Ida Bergey^{[1, 2]}

1885 - 1978  (92 years)

• Name	Ida Bergey
  Born	16 Jun 1885	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Gender	Female
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170360265
  Name	Ida Millar
  Residence	1891	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Mennonite
  Residence	1911	New Dundee, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Mennonite
  Eby ID Number	00004-892.8
  Died	29 Apr 1978	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5, 7]
  Buried	Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5, 7]
  Person ID	I6595	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Deacon David E. Bergey,   b. 3 Jul 1845, Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 25 Mar 1932, New Dundee, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 86 years)
  Mother	Louisa Bowman,   b. 28 Nov 1845, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 11 Jan 1931, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 85 years)
  Married	31 Dec 1872	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [8, 9]
  Family ID	F1955	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Frederick Blain Millar,   b. 1 Nov 1887, Lindsay, Ops Twp., Victoria Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 25 Jul 1955, RR4, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 67 years)
  Married	4 Mar 1918	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. Bertha M. Millar   2. David Douglas "Doug" Millar,   b. 9 Jan 1920,   d. 26 Jul 1999  (Age 79 years)   3. James Donald "Don" Millar,   b. 24 Dec 1921, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 May 2018, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 96 years)   4. Louisa Mary Millar,   b. 23 Dec 1923,   d. 4 Mar 2021  (Age 97 years)   5. Rev. Robert Grant Millar,   b. 16 Aug 1925, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 28 May 2001, , Oklahoma, USA  (Age 75 years)   6. Frederick B. "Fred" Millar,   b. 1931,   d. 2 Sep 2005, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 74 years)   7. Roderick Bergey Millar,   b. 13 Apr 1931,   d. 2002  (Age 70 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F187947	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  MILLAR, Mrs. Frederick B. (Ida Bergey) -- At Cambridge Country Manor, Route 31, Cambridge (P), on Saturday, April 29, 1978, Ida Bergey, formerly of 54 Marshall St., waterloo, age 92 years. Mrs. Millar was born in New Dundee, a daughter of the late David Bergey and the former Louisa Bowman. A member of Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church; a member and past president of the Women's Missionary Association of the church. A charter member and past presiden tof New Dundee Women's Institute and a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She was predeceased by her husband, Frederick B. Millar, in 1955 and by four brothers and two sisters. Surviving ar five sons, Douglas and Donald of Kitchener, Rev. Robert Millar of Oklahoma and twins, Roderick of Cambridge (G) and Frederick of Kitchener and two daughters, Louisa Miller and Bertha (Mrs. Robert Landers), both of Waterloo; 20 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren also survive. A private family committal service was held at Woodland cemetery today. The family will be receiving friends and relatives at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church chapel on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., with Rev. Martha Smith and Rev. Ron Rempel officiating. Donations to the memorial find of the WMA, the Mennonite Central Committee or the CNIB may be made as expressions of sympathy, and may be made at the church or the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home. The Kitchener-Waterloo Record 1 May 1978 ___________________ "Ida was the sixth of David and Louisa (Bowman) Bergey's seven children. She was born the year her family moved to New Dundee. At the age of 22 Ida became a charter member of the New Dundee Women's Institute and was elected their first president in 1907. Her involvement in the Institute provided a stepping stone to develop her creative writing. In later years she became a correspondent for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. After her marriage to Fred Millar they purchased a little 13 acre farm two miles west of Kitchener. Fred worked in Kitchener during the 1920s but was unemployed during the depression in the 1930s. The income from the farm was not sufficient to support their growing family of seven children. Twin sons born in 1931 completed the family circle. One of thet wins at the age of two required surgery and was hospitalized for a year in the Toronto Sick Children's Hospital. (This was before the Ontario Hospital Insurance Plan was in effect.) At this point Ida recalled the cheese making skills she learned from her mother. A small vat, a cheese press and a few utensils were brought fromt he Bergey home farm near New Dundee. Ida made the traditional Bowman Farmes Mild Cheese. Medium and Old Cheddar was purchased from various cheese factories and sold at several markets. Their first market stand was at the Kitchener Farmers' Market where her brother Herb and her UncleAaron Bowman's family also sold cheese. In 1936 and 1937 the family sold cheese at four markets each Saturday. Fred dropped off Ida and son Donald at Kitchener, then with Douglas proceeded on to Preston. That market was over by 9 a.m., then on to Hamilton, another 35 miles east. At noon Ida and Donald left the Kitchener market for the Waterloo market with a farmer who also attended both markets. Kitchener/Waterloo are Twin Cities. The distance between the two markets was a little over three miles. The Waterloo Market did not open for business until exactly 1 p.m. when the Market Clerk would ring a bell. Those who had already made a selection (and sometimes paid for it) wouldr ush to pick up their merchandise and leave. The market was over in a couple of hours so Ida had to wait until sometime between four and five o'clock when Fred would arrive from Hamilton to take the family and empty cheese boxes home. They made a specialty of aging their cheddar to a degree of ripeness that was popular with many who appreciated the sharp tang. Some cheddars were much superior to others, depending on the month it was made, the factory that produced it, humidity, temperature and other factors. Visits were made to the five or six factories that produced cheddar and testing made from a tubular sample drawn from the 80-90 lb. block was standard practice. One amusing incident remains in memory. A little cheese factory located in the Fryfogel Inn between New Hamburg and Stratford had a supply of quarter-pound bars of Limburger cheese considerably past their prime. Limburger has a relatively short life and unless refrigerated it will ripen to a soft, runny mass, almost like honey, but it certainly does not smell sweet. The manager offered them for five cents each. Could they be sold? 'Well, take them anyway and if you sell them you can pay me, if not, throw them out.' They were offered at 15 cents each and only one or two were sold. The next week a sign announced 'Specially aged limburger - 35 cents'. We sold them all that Saturday and for weeks people would return and ask for that' good'? old limburger." (compiled by D. Douglas Millar) "Those Enterprising Pennsylvania Germans" _______________________ :"Ida Bergey, at the age of nineteen or twenty, probably had thedistinction of being the youngest president of any Women's Institute in Ontario. Hers was a life-long involvement in community and church activities. In her eighties, she was still visiting 'senior's. YOUTH AND ADVENTURE Ida Bergey was born on June 16, 1885 to David and Louisa (Bowman) Bergey. The Bergey family attended the Blenheim Mennonite Church, where David was ordained deacon in 1889. Although Ida's father was a teacher in the public schools, an education beyond grade school was not considered necessary for girls. Ida's older sister Amelia, whose story is also told in this book, worked her own way through higher education when she was old enough to leave home. Ida's educational pursuits seem to be limited to a term in the Bible Studyclass (forerunner of Ontario Mennonite Bible School) of 1907 and a course at a business college. Ida, however, did not lack for educational stimulation in the home. Her father's library contained most of the classics of the time. The room which contained this library was Ida's favourite. When the New Dundee Women's Institute was organized in the early 1900s, Ida joined, and it was not long until her name was proposed for the office of president. When she asked her father what she should do, he advised, 'You have to make up your own mind. But if you can't take criticism, don't accept.' Frequently one hears stories of young men going west for a bit of adventure, but in the Bergey family it was the women. Ida, her sister, Eva, and a family friend decided to go to California. The three of them found employment in a millionnaire's home. One of them was cook, one was the upstairs maid, the other the downstairs maid. These women learned a great deal about refined housekeeping during that year, and Ida continued to set an attractive table whenever she entertained. On her return from California, Ida went to Toronto to find work. While there, she became acquainted with Frederick Millar. Since Ida was under church discipline for failing to abide by the prescribed dress regulations and Fred was not a member of the Mennonite Church, they were married at a Baptist church in 1917. They eventually bought a little farm just west of Kitchener. CHURCH AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT When Stirling Avenue Mennonite church was organized in 1924, the Millars still had no church affiliation. This congregation was open to receiving members, disciplined in their own congregations for breach of the dress code. In spite of, or perhaps because of, his being drafted into the army, the Mennonite stand on peace and non-violence appealed to Fred, and the Millars joined the Stirling Church. Ida soon became involved in the Women's Missionary Society. In 1930 after the death of Mary Snider, Ida was appointed as Cradle Roll superintendent. (The Cradle Roll was sponsored by the WMS). In 1941 she was elected secretary of the Society, in 1944 as vice-pres., and in 1946 as president. According to the minutes she frequently volunteered to pack relief goods or mend at the Mennonite Central Committee depot. One fall, in lieu of making so many quilts, Ida organized a comforter-knotting bee for the young people. The youth knotted a lot of comforters, but the women spent another day redoing much of the work! The church camping program also received Ida's support. Her family does not know how she had the time and energy to volunteer to cook and serve as 'camp mother', but she was there. Probably in order to get away from the constant emphasis on quilting in the regular women's meetings, Ida and one of her Sunday school classes began the 'Friendly Circle'. This group was more socially oriented and not as highly organized as the WMS, kept no records, but did take on some projects and always had devotions at the meetings. Living on the highway and relatively close to the road made the Millar house very accessible to the transients who walked from city to city. Especially during the Depression, men would walk the roads in search of employment, and failing to find that, had to seek a free meal and lodging, wherever they could. The Millars never turned anyone away - well, only once! One day Ida was especially busy and actually turned one away. As soon as he was on his way, she was filled with remorse. She went to the telephone and called her neighbour up the road, who promised to take care of the problem. She made a sandwich and met the man at the end of her lane. On another occasion, a very discouraged man spent a few days at the Millar home. Unknown to them, he was contemplating suicide. After receiving the Millar family's hospitality - and even a little counsel, he went back to Chicago with renewed hope. He later wrote to them, telling them they had saved his life. It was also during the depression years that the Millar family hosted children from the orphanage during the summer months. Ida would have liked to adopt one particular little girl, but her church friends counselled against it. They reasoned that by the time the girl would be a teenager, Ida would be an old woman. Her friends probably had the welfare of the child in mind and, no doubt, also felt that Ida, with her family of seven, had enough children of her own. Although Ida was not much interested in quilting, she did learn to sew and kept her family well-clothed. The family recalls that a neighbour came one day with some worn out pants and asked Ida for patches. Seeing the state of the pants, Ida gave her a pair which one of her sons had outgrown. The next Sunday at church, Lena Weber came to Ida and said she had found some good pant material on sale. She had thought of Ida and all her boys; so she bought some material and made each of them a pair of pants. Ida came home beaming, 'If you give away your old pants, the Lord will give you a set of new ones!' One cold Sunday morning in winter, the whole Millar family was sick, and everyone stayed in bed. Before long the neighbour from across the road and up the hill was knocking at the door. Fred went to answer in his night shirt. The man wondered what was wrong, and Fred wondered how he knew something was wrong. 'Well', said the caller. 'If at this hour on a Sunday morning there is no smoke coming from your chimney, there is something wrong'. He built a fire in the stove and went for his wife, who came and made a kettle full of hot soup. The outcome of that incident was that a friendship developed, and this couple - first the wife, then the husband - became members of the Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church. When Ida joined the Women's Institute in her youth, it provided a stepping stone to develop her creative writing. As a correspondent for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, she received a free subscription. This was particularly significant since it coincided with the depression years. She wrote a column of local news, calling herself the 'Elmdale Correspondent'. She wrote her reports by lamp light after the children were in bed. That was also the time she did most of her reading. Ida exercised her literary skills throughout her life - writing pieces and poetry for the Women's Institute or for various family and church celebrations. One of her last poems accompanied the plates she distributed to her daughters and daughter-in-law one Christmas. She died on April 29, 1978 after a long, active life, passing on a legacy of faith, conviction, optimism and strength as well as plates." "Willing Service:Stories of Ontario Mennonite Women", pg. 252-255 _________________

  
  

• 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..., 78. [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..., 235. [S133] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1901, Wilmot H-2 Page 8. [S346] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1911, Div. 12 Page 12. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituarry of Ida Bergey - 1 May 1978. [S939] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wilmot - 1891, Div. 1 Page 27. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170360265. [S8] News - Gospel Herald, February 5, 1931 - Obituary of Louia Bowman. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 16 Jan 1873. 31 Dec 1872 By Pastor Spring in New Hamburg, David Berge, a schoolteacher, was married to Louise Baumann, both of Wilmot.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 16 Jun 1885 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1891 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1911 - New Dundee, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 4 Mar 1918 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 29 Apr 1978 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth