John Henry Frederick "Frederick" Grischow^{[1, 2]}

1837 - 1923  (85 years)

• Name	John Henry Frederick "Frederick" Grischow
  Born	4 May 1837	, Mecklinburg Schwerin, Germany   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
  Gender	Male
  Rsrch. Note	Lydia Clemens was born in Williamsburg, Waterloo County, and Fred Grischow in the northern region of Germany called Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Fred immigrated to Canada in 1868 and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1878. Frederick's birth year is a bit unclear. Three sources peg his birth year at 1845: the 1881 census says he is 36 years old, his first marriage registration in 1873 says 28 years old, and his second marriage registration in 1878 says 33 years old. The 1901 census states he was born May 4, 1840. His death registration says he was born May 4, 1837 and his tombstone says 1837-1923. Assuming his death record is correct, it seems his birth year got earlier as Fred got older. Of course, as an immigrant whose birth record was back in Germany, it would be hard for any of his peers to double-check. It could be that Fred initially wanted people to think he was younger than he really was. Lydia Clemens' birth record was discovered in New York State in the 1960s. There was a collection of documents owned by a rare book dealer that originally belonged to Thomas Saunders, the Clerk of the Peace during the 1840s for Wellington District, Upper Canada. The documents were purchased by A. Leone Hinds, who transcribed them and donated the originals to public archives in Ontario. Waterloo County was part of Wellington District in those days. Some of the documents were letters from church ministers complying with the new requirement to submit lists annually for all births, marriages, and deaths that they presided over in their congregations. Many from Waterloo County were from the Mennonite Bishop Benjamin Eby. One birth record was the following: May 8, 1848, Abraham D. Clemens, Veronica formerly Shantz, a daughter. p. 19, Waterloo County Marriages, Births and Burials, 1840-1849 as Recorded in Wellington District by the Clerk of the Peace Thomas Saunders, compiled by A. Leone Hinds, Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ont. Genealogical Society, June 1992. That was the entire official record of Lydia Clemen's arrival. Notice that in those early days of collecting vital statistics, the baby's name was not even included in the birth record! Family Life On Jan. 12, 1873, Frederick and Lydia were married by Jacob Hoelsche, a Lutheran minister. Both are residents in Lydia's birthplace, Williamsburg, Waterloo Twp., a small hamlet south-west of Berlin. Fred is a farmer. On their marriage record, both bride and groom are listed as being Lutheran, although Lydia was raised Mennonite. They seem to have raised their family Lutheran without completely losing Lydia's ties to the Mennonite church. Both of them were eventually buried at First Mennonite cemetery, and daughter Mary would eventually marry a Mennonite (Leander Snider). Six months after Fred and Lydia married, on June 20, 1873 son Noah C. was born. The "C." likely stood for Christoph, after Fred's father. Mary Lydia came on Feb. 5, 1877. At this time, the family is still in Waterloo Twp., and Fred is a labourer, likely a farm hand. Ezra Eby, writing in his Biographical History of Waterloo Township in 1895, records a third child of Fred and Lydia, Susannah, but with no birthdate. He lists her first, but it is unlikely she could've been born before Noah given how soon he was born after his parents' wedding. She may have been a twin to Noah, or may have been born between Noah and Mary. There is no birth record for Susannah, but neither is there one for Noah as it was just after mandatory birth registrations had been introduced. She is not listed with the family in the 1881 census, nor is there any death record for her. If Susannah Grischow did exist, she apparently lived a short life. Shortly after Mary's birth in 1877, the family moved from Waterloo Twp. to Wilmot Twp., probably close to New Dundee. Fred likely got a job working for a different farmer. Death & Remarriage A couple months after daughter Mary's first birthday, her mother became very sick. After a month of gradually getting weaker, Lydia died of consumption on May 3, 1878, 5 days before she would have turned 30. Consumption was a medical term of that day referring to a gradual wasting away of the body, usually related to pulmonary (lung) dysfunction. The most common cause of consumption was tuberculosis. Lydia's physician was Dr. H. Miller from New Dundee, and a neighbour, John S. Hallman, informed the local registrar of the death. Needing a mother for his two (or three?) young children, Fred remarried 10 weeks after Lydia's death, on July 21, 1878. Mary Rodass (Rhodes) was a Lutheran from Germany, born Nov. 20, 1855. Her parents were John and Dorothea Rodass. Her immigration year is not known. Fred and his new wife would have 8 more children, half of them "May babies": Lillie (May 24, 1879), twins Ella and Elma (May 14, 1881), Ivan R. (May 17, 1883), Ida Hulda (Dec. 15, 1887), Alfred F. (June 2, 1891), Dorothy A. (Sept. 1, 1892), and John Milton Herbert (Sept. 21, 1895). Alfred was known as "Freddie" and Dorothy as "Dora." The youngest went by "Herbie." Throughout these years, Fred is consistently listed as a labourer, probably a farm hand. The family moved back to Waterloo Twp. after the twins were born (May 1881) and that would turn out to be the final move for Fred. He would live at that residence for another 42 years until his death. The Grischow Kids All Grown Up Noah Grischow was a 28-year-old miller in Berlin when he married Harriett Bartholomew on Nov. 20, 1901. Harriett's parents were Martin Thomas Bartholomew and Sarah Lesham, who were born and married in Kent, England. Both Noah and Harriett listed their denomination as Church of England. (Harriett may have also gone by the name Lucy.) In 1904-5, Noah was the postmaster of Strasburg, a position his father-in-law had held since 1891 and one his mother-in-law would later take on until that post office closed in 1914. (For the postmaster data, see this page by Mrs. A. Reist and scroll down towards the end of the article.) They had five children: Ford, Roxie, Noah Jr., Thomas, and Elmer. Roxie would marry Henry Sittler , who became one of the founding managers of Home Hardware. Noah and Harriett's married life would not last too long however. On Mar. 14, 1914 at age 40, Noah succumbed after a year of suffering from asthma. Dr. J. H. Cormack from New Dundee recorded the immediate cause of death as "hemorrage of lungs, duration 1 week." Harriett would remarry in 1919 to Andrew Holt, and would live to age 65, passing away in 1945. Noah and Harriett are buried at Strasburg Cemetery on Biehn Dr. in Kitchener. Mary Grischow married Leander Snider and died at age 40 of diabetes. Lillie Grischow married Joseph Miller on Sept. 4, 1898 in Berlin. Joseph's parents were Ferdinand Miller and Hannah Wagner. What happened with the twins Ella and Elma is not yet known. Elma was a witness at her sister Lillie's wedding. Ivan R. Grischow is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener. He died in 1957. Beside him is his wife Amelia (1890-1972). There are two stones adjacent which are likely sons of Ivan and Amelia: Howard Grischow (1914-1970) and Walter Grischow (1921-1998). Ida's later whereabouts are not yet known, nor are Alfred's. Dora Grischow had a son out of wedlock on Sept. 22, 1908 in Waterloo Twp. However, young Stanley Lloyd Grischow died of pneumonia less than 2 years later on May 27, 1910. Herbert Grischow's life appears to have been varied and the details are still sketchy. We have 3 pieces of information about him. Fact #1: Kathleen Dorothy Grischow was a 2-day-old infant who died March 19, 1923 in Kitchener. Her parents are listed as Herbert Grischow, born in Waterloo Twp., and Venata Mader, born in Breslau. Venata's father was Aaron Mader. Fact #2: Martha (Snider) Arndt remembers a visit from a Herbie Grischow and his American wife Belle in the late 1940s or early 1950s. They drove all the way from California, an unusual accomplishment in those days. They had no children. Fact #3: Herbert Grischow died in Los Angeles, California, on Dec. 10, 1953 at age 58. He had no social security number, suggesting he never became an American citizen. His death record can be viewed online. Piecing together these three facts, it appears Herbie was married twice. Sometime after being widowed or divorced from his first wife, he moved to the U.S. and remarried an American. Later in Life Fred Grischow lived to be 85 years 10 months and 10 days old, according to his death registration. He died of heart failure on Mar. 18, 1923 and was buried 5 days later at First Mennonite Church cemetery in Kitchener. His wife Mary died in 1931 and is buried with Fred. [
  Immigration	1860	, Canada   [6]
  Immigration	1868	, Canada   [4]
  Name	Frederick Grischow
  Naturalization	1876	, Canada   [6]
  Naturalization	1878  [4]
  Occupation	1878	Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  	labourer
  Occupation	1891	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Laborer
  Residence	1891	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [7]
  	Lutheran
  Occupation	1901	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Farm Laborer
  Residence	1921	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Lutheran
  Eby ID Number	00023-1802.1
  Died	18 Mar 1923	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [8]
  Buried	First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [8]
  Person ID	I17159	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Christoph "Christopher" Grischow,   b. 30 Apr 1815, , Germany ,   d. 14 Feb 1901, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 85 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Holtz,   b. 2 Oct 1813, , Mecklinburg Schwerin, Germany ,   d. 8 Nov 1888, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)
  Family ID	F8661	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Lydia Clemens,   b. 8 May 1848, Williamsburg (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 May 1878, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 29 years)
  Married	12 Jan 1873	Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 9]
  Children	1. Noah C. Grischow,   b. 20 Jun 1873, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 14 Mar 1914  (Age 40 years)   2. Susannah Grischow,   b. CA 1875, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Mary Lydia Grischow,   b. 6 Feb 1877, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1917  (Age 39 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F4495	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Mary Rhodes,   b. 20 Nov 1855, , Germany ,   d. 16 Jul 1931, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)
  Married	21 Jul 1878	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3, 7]
  Children	1. Lillie Grischow,   b. 24 May 1879, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1952  (Age 72 years)   2. Ella Grischow,   b. 14 May 1881, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Elma Grischow,   b. 14 May 1881, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 20 Oct 1963, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 82 years)   4. Ivan Rhodes Grischow,   b. 17 May 1883, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1957  (Age 73 years)   5. Ida Hulda Grischow,   b. 15 Dec 1887, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   6. Edith Grischow,   b. 15 Dec 1887, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Feb 1945, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 57 years)   7. Albert Fredrick "Frederick" Grischow,   b. 2 Jun 1891, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   8. Dorothy A. "Dora" Grischow,   b. 1 Sep 1892, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1968  (Age 75 years)   9. John Milton Herbert "Herbert" Grischow,   b. 21 Sep 1895, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 10 Dec 1953, Sunland, Los Angeles, California, United States  (Age 58 years)
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F18823	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• 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..., 427. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 9 May 1878. Died 3 May 1878 Lydia Grischow nee Clemens, wife of Friedrich Grischow died at the age of 29 years, 11 months and 26 days [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, 10886-1878. Frederick Grischow (labourer of Wilmot) Born: Mecklenburg Schwerin Age: 28 Father: Christoph Grischow Mother: Elizabeth Holz Born: abt 1845 Spouse: Lydia Clemens Age: 24 born: Williamsburg Father: Abraham Clemens Mother: Veronica Schall married 12 Jan 1873 [S132] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1901, Waterloo C-5 Page 14. [S214] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1911, Div. 5 Page 14. [S2088] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1921, Sub District 5 Page 3. [S1573] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo City - 1891, Section 1 Page 31. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27012917/frederick-grischow. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration. Frederick Grischow Born: Mecklenburg Schwerin Age: 28 Father: Christoph Grischow Mother: Elizabeth Holz Born: abt 1845 Spouse: Lydia Clemens Age: 24 born: Williamsburg Father: Abraham Clemens Mother: Veronica Schall married 12 Jan 1873

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 4 May 1837 - , Mecklinburg Schwerin, Germany Immigration - 1860 - , Canada Immigration - 1868 - , Canada Married - 12 Jan 1873 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Naturalization - 1876 - , Canada Occupation - labourer - 1878 - Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 21 Jul 1878 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Laborer - 1891 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Lutheran - 1891 - Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Farm Laborer - 1901 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Lutheran - 1921 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 18 Mar 1923 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - First Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth