John Urmy Tyson^{[1, 2]}

1808 - 1869  (61 years)

• Name	John Urmy Tyson
  Born	19 Apr 1808	Frederick Twp., Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania   [3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Land	Bef 1831	Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  Residence	1834	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  Land	1848	Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	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]
  Possessions	1848	76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	donated property for establishing of Bridgeport Free Church
  Occupation	1851	Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [8]
  	nurseryman
  Eby ID Number	00123-7546
  Died	4 Jun 1869	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3, 5, 9]
  Person ID	I9143	Generations
  Last Modified	11 Jun 2024

  
  

  Father	William Tyson,   b. 23 Aug 1782, Skippack Twp., Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 7 Jan 1844, Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 61 years)
  Mother	Barbara Urmy,   b. 26 Jan 1789, Of, Skippack, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 18 Apr 1843, Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 54 years)
  Family ID	F2659	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth Millar,   b. 26 Jul 1812, Lewiston, Niagara, New York, United States ,   d. 7 Aug 1896, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 84 years)
  Married	1834	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  Children	1. Angelina Louisa Tyson,   b. 30 Nov 1838, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 24 Jun 1912, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 73 years)   2. Benjamin Thompson,   b. 1841, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Albert Munroe Tyson,   b. 1843, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	11 Jun 2024
  Family ID	F2661	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  John U. Tyson, "was born in Frederick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, April 19th, 1808. In 1832 he came to Canada and made a stay of several months, then returned again. In 1833 he came the second time and located temporarily at Flamboro, Wentworth County, Ontario, where he was engaged as clerk in one of Mr. Durrand's stores. Several years later he came to Waterloo County and resided in Bridgeport where he was engaged in the mercantile business. He was married to Elizabeth Miller who was born near Lewiston, New York, not far from Niagara River, July 26th, 1812. He died in Berlin, June 6th, 1869. She is still living and has her home with her daughter, Mrs Bowman. They had a family of two children" Eby, Ezra E. (1895). 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: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.]. ____________________________ 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 1848.2a Waterloo County Churches A Research Guide To Churches Established Before 1900 By Rosemary Ambrose ______________ John Tyson presented the village of Bridgeport with a parcel of land to be used as a free cemetery also a free church was erected on the premises to be used by any demonination free of John charge. He lived in the village until his death. Bridgeport, Idessa Zimmerman _________________________ King Street , North Side Queen St. North. On the corner there was a frame building lengthwise with King Street, occupied by J. U. Tyson, dealer in groceries, wines, liquors and meats, erected about 1833. In 1841 Sheriff George Davidson bought this building and in it opened the first Post Office in 1842. His brother William was associated with him. Probably during 1845 Doering & Ahrens occupied the premises as a general store. A little later the firm was Huber & Ahrens. Mr. Huber acted as magistrate for a number of years, in which occupation he was popular and had much to do, people coming from small surrounding villages to Mr. Huber for fair trial. He was the second reeve in Berlin. Next came a barber shop occupied by George A. Fischer who also served as dentist and as fruit dealer. A house erected by C. A. Ahrens of Huber and Ahrens. Mr. Ahrens had a brick vault at the back of his kitchen, lined with an iron chest and considered fire proof. He was the first treasurer of Waterloo County and had this vault for safe keeping of his books and papers. The house was later occupied by Dr. Mylius. Louis Breithaupt, who came from Buffalo in 1861 after having started his tanning business in Berlin in 1857, previously bought the corner of King and Queen Streets, and erected there the first section of the American Block in 1862. Next to the Dr. Mylius house there was a two story brick building erected about 1855. It was occupied by Baedeker and Steubing who had a considerable business as book sellers and stationers, also as dealers in wallpaper, etc., besides doing some publishing. This business, moved later to the corner of King and Frederick Streets, continued until Mr. Steubing's death. In his younger years Mr. Baedeker was a carpenter and had cut his knee with an adze, necessitating amputation and substitution of a cork leg. On the site of the present Steel's store, George Davidson, later sheriff, erected a building in 1845 and moved the Post Office there when Doering and Ahrens occupied the corner store. Mr. Davidson also had a general store in this new building. About 1855 Kranz & Stroh occupied the building as a general store. Next came a building occupied at first by George Klein and later the site of Henry Knell's jewelery shop. John Winger's pump shop. Wooden pipe called pump logs were of about ten-inch timber, tamarack or pine logs with a bore of about 3". The pumps were mostly finished square and surmounted with turned tops. A two story frame building painted white. John Winger's house. Eby's history mentions John Winger as having come from Pennsylvania in 1836. A ten-foot lane leading back to the Public School grounds and into Winger's yard. The highest ground in this vicinity was in Winger's yard. Children were in the habit of sliding down the hill in winter to King Street. In 1840 Mr. Bentler erected a building and occupied the second floor as dwelling and shoe shop. Martin Messner had a music store on the ground floor which was a few steps above the street level. In 1855-6 Andrew Nicolaus took over the Winger house and changed it to a hotel. The first considerable street grading operation in Berlin was the lowering of the corner of King and Frederick and vicinity 8 to 10 feet. This put the St. Nicholas Hotel, as it was called, under the necessity of being extended downward one story and this lower part became the hotel office and bar room. At the westerly end of the hotel there was a shed and stable for horses. Over the shed, approached by a stairway, there was a hall known as St. Nicholas Hall used for concerts, balls and entertainments generally. At the rear of the adjoining St. Nicholas Hall there was a building on the high ground known as the Turner Hall and used as German Turnverein. REMINISCENCES OF BERLIN (NOW KITCHENER) By JACOB STROH Contributed by Joseph M. Snyder. Part I. Settlement - Early Villagers and Buildings, Waterloo Historical Society Annual Volume 1930

  
  

• 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..., 174. [S10] Book - Vol II 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..., 554. [S10] Book - Vol II 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..., 544. [S131] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1851, Div 2 Pg 97. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 10 Jun 1869. John U. Tyson died 4 Jun 1869 in Berlin, 60 yrs. [S1322] Land - Founding Families of Waterloo Township 1800-1830, 57. [S26] Lower Canada Marriage Bonds (1779-1858), C-6783. Name of Future Husband: TYSON, John Urmy Res: Waterloo Township, Halton County Name of Future Wife: MILLAR, Elizabeth Res: Waterloo Township, Halton County Reference: RG 5 B9 Volume: 28 Bond Number: 4408 Date: 1834-04-07 [S1544] Book - Ontario Directory for 1851, 199. [S1592] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1891, Section 2 Page 6.

  
  

• Event Map

  Land - Bef 1831 - Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - 1834 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 1834 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Land - 1848 - Bridgeport Free Church, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Possessions - donated property for establishing of Bridgeport Free Church - 1848 - 76 Bloomingdale Rd., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - nurseryman - 1851 - Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 4 Jun 1869 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth