John W. Eby^{[1, 2, 3]}

1803 - 1891  (87 years)

• Name	John W. Eby
  Born	6 Nov 1803	, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania   [1, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Gender	Male
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/191059567
  Name	Johannes W. Eby  [8]
  Residence	1837	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [8]
  Occupation	1851	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [9]
  	druggist
  Occupation	1852	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [10]
  	apothecary
  Occupation	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Druggist
  Residence	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Mennonite
  Occupation	1871	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Druggist
  Residence	362 Frederick St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Eby ID Number	00031-2676
  Died	22 Oct 1891	Port Elgin, Saugeen Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	Sanctuary Park Cemetery, Port Elgin, Saugeen Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario
  Person ID	I21715	Generations
  Last Modified	9 Jun 2025

  
  

  Father	George S. Eby,   b. 8 May 1776, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 17 Nov 1858, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 82 years)
  Mother	Barbara Wenger,   b. 1780, , Pennsylvania, USA ,   d. Sep 1834  (Age 54 years)
  Married	1 Apr 1797  [11, 12]
  Family ID	F4279	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Philippina Fischer,   b. 14 Mar 1811, , , Germany ,   d. 17 Jan 1894, Listowel, Wallace Twp., Perth County, Ontario, Canada  (Age 82 years)
  Married	22 Jan 1839	Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States   [1, 13]
  Children	1. Amanda F. Eby,   b. 6 Nov 1839, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Jan 1916, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 76 years)   2. Martin F. Eby,   b. 23 Feb 1841, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Henry F. Eby,   b. 12 Sep 1842, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 18 Jul 1921, Nappanee, Elkhart, Indiana, USA  (Age 78 years)   4. Joseph Fischer Eby,   b. 23 Mar 1844, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 11 May 1914, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 70 years)   5. Samuel F. Eby,   b. 15 Mar 1846, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   6. Elizabeth F. "Lizzie" Eby,   b. 12 Feb 1848, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1934  (Age 85 years)   7. Lydia F. Eby,   b. 15 Jul 1849, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Oct 1863, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 14 years)
  Last Modified	10 Jun 2025
  Family ID	F2226	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Veronica Weber,   b. 19 Jul 1808, Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 10 Dec 1838, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 30 years)
  Children	1. George W. Eby,   b. 7 Aug 1828, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   2. Catharine W. Eby,   b. 4 Jun 1830, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 6 Jul 1909  (Age 79 years)   3. Magdalena W. Eby,   b. 22 Jul 1831, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Oct 1926, St. Jacobs, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 95 years)   4. John W. Eby,   b. 22 May 1833, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 17 Sep 1840, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 7 years)   5. Moses Weber Eby,   b. 20 Nov 1835, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 23 Oct 1924, Brampton, Peel Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 88 years)   6. Veronica W. Eby,   b. 23 Aug 1837, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1 Dec 1837, near, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)
  Last Modified	10 Jun 2025
  Family ID	F4613	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  John Eby, "the third son of George Eby, was born In Pennsylvania, November 6th, 1803. He was probably 6 months old when he came to Canada. It is supposed that he started the first drug store in the town of Berlin, Ontario. He used to bring his goods from Buffalo, New York, by team. He resided in the town of Berlin for about 70 years, then he moved to Elmira where he lived for 12 years, and several years ago he moved to Port Elgin where some of his family reside. Here he died October 22nd, 1891. He was married twice, first to Veronica Weber who was born July 19th, 1808, and died December 10th, 1837, and after the decease of his first wife he was married to Philipina Fischer who was born March 14th, 1811, and died in Listowel with her daughter, Mrs. Joshua Bowman, January 17th, 1894. His family consisted of the following 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.]. _______________________ Among the early settlers of Berlin were August Fuchs, a jeweller, from Baden ; George Jantz, a grocer and tavern keeper, also from Baden ; Anselm Wagner, a potter from Alsace Theobald Spetz, The Catholic Church in Waterloo County Book I ______________________ Anselm Wagner was the first potter in Berlin and had a shop for many years on King street south. _________________ How More German Families Were Brought In At that stage there was a further influx of German hand-workers. In the main they came from Hesse, with sprinklings from Baden, Saxony. Mecklenburg, and other States. Woodworkers predominated. The Dorf however boasted a weaver, wagonmaker, hatmaker. a tailor (John Nahrgang), two shoemakers, and several carpenters, while Anselm Wagner, potter, made shilling crocks and flowerpots for the Hausfrau. A Dr. Klinkert was the first doctor A History of Kitchener ___________________ King Street , North Side Frederick Street. Bishop Benjamin Eby's farm came to the corner of King and Frederick Streets. Next to Frederick Street, Frederick and William Miller erected a frame building and used it as a general store. After the grading operations spoken of this building had to undergo the same process as the St. Nicholas Hotel. It was considered a fine building in its day with large windows on each side of the centre door. Henry Stroh finally bought the building and tore it down in 1868. Jacob Stroh has some of the window sash, shutters, stairway, etc., still in his possession. Later the building was occupied by Jacob Eckstein cigar maker and tobacco dealer. Mrs. Warren with a family lived on the second story for a number of years. Vacant lot. Next a large brick building with double deck porch along the front, the Queen's Arms Hotel, built about 1840 and continued as a hotel until about 1860. A Mr. Butchard was the first landlord and later Levi Weber. From this hotel the first omnibus met the trains at the G.T.R. station in Berlin in 1856. Before that day it was a stopping place of stage coaches operating from Hamilton and Galt to Berlin and beyond. The old Queen's Arms long vacant and practically ruined as a building was sold finally and made room for the Market Building and Town Hall in 1869.* Next we come to the John Roos house. This also had a double-deck veranda with heavy posts as was the style 1840-50. The building was later turned into a hotel known as the Market Hotel and kept by Casper Heller. A lot with a log cabin in the rear, occupied by Jacob Sauer, who had come from Pennsylvania, father of Mrs. John Roat. * See 1922 Annual Report W. H. S., p. 210. A harness shop occupied by John Roat, then by his son John and later by John Haugh, a son-in-law of John Roat. A garden. A dwelling, 4 or 5 feet lower than the street which had been filled up, where lived the Susand family. Mrs. Susand had a reputation with juveniles for tarts and molasses taffy sold in lc. bars. Her children were in the habit of selling these wares to passengers at the G.T.R. station. After her husband's death about 1860, widow Susand moved her shop to Foundry Street North, and there continued until she died. Susand was an ex-slave. In 1857 at a nomination meeting for Council, he was nominated and stood a good chance of being elected, as a joke. However, the more thoughtful element among the voters prevailed. A two story, frame building, lengthwise with King Street, built in the '30's. After street grading this had to be raised so that what had before been the ground floor became the cellar or basement. A house occupied by Wm. Hawke,-known as Bill Hawke- a mason. A stout, easy-going man. His wife was in the habit of standing in the door way, with white lace cap, smoking a clay pipe. The east end of this building was occupied by Winters, a hatter, the first hat maker in Berlin. He made the old style, broad brim, Mennonite hats in fashion up to about 1845. At the corner of Scott stood a brick building of good size with gable toward King Street, used to stable the first fire teams for a number of years. Later John Wagner had a waggon shop above and George Ward a blacksmith shop underneath. Scott Street was, however, not opened until many years later. A one and one-half story building rough cast, gable facing King St., occupied by H. W. Peterson, who began publishing the "Canada Museum", in 1835 and so continued until 1840 when he went to Guelph as first Registrar of the County of Wellington. This was the first newspaper published in Waterloo County. Jacob Hailer's house, a one and one-half story, frame building with porch along the front partly enclosed by lattice work. In this house was born in 1834, Catherine Hailer, who married Louis Breithaupt. She is said to have been the first child born in Berlin of parents who came from Germany. Hailer's barn was some distance back from the street and next along on the street front was his shop where he manufactured spinning wheels, etc., and chairs which had a large distribution. Hailer was an expert wood turner. He had two foot-power lathes and a number of German assistants from time to time, continuing his shop for about 40 years. A two story frame building lengthwise with King Street, erected by Dr. John Scott. He had a drug store with two good-sized windows at the front. On the east gable of the building was a sign, "Med. Hall" in large letters. The sign was legible long after Dr. Scott's death. The doctor pursued his practice on horseback for which he used three horses. He was the first medical practitioner in Berlin, coming in 1834, at the time of the cholera epidemic. For a few years before he was married he boarded at the Gaukel Hotel. His later house, after the one described, is still standing on Weber Street at the rear of the Kitchener Public Library. The old Scott house on King Street was later occupied by Franz Martin who kept a saloon. Martin had a musical family, with the zither as their principal instrument, which all the children could play. A one and one-half story, frame building, painted, occupied by Anslm Wagner, a potter. A brick building 1 ½ story lengthwise with King Street, the west end of which was John Eby's drug store, the rest of the building being his dwelling. This was the first regular drug store in Berlin. A brick building with a frame extension in the rear used by David Eby as a pump shop. Part of the brick building is still standing, the rest having been cut off for the opening of Eby Street North. A one story hip roof brick cottage occupied by Geo. Eby, a Notary, who came to Canada in 1804. He died in this house. A considerable fish story is told of how he followed a sturgeon in the Conestoga River, part of Grand River, and finally speared it. A one and one-half story building, probably rough cast, occupied by Hy. Wurm, a carpenter employed at the Simpson factory. A two story brick building painted red occupied by Henry S. Huber.' A handsome brick building, two story, with veranda along the front and ground floor considerably above the street level, with broad steps, the width of the building, leading to it, was built in 1850. Some time later it was occupied by Casper Heller and known as the Royal Exchange hotel. Following the old custom its swinging sign had "Last Chance" on the side toward the village and "First Chance" outward, referring to liquid refreshments. Heller kept a good hotel and had also a large shed and ham next east of the hotel. On the corner a steam grist mill was erected, about 1860. Louis Seyler, a German, was the miller. The custom was for farmers to bring in their wheat to have it ground, getting in return flour, bran and middlings, the miller retaining his toll. Later Lehnen & Shelly operated this mill. REMINISCENCES OF BERLIN (NOW KITCHENER) By JACOB STROH Contributed by Joseph M. Snyder. ___________________ Part I. Settlement - Early Villagers and BuildingsThe first settlers in Waterloo Township had large farms, four hundred acres and over, the lot sub-divisions of the German Company Tract. Joseph Schneider settled on Queen Street South, Bishop Benjamin Eby at the south-east side , Abram Weber on the corner of King and Wilmot Streets and David Weber in the neighborhood of the later Grand Trunk Railway station. After the railway was built David Weber moved to Weber Street, named after him, to a location opposite the present Zion Church. Samuel Schneider and Elias Schneider settled in Waterloo. John Brubacher arrived from Pennsylvania in 1816 and took up his lot of the German Company Tract which was in the district of the County House of Refuge. Throughout the county here and there little settlements consisting of a few houses, a blacksmith shop, perhaps a tavern and probably a cooper shop and weaver shop, began to appear. Only those settlements which had possible water-powers had any hope of growing to villages or towns. Preston, Galt, Bridgeport and Waterloo were in this class. For a long time the vicinity of Berlin was known as the sand-hills. In the locality where the hospital and Collegiate Institute now stand were hills over which loaded wagons could hardly be drawn. On a windy day the sand would form ridges. There was a troublesome sand-hill from Queen Street eastward on Church and another one at the corner of King and Frederick Streets. This latter was cut down about eight or nine feet to the level of the cellar floors, some time after the first buildings had been erected. The easterly part of the settlement was known as Ben Eby's. Queen Street South was the Schneider road. 1830 the village centre was established by Phineas Varnum who, by permission of Joseph Schneider, started a blacksmith shop on the site of the present Walper House. A moderately sized house, 35' by 25', about 40' southwest of the blacksmith shop, was used as a tavern. In the same year the first store in the settlement was opened by William, David and Frederick Miller on the site of the present Post Office, There were few houses in the hamlet until a number of immigrants arrived directly from Germany, after 1820. John Eby, druggist and chemist, who had his shop a little west of the present Eby Street, related that when immigrants arrived it was the custom, such was the scarcity of buildings, to form a "bee" including farmers and villagers, to erect log houses for the new-comers. A number of these primitive dwellings were in the locality of the present Post Office. It is related that after one of these bees, the company being assembled in Varnum's blacksmith shop or tavern, the proposal was made that the hamlet should be given a name and someone suggested Berlin in honor of the German immigrants. The suggestion was joyously received. Jacob Stroh's mother, adopted in 1827 by Abram Weber when she was three years old, often told Mr. Stroh of her remembrance of the day when Mr. Weber, who had assisted at the bee, came home and told how the little hamlet had that day received the name of Berlin. This occurred probably in 1833. Mr. Stroh has a document dated 1833 in which Berlin first appears as the name of the hamlet. H. W. Peterson, publisher of the "Canada Museum", the first newspaper in the county, from 1835-1840, is authority that in 1835 there were only 25 dwellings in the place. King Street, Queen Street and Frederick Street, being the main entrances from the surrounding country, were from the beginning the principal streets of the village. These streets are not normal with points of the compass. King Street changes direction several times. At the C.N.R. crossing its direction is about northwest, at an angle with the railway of about 45 degrees. It keeps on turning and finally in the main part of Waterloo it runs due north and south. Queen Street and Frederick Street are approximately at right angles to King Street. Conventionally King Street is called east and west from Queen Street, and Queen Street north and south from King Street. Particulars of the buildings and occupants for these streets follow: 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

  [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..., 596. [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..., 104. [S10] Book - Vol II 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..., 570. [S229] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1871, Div 13, Page 13. [S131] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1851. John W EBY Apothecary USA 49 Mennonite b. 6-Nov Philpina EBY Midwife Germany 41 Mennonite b. 15-Mar Magdelena EBY Canada 20 Mennonite b. 20-Jun Amanda EBY Canada 13 Mennonite b. 6-Nov Moses EBY Canada 17 Mennonite b. 20-Nov Martin EBY Canada 11 Mennonite b. 22-Jan Henry EBY Canada 10 Mennonite b. 12-Sep Joseph EBY Canada 9 Mennonite b. 23-Feb Samuel EBY Canada 6 Mennonite b. 15-Mar Elisabeth EBY Canada 4 Mennonite b. 12-Feb Lyda EBY Canada 3 Mennonite b. 15-Jul Magdelena UNGER Canada 17 Mennonite b. 31-May [S130] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1881, Div. 2 Page 41. [S123] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1861, Div. 1 Page 3. [S9] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Canada Museum und Allgemeine Zeitung (1835-1840), 31 Aug 1837:37. 22 Aug 1837 The family of Johannes Eby nearby Berlin was blessed with a daughter [S2070] Directory - Ontario Directory for 1851. [S131] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1851, Div 4 Pg 2. [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..., 587. [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..., 630. [S9] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Canada Museum und Allgemeine Zeitung (1835-1840), 2 Feb 1839:7. 22 Jan 1839 In Buffalo, John Eby, son of Georg Eby, m. Spr Phillipine Fisher, both of Waterloo, Upper Canada.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 6 Nov 1803 - , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania Residence - 1837 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 22 Jan 1839 - Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States Occupation - druggist - 1851 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - apothecary - 1852 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Druggist - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Druggist - 1871 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - - 362 Frederick St., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 22 Oct 1891 - Port Elgin, Saugeen Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada Buried - - Sanctuary Park Cemetery, Port Elgin, Saugeen Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario  = Link to Google Earth