Mayor Christian Kumpf^[1]

1838 - 1905  (66 years)

• Name	Christian Kumpf
  Prefix	Mayor
  Historic Building	Abt 1812	172 King St. S., Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Erb Kumpf House
  	The original portion of the Erb-Kumpf House was built around 1812 by Abraham Erb, the founder of Waterloo, making it one of Waterloo's oldest homes. It was a three-bay structure facing a mill situated near the south-west corner of King and Erb Streets. Abraham Erb came from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1806 and settled on Lots 14 and 15 of the German Company Tract, land which now comprises the central business district of Waterloo. He established a sawmill on Beaver (Laurel) Creek in 1808 and a grist mill in 1816. In 1828, he sold his mills and a considerable quantity of land to Jacob C. Snider. Magdalene Erb sold the home to Barnabas Devitt, her adopted son, in 1835. His son Benjamin served as Mayor of Waterloo from 1881 to 1883. An addition to the house was probably built by Devitt in 1849. A slight hump in the roof on the north side indicates the location at which it joins the original structure. The application of a vertical board and clapboard which does not align is further evidence that it was added at a later date. The second addition, probably built by Hoffman around 1855, included the two-storey verandah at the front. Elias Snider acquired the home and later sold it to Christian Kumpf in 1869. Kumpf was a newspaper owner, Mayor of Waterloo from 1879-1880, as well as Postmaster for 42 years. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Dominion Life Assurance Company in 1889. His son Ford, who became affectionately known as "Mr. Waterloo", was born in the home in 1877 and assumed ownership in 1899. One of the community's most public-spirited citizens, he served as Treasurer of Waterloo and Clerk/Manager of the Water and Light Commission. He was President of the Waterloo Red Cross Society and The Dominion Life Assurance Company. At present, the house demonstrates a mixture of architectural styles. Among its Georgian characteristics is the six-over-six window pane arrangement. The facade, with its two wings, treillage, Gothic barge board and Doric columns, reflects the Regency influence. In 1979, the home was sold to a law firm which has maintained the integrity of the exterior. A third addition in keeping with the style of the building has since been constructed.1a 1aDesignated Properties www. waterloo.ca
  Born	22 Aug 1838	Beerfelden, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Germany   [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Gender	Male
  Immigration	1846	, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  Residence	1852	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Occupation	CA 1855  [5]
  	printer
  Occupation	1862	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5, 8]
  	Postmaster
  Occupation	1866	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Waterloo Town Treasurer
  Naturalization	1869  [4]
  Occupation	1871	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Merchant
  Residence	1871	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Lutheran
  Elected Office	1879	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor - Waterloo
  Elected Office	1888	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor - Waterloo
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112005235
  Occupation	1891	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Post Master
  Residence	1891	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Lutheran
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-42272
  Died	9 Jan 1905	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Cause: heart failure
  Buried	Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  Person ID	I42272	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	George Wilhelm Kumpf,   b. CALC 22 May 1799, , Hessen, Germany ,   d. 5 Sep 1866, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 67 years)
  Mother	Eva K.,   b. 1799, , Hessen, Germany ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F9493	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Bridget Caroline Cogan,   b. 4 Mar 1837, , Ireland ,   d. 22 Oct 1919, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 82 years)
  Married	18 Mar 1862	, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada   [9]
  Children	1. Agnes Kumpf,   b. 5 May 1863, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 2 Jan 1930, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 66 years)   2. William A. Kumpf,   b. CALC 3 Apr 1865, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Apr 1900, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 35 years)   3. Arthur L. Kumpf,   b. 24 Jun 1867, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1942  (Age 74 years)   4. George Kumpf,   b. 15 Mar 1869, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1941  (Age 71 years)   5. Charles Herbert Christian Kumpf,   b. 10 Oct 1871, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Bef 1905  (Age < 33 years)   6. Alfred Frederick Stanley "Ford" Kumpf,   b. 27 Nov 1876, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 10 Feb 1960  (Age 83 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F10987	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos		Mayor Christian Kumpf
  		Christian Kumpf image from Waterloo Public Library

  
  

• Notes

  DEATH OF MR. C. KUMPF Waterloo's Veteran Postmaster Passes Away After a Brief Illness A deep gloom was cast over the town Monday afternoon when the news spread that Mr. C. Kumpf, the veteran postmaster, had passed away after a brief illness. He had not been feeling well of late but his most intimate and closest friends did not dream that his end was so near. On Wednesday last he presided at a meeting of the Investment Committee of the Dominion Life and was up town on Thursday morning. In the afternoon he had a serious attack of Heart failure which was afterwards complicated with pneumonia and his condition became very critical. On Monday afternoon a consultation was held but medical men could hold out no hope and he quietly passed away an hour or two afterwards. N the death of Mr. Kumpf Waterloo has lost one of its oldest, most respected and most useful citizens, whose place it will be hard to fill. Sketch of His Life The late Christian Kumpf was born in Beerfelden, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, August 22nd, 1838, and was consequently in his 67th year. At the age of ten he emigrated with his parents to Canada and lived for some time at Preston and Galt, where he learned the printing trade. In his early days he was connected with both the Chronicle and the Bauernreund. He often related amusing stories of the long trips he had on horseback delivering papers to subscribers in the sparsely settled districts of the county. He, however, soon left printing to engage in mercantile pursuits. He clerked for a time with the late Daniel Snyder and afterwards entered into partnership with Benjamin Devitt, now license inspector of North Waterloo. On July 1st, 1862, he was appointed postmaster of the then village of Waterloo, under the late Michael Hamilton Foley, then Postmaster-General of Canada. He performed the duties of the office for seven years before his appointment as postmaster and was in office altogether for fifty years. The duties pertaining to the position were always performed in a manner equally acceptable to the Post Office Department and to patrons of the office. For a number of years he conducted a book and stationery business in connection with the post office. He always took a deep interest in municipal affairs, and filled the office of mayor for four terms, in 1879 and 1880 and again in 1888 and 1889. He was a clear, level-headed business man and some of the most important measures in the history of the town were carried out under his administration. He was appointed town treasurer in 1866 and held the position uninterruptedly for 30 years, resigning the position in 1896, when the present treasurer, Mr. S.B. Bricker, was appointed. He took a very active interest in the organization of the Dominion Life Assurance Company, and was one of the largest stock holders and a director of the original Board. In the fall of 1892 he was appointed Vice-President of the company in the place of P.H. Sims, who removed to Toronto. In October, 1903, owing to the death of the late President Innes, Mr. Kumpf was appointed President of the company, an honor which he well merited by reason of the capable oversight of the investments and his fidelity to the interests of the company in general. Mr. Kumpf's death is the third of the presidents of the company. His loss to the Dominion Life is simply irreparable. In social life Mr. Kumpf was genial and companionable. He was a true friend, kind to the poor and performed his charitable acts without ostentation. In his death Waterloo loses one of its most progressive and best citizens. A widow and four children are left to mourn the loss of a kind husband and indulgent father. Two sons predeceased him, namely, William A. and Charles H. The surviving children are: Agnes, wife of A.B. McBride, barrister, of Waterloo; Arthur L., manager of the bell Telephone Co., Waterloo; and Ford S., deputy postmaster; George of the William A. Greene Co., Ltd. The funeral took place Wednesday afternoon, the service being conducted by the Rev. J. R. Gilchrist, B. A., and was attended by a large number of citizens from Berlin and Waterloo, as well as a number form outside points. Among those present from a distance were Hon. Jas. McMullen, Mt. Forest; Jas. Trow, Stratford; Thos. Gowdy, Guelph, directors of the Dominion Life Assurance Company. Other directors telegraphed their regret at their inability to attend and sent messages of condolence. There were many floral tributes, which testified to the high esteem in which deceased was held. After a short service at the hose the funeral cortege proceeded to the Mount Hope Cemetery, where the remains were interred. Chronicle-Telegraph Jan 12 1905 pg 1 _____________________ Christian Kumpf , 1838 - 1905 Born in Beerfelden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany in 1838, Christian Kumpf emigrated to Canada where he settled in Waterloo. He began working in Daniel Snyder's store and post office where he soon rose to the position of assistant postmaster. When Snyder retired in 1862, Kumpf became Waterloo's postmaster, a position he held for over 42 years. In 1860 Kumpf and John Bowman purchased the Berlin Chronicle and Provincial Reformer's Gazette and moved it to Waterloo. They renamed the newspaper the Waterloo County Chronicle and shortly thereafter sold the publication in 1864. When the Bell Telephone Company opened its first phone office in one of the local post offices in 1885, Kumpf became the company's agent. In 1889 Kumpf was instrumental in the establishment of the Dominion Life Assurance Company and became one of two first vice-presidents of the company. Kumpf served on many community boards of directors. In 1890 he became the first president of the Waterloo Board of Trade and chairman of the first Board of Park Management and later a trustee on the first board of the Berlin-Waterloo Hospital built in 1894. In the Town of Waterloo's history, Kumpf is only one of two people to be elected mayor without having first served on Council as an alderman. During his first term as mayor, 1879-1880, Kumpf was received by the new Governor-General, the Marquis of Lorne (Germany) and his wife Her Royal Highness, the Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, during their official visit to Canada. In 1888, during Kumpf's second mayoral term, the town's first municipal library was established and the following year, Kumpf drove in the last spike during a ceremony to mark the extension of the Berlin Street Railway to Waterloo. https://www.waterloo.ca

  
  

• Sources

  [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration. Agnes Kumpf Born: Waterloo Age: 23 Father: Christian Kumpf Mother: Bridget Kumpf Born: abt 1864 Spouse: A B McBride Age: 25 born: York Tp Father: Charles McBride Mother: Isabella McBride married 28 Apr 1887 [S873] Waterloo City - designated properties list, Bean-Wright House. [S270] Census - ON, Waterloo, Preston - 1852, Pg 20. [S135] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo City - 1901, Waterloo (Town/Ville) D-3 Page 1. [S607] News - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo City - Waterloo Chronicle Telegraph (1899- ), "Death of Mr. C. Kumpf," Jan 12 1905, p. 1. [S1573] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo City - 1891, Section 3 Page 52. [S2658] aaaaWaterloo Village 1871, Sect. 2 Page 2. [S57] Vit - ON - Birth Registration. Albert Frederick Stanley Kumpf Born: 27 Nov 1876 County: Waterloo Father: Christian Kumpf Mother: Bridget Cogen [S50] Vit - ON, Brant - Marriage Register 1858-1869. Christian Kumps Event TypeMarriage Event Date18 Mar 1862 Event PlaceBrant, Ontario, Canada Residence WAterloo GenderMale Age25 Birth Year (Estimated)1837 BirthplaceGermany Father's NameWilliam Kumps Mother's NameCatharine Kumps Spouse's NameBridget C Cogan Residence Waterloo Spouse's GenderFemale Spouse's Age25 Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated)1837 Spouse's BirthplaceIreland Spouse's Father's NameMathew Cogan Spouse's Mother's NameHanna C Cogan

  
  

• Event Map

  Historic Building - Erb Kumpf House - Abt 1812 - 172 King St. S., Waterloo, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Born - 22 Aug 1838 - Beerfelden, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Germany Immigration - 1846 - , Ontario, Canada Residence - 1852 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Postmaster - 1862 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 18 Mar 1862 - , Brant Co., Ontario, Canada Occupation - Waterloo Town Treasurer - 1866 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Merchant - 1871 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Lutheran - 1871 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - Waterloo - 1879 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - Waterloo - 1888 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Post Master - 1891 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Lutheran - 1891 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: heart failure - 9 Jan 1905 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth