Diana Dekay

1836 - 1899  (63 years)

• Name	Diana Dekay
  Born	1 May 1836	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Gender	Female
  Name	Diana McMahon
  Occupation	1871	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Matron
  Residence	1881	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Methodist
  Occupation	1891	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Methodist
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-59627
  Died	4 Nov 1899	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3, 7, 8]
  	Cause: emphysema (5 months)
  Buried	Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7, 8]
  Person ID	I59627	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Jeptha Gilbert Dekay,   b. 2 Aug 1802, , Orange Co., New Jersey ,   d. CA 1848  (Age 45 years)
  Mother	Mary Moxley,   b. 29 Aug 1806, , Virginia, USA ,   d. 29 Dec 1892, Breslau, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 86 years)
  Family ID	F15470	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Richard McMahon,   b. 5 Mar 1826, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 Mar 1894  (Age 68 years)
  Married	30 Dec 1857
  Children	1. Ida Eleanor McMahon,   b. 2 Nov 1863, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 6 May 1936, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 72 years)   2. Berta McMahon,   b. 1872, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F15472	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Waterloo-LogSchool-00002.jpg

  
  

• Notes

  THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE An interesting meeting took place the Saturday before last in the old log cabin in Waterloo Park. This house was, of course, the first schoolhouse in this area and stood originally on the school-house square at the corner of King and Church Streets in Waterloo. It was built in 1820 and served its purpose until 1842, when it was torn down and a 1-storey stone house was constructed on the site. The dismantled log house was erected again in Greenbush and served as a residence for a long time for the coloured man, Mr. Carroll and his family. In the course of this year, the Waterloo Park Commissioners purchased the house, moved it to their park and furnished it again as it was when it was a school-house. At this gathering, in addition to many other ladies and gentlemen, the following (male and female) former pupils attended, took their places on the benches, and were called to order by the 82-year-old teacher, Benjamin Burkholder, who held the scepter, or rather, the switch, from 1831 to 1842 in the old log-house: Joel Guth, 80 years old; Abraham Scherk, Blair, 79; Jakob Bricker, Waterloo, 77; Sarah Burkholder, nee Erb, Bridgeport, 75; Amos Weber, Berlin, 73; John C, Bricker, Hawksville, 71; Maria Erb, nee Quickfall, Norwich 69; David B. Eby, Waterloo, 69; Wendel Baumann, Woolwich, 68; Henry Stauffer, Erbsville, 67; Simon Beatty, Elmira, 67; Jakob Ratz, New Hamburg, 67; Israel Baumann, Berlin, 65; George Elbert, Moorefield, 63; George H. Baumann, Elmira, 63; John Devitt, Waterloo, 62; Richard Quickfall, Bridgeport, 62; Isaak Hoffmann, Waterloo, 61; Robert Barkwell, Peel, 60; Diana McMahon, nee Dekay, Berlin, 60; Thomas Quickfall, Floradale, 60; Benjamin Devitt, Waterloo, 60; Isaak Devitt, Floradale, 58; John Longmann, Peel, 57. In addition, to these, the teacher read the names of 25 pupils from the roll; they were, however, absent. Mr. Burkholder gave an interesting talk about the history of the old school-house, and after him, Rev. J.A. MacLachlan, Rev. J. McNair, Mr. J.E. Baumann, M.P., and Mr. Jakob Ratz spoke about the old days which brought many things out of the past to mind again. School was, as a rule, only in session in winter and the costs were borne by the parents of the children. There were few subjects taught, namely: Reading, Writing and Sums. The children heard little about language, and geography; no child had more than 2 or 3 books. The predominant language was German. The pupils learned to read and write English, but didn't understand a word of it. Among the teachers in the old school-house from 1820-1842, with the exception of Mr. Burkholder, were the following whose names are still recognized: Jephtha DeKay, Joseph Guth, John Herringer, Peter Otto, John Dobbin, Elias Eby, Robert Barber, & Joseph Eby. After those present, on hearing the various speeches felt themselves transported back to the past, the school was closed at four o'clock and the pupils were gathered together in front of the school and photographed as a group. On their return into the school, they found it had been transformed into a dining room with heavily-laden tables, which the old-timers thoroughly enjoyed. After everyone had chatted cordially for a while longer, the gathering broke up. The company will not meet again in complete numbers, nor in such a way. Berliner Journal September 26, 1895 Page 4 Column 4

  
  

• Sources

  [S131] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1851, Div 3 Pg 28. Mary DE KAY USA 41 Methodist William DE KAY son Canada 21 Methodist Dillma DE KAY daughter Canada 16 Methodist [S229] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1871, Div 13, Page 1. [S116] Vit - ON - Death Registration. Diana McMahon Death Date: 4 Nov 1899 Death Location: Waterloo Born: abt 1836 Birth Location: Waterloo Co. cause emphysema (5 months) [S158] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1881, Div. 2 Pg. 65. [S1887] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1861 (North Division), Div 6 Page 29. [S1592] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1891, Section 1 Page 26. [S166] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Mount Hope CC#4508 Internet Link . East: Richard McMahon/ died/ March 31, 1894/ aged 68 y'rs. 26 d'ys./ Diana McMahon/ wife of/ Richard McMahon/ died Nov. 4, 1899/ aged 63 y'rs. 6 mo's./ & 3 days/ McMahon/ West: Mary Moxley DeKay/ died/ Dec. 29, 1892/ aged 86 y'rs. 4 mos./ Ida Eleanor Cram/ daughter of/ Richard & Diana/ McMahon/ born Nov. 2, 1863/ died May 6, 1936/ McMahon/ (A) Mother (B) Father (C) Grandma [S166] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Mount Hope CC#4508 Internet Link . DeKay/ Jepthah Gilbert DeKay/ born Orange Co., N.Y./ Aug. 2, 1802/ died about 1848/ commodore, teacher, farmer/ his wife Mary Moxley/ born Virginia State/ Aug. 29, 1806/ died Breslau, Ont./ Dec. 29, 1892/ the Moxley Family arrived/ in Waterloo Co./ from Penn in 1818/ their children/ Minerva Cordelia (Nickles)/ 1829-1848/ William/ 1830-1904/ Sarah 1834-1846/ Diana (McMahon)/ 1836-1899/ Delilah/ 1838-1846/ all interred in these plots/ Mary Elizabeth (Burnett)/ 1846-1923/ Woodlawn Cem. Guelph/

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1 May 1836 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Matron - 1871 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Methodist - 1881 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Methodist - 1891 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: emphysema (5 months) - 4 Nov 1899 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth