Rev. John Eby Bowers

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• Eby ID Number: 00013-1148
• Occupation: 1861, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Clerk
• Occupation: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Clerk
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Berlin, Ontario
• Residence: 1861, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Christian
• Residence: 1861, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Wesleyan Methodist
• Residence: 1863, Bridgeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1889, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Rev. John Eby Bowers, "the first member of the above family, was born October 18th, 1839, in Waterloo County, Ontario (then called Upper Canada). He lived on the 'old farm', two miles south-west of the town of Berlin, until he was eighteen years of age, and then went 'to town' and and became a shop-boy, or clerk, in a general store. In the year 1860 he named the home of his boyhood, 'Sweet Briar Farm', and the place has been known by this name ever since. He was engaged in the mercantile business for about six years, part of the time in the village of Bridgeport, afterwards in Berlin, and in the year 1867 closed up his affairs and moved to the West. He resided with his family in the state of Missouri for about three years; and also in the state of Kansas for the same length of time, where he followed the avocation of a book-keeper. During two years he held the position of clerk in the office of the United States District Court, for the Western District of Missouri, located at Jefferson City, the capital of the state. But finding that sedentary employment did not agree with his health, he retired from his position, and began to prepare himself to enter the ministry. At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Bowers had become a member of the Church of the New Jerusalem, commonly know as 'Swedenborgian', being baptized into that faith by the pastor of that church at Berlin, namely, the Rev. F. W. Tuerk. In the year 1870 he was licensed to preach, and he continued his preparations by close application to the study of the doctrine of his Church, according to the Word of God, under the direction of the late Rev. J. P. Stuart, the President of the Missouri Association of the New Jerusalem. And on May 11th, 1873, he was ordained into the ministry by the minister just mentioned, at Jefferson City, Missouri. In the months of June, 1873, he returned to Canada. In August of the same year he went to Pennsylvania, spent a few weeks in Allentown, in that State, and arrived in the city of Philadelphia, September 1st, 1873. He accepted a call from the Frankford Society of the New Church, in Philadelphia, and at once entered upon his duties as pastor, in which capacity he served for a space of about four years. His relations were pleasant, and he enjoyed his residence with the kind and hospitable people of the 'City of Brotherly Love'. Circumstances, however, brought about a change; and, under the guidance of the Divine Providence, the subject of this sketch was led to go to Toronto, Ontario, where he received a call to become the pastor of the New Church Society, and began his ministry in the month of October, 1877. He filled this position for two years; and then in October, 1879, began his labors as a General Missionary, and has continued as such up to the time of the present writing. For five years he travelled most of the time in the United States, devoting most of his labors to the State of Pennsylvania. He has, however, also visited many places in all the Northern States, as far south as Maryland and Virginia in the east, and as far west as Illinois and Minnesota. He has preached and lectured in no less that one hundred and twenty-five different places; that is, in thirteen States of the American Union and in Canada. He has sold many thousands of volumes of books and has distributed vast numbers of religious tracts, all of which contained the heavenly doctrines of the Church of the New Jerusalem; for the spreading abroad of the edifying literature of the Church, is a legitimate part of the uses performed by a missionary. In the course of his labors, this missionary has travelled an aggregate distance equal to three tours around our globe. There are few who are personally acquainted with as many different people in as many different localities. During the past six years Mr. Bowers has been employed as the missionary of the Canada Association of the new Church. He is still filling his post; and in connection with his work he visits a number of places in Michigan, spending a few weeks, or a month in that State every fall and spring. His experiences in life have been of a varied character, and well adapted to expand the thoughts and affections of the mind, to cultivate and deepen the sympathies toward all mankind, and especially toward those who are of the household of a true and living faith in God. Mr. Bowers has also accomplished something as an author. Many of his written sermons, in both the English and German languages, have been published in the Church periodicals; and in January, 1889, there was published, as the product of his pen, a neat volume of 185 pages, entitled: 'Missionary Talks on Subjects of New Church Doctrine'. The book has been well received and is being widely circulated in England, the United States and Canada. Mr. Bowers is married to Mary Seiler and resides in Toronto, Ontario. They have a family of four 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.].

John married Mary Seiler 25 Dec 1863, , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Mary (daughter of George Seiler and Elisabeth Schmidt) was born 17 Dec 1842, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; died 17 Oct 1938; was buried , Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, York Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet]

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• Eby ID Number: 00013-1148.2

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• Eby ID Number: 00013-1148.3

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• Eby ID Number: 00013-1148.4

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• Eby ID Number: 00013-1148.5