Benjamin B. Bemis

1791 - 1870  (79 years)

• Name	Benjamin B. Bemis
  Born	1791	Cornish, , New Hampshire   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Military	, New England, USA
  	War of 1812
  Occupation	1852	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	farmer
  Occupation	1856	winterbourne, , England
  	Hotel Keeper - Bemis Hotel
  	On April 2,1856 Dr. William Pipe card appeared in the Berlin Chronicle "Doctor Pipe,Physician,etc. Office at Bemis'Hotel,Winterbourne."
  Occupation	1861	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Tavern Keeper
  Residence	episcopalian  [4]
  Residence	1861	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	E. N. C.
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-69552
  Died	15 Mar 1870	Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 4]
  	Cause: pneumonia
  Buried	Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2, 7]
  Person ID	I69552	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	Katherine Coon,   b. 1805, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 16 Oct 1869, Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 64 years)
  Children	1. Aurilia Bemis,   b. 9 Dec 1821, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 25 Apr 1899, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 77 years)   2. Benjamin Bowman Bemis,   b. 3 Oct 1823, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 13 Dec 1900  (Age 77 years)   3. Mary Anne Bemis,   b. 30 Aug 1835, Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 29 Apr 1929, Guelph Township, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 93 years)   4. Katherine "Katie" Bemis,   b. 23 Feb 1838, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 21 Jul 1920, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 82 years)   5. Angeline Bemis,   b. 1841, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Oct 1865, Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada  (Age 24 years)   6. Thomas Asaph Bemis,   b. 14 May 1848, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 2 Oct 1850, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 2 years)
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F18231	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  In the questionaire sent by the Presbytery of Guelph concerning the history of the church, a question was asked as to when the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was first dispensed to the congregation. I applied to Mrs. Samuel Burnett, an old member of the congregation at the time, but since gone home, and was disappointed to receive the reply that she could not remember, but after talking about some other things, she said 'Mr. Gardiner, of Fergus, married us and remained'. I eagerly caught at the statement, and said 'that is just what I want, when were you married, and after a little consideration she said in the fall of 1840. So the congregation must have been organized at that time. She told a rather interesting story concerning the same Mr. Gardiner. They were brought up in the same neighborhood and knew each other in Scotland, and when about to emigrate her father, Mr. Wm. Gerrie, chose a certain vessel to cross the ocean, but was told it was slow boat and so changed to another. When they reached Hamilton about the summer of 1836 they went to church on Sabbath and were astonished to find the preacher was Mr. Gardiner. He had taken the so-called slow boat and got there before them. He was the first minister of St. Andrew's Church, Fergus, but only lived a few years, and is buried behind that church under a flat stone. Mrs. Burnett also gave me another interesting item. The feeling ran very high between the two parties at the disruption. Previous to this the church building had been used by all denominations - the Methodist and English church had occasional services in it. But after the disruption the Free church party were excluded from the church. The preacher sent to preach and organize them was the Rev. Mr., afterwards Dr. Smellie, of Fergus, successor to Mr. Gardiner. When he came to the church the door was locked and an entrance refused. Mr. Bemis then kept hotel across the road from the church, and he kindly invited the congregation to occupy his lawn, and Mr. Smellie had as his pulpit the porch in front of the hotel, the people standing or sitting on the grass. His text was Ezek. 37: 1-10, the passage about the 'dry bones.' I mentioned the matter to my good friend, Rev. J.A. Mullan, and thought he would be interested in it, but received the dry reply 'Yes he was always preaching about the dry bones.' I found I had touched a tender spot and said no more.....Benjamin Bowman Bemis came from New Hampshire, born in March 1792, had a remarkably eventful life in his early years, came to Woolwich in 1814, settled on the farm opposite the Presbyterian burying ground and kept hotel there for many years, afterwards built and kept the hotel in Winterbourne. He was noted for his hospitality and kindness to travellers. A Few Notes on the Early History of Chalmers' Church, Winterbourne" by Rev. A. M. Hamilton, M. A. _______________________________________ Benjamin Bowman Bemis was born at Cornish, New Hampshire, on March 14th, 1792. Many stories are told of his early life which had been a remarkably eventful one. As a young man living in a New England seaport town he took part in some stirring events during the War of 1812-14. Towards the close of the war he visited a brother, Asaph. S. Bemis, who was living in Buffalo, and was there in 1814, when Buffalo, then a village, was burned. Shortly after that he was in Woolwich. After trying other places, the farm on which he settled was on the east side of the road, opposite Woodward's, and north of and adjoining Zephaniah Sexton's. Later he built a hotel in Winterbourne and in this way was well known to all the first immigrants. From one and all comes the same story that his house was always open to them. Few had any money in the days of the Pilkington settlement but, that made no difference to Mr. Bemis ; he was hospitable and kind to every one. Benjamin Bowman Bemis married a widow whose maiden name was Mary Pollard. There were two in this family, Aurelia, born in 1821, was married to David Chalmers; and Benjamin Bowman Bemis, jr.. born in 1823, was married in February 1850 to Christina McKay, and died December 13th, 1900 at the age of seventy-seven. In 1834 Mr. Bemis, sr., married the widow of William Singer, from the Township of Nichol, and the children by this second marriage were: Mary Ann, married Matthew Durrant ; Angeline, married Alex. McCloy ; Catharine, now living in Winterbourne ; and Thomas, who died quite young. Benjamin Bowman Bemis died on March 13th, 1870, at the age of 78, and his second wife, whose maiden name was Katharine Coon, died October 16th, 1869, in her sixty fourth year. The Early History of Elora, Ontario, and Vicinity by John R. Connon ________________ The Old Brick Tavern. Here is a venerable landmark. It was built about the year 1850 by the late Benjamin Bemis, a conspicuous character in his day here, and previous to his taking charge of the hotel kept a small liquor shop in a little shanty opposite the present site of the Presbyterian burying ground. He kept the tavern for a number of years and since his time it was kept by different parties until about six years ago when it came into possession of Mr. Michael Brohman, its present landlord and proprietor. It is the only hotel in the village, but it is well conducted, has ample accommodation to supply the needs of the community in that respect and will compare favorably with any village hotel in the county. Mr. Brohman was born in New Germany in 1842. He was engaged in farming until he came to Winterbourne and took charge of the hotel. He has been twice married, the first time being about twenty years ago and the second some twelve years ago. He is the father of 11 children, five by his first wife and six by the second. His first wife was a daughter of Martin Gates, a farmer of Waterloo township, and his second wife a daughter of Ignatius Adams, also of Waterloo township. His father was an Alsatian and died in 1876 aged 69 years, and his mother was born on the Rhine and died in 1893 aged 85 years. Mr. Brohman is a Conservative in politics, and he and his family are members of the Roman Catholic church. The people of Winterbourne are to be congratulated upon having a hotel they need not be afraid will create a discreditable reputation for the village by strangers. Waterloo County Chronicle, 2 Jun 1898, p. 8 Is said to be born at Cornis, New Hampshire and opened a hotel in Winterbourne.

  
  

• Sources

  [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 24 Mar 1870. Benjamin B. Bemis died 15 Mar 1870 in Winterborn, 78 yrs, was oldest citizen in Woolwich Twp. [S417] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - Winterbourne Presbyterian CC#4597 Internet Link. Bemis / In Memory Of / B. B. Bemis, Born 1792 - Died 1870 / Katherine, His Wife / Born 1806 - Died 1869 / Their Dau. Angeline, Wife Of / Alex Mccloy / Born 1841 - Died 1865 / Thomas, Born 1849 - Died 1850 / Katherine Bemis Mccloy / Born 1865 - Died 1892 / [S141] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1851, Div 1 Pg 2. Benjamin B. Bemis Farmer USA Church of England 60 Kathrine Bemis Canada Church of England 46 Mary Anne Bemis Canada Church of England 17 Katerina Bemis Canada Church of England 14 Angeline Bemis Canada Church of England 11 [S116] Vit - ON - Death Registration. Benjamin B. Bemis d. 13 Mar 1870 Woolwich, b. New Hampshire, aged 78, occ. hotel keeper, cause: pnemonia, hotel keeper. Religion Episcopalian [S915] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1861, Township of Woolwich 1861 Div. 7 Page 62. [S141] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1851, Div 1 Pg 2. [S915] Census - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - 1861.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1791 - Cornish, , New Hampshire Military - War of 1812 - - , New England, USA Occupation - farmer - 1852 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Tavern Keeper - 1861 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - E. N. C. - 1861 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: pneumonia - 15 Mar 1870 - Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth