Joseph C. Snyder

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Joseph Schneider
• Census: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Joseph C. Snyder, "was born October 21st, 1837. On October 12th, 1858, he was married to Elizabeth Betzner. They reside about two miles east of Berlin on his father's old homestead where he is engaged in farming..." - Ezra E. Eby



Cemetery Notes:
It was first called the First Mennonite Church in 1917. Prior to this it had been called Eby's. Benjamin Eby's, Christian Eby's Berlin and East End. Worship was held in a log school house on the South East corner of the adjoining cemetery as early as 1811. In 1834 a substantial frame meeting house was built on the site of the present day church and the log school house was moved to Breslau where it was used as a school and meeting house. The frame meeting house was replaced with a brick edifice in 1902 which was enlarged in 1902, 1950 and 1985.

Census:
He was Mennonite age 15 born in Canada 21 Oct.

Buried:
Joseph C. Snyder/ died July 25, 1909/ aged 71 yrs. 9 mo. 4 ds./ Elizabeth Betzner/ his beloved wife/ died Sept. 9, 1932/ in her 93rd year/ asleep in Jesus peaceful rest whose waking is supremely blest/ Snyder

Joseph married Elizabeth Betzner on 12 Oct 1858. Elizabeth (daughter of John B. Betzner and Magdalena Eby) was born on 31 Oct 1839 in , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; died on 9 Sep 1932; was buried in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Isidor B. Snyder was born on 15 Nov 1859; died on 18 Apr 1938 in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
2. Lavina Snider was born on 9 Jun 1861; died on 3 May 1868; was buried in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
3. Lucinda Snyder was born on 6 Nov 1867; died on 28 Oct 1936; was buried in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
4. Magdalena Snyder was born on 14 Apr 1871; died on 9 Feb 1932 in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Wilmot Twp., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
5. Jacob B. Snyder was born on 8 Jul 1875; died in 1967; was buried in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
6. Joseph Lincoln Snyder was born on 24 Jun 1886; and died.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Jacob E. Schneider
• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66739410
• Census: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Jacob E. Schneider, "was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, September 2nd, 1800. On November 18th, 1827, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham and Molly (Miller) Clemens. She was born February 8th, 1810, and died May 20th, 1870. Soon after his marriage he moved a little east of Berlin, on the farm now possessed by his son, Joseph, where he resided until his death which took place October 2nd, 1884. ..." - Ezra E. Eby


Cemetery Notes:
It was first called the First Mennonite Church in 1917. Prior to this it had been called Eby's. Benjamin Eby's, Christian Eby's Berlin and East End. Worship was held in a log school house on the South East corner of the adjoining cemetery as early as 1811. In 1834 a substantial frame meeting house was built on the site of the present day church and the log school house was moved to Breslau where it was used as a school and meeting house. The frame meeting house was replaced with a brick edifice in 1902 which was enlarged in 1902, 1950 and 1985.

Census:
He was Mennonite age 52, a farmer born in the USA 2 Sep.

Died:
He died east of Berlin.

Buried:
[stone missing] In memory of/ Jacob E. Snyder/ born Sept. 2, 1800/ died Oct. 2, 1884/ aged 84 years/ & 1 mo.

Jacob married Elizabeth Clemens on 18 Nov 1827 in , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth (daughter of Deacon Abraham L. Clemens and Magdalena Miller) was born on 8 Feb 1810; died on 20 May 1870 in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Elisabetha
• Also Known As: Maggie Clemens
• Census: 1851, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Alt. Death: 20 May 1879

Notes:

Elizabeth Clemens, "was born February 8th, 1810. On November 18th, 1827, she was married to Jacob E. Schneider. They resided on a farm two miles south-east of Berlin where she died May 20th, 1870..." - Ezra E. Eby

Cemetery Notes:
It was first called the First Mennonite Church in 1917. Prior to this it had been called Eby's. Benjamin Eby's, Christian Eby's Berlin and East End. Worship was held in a log school house on the South East corner of the adjoining cemetery as early as 1811. In 1834 a substantial frame meeting house was built on the site of the present day church and the log school house was moved to Breslau where it was used as a school and meeting house. The frame meeting house was replaced with a brick edifice in 1902 which was enlarged in 1902, 1950 and 1985.

Census:
She was Mennonite age 42 born in the USA 8 Feb.

Died:
She died near Berlin.

Buried:
[eroded] In memory of/ Elizabeth/ wife of/ Jacob E. Snyder/ born Feb. 8, 1870 {1810}/ died May 20, 1870/ aged 60 years/ 3 mos. 12 ds.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27232276
• Immigration: May 1807, , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; from Pennysylvania

Notes:

By 1816 Joseph had erected a sawmill and a substantial Georgian style wood-frame home. He had cleared a road, Schneider's Road, that linked to the Great Road through the German Company Tract . His son, Joseph (twin of Moses) eventually took over the running of the mill.

1831 assessment: lots: German Company Tract 23w, German Company Tract 17., acres: 450, cultivated acres: 100, horses: 3, cows: 7, oxen: 6, men: 4, value: 407, value per acre: .90.

Joseph Schneider, "was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, May 24th, 1772. On February 21st, 1798, he was married to Barbara, daughter of Christian and Catharine (Bricker) Eby. She was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 29th, 1774, and died in Berlin, Ontario, March 13th, 1843. On May 8th, 1807, Mr. Schneider with wife and family and a large company of others moved to Canada and settled where now is the town of Berlin, Ontario. Here he was engaged in farming. His first buildings were erected where now his grandson, Samuel B. Schneider, lives, a little west of the Walper Block, Berlin. Here he died October 27th, 1843, leaving a family of seven children.." Ezra E. Eby

Joseph and Barbara's house is now the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum in Kitchener, and their farm laneway is now Queen St.

Cemetery Notes:
It was first called the First Mennonite Church in 1917. Prior to this it had been called Eby's. Benjamin Eby's, Christian Eby's Berlin and East End. Worship was held in a log school house on the South East corner of the adjoining cemetery as early as 1811. In 1834 a substantial frame meeting house was built on the site of the present day church and the log school house was moved to Breslau where it was used as a school and meeting house. The frame meeting house was replaced with a brick edifice in 1902 which was enlarged in 1902, 1950 and 1985.

Buried:
Hier Ruhet/ Joseph Schneider/ er wurde geboren den 24 ten/ May 1772, und ist gestorben/ den 27 sten October 1843 er (bra/ chte) sein Alter auf 71 Jahre 5 Monate und 3 Tage

Joseph married Barbara Eby on 21 Feb 1798 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Barbara (daughter of Christian Eby and Catherine Bricker) was born on 29 Apr 1774 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 13 Mar 1843 in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Berlin/Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27232187

Notes:

Barbara Eby, "the third daughter of Christian Eby and his wife, Catharine Bricker, was born April 29th, 1774. On February 21st, 1798, she was married to Joseph Schneider who was born May 24th, 1772, and died October 27th, 1843. She died March 13th, 1843. In 1807 they, in company with some of the Ebys and Erbs, moved to what is now Berlin, Waterloo County, Ontario. They settled on lot No. 17, U. B., of the Township of Waterloo, now forming part of the town of Berlin. The old homestead is now owned by a grandson, Samuel B. Schneider. Here they raised a family of seven children, as follows:..See Joseph Schneider's family."


Cemetery Notes:
It was first called the First Mennonite Church in 1917. Prior to this it had been called Eby's. Benjamin Eby's, Christian Eby's Berlin and East End. Worship was held in a log school house on the South East corner of the adjoining cemetery as early as 1811. In 1834 a substantial frame meeting house was built on the site of the present day church and the log school house was moved to Breslau where it was used as a school and meeting house. The frame meeting house was replaced with a brick edifice in 1902 which was enlarged in 1902, 1950 and 1985.

Buried:
Hier ruhet die gebeine/ von/ Barbara Schneider/ eine geborne Eby Eheweib von/ Joseph Schneider/ sie wurde geboren den 29ten/ April 1774 und ist gestorben/ den 13 ten Maerz 1843 Ihres/ Alters [sic] 68 Jahre 10 Monate/ und 13 Tage

Notes:

Married:
In Perspectives: THE RECORD, Kitchener, Ontario

Joseph Schneider farmed and ran first village sawmill

DAVE PINK


(Feb 18, 2006)

In the years following the American Revolution in the 1770s, there was uncertainty and apprehension in the Mennonite communities of eastern Pennsylvania. The pacifist Mennonites were concerned that if hostilities flared again, they would be pressed into military service.

So when the opportunity came to buy land in the German Tract, in British-held Upper Canada, many young Mennonites jumped at it.

Among them was Joseph Schneider. After purchasing 448 acres of forested land in what would become Ontario, he moved his wife, Barbara Eby, and their four children north to British North America in a covered wagon from Pennsylvania in 1807. The Schneiders would have been among the very first non-native residents of the community that would eventually become known as Berlin, and then Kitchener. At first, the family lived in the wagon while Schneider went about clearing his land. After building a log cabin, barn and stable, he cleared a road -- which is now Queen Street South -- from the cabin to the edge of his property at the Great Road, now King Street, where the Walper Terrace Hotel now stands.

In 1816, Schneider built the area's first sawmill on the stream flowing through his property -- Schneider's Creek. Then in 1820 (some sources say 1816), using timbers and planks fashioned in the sawmill, he built the barn-like home in the Pennsylvania German style that still stands at 466 Queen St. S. Schneider, no relation to John M. Schneider who founded the J. M. Schneider meatpacking firm, prospered as a farmer and sawmill operator. He and his wife raised seven children.

"Joseph Schneider was a common person, a farmer, a humble man," says Susan Burke, curator at the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum.

"But he was an important man in this community, for sure." Joseph and Barbara both died in 1843, before cameras were available so there's no photograph of either.

Their son, Joseph E. Schneider, took over the homestead, which still included more than 300 acres. Over time, the family sold much of the farm for housing lots. A swampy area close to the creek was purchased by the Town of Berlin in the 1890s. Victoria Park was created, complete with a man-made lake.

The house and surrounding property remained almost exclusively in Schneider family hands until 1975 when the City of Kitchener bought it and conveyed it to the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation to begin its restoration as a museum.



Monday, June 25, 2007 , THE RECORD, Kitchener, Ontario

After 200 years, family legacy is still growing Schneiders celebrate bicentennial

VALERIE HILL

WATERLOO REGION (Jun 25, 2007)Two hundred years ago this month, Joseph Schneider and his brothers Jacob and Christian arrived at a wild tract in Upper Canada where they faced dense, old growth forests, swamps, ever-flooding creeks and the wildly beautiful Grand River.

Could Joseph Schneider have imagined that through his influence and hard work, these traditional hunting grounds of the Huron Indians would eventually become Kitchener, a hub of industry and industrious people?

This place became Schneider's legacy and there are still remnants of his influence, including a few thousand Schneiders, Sniders and Snyders, all variations of the same name.

On Saturday, June 30, the clan will celebrate its illustrious ancestor with a reunion. The last gathering was in 1909, when news reports of the day claimed a couple of thousand people showed up, many from hundreds of kilometres away. That reunion was for the kin of all three brothers.

This weekend's event will be just the family of Joseph Schneider.

Vern Sherk is a seventh generation Schneider who was aware of his family history as a youngster, but a couple of decades ago his interest really piqued."There was more information available," he explained, citing documents and books by local historians.

Suddenly, having all this accessible information gave Sherk a new appreciation for his family, for Joseph Schneider.

He learned that his ancestor arrived in Waterloo County with his brothers, his wife Barbara and four of what would grow to be a family of seven children.

They travelled with several other Mennonite families -- Erbs, Ebys and Webers, among others, whose ancestors had come to the U.S. decades earlier to escape religious persecution. This particular group came from Lancaster County, Penn., with four heavily laden wagons and a dream of finding inexpensive, fertile land.

Waterloo County was divided into parcels of 448 acres for the settlers, but first they had to cut the trees, pull the stumps, plow the land and build homes and barns. Early settlers faced endless days of intense labour yet viewed it as an opportunity, not a hardship.

The results of that labour are to be seen across the city today: the 1820 Joseph Schneider Haus Museum on Queen Street was the family homestead and Victoria Park was part of the farm that Schneider refused to sell, even as industry sprang up on adjacent properties.

One of the symbols of his family's success was a clock.

Susan Burke, curator at Joseph Schneider Haus, explained that with their Swiss and German background, time keeping was important to the settlers. The Schneider family clock was carefully transported from Lancaster to their new home. Over the generations, the clock eventually was lost to the family until a Schneider descendant spotted it while visiting a Kitchener home. The owner sold the clock back to the Schneider family and it's now on loan to Schneider Haus. This clock is on the family reunion's logo and used in its catchphrase "Time To Come Home."

Miriam Sokvitne, now in her 90s, is the family matriarch, a woman of considerable presence. The Schneider heritage is precious to the retired nurse who is also keeper of family heirlooms and history.

Her father, Joseph Meyer Snyder, returned the clock to the family, wrote a book about their history and bought the homestead after it had been used as rental housing for several years. Sokvitne begged then-premier John Robarts to have the site declared a heritage site. "I not only cried, I bawled," she said, remembering her passionate outpouring.

Once the homestead was back in the family, Sokvitne and her husband travelled the countryside searching for heirlooms. From spinning wheels to toys, these artifacts will be on display at the reunion with, of course, the clock as centrepiece, a symbol of the man known as Kitchener's founding father, Joseph Schneider.

SCHNEIDER REUNION

Joseph & Barbara Schneider 200th anniversary family reunion, Saturday, June 30, registration 9 a.m. First Mennonite Church, 800 King St. E., Kitchener.The day includes displays of family artifacts, speakers and video presentation.

Afternoon program, 2:30 p.m., Joseph Schneider Haus & Museum, 466 Queen St. S., Kitchener.

For information contact Vern Sherk 519-893-3075 or visit www.timetocomehome.ca.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19903938
• Residence: 1789, , Chester, Pennsylvania, USA
• Immigration: 1809, , Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Occupation: 1815; Deacon
• Residence: 1831, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Abraham Clemens L., "the eldest son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Lederach) Clemens, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, July 3rd, 1781, and when four years of age his parents moved to Chester County where he was raised. In 1807 he was married to Magdalena, daughter of John and Hester (Steiner ) Miller. She was born February 8th, 1786, and died February 1st, 1847. In 1809 they moved to Canada and settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, a little north of Preston on the farm owned until recently by their son Joel Here they both died. His death took place January 26th, 1845. In 1815 he was ordained deacon of the Mennonite Church for the Hagey field of labor. This position he held until his death. To him and his wife were born ten children, ..." - Ezra E. Eby


Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1781 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Immigration:
He immigrated from Chesterwith his cousin Abraham and families. Other Clemens cousins migrated from Montgomery Co. in the 1820's

Occupation:
In 1815 he was ordained Deacon of the Mennonite Church for the Hagey field of labor.

Four deacons named Clemens served the Mennonite churches in the Waterloo Twp., Ont., district during the 19th century. They were Abram C. (1803-72), Abram L. (1781-1845), Abram S. (1790-1867), and Henry L. (1802-76). A very active member of the Clemens family in Mennonite Church (MC) affairs was Jacob Cassel Clemens (1874-1965), who served as the first secretary of the Franconia (MC) Conference 1909-50, a minister in the same conference beginning in 1906, a member of the Mennonite Publication Board for many years.

Residence:
His 1831 property assessment: lots owned: BBF (Beasley Broken Front plots) 21, BBF 23. Acres: 165, cultivated acres: 70, horses: 1, cows: 5, ox :4, men :2, value: 125pounds, value per acre: 1.25 pounds. In 1835 he received the deed to Lot 47 the German Company Tract which later passed to Simon Heist and then Joseph Heist.

Died:
He died near Preston.

Abraham married Magdalena Miller on 27 Feb 1807 in New Hanover, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA. Magdalena (daughter of Christian Miller and Hester Steiner) was born on 8 Feb 1786 in , Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 1 Feb 1847 in Preston/Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; was buried in Preston/Cambridge, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Molly Miller
• Religion: Luthern
• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19903751

Notes:

Magdalena Miller, "daughter of John and Hester (Steiner) Miller, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 8th, 1786. She was married, in 1807, to Deacon Abraham L. Clemens who was born in the same place, July 3rd, 1781. In 1809 they moved to Canada and settled a little north of Preston where they both died. He died January 26th, 1845, and she died February 1st, 1847. See No. 1830. (Could not ascertain whether Magdalena and Margaret Miller were any relation to I Jacob Miller)." - Ezra E. Eby


Died:
She died north of Preston.

Notes:

Married:
They were married in New Hanover Luthern Church

Other Events and Attributes:

• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60179011

Christian + Catherine Bricker. Catherine was born in 1743; died in 1810. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Find-a-Grave Link: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47319538
• Alt. Birth: 16 Sep 1756, , Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA
• Alt. Birth: 19 Sep 1756, , Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA
• Alt. Death: 26 Jun 1816, Vincent Twp., Chester, Pennsylvania, USA
• Alt. Death: 1819, West Pikeland, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

Notes:

In 1776 he received 82 acres of his father's old homestead. He kept the land for 9 years and on 30 Jun 1785 sold to his brother Abraham. He moved to Chester Co, PA, near West Pikeland, where his brother George lived.

Jacob C. Clemens, "third son of Abraham and Catharine Clemens, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1754. He was married to Elizabeth Lederach. In 1776 he received eighty-two acres of his father's old homestead which he possessed for nine years. On June 30th, 1785, he sold his land to his brother, Abraham, and moved to Chester County to which place his brother George had moved several years previously. They resided in the vicinity of West Pikeland P. O., Chester County, Pennsylvania, where they both died. His death took place in 1819. To him and his wife, Elizabeth, was born a family of five children, viz:" - Ezra E. Eby


Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1754 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Alt. Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1756 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Alt. Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1756 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Buried:
Inscription:
In Memory of Jacob Clemens / who died / June 26th 1816 / Aged 59 Years / 9 months & 10 days.

Jacob + Elizabeth Lederach. Elizabeth (daughter of Henry Lederach and Catherine Clemmer) was born on 26 Sep 1759 in Lower Salford Twp., Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 26 Mar 1820 in West Pikeland, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; was buried in Vincent Twp., Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alt. Birth: 26 Feb 1759, Lower Salford Twp., Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA

Notes:

Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1759 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Alt. Birth:
Montgomery County did not exist in 1759 in the state of Pennsylvania. It was not founded until 1784.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: John Miller

Notes:

(Research):John Miller b. before 1769:Ezra Eby list's husband as John but the PA Heritage magazine of 1998 found problems with this line and now assume that Christian was the husband of Hester Steiner.

---------

Joseph B. Snyder, Supplement to Ezra Eby's Biographical History of Early Settlers in Waterloo Township (Waterloo: 1931) pp. 240, lists Magdalena Miller, b. Feb 1786 in Montgomery Co., PA., m. Abraham L. Clemens; Margaret Miller, b. 1789, m. Jessie M. Clemens; and Christian Miller, b. Feb 1791 ---all children of John Miller and Hester Steiner. Further research may show that they are in fact children of Christian Miller and Esther/Hester Steiner.

Christian + Hester Steiner. Hester (daughter of Johannes Steiner and Magdalena Lederach) was born before 1770; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]