, fell on H. S. Huber's warehouse, which had not been burned and in which he had large quantities of supplies. The firemen were blamed for not having notified Huber so that he could have removed his goods before the wall was thrown over. REMINISCENCES OF BERLIN (NOW KITCHENER) By JACOB STROH Contributed by Joseph M. Snyder. Part I. Settlement - Early Villagers and Buildings, Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume 1930 _____________________ King Street , North Side Foundry Street (now Ontario Street). Jacob and John Hoffman, brothers, who came from Pennsylvania, erected a furniture factory on the corner about 1840. It was a two story frame building extending along King St., had 25 to 30 employees and a 15 h.p. engine brought from Buffalo. Eby's history gives John Hoffman as having come from Pennsylvania in 1825; Jacob, almost two years older, seems to have come before. They both worked at carpentry, etc., for a number of years before starting the factory in which enterprise they were assisted by Benjamin Eby. On the ridge of the factory roof there was a belfry with the only larger bell in Berlin. This bell served not only the factory but the village as well, pinging at 7 in the morning, at 12, at 1 and at 6 o'clock in the evening. It was used also as a fire bell and was tolled for funerals. By some prank or spite the bell was stolen in 1850 before there was a night watchman at the factory, and disappeared for two or three years. Eventually it was found in a well at the comer of Duke and College Streets, put back in place on the Hoffman factory and later was taken to a belfry on the Simpson factory spoken of, where it was used until this factory was discontinued. It was then taken to the pavilion in Victoria Park and was melted down when the pavilion was destroyed by fire. Behind the Hoffman factory there was a pond, about three feet deep, fed by a spring, the water being used for the factory boiler, etc. About 1860 a frame building, used by the firm for a warehouse, covered the site of the spring. Further back there was a saw mill, also a planing mill, the first of its kind in Berlin. A two story frame building extending along Foundry Street was later added to the factory and used as a turning shop. At the rear of this building was the factory boiler house. Next to the factory on King Street there was a three story brick building. The ground floor was used as a store, called the Berlin Warehouse. Jacob Hoffman, who by this time was alone in the business, John having gone to Waterloo, announced himself as dealer in dry goods, groceries, hardware, china, glassware, crockery, and paint and oils and manufacturer of all kinds of furniture, also sash doors, etc., selling low for cash. An overhead passage way on a bridge connected the second stories of the factory and brick building. Over the store was the paint shop and in the rear a warehouse. Hoffman's store was later occupied by William Schmidt, son of Rev. Wm. Schmidt, an early minister of the Evangelical Church. Schmidt had a dry goods store only, known as the Golden Lion store because of a large gilt lion over the entrance. Isaac Hoffman, son of Jacob, carried on the factory and store for several years; later John S. Anthes was in possession while Hoffman went to Waterloo and continued the furniture business there with Adam Klippert and Martin Wegenast as partners. Jacob and John Hoffman erected a number of houses in Berlin. Jacob Hoffman was very stout, weighing over 300 pounds. He was a member of the Evangelical Church. For a time he served on the village council. He resided on Foundry Street in the rear of the Canadian Block in a square, hip roof, two story, frame house, until it was destroyed by fire, when he moved to the west side of Foundry Street, south, where now is the Robe & Clothing Co. building. Here he had a one and one-half story frame house with a large two story addition at the rear where were lodged apprentices and other factory employees. There was a small portico over the front door and a porch extending along the northerly side of the house. Next to the Hoffman warehouse there was a saloon and restaurant occupied by a Mr. Unger. He served, among other things, oysters which came in small wooden, 1-gal. kegs. Adjoining Hoffman's store there was the tailor shop of H. J. Nahrgang, later occupied by Henry Glebe, an early band master; next a store differently occupied at various times and next the shoe store of Wm. Niehaus. A three story brick building occupied by Wm. Young as a grocery. Mr. Young eventually went to the Canadian Block and the store was used for various purposes, among them auction sales in the evening. Here there was sold the first white crockery offered in Berlin. Later the building was occupied by the Berliner Journal. A one and one-half story frame building with gable toward King St. and a veranda, occupied by Mr. Fuchs, a tailor and shoemaker, whose wife assisted her husband as expert in repairing clocks. The family lived in the building. About 1865 the frame building was moved to the rear and Fuchs' block erected on the street. The ground floor had three stores, the west one occupied by Mr. Fuchs, the middle by John Kayser, dry goods merchant, and the third one by Tindall Simpson and Sons, shoemakers and tailors. The first building on part of the Fuchs' block site was a rough frame structure used by one Susand, colored, who was the first barber in Berlin. A two story brick building with gable facing King Street, occupied by Christian Garman, harness maker, who later moved to New Hamburg and started a tannery. This building was later occupied by Levi Gaukel, son of Frederick Gaukel, after his father's death. He had a small hotel known as The Red Lion. In 1860 Urban Prinzer succeeded Gaukel and continued the hotel for a short time. A two and one-half story brick building with gable facing King St. was occupied by Levi Gaukel, as a butcher shop after he gave up the hotel next door. Jacob Gaukel was associated with Levi. Later George Debus occupied this shop. A building with gable and porch facing King Street, later occupied by George DeBus as a barber shop. On the corner of King and Queen Streets there was first a driving shed for the Gaukel hotel opposite, until the Bowman block was erected in 1860. This was a three story brick building lengthwise with King Street. Joseph Bowman the noted violinist occupied the third floor of this building. Half of the ground floor of the building was occupied by Henry B. Bowman with a partner Heins as general dry goods store. This was on the corner. The other half was a brick store occupied by Cole and Graf [Colin Groff], druggists, and later by Wm. Bowman in the same business. On the site of the Bowman block is the handsome Bank building built by the Merchants Bank and now occupied by the Bank of Montreal. REMINISCENCES OF BERLIN (NOW KITCHENER) By JACOB STROH Contributed by Joseph M. Snyder. Part I. Settlement - Early Villagers and Buildings, Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume 1930

  
  

• Sources

  [S123] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1861, Div. 2 Page 11. [S14] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berlin Chronicle (1856-1860), 12 Nov 1856. 06 Nov 1856 On the 6th instant, of the residence of the bride's father, Springfield Farm, Dumfries, by the Rev'd. Robert Rodgers, Mr. Colin Groff, of Berlin, to Charolotte, daughter of Alexander Rogers, Esq.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1830 - , Ontario, Canada Residence - 1856 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 6 Nov 1856 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Druggist - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - FC - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth