Rev. Henry Snyder

Abt 1820 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Henry Snyder
  Prefix	Rev.
  Born	Abt 1820	of, Waterloo Twp., Region of Waterloo, Ontario
  Gender	Male
  Name	Henry Schneider
  Occupation	German Baptist Church (Benton Street Baptist Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	minister
  Occupation	1852	Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	minister
  	Land on the Bloomingdale Road was donated on November 16, 1848 by John U. Tyson for a free cemetery and free church, to be available for the use of any denomination. The first German Baptist congregation in Canada was organized here on September 10, 1851 by the Rev. August Rauschenbusch. (This 16-member congregation was the forerunner of Benton Street Baptist Church in Berlin/Kitchener.) The first pastor was Rev. Henry Schneider who was ordained to the Baptist Ministry on November 12, 1852.1a 1aAmbrose, Rosemary. Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide to Churches Established Before 1900. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada: Waterloo-Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1993. [used the kind permission of Rosemary Ambrose 2011]
  Residence	1858	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-86898
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I86898	Generations
  Last Modified	1 Dec 2024

  
  

  Children	1. Samuel Snyder,   b. 17 Jan 1853, of, Waterloo Twp., Region of Waterloo, Ontario ,   d. 14 Sep 1858, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 5 years)   2. Herman Snyder,   b. 8 Feb 1855, of, Waterloo Twp., Region of Waterloo, Ontario ,   d. 11 Sep 1858, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 3 years)
  Last Modified	3 Dec 2024
  Family ID	F22539	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Bridgeport Free Church Land on the Bloomingdale Road was donated on November 16, 1848 by John U. Tyson for a free cemetery and free church, to be available for the use of any denomination. The first German Baptist congregation in Canada was organized here on September 10, 1851 by the Rev. August Rauschenbusch. (This 16-member congregation was the forerunner of Benton Street Baptist Church in Berlin/Kitchener.) The first pastor was Rev. Henry Schneider who was ordained to the Baptist Ministry on November 12, 1852. Regular Sunday services in the Free Church were discontinued c.1955. The community then assumed responsiblity for the maintenance of the building which was donated to the Boy Scouts for their use. The Scouts continued to meet in it until 1968 when the front entrance was damaged by fire. The church was repaired and some renovations also were accomplished at the same time through the generosity of the Bridgeport Women's Institute. The building, which is designated as a Heritage Landmark of the City of Kitchener, has a plaque on the front wall of the church which reads: FREE CHURCH ERECTED 1848.1 1Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose _________________________________ Benton Street Baptist Church The congregation of the first German Baptist Church in Canada was organized in Bridgeport on September 10, 1851 by Rev. August Rauschenbusch. A church was built in Berlin at the corner of Benton and St. George Streets in 1852, with Rev. Henry Schneider as the first pastor. Pastors who followed Rev. Schneider were Revs. Ed. Austermuehl (1863-1864) and C. Bodenbender (1865-1871). By 1883 the congregation had grown to 140 members and the new and larger church which was built on the same site was opened in December of that year. The pastor at the time was Rev. Jacob Fellman, who had begun his service as pastor on August 23, 1876. Sunday evening services in English were attempted in 1891 but were not continued because of poor attendance. However, an English-speaking Baptist congregation, to be known as King Street Baptist Church, was organized in Berlin on November 10, 1895; seven members of the new congregation were from the Benton Street church. The name of the church was changed from German Baptist Church to Benton Street Baptist Church in March, 1918 when the congregation ceased holding services in the German language. On January 25, 1928 the church "withdrew from the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec ... " (Clubine 1976). The church later "became affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Baptist Churches" (Ibid.) . A growing congregation necessitated improvement and additions to the church over the years. The Sunday School was built in 1901, and was enlarged in 1927 with the addition of a second storey. Fire destroyed the church on February 11, 1964, except for an addition which had been built in 1953. Sod was turned on September 5, 1965 marking the beginning of construction of a new church; the cornerstone was laid on April 3, 1966 and the new building was officially opened and dedicated on September 18, 1966. The congregation had met in Eastwood Collegiate in the interval.2 2Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose

  
  

• Sources

  [S14] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berlin Chronicle (1856-1860), 14 Sep 1858. In Waterloo Township, on the 11th inst., Herman, aged three years, seven months and three days; and on the 14th, Samuel, aged five years, seven months and twenty-eight days;-sons of the Rev. Henry Snyder. The funeral will leave Mr. Snyder's residence at 1 o'clock tomorrow, (Wednesday).

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - Abt 1820 - of, Waterloo Twp., Region of Waterloo, Ontario Occupation - minister - - German Baptist Church (Benton Street Baptist Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - minister - 1852 - Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - 1858 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth