Jacob Eby^{[1, 2]}

1815 - 1896  (80 years)

• Name	Jacob Eby
  Born	18 Oct 1815	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Gender	Male
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52669055
  Interesting	story, pioneer
  Residence	1840	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [9]
  Occupation	1851	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Farmer
  Residence	1851	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Mennonite
  Occupation	1861	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Farmer
  Residence	1861	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Other Methodist
  Eby ID Number	00031-2372
  Died	20 Aug 1896	, Elkhart Co., Indiana   [4, 8]
  	Cause: old age
  Buried	Olive Cemetery, Wakarusa, Elkhart, Indiana, United States   [8]
  Person ID	I20784	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	David Eby,   b. 23 Feb 1785, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 1 Apr 1860, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Bechtel,   b. 5 Mar 1787, , Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 15 Jan 1844  (Age 56 years)
  Married	8 May 1810  [2, 10]
  Family ID	F2984	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Maria "Mary" "Polly" Bingeman,   b. 9 Dec 1820, , Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 17 Nov 1915, Elkhart, Elkhart, Indiana, United States  (Age 94 years)
  Married	7 Apr 1840	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 12]
  Children	1. Enoch Eby,   b. 3 Dec 1841, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1921  (Age 79 years)   2. Simon Eby,   b. 16 Nov 1843, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 12 Oct 1866  (Age 22 years)   3. Seth Eby,   b. 17 Nov 1846, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 16 May 1914  (Age 67 years)   4. Cyrus "Saruch" Eby,   b. 28 Jan 1849, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Oct 1923, , Elkhart, Indiana, USA  (Age 74 years)   5. Jacob B. Eby,   b. 16 Oct 1851, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 14 Sep 1918  (Age 66 years)   6. John B. Eby,   b. 7 Mar 1854, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Oct 1897  (Age 43 years)   7. Joseph Eby,   b. 5 Feb 1857, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   8. Noah Eby,   b. 4 Mar 1863,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F4246	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Jacob Eby, "the second son of David Eby, was born October 18th, 1815. On April 7th, 1840, he was married to Maria Bingeman who was born June 9th, 1820. Some time after their marriage they moved to St. Joseph County, Indiana, where they are still residing. Their family consisted of eight children" Eby, Ezra E. (1895). 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: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.]. ______________ EBY. In Elkhart Co., Ind., on the 20th of August, of the infirmities of old age, Bro. Jacob Eby, aged 80 years, 10 months and 2 days. He was born in Waterloo Co., Ontario, in 1815. Was married to Mary Bingeman in 1840. Came to Indiana at an early day, and resided here until the time of his death. He was the father of eight children, seven of whom, with the aged mother, survive him. He was buried at the Olive M. H. on Sunday, Aug. 23, where services were conducted by Bish. C. Shaum and -- Shwalm, from Isa. 38: 1. The services were largely attended. Herald of Truth, Vol. XXXIII, No. 17, September 1, 1896, page 270, 271 ___________________________ Jacob Eby. The farming class of America and especially of the northern tier of States, is noted for the degree of intelligence that is possessed among its representatives. Mr. Eby belongs to one of the most progressive of families and as a tiller of the soil, as well as in other respects, he has endeavoured to keep out of old grooves and has always favored the adoption of new and improved methods in conducting his operations. The family originated in Switzerland and were Catholics. A well-defined tradition in the family relates that at one time there were five brothers of the name living in Switzerland and all were Catholics, but one who was a Mennonite, which sect was greatly persecuted in Switzerland, and many of its followers found homes in the wilderness of Pennsylvania, and among them was the founder of the Eby family in America. The family resided in Pennsylvania for generations and there John Eby, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, followed the calling of a blacksmith and was married to a Miss Lehmy, their children, Peter and David, being the only ones of their family that are remembered. David Eby, son of John, was born in Pennsylvania and was but twelve years of age when he started out to make his own way in the world, and in 1807 went to Canada with a party of eleven other men, five of which company are remembered: Benjamin and Samuel Eby, distant relatives of David; Joseph Snyder; Peter and Daniel Erb, three of whom were married men and the rest single. They were all Mennonites and settled in Waterloo township, Waterloo Co., Ontario, and the city of Berlin now stands on the ground which was taken by Benjamin Eby. David Eby was married there to Elizabeth Bechtel, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Allabaugh) Bechtel, and after his marriage settled on and cleared up a good farm from the dense timber with which it was covered. It consisted of 330 acres, and besides this he owned 200 acres in the township of Woolwich. Mr. and Mrs. Eby became the parents of eleven children: Joseph, Mary, Mattie, Jacob, Annie, Elizabeth, Fronica, Susan, David, Elias and Enoch. Joseph Bechtel, the maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a Mennonite preacher; Benjamin Eby was a bishop in the church and Samuel Eby was an elder, and together they established a church in their settlement which flourished, and at the death of Benjamin Eby, about 1850, there were 1,100 members, nearly all of whom were converted through the instrumentality of these humble followers of Christ. David Eby died at the age of seventy-five years in March, 1855, leaving a goodly property and an unsullied name as a heritage to his children, before whom he always set a good example, and to whom he was a kind and faithful father. His farm is now very valuable, as it is close to the city of Berlin, and is owned by David Eby and his sons and is valued at about $100,000. Jacob Eby was born on the old homestead in Canada, October 18, 1815, and, owing to the primitive condition of the country during his youth, he received a very limited education, his studies being mainly pursued of evenings by the old-fashioned fireplace. Like many of the early pioneers he was handy with tools and worked at carpentering, blacksmithing and the mason's trade. When he was a young man wild game was very plentiful, and as he was skillful in the use of the rifle, and very fond of the sport, much of his leisure was spent in the chase. He kept an account of the game killed and brought down 46 deer, 7 wolves, 2 bear and shot and trapped 100 foxes. Coon, mink, martin, fish, otter and wildcat also fell victims to his skill. Two of the wildcats that he killed were as large as a common dog. When a young man he and his dog were one day in a field near some heavy timber in Canada, where several men were chopping wood, when a half-grown black bear came through the trees, but becoming frightened by the shouts of the men, turned and came through the field. Mr. Eby waited for it and at the right moment attacked it with knife and club and with the help of the dog, which was large and strong, killed it. On another occasion, when he was going into the woods to split posts he saw a full-grown wolf asleep in a fallen tree top, whereupon he threw his axe, struck it fairly and killed it. April 7, 1840, he was married to Polly Bingaman, a daughter of John and Hannah (Berkey) Bingaman, her father being of Pennsylvania Dutch stock. He cleared a good farm of 100 acres and was accidentally killed by the falling of a large limb from a burning tree when about seventy years of age. He and his wife were Mennonites and the parents of the following family: Judith, Esther, Susanna, Hannah, Eunice, Catherine, Mary, Magdaline, John, Sallie and Isaac. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Eby: Enoch; Simon, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Seth; Cyrus; Jacob; John; Joseph and Noah. After his marriage Mr. Eby settled seven miles north of his father's home- stead on a 200-acre tract of wild land for which he paid $750, and here he lived and worked hard until 1860, when he came to St. Joseph county, Ind., and bought 280 acres of land, 80 of which were cleared. He has improved the remainder by thrift and perseverance and added to his original purchase until he at one time owned 700 acres, all of which he has given to his children, except 280 acres. He and his wife have been life-long members of the Mennonite church, but have liberally assisted other churches with their means. He contributed money toward building two Mennonite Churches in his vicinity, as well as for the Catholic and Baptist Churches of Mishawaka. He is generous and high minded, broad in his views and well posted on all topics. His sons are all settled near him and are in good circumstances: Enoch, who is farming near Tippecanoe Lake, Ind., married Keziah Wendy and has three children: Seth farms near Bangor, Mich., married Hannah Herrington and has two children; Cyrus is a farmer near the old home, is married to Annie Wenger and has seven children; Jacob also farms near home, is married to Elizabeth Wenger and has eight children; John is a farmer, is married to Harriet Weaver and has two children; Noah farms, is married to Laura Moon, by whom he has two children; Joseph is at home. Mr. and Mrs. Eby have two great-grand-children. Their granddaughter, Hannah Eby, daughter of Enoch, married Emmet Gordey and has one son, Alva Allen. John Eby, a grandson, married Mary Eby and has a son, Walter. Mr. Eby is a stanch Republican. "Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead", Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago, 1893, John Morris Co. Printers and Binders

  
  

• 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..., 540. [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..., 195. [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..., 272. [S32] News - Herald of Truth, September 1, 1896 - Obituary of Jacob Eby. [S1131] Book - Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana, Biography of Amos Bechtel. [S134] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1851, Sect. 5 Page 187. [S844] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1861, Sect. 15 Page 97. [S3231] Find A Grave, (2019). Findagrave.com. Retrieved 22 April 2019, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52669055/jacob-eby. [S17] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Der Morgenstern (1839-1841), Marriage notice of Jacob Eby and Polly Bingeman - 9 Apr 1840. Jacob Eby and Polly Bingeman, both of Waterloo, were married by Rev. Bindeman 7 Apr 1840 [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..., 537. [S9] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Canada Museum und Allgemeine Zeitung (1835-1840), 11 Apr 1840:1. recently Rev Bindeman m. Jacob Eby, son of David Eby, to Mary Bingeman, daughter of Johann Bingeman, all of Waterloo Tp. [S8] News - Gospel Herald, December 2, 1915 - Obituary of Mary Bingaman.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 18 Oct 1815 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - 1840 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 7 Apr 1840 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Farmer - 1851 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1851 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Farmer - 1861 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Other Methodist - 1861 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: old age - 20 Aug 1896 - , Elkhart Co., Indiana Buried - - Olive Cemetery, Wakarusa, Elkhart, Indiana, United States  = Link to Google Earth