Urban Brinzer^[1]

1824 - 1874  (49 years)

• Name	Urban Brinzer
  Born	22 Dec 1824	, Germany   [2, 3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Business	1856	Waterloo Coal Company, Waterloo, , Ontario, Canada
  	hotel
  	There were three inns in the village of Waterloo. One was just north of William Street on the eastside of King Street. It was owned by Conrad Nagel. The inn was a two-storey brick structure, eight bays wide and three bays deep. In 1857, a year after its construction the inn was sold to Conrad Schneucker. By 1864, it was known as the American Hotel. Urban Brinzer at that time was the proprietor. It carried the best wines, liquors and cigars.
  Occupation	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	glue manufacturer
  Occupation	1861	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Glue Manufacturer
  Business	1864	American Hotel, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	American Hotel - proprietor
  		Urban Brinzer Waterloo Directory 1864
  Occupation	1864	King St. E., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	hotel proprietor
  House of Industry and Refuge	1874	House of Industry and Refuge Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  		HouseofIndustryandRefugeca1869.JPG The House of Industry and Refuge. In 1868, 141 acres was purchased on Frederick Street in Berlin (now Kitchener) and the house opened on June 15, 1869. The original building housed 100 and operated as an industrial farm, which raised crops and livestock. The residents worked for their keep if possible, those most did not. The House eventually became a strictly a residence of the aged and later relocated and renamed Sunnyside.
  Residence	1874	House of Industry and Refuge, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-34065
  Died	6 Oct 1874	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	Cause: congestion of the lungs following inflamation of the knee
  Buried	House of Industry and Refuge Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I34065	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Johannes Brinzer,   b. Abt 1800, of, Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Anna Katharina Jaeger,   b. Abt 1800, of, Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F38762	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Rosina Christina Geigle,   b. 1828, , Germany ,   d. 3 Dec 1915, , California, USA  (Age 87 years)
  Married	24 Jul 1849	Giengen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany   [5]
  Children	1. Johann "John" Brinzer,   b. 6 Aug 1852, , Germany ,   d. 10 Apr 1861, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 8 years)   2. Wilhelm Brinzer,   b. Aug 1855, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Oct 1855, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 0 years)   3. Wilhelm Brinzer,   b. Dec 1857, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 5 Nov 1858, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 0 years)   4. Brigitte Bertha Brinzer,   b. 23 Oct 1861, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 25 Sep 1862, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)   5. Herman Brinzer,   b. 18 Jul 1863, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1933  (Age 69 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F9008	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Urban Brinzer from Giengen, Germany came to Waterloo Region about 1853 with his wife Rosina Geigle and son John. At first working as a glue maker, by 1864 he was the proprietor of the American Hotel on King St. in Waterloo. One by one his first 4 children died leaving only his youngest child and wife. By 1874 he was dead buried the House of Industry and Refuge's cemetery in an unmarked grave. His wife Rosina and son Herman eventually moved to California where Herman married and he and Urban's wife buried. _________________________ 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 [Urban Brinzer] 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, 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

  [S6] Church Records - ON, Waterloo - Bindeman, F. W. - Card Index Kitchener Public Library, #8 pg 180. Brigitte Bertha d. 25 Sep1862 aged 11 mos, d/o of U., Cause: Dysentery [S123] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1861, div 2 pg 13. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 08 Oct 1874. 06 Oct 1874 In the poorhouse, in Berlin, Urban Brinzer died at the age of 49 years. [S123] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1861, Div. 2 Page 13. [S1977] Germany, Marriages, 1558-1929, Indexing Project (Batch) Number M92212-5 System Origin: Germany-EASy GS Film number: 1340153 Reference ID: 10, Giengen, Wúrttemberg, Germany. Name: Urban Brinzer Birth Date: 22 Dec 1824 Spouse's Name: Rosina Christina Geigle Spouse's Birth Date: 19 Nov 1828 Event Date: 24 Jul 1849: Father's Name: Johannes Brinzer Mother's Name: Anna Katharina Jaeger Spouse's Father's Name: Johannes Geigle Spouse's Mother's Name: Brigitta Heinzelmann [S330] Directory - ON, Waterloo - 1864 - County of Waterloo gazetteer and general business directory for 1864. [S330] Directory - ON, Waterloo - 1864 - County of Waterloo gazetteer and general business directory for 1864, American Hotel, Street: King, Occ. or Comments: Urban Brinzer, proprietor, Pg: 188.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 22 Dec 1824 - , Germany Married - 24 Jul 1849 - Giengen, , Baden-Württemberg, Germany Business - hotel - 1856 - Waterloo Coal Company, Waterloo, , Ontario, Canada Occupation - glue manufacturer - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Glue Manufacturer - 1861 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Business - American Hotel - proprietor - 1864 - American Hotel, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - hotel proprietor - 1864 - King St. E., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada House of Industry and Refuge - 1874 - House of Industry and Refuge Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - 1874 - House of Industry and Refuge, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: congestion of the lungs following inflamation of the knee - 6 Oct 1874 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - House of Industry and Refuge Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth