Stephan Zagar (1902, Illinois - 1976, Michigan) and Wilma Marie Verk (1901, Yugoslavia-1975, Illinois) married in the 1920s in Illinois. Stephan was a machinist and Wilma Marie worked at home. On April 1, 1929, their twin daughters, Rosalyn and Marilyn Ann, were born. On October 22, 1936, their third daughter, Margaret Ann, was born.
Marilyn attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and married Clyde Amundson in 1951, with whom she had two children. She died on May 26, 1995.
Rosalyn married Frank Ross.
Margaret Ann got infected with Poliomyelitis at a young age (possibly when she was 2 years old) and later developed cerebral palsy. She attended Gompers School for the Handicapped and later graduated from the University of Illinois. In 1987, Margaret Ann started volunteering as a coordinator for Meals on Wheels in Lansing, Illinois, fielding calls from clients and scheduling cooks and kitchen helpers. Margaret Ann died on November 9, 2014.

The Wagners and Hailers were prominent early settler families in Waterloo County, Ontario, as were the Staebler, Biehn/Bean and Breithaupt families.

Gisela Sommer and Ulrich Sommer, both from Germany, married and had two children; Cornelius and Angelika. In pursuit of a better quality of life, Gisela and Ulrich immigrated to Canada with their two children in 1954 and settled in Georgetown, Ontario.

The Sommer family fared well in Georgetown. Gisela worked as a dietary assistant in a local hospital. Ulrich worked in an enamel factory and eventually opened his own art gallery in 1962 called Gallery House Sol. Cornelius studied to become a lawyer and worked in Toronto, Ontario. Angelika moved to Germany.

Over the course of many years, the Sommer family wrote numerous letters to each other, their friends and their family back home in Germany.

The Sims family were early white settlers of what is now Hawkesville, Ontario. Members of the family are the descendants of Reverend James Sims was born ca.1812 in Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. On June 1, 1836, he married the widow Janet Harvey Robertson and in 1837 came to what is now Canada with a large party of relatives: his father and mother, his wife and step-children Alexander, John and Jane Robertson, his brothers Peter and Andrew Sims, his sister Margaret, and nephews James and Peter Sims.

In 1838 the family settled as squatters on Queen's Bush land near Hawkesville in Wellesley Township. James and Margaret Sims had four children: Janet Sims, (1838-1926), James Campbell Sims (1842-1929), Peter Harvey Sims (1844-1920) and William Andrew Sims (1846-1930). James Sims died October 31, 1880. Both he and his descendants played an active role in the the educational, religious and commercial development of what is now the Region of Waterloo.

Octavius Augustus Seagram and his wife, Amelia Stiles, immigrated to Canada from Wiltshire, England in 1837. They purchased two farms and a tavern in Fisher's Mills, near Galt (now Cambridge, Ontario). The couple had two sons, Joseph Emm, born in 1841, and Edward Frowde, born in 1842. These boys were orphaned in their teens, and lived for six years at Dr. Tassie's boarding school in Galt.

After spending a year at business college in Buffalo, New York, Joseph Seagram returned to Canada, where he worked as a bookkeeper and manager at various mills in Galt and Stratford. In 1864 he went to work for William Hespeler at the Granite Mills in Waterloo, which was to be the foundation of his career as a distiller. In 1869 he married Stephanie Urbs, daughter of Jacob Hespeler's sister Maria, thus connecting himself with some of the most prominent families in the area, such as the Warnocks and Hespelers. In 1850 Adam Warnock, a merchant in Galt, had married Joseph Seagram's wife's aunt, Stephanie Hespeler. His wife's sister Marie had married Canon Bland. Joseph Emm Seagram and his wife Stephanie had five children who lived past infancy. Their four sons were Edward Frowde, 1873-1937, Joseph Hamilton, 1875-195-?, Norman, 1879-1963, and Thomas William, 1887-1965. Their only daughter was Blanche Alexandrine (Adine), 1871-1919, who married G.H. Bowlby, M.D. in 1894.

Joseph Emm Seagram's passion was horse racing. A wealthy man, Seagram advanced horse racing in Canada, establishing it as a popular hobby among the wealthy elite. He imported high-quality breeding stock from the United States and Britain. Horses from the Seagram stables were Queen's Plate Winners for eight consecutive years, beginning in 1891. His horses achieved fifteen plate wins in all. His enthusiasm was shared by his son Edward Frowde and grandson Joseph Edward Frowde who continued the family tradition to the 1970's.

Also active in politics, Joseph Emm Seagram was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Waterloo North during the Liberal years of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He participated in a variety of local organizations, becoming an influential and respected member of the community. His sons and grandsons continued the tradition of strong local participation in business and civic life, as well as displaying a keen interest in and support of sports, ranging from golf to football to cycling.

Joseph E. Schneider (1810-1880) and wife Sarah Shantz (1816-1881) had ten children together, nine of whom survived into adulthood and were raised on the original property settled by Joseph Schneider. The children were: Isaac (1834-1835), Barbara (1837-1923), David Bechtel (1840-1928), Samuel Bechtel (1842-1912), Maria (1844-1925), Louisa (1847-1932), Lydia Shantz (1849-1930), Magdelena (1851-1880), Sarah (1854-1887) and Hannah (1857-1920). (From Ancestry and material in GA 249).

The Schneider family were white settlers of what is now Kitchener, Ontario. Members of the family are the descendants of Johann Christoph Schneider, who was born in Germany, in Unteröwisheim, Baden, on August 27, 1831. His father, a farmer, was also Johann Christoph Schneider; his mother was Margarethe Elizabeth Zoller. He left Germany in 1847 when he was sixteen years old and settled in Berlin, Ontario, where a substantial German settlement already existed. He worked as a carpenter and later as a mechanic, and by 1858 was a building contractor. He married Anna Elizabeth Metz on April 26, 1857. They had seven children, of whom John Metz Schneider, founder of the meat packing firm later known as the Schneider Corp., was the first. Johann Christoph died in December 20, 1900. He, along with his descendants, played active roles in business, politics, and the cultural and social life of what is today the Region of Waterloo.

The Schantz Family in North America is large and widespread; alternative spellings of the last name includes variations such as Tschantz, Shantz, Shonts, and Schanz. The family descended from Jacob Schanz (June 12, 1710-February 5, 1781) who emigrated to the United States of America in 1737 and settled in Pennsylvania. In 1810 Jacob’s son Christian Shantz (1769-1857) came to Waterloo County and settled at Freeport on the Grand River.

Christian’s son Benjamin Shantz (1811-1868) was an early Waterloo County inhabitant and one of the founders of Port Elgin, Ontario where he settled in 1854 and established a grist and flour mill. Benjamin married Lydia Kolb (1814-1862) on April 10, 1842 and together they had ten children; Josiah K. Schantz (1834-1913), Catharine Schantz (May 17, 1836-February 28, 1917), Hannah Schantz (April 1, 1838-August 20, 1841), Christian Schantz (January 20, 1840-?), Tobias Schantz (1842-1925), Abraham K. Schantz (September 20, 1844-?), Benjamin K. Schantz (December 5, 1846), Menno K. Schantz (January 31, 1849-July 6, 1888), Lydia K. Schantz (August 17, 1851-July 16, 1900), Sarah K. Schantz (April 1, 1854-April 10, 1878), and Enoch K. Schantz (October 7, 1856-May 25, 1888).

When Lydia died in 1862, Benjamin remarried his housekeeper, Margaret Swinton. Benjamin and Margaret left Port Elgin, Ontario and settled in Dallas County, Missouri. Correspondence in the collection between Benjamin and his son Tobias recount Benjamin’s settler experiences in Dallas County, Missouri.

The Schantz Russell Family Papers centre around Tobias Schantz, his wife Mary Schantz and their descendants, drawing together primary sources relating to several early white settler families of Waterloo County, primarily the Schantz, Moyer/Meyer and Bowman families, and material relating to descendants of the Moyer settlers of Lincoln County, Ontario.

The Rieder family lived at 58 Roy Street in Berlin, but moved to Montreal in 1912 because of Talmon's business interests there; they lived in Berlin again from 1915 to 1917 and then Martha and the children moved back to the Roy Street home in Kitchener permanently after Talmon died in 1922.

Talmon Henry Rider (1878-1922) was an industrialist and rubber company executive in Berlin and Montreal. He was born in New Hamburg, the eldest child of Peter Rieder (1850-1936) and Emeline Merner (1857-1940). Peter Rieder was born to Daniel Rieder (1827-1868) and Christina Laughoff ; Emeline Merner was one of nine children of Christian Merner (1832-1912) and Elizabeth Young (or Jung) (1837-1926). After Talmon, Peter and Emeline Rieder had eight other children: Maude, Idella (Della), Elmer, Loretta, Esther, Eva, Talma (May), and Alma.

Talmon Henry Rieder attended the Berlin High School. He married Martha Melvina Anthes (1878-1971), daughter of John Schmitt Anthes (1844-1915) and Lydia Catherine Herlan (1849-1935), and they had four children (Paul, Edward Anthes, Margaret Catherine, and Helen Elizabeth). In 1899 he became the bookkeeper and a minor shareholder in the newly formed Berlin Rubber Company (Margaret Avenue) and was soon appointed as a director. In 1903, he and Jacob Kaufman organized the Merchants Rubber Company (Breithaupt Street) and Rieder managed this factory until it was merged with several other companies in Quebec and Ontario to form the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company in 1907. Rieder was vice-president and managing director of this company, and in 1908 he became president. He also directed the operations of the Canadian Consolidated Felt Company. By 1910, the United States Rubber Company (later Uniroyal) had obtained full control of the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company. Talmon convinced the company to build its new tire plant in Berlin; construction on the Dominion Tire factory began in 1912 and production began in early 1914. In 1919, Talmon resigned from his positions in the Consolidated Rubber and Felt companies to assume the position of president and managing director of the Ames Holden McCready Company of Montreal and began building up a large leather and rubber footwear system that included the construction of a second tire plant in Kitchener (later the B.F. Goodrich Company).

In addition to his work in the rubber industry, Talmon Henry Rieder had an interest in urban planning. In 1912 he purchased several farms in the German Company Tract Lot 22, on the west side of Berlin, and had the lands surveyed and divided into lots. With three other partners he formed the Westmount Improvement Company to carry out his vision to develop this area on the border of Berlin and Waterloo into a contemporary garden suburb, inspired in part by the Westmount area in Montreal where he and his family lived. Talmon died unexpectedly after a 10-day illness in April, 1922.

John S. Anthes (1844-1915) was a businessman and politician in Berlin. He became owner of the Hoffman furniture manufacturing business, which in 1877 was merged with the Simpson Furniture Co. to become the Simpson-Anthes Co. In 1881, he withdrew from that partnership to establish the Anthes Furniture Co. In 1901, he was involved in the amalgamation of furniture companies through Canada Manufactures, Limited, and after he resigned as a director of this company in 1906, he formed the Anthes Manufacturing Company in Berlin with John C. Breithaupt as president. In 1916, C.J. and J.H. Baetz took over management of the company, and in 1920, they formed the Anthes-Baetz Furniture Company. John S. Anthes was also involved in municipal affairs, and was first elected as a councillor in 1886. He served as Deputy Reeve in 1887, 1891, and 1897, and again as councillor in 1907. He was also one of the first water commissioners and one of the founders of the Berlin & Waterloo Hospital, in addition to holding various offices in the Zion Evangelical Church.

John S. Anthes was the son of Martin Anthes (1812-1891) and Catharina Schmitt (1814-1894) of Wilmot Township. His brother was Rev. Jacob Anthes. In 1867, John S. married Lydia Catherine Herlan (1849-1936), daughter of Rev. F. and Caroline Herlan. John. S. and Lydia Anthes lived at 44 Weber Street in Berlin, and their family was involved in the nearby Zion Evangelical Church. They had five children. Caroline (Carrie) Catharine Anthes (1868-[19--]) married businessman and politician John C. Breithaupt (1859-1951) in 1892, and they lived in Berlin. John and Carrie had six children: John Edward, Louise Catherine, Carl Louis, Frieda Caroline, Walter Hailer, and Helena Esther. John Isaac Franklin Anthes (1870-1933) was an associate with his father in the furniture manufacturing business. He then became a director of the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company and from 1915 to 1919 served as the General Purchasing Supervisor of the company. In 1919 he founded Anthes & Sons, Agents and Importers, in Montreal. J.I. Frank Anthes married Cyrena Hoffman Simonds in 1897. They lived for a time in Wiarton, Ontario, and also lived in Berlin and Montreal. They had five children: Olive Cyrena, Edith Louise, Leonard John, Henry Herbert, and Norman Franklin. Lydia Louisa Anthes (1877-1942) married businessman Albert Libourious Breithaupt (1870-1955) in 1901; they lived in Berlin. Albert and Louisa had six children: Friedrich Albert, Marie, Rudolph A., Ruth Anna, Arthur L., and David J.

Dr. Wilfred G. Reive and Mabel M. Reive (nee Little) lived in 33 Brock Street, Kitchener, until the early 1950s. In 1950, the family needed a location close and equidistant to the two local hospitals and purchased a lot of land at 178 Claremont Avenue, Kitchener. They chose local architect Theophilus Hughes Wells for designing their house, Guelph landscape architect Roland Barnsley for the gardens, and hired local construction companies for the construction work. The Reive family moved to 178 Claremont Avenue in 1951, before the construction was finished, and lived in it until 2015.

The Jardine family of Hespeler, Ont. originated in Scotland, near Glasgow. William Jordan, (Jardine), collier, married Catherine Bell in 1814. Andrew Bell Jardine, their son, a machinist, married Isabella Dawson in 1844 and came to Canada from Scotland ca. 1854. He and his family moved from Toronto to Hespeler, Ont. ca. 1862 to start a foundry business. This was A.B. Jardine Co. Ltd., one of the pioneer industries of the area, which Andrew owned in partnership with other family members including James Jardine, Peter Jardine and James Dawson.

Alphonse Illig was born in 1889 and married Rose Mehlman on July 27, 1921. Alphonse worked for Bauer Limited. Their son Joseph Illig was born in 1924. Joseph joined the Canadian forces for the Second World War and served on the HMCS Kirkland Lake. He was later a founding member of the K-W Naval Veterans Association and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. Joseph died in 2012.

Richard Hobson (1938) was born to Wilfred Hobson (1899-1995) and Kathleen McKittrick (1904-1992). The family has its roots in the United Kingdom, and Hobson’s paternal grandfather Edward came to Canada from Ireland in 1884 and his father Wilfred from England in 1910. The two families settled in Ontario and Kathleen and Wilfred met in Toronto at St. Clement’s Church Tennis Club. Kathleen and Wilifred married and went on to have three children: John Edward (1933), Richard James (1938) and Kathleen Margaret Stephanie (?).

Richard Hobson married Mary (Penny) Paisley (b.1939), daughter of Elmer Paisley (1907-1976) and Margaret Rieder. Penny Paisley’s mother Margaret was the daughter of local prominent businessman Talmon Rieder and his wife Martha Anthes. (from Ancestry and "Hobson, Richard. One tree many roots. Waterloo: Richard Hobson, 2010").

Nettie E. Hall (nee Jestin) was born August 15, 1891 to Obadiah Jestin (1864-1943) and Margaret Maud Jestin (1866-1950) in Eramosa Township. On June 29, 1910 she married Arthur Thomas Hall, son of Thomas Hall and Jane Doughty, also of Eramosa Township. The couple had children Dorothy (b. 1911), Minnie (b. 1913), Harvey (b. 1916), Margaret (b. 1917) and William (b. 1920). Nettie died in 1986.

James Rutherford and George Harrington Guy were sons of Harry L. Guy. H.L. Guy was general manager of the Mutual Life Assurance Company of Canada and sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo. In 1933 H.L. Guy and his wife had a home built at 110 John Boulevard in the Westmount region of Waterloo.

Charles E. Greb was a businessman and philanthropist living near Ayr, Ontario. Born in Kitchener, Greb was the youngest child of Erwin C. (1894-1954) and Clara Greb. His father and grandfather, Charles E. Greb Sr., acquired the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company in 1912, and in 1916 the company received a new charter and was renamed the Greb Shoe Company Limited. By the time it was sold in 1974, Greb Industries Limited had become the largest shoe manufacturer in Canada. Charles Greb began his career with the family company in 1948 as a factory worker, and went on to manage plants in Kitchener and Winnipeg. He became director of sales in 1962, and then from 1969 to 1976 he served as executive vice-president. Greb later became the CEO of Musitron Communications, which became part of Grebco Holdings Ltd., a personal investment firm. He was also director and chairman of Skyjack Inc. of Guelph, director and chairman of Virtek Vision International Inc. of Waterloo, and managing partner of Woodside Fund, a California venture capital partnership.
Greb was involved in several community organizations and initiatives, including: the National Council of YMCAs of Canada, the YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo, the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital Foundation, the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Summer Games, Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, Junior Achievement of Waterloo Region, Junior Achievement of Canada, and CAA Ontario. He was a member of the Board of Governors of St. Paul's College (University of Waterloo) and the Board of Regents of Luther College (University of Regina), and chairman of the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Board of Management and of the Kitchener Economic Development Board. He also received many awards, including the Kitchener Citizen of the Year (1978), a Province of Ontario Bicentennial Medal, an Ontario Volunteer Service gold award, a Canada 125th Anniversary medal for contributions to Canada, a Companion of the Fellowship of Honour YMCA Canada, the Lou Buckley Award - Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA, and the Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Charles Greb’s brothers were also involved in Greb Industries Limited. Harry D. Greb (1916-1998) joined the company as a book-keeper in 1932. Upon the death of his father in 1954, he became company president and held that position until he retired in 1974. Harry Greb was president of the Shoe Manufacturers Association of Canada, the Shoe Information Bureau, and the Shoe and Leather Council of Canada. He was also a director of the Equitable Life Insurance Company and chairman of the board of Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University), as well as a member of several organizations, including: Waterloo County Shrine Club, Kitchener Rotary Club, and Grand River and Scottish Rite Masonic Lodges. In 1971, he was honoured with an LLD degree. Harry was also an avid sailor.
Arthur C. Greb (1917-1982) joined the family company in 1935 and managed the company’s entrance into the retail business with a chain of stores called “Yellow Label” based in Vancouver. This venture was short-lived and Arthur returned to Kitchener to manage the purchasing department at the Greb Shoe Company. He retired in 1974.
Clara May Greb (1921-2006), sister to Harry, Arthur, and Charles, was a philanthropist and involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA, Junior Achievement of Waterloo Region, and the endowment foundations of both of these organizations.
Charles E. Greb, Sr. (1859-1934) was a politician and businessman in Berlin/Kitchener. Born in Zurich, Ontario, he was a carpenter by trade and operated a hardware store and hotel in Zurich before moving to Berlin in 1909 with his wife Caroline and son Erwin. He was involved with the Berlin Shoe Manufacturing Company from its incorporation in 1910 as Secretary-Treasurer. When Erwin purchased the controlling interest in the Greb Shoe Company from his father in 1918, Charles remained involved with the business in an advisory capacity, and devoted more time to politics. He served as an alderman in Kitchener from 1917 to 1921, 1924 to 1927, and 1929 to 1931; and as Mayor for two terms, from 1921 to 1922.
(Source: content of the fonds; Briggs, T. and Greb, C.E., The Greb Story, Kitchener: Grebco Holdings Ltd., 2008; and Waterloo County Hall of Fame biographies: http://tinyurl.com/nsotv4)

The Denison family arrived in North America in 1792. They were United Empire Loyalists and a military family.

George Davidson, born May 14, 1814 in Aberdeen, Scotland, came to Canada on his own in 1835 with the Bon Accord settlers. According to his granddaughter Florence Sims, he “took up two hundred acres of land, partially cleared, at Winterbourne, in the Township of Woolwich, County of Waterloo, and improved it until about 1841, when he moved to Berlin, now Kitchener.” He went into business with his brother, William Davidson, who had followed him later to Canada. George developed the village of New Aberdeen but left the businesses he had started there and returned to Berlin. He was the first postmaster of Berlin and in 1853 was appointed Sheriff of Waterloo County. He married Margaret Garden (1811-1894), also from Aberdeen, in 1836 and together they had six living children, four sons and two daughters. Margaret (1839-1900) married Irvine Kempt of Glasgow, Scotland, and Elizabeth (1843-1928) married William Roos and stayed in Berlin. Of George Davidson Florence Sims says: “Sheriff Davidson had a keen love of outdoor life – farming and gardening. He built Forest Hill … and spent days and years planning and planting its beautiful surrounding park and gardens. He was an energetic, pushing business man, resolute, persevering, and industrious, the type needed in a new country.

The Bowlby family came from England to North American by way of John Bowlby of Nottinghamshire, England. He originally settled in the area that is now Camden, New Jersey on a farm of 400 acres. After the revolutionary war he and members of his family moved to Annapolis, Nova Scotia and were given the status of United Empire Loyalists. John lived to the age of 99 and he and his wife Jane Drake had a large family that included grand-sons Richard Bowlby, born in 1761, and Thomas Bowlby. Richard moved with his grand-father to Nova Scotia and while there married local woman Elizabeth Hawksworth. It was Richard’s brother Thomas, and son Adam, that brought the Bowlby family to the Waterloo Region.
Adam Bowlby (1792-1883) was born in 1792 to Richard Bowlby, and wife Elizabeth Hawksworth. Adam moved to Upper Canada in 1815 to live with his uncle Thomas Bowlby, the first Bowlby family member to come to Upper Canada and here Adam set up a gristmill. After a few years manufacturing tools and implements for farmers, Adam purchased a small parcel of 450 acres in Townsend around the time of his marriage, in 1819, to Elizabeth Sovereign of New Jersey. The farm was built up over a period of 21 years to approximately 3,000 acres. During this 21 year period Adam and Elizabeth had six children: Alfred Bowlby in 1820, William Bowlby in 1822, David Sovereign Bowlby in 1828, Mary Ursula Bowlby Powell in 1830, Ward Hamilton Bowlby, in 1834, John Wedgewood Bowlby in 1837. During this time Adam served as magistrate and district councilor, treasurer of the Masonic Lodge and Captain of the Waterford Company during the rebellions of 1837-38. Adam eventually left his farm to son William (the only farmer in the family) and settled in Berlin (Kitchener) where he died in 1883 at the age of 91.

Alfred Bowlby (1820-1915) was born August 26, 1820 in New Jersey, USA, the eldest son of Adam and Elizabeth. He grew up largely on the family farm in Townsend and began receiving an education at home from an early age. He, along with his brothers, was taught to read from the New Testament and was taught multiplication by his mother. He began formal schooling at the age of nine and would eventually go on to study medicine at Columbia, graduating in 1845. After a failed attempt to continue his studies at University of Toronto due to religious difference, he studied another two years at McGill. In 1846 he finally opened his own practice in Waterford. In 1854 at the age of 34 Alfred married 22 year old Margaret (Mary) Chrysler (1831-1917) of Ancaster, Upper Canada. The two would go on to have eight children together and live in Townsend for the rest of their lives. Alfred continued to practice medicine until his death in 1915 at the age of 95. Margaret passed in 1917 at the age of 86.

David Sovereign Bowlby (1826-1903) was born September 5th, 1826 to Adam Bowlby and Elizabeth Sovereign Bowlby. He was born on the family farm in Townsend, and, like his brothers began to be educated from an early age. He attended Upper Canada College, University of Toronto, Toronto School of Medicine and ultimately the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, graduating in 1853. In October of the same year he moved to Berlin (Kitchener) to temporarily fill in for his cousin Dr. J.W. Sovereign, and ended up staying on indefinitely. He also took on the role of County Jail surgeon, and coroner for many years. Besides his medical practice he was heavily involved in the community being a member of the village council, and on the Board of Trustees of Berlin High School as well as being warden and delegate to the synod for St. John’s Anglican Church. In 1856 David Sovereign married 18 year old Martha Esther Murphy (1837-1925) of Montreal and brought her to Berlin. Together they had five children: Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in 1859, Emma Allen Bowlby Boyd in 1862, George Herbert Bowlby in 1855, Grace Bowlby Fennell in 1871, and David Shannon Bowlby in 1873. In his later years David Sovereign suffered from bronchial troubles and died in 1903 while in Sicily on a trip to improve his breathing. Martha Esther Murphy lived for another 22 years in the family home in Berlin. Martha was extremely active in social and philanthropic organizations in Berlin including as a founding member of the Kitchener and Waterloo Ladies Hospital Auxiliary, organist of St. John’s Anglican Church, and first regent of the Princess of Wales chapter, Daughters of the Empire. Martha died unexpectedly at the age of 88 after her dressing gown caught fire from the gas heater in her home.

Ward Hamilton Bowlby (1834-1917) was born October 4th, 1834 to Adam Bowlby and Elizabeth Sovereign Bowlby. Like his siblings, Ward went to school originally at Upper Canada College and eventually to Toronto University where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1856, Masters of Arts in 1857 and Bachelor of law in 1858, obtaining the first University gold medal in law awarded to Toronto University. In May of the same year he was admitted to the bar and moved to Berlin (Kitchener). He founded the law firm Bowlby, Colquhoun and Clement with his brother-in-law E.P. Clement and F. Colquhoun. He would practice in this firm until 1903 when he retired from active practice. He was appointed King’s Council, as well as holding the positions of Crown Attorney and Clerk of the Peace of Waterloo County, a member of the Town and County Council, reeve of Berlin, and a member of the public school board. Besides his law practice he also invested in many companies in Canada including Canadian Pacific, Merchant’s Bank and others. In 1861 at the age of 27 he married 22 year old Lissie Hespeler Bowlby (1839-1920), daughter of Jacob Hespeler one of the founders of the Waterloo area. The two would live in Jacob Hespeler’s now historic home from 1870-1877. The couple had one daughter, Annie Hespeler Bowlby Perley who married an M.P. and who died in London, England after a sudden illness in 1910. Ward died in 1917 after a period of illness, and Lissie died in 1920.

George Herbert Bowlby (1865-1916) was born July 16, 1865 to David Sovereign Bowlby and Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby in Berlin (Kitchener). Educated in Berlin at both the elementary and high school, he studied briefly at St. Jerome's College and then on to Trinity Medical College in Toronto for his medical degree. After obtaining his degree he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London and also was a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. As a youth he was heavily involved in sports playing soccer and cricket. At the onset of First World War he joined the Army Medical Corps of the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force, became a Captain and was appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services. In 1894 at the age of 28 he married 22 year old Blanche Alexandrine (Adine) Seagram (1871-1919), the daughter of Joseph Emm Seagram, founder of Seagram Distilleries. The two had no children. In 1916 while serving in First World War George was walking the ground of Bath military hospital where he was working and fell off a cliff. He was found dead at the bottom of the cliff and was cremated in Bath. Adine was overseas at the time as well, volunteering for the Red Cross. After the death of her husband Adine stayed on with the Red Cross for another year until she was forced to return to Berlin to look after her ill father. On July 19th, 1919 Adine was riding in a car with her brother Capt. Tom Seagram and her niece. The car was involved in a collision with another vehicle and Adine died of the injuries she sustained.

Grace Bowlby Fennell (1871-1936) was born May 19th, 1871 to David Sovereign Bowlby and Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby in Berlin (Kitchener). An active member of the community, Grace was an officer of the Princess of Wales chapter of I.O.D.E., a member of the parish workers and the Woman’s Auxiliary of St. John’s Anglican Church, as well as a district commissioner of the Girl Guides. In 1902, at the age of 31 she married 32 year old James Philip Fennell, a hardware merchant also from Berlin. The two had one daughter, Patricia Grace Fennell born in 1908 who married Rev. Harold Vaughn. On October 30th 1936 Grace was shopping at Goudie’s Department Store when she had a heart attack and passed away. She was survived by her husband.

David Shannon Bowlby (1873-1938) was born January 24th 1873 to David Sovereign Bowlby and Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby. David Shannon followed almost directly in the path of his uncle Ward Hamilton Bowlby. He was originally educated in Kitchener, and eventually went to University of Toronto, graduating in 1895 with a bachelor of arts, and then on to Osgoode Hall graduating in 1896 with a bachelor of laws. He was called to the bar in 1898 and began practicing law at the family firm Bowlby, Colquhoun and Clement. When his uncle died in 1917, David Shannon replaced him as Crown Attorney for Waterloo County. He held that position until 1934 when he was succeeded by his nephew, at which he began a private firm. Like the rest of his family, David Shannon was very active in the community. He was a member of both the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, the K-W Kiwanis Club, the Masons, the Shriners, and of the Berlin Harp, Mandolin and Guitar Club. In 1904, at the age of 31 he married 27 year old Lillian Carolyn Barnes (1877-1972). Lillian was born in Rhode Island, USA but shortly after her birth came to Berlin (Kitchener) with her mother. In 1907 they had son Shannon Barnes Bowlby and they adopted Carolyn Barnes Bowlby Davison who was born in 1899 in Rhode Island, USA. David Shannon died October 11 1938 after suffering an unexpected heart attack at home. Lillian survived her husband, and eventually moved into the Preston Springs nursing home where she died in 1972. Their son Shannon ran a successful restaurant and catering business in Waterloo, and married Marjorie. Shannon died in 1977 while wintering in Florida. Daughter Carolyn married Norman Davison and the continued to live in the K-W region. She worked for the K-W Welcome Service and operated a real estate office. Carolyn was also involved in I.O.D.E. and the St. John’s Anglican Church. She died in 1967 of a heart attack.

The Clement family came to the Waterloo region in 1848 when Rev. Edwin Clement (1819-1885) and wife Mary Couch Pope Clement (1825-1910) emigrated to North American from England. Rev. Edwin Clement was born in 1819 in Plymouth, England and Mary Couch Pope (1825-1910) was born in 1825 in St. Vincent, West Indies while her father was there as a Wesleyan Methodist Missionary. Her father returned to England shortly after her birth and she was raised in Plymouth as well. In 1847 Mary and Rev. Edwin married and the two left England for North America. After living in the United States for a year, they settled in Ontario where Rev. Edwin would spend a few years in many different cities preaching his ministry. Rev. Edwin and Mary had seven children together: John James Clement in 1848, Catherine Louise Clement in 1850, Mary Alice Clement in 1851, Edwin Perry Clement in 1853, Margaret Elizabeth Clement in 1856, William Henry Pope Clement in 1858 and George Thomas Clement in 1860. Rev. Edwin died in 1885 possibly of liver disease, and Mary spent the next fifteen years living with various children. She passed away in Collingwood in 1910.

Edwin Perry Clement (1853-1924) was born October 19th 1953 to Rev. Edwin and Mary Couch Pope Clement in Simcoe Township, Ontario. He attended Upper Canada College eventually went to Osgoode Hall to study law. E.P. moved to Berlin to study law under Ward Hamilton Bowlby and In 1876 E.P. was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada. After this he became a partner to Ward Hamilton Bowlby and the firm of Bowlby, Colquhoun and Clement was started. In 1902 he was appointed King’s Council and in 1907 was made Junior Judge of Essex. In the same year he had to resign from the position and instead took up as the Vice-President of The Mutual Life Assurance Company, whose board he had been on since 1887. In 1908 he was made President of the company. E.P. was also involved in local politics, at one point running against Joseph Seagram (father of his sister-in-law). He was also involved on much social work including the establishment of the Kitchener YMCA, of which he was the first president, and in the temperance cause. On October 22nd, 1878 he married 20 year old Janie Elizabeth Bowlby, niece of his law partner.

Janie Elizabeth Bowlby (1859-1919) was born April 18th, 1859 to David Sovereign Bowlby and Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby in Berlin (Kitchener). She attended school at both Mrs. Mercer’s Boarding School for Young Ladies in Montreal and at Ontario Ladies College in Aurora, Ontario with other local girls from prominent families. As a child and youth she put on plays and many photographs show her dressed in costume, even as Cinderella with E.P. as her prince the year before their wedding. With her family she traveled to Germany where she also received some education. During the time that they were away, E.P., not yet her husband was appointed Acting County Attorney and Clerk of the Peace due to her father’s absence. In later life she was involved in many charitable and social organizations including as the Women’s Missionary Society of Trinity United Church, The Kitchener- Waterloo Hospital Ladies Auxiliary, and the YWCA. After her marriage to the 25 year old E.P. Clement the couple had six children: Charles Bowlby Clement in 1879, Blanche Mildred Clement Kelly in 1881, Edwin Oliver Clement in 1885, William Pope Clement in 1887, Florence Grace Clement in 1889 and David Ward Clement in 1897.

Charles Bowlby Clement (1879-1970) was born August 19th, 1879 to Edwin Perry Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Berlin (Kitchener). Charles followed the course of his father in some ways and in 1869 started with the Mutual Life Assurance Company of Canada. After doing very well in the head office in Waterloo, in 1917 he left for the Winnipeg office to become Secretary of the office, and eventually assistant loan manager. After this he continued into loan manager positions in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto. He eventually retired in 1944 after having worked for the company for 49 years, at the time a company record. In his personal life he was very interested in chess, music, opera and art. He played violin for fun and in the “Clement Trio” with his brothers Edwin Oliver and William Pope. He was also instrumental in collecting the works of his cousin A.Y. Jackson. In 1904 he married 24 year old Gertrude Unger (1880-1967), also of Berlin. Gertrude was the daughter of Mennonite pioneers who came from Pennsylvania. The two hand only one child, Carlton Clement in 1907 in Waterloo. Carlton attended the University of Alberta for law school and graduated in 1931. He was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Alberta in 1970 and was named King’s Council in 1943. Charles Bowlby died in 1970 at the age of 91 and Gertrude died in 1967. Carlton died in 1999. It is worth noting that his legal career was much applauded and his papers can be found at the Legal Archives Society of Alberta.

Blanche Mildred Clement Kelly (1881-1945) was born July 16th, 1881 to Edwin Perry Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Waterloo. In 1915 at the age of 34 she married 28 year old Frederick Bowman Kelly (1887-1984) of Guelph. The two moved to Guelph where Frederick was employed as a merchant. The two had no children. Blanche died in 1945 at the home of her sister Florence and Frederick lived until the age of 97, dying in 1984.

Edwin Oliver Clement (1885-1953) was born March 13th, 1885 to Edwin Oliver Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Berlin (Kitchener). Edwin lived in Berlin for the first part of his life and worked as a banker for CIBC. His work took him to Lethbridge Alberta for a period of time and he was living there in 1916 until he was drafted into First World War in 1917. After the war he moved to the Simcoe region and in 1925, and the age of 40 he married 31 year old Helen Keefer Thompson (1894-1968) of Penetanguishene. The two had two daughters: Julia Clement who married Ian Donald McKillop and Christine Clement who married David Hebscher. Edwin died in 1953 and Helen in 1968.

William Pope Clement (1887-1982) was born August 26th, 1887 to Edwin Perry Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Berlin (Kitchener). He was allegedly named for his paternal grandmother’s favourite cousin, William Henry Pope of P.E.I., one of the Fathers of Confederation. He was first educated in Kitchener and later at University of Toronto for both his bachelor of arts in 1909 and his L.L.B. in 1912. In May of the same year he began practicing law in the family firm of Bowlby, Colquhoun and Clement. He also worked in local politics serving as an alderman, and two terms as Mayor of Kitchener. Later on in his law career he was County Crown Attorney and in 1936 was appointed King’s Council and in 1945 elected a bencher of the Provincial Law Society. He was also an active member in the Rotary Club for many years. Besides his work, his biggest passion was music. He began playing violin at the age of twelve with the Concordia Club Choir. While at school in Toronto he accompanied many singers, and the glee club. Back in Kitchener he played organ for three separate churches and sang with the K-W Philharmonic Choir. In 1945 William Pope was one of those involved in the establishment of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra in which he played the viola for 25 years. He also wrote his own compositions and lyrics. In 1915 William Pope married 20 year old Muriel Alberta Kerr(1895-1975) of Woodstock. Muriel was a physical education teacher in public and high schools, but quit after her marriage to William Pope. Although she quit teaching, she never quit her active membership in society, in particular her work with immigrants and as an anti-racism activist. She was the founder of the K-W Council of Friendship which promoted racial harmony and helped new-comers with education and language. For her work with this organization she was named Woman of the Year for K-W in 1949 and given the Centennial Award by the K-W chapter of Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in 1967. She was also a life director of the women’s committee of the K-W Symphony, and an active member of the Evangelist Anglican Church. Muriel and William Pope had one daughter Elizabeth (Betty) Clement Stewart born in 1916. Muriel and William also adopted a niece, Margaret Chellew Adams Clement Forbes. William Pope died in 1982 at the age of 95 and continued to practice law until the end of his life. Muriel died in 1975.

Florence Grace Clement (1889-1988) was born November 8, 1889 to Edwin Perry Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Berlin (Kitchener). She was educated first in town and later at Havergal College in Toronto. In her early twenties Florence went to England and then to Germany to study voice, but a sudden bout of homesickness sent her back to Berlin just before the outbreak of First World War. Back in Berlin she continued to be involved in music, and spent much time in Northern Ontario vacationing with her family. She looked after her mother when she was elderly, and after her passing Florence spent much time traveling. Florence was very active in the community as a life member of Trinity United Church being in the choir and the women’s organization, a charter member of the Queen Anne chapter of I.O.D.E., a life member of the Canadian Red Cross, and a charter member of the Westmount Country Club where she was an accomplished golfer. She was also an active donor to the Tom Thomson Gallery and a life member, probably stemming from her close relationship with her cousin A.Y. Jackson. Florence was responsible for keeping much of the family history and made a great effort to trace her genealogy. She also inherited many of the antiques from her mother, some of which now reside at the ROM. Florence never made and spent her later years living at the Preston Springs retirement home until her death at the age of 98 in 1988.

David Ward Clement (1897-1917) was born September 2, 1897 to Edwin Perry Clement and Janie Elizabeth Bowlby Clement in Berlin (Kitchener). He was educated locally and was a member of the local boy scouts troupe. He later went on to study at St. Andrew’s College in Toronto where he was a member of the Cadet Corps. In 1915 David enlisted in First World War and in 1916 was transferred to the Montreal Highlanders with whom he went overseas. In 1917 he joined the aviation corps. It was in this position that he was killed in action during a collision with another plane. David was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His mother was given the Memorial Cross.
Elizabeth (Betty) Clement Stewart (1916-1977) was born to William Pope Clement and Muriel Alberta Kerr Clement in 1916 in Berlin (Kitchener). An exemplary student, Betty won the Bishop Strachan Scholarship and was awarded a full ride to University of Toronto. In 1940 Betty wed Peter Ross Stewart (1915-1980) of West Hartford. Peter was an alderman and an investor. Betty and Peter had two children together, Janet and Stewart. Janet continued in the family tradition and works as a lawyer. Betty died in 1977 and Peter in 1980.
Margaret (Peggy) Chellew Adams Clement Forbes (1921-2010) was born to Dorothy and Stanley Adams in 1921 in Hamilton, through whom she had a brother Donald Adams. She was later adopted by her Aunt and Uncle William Pope Clement and Muriel Alberta Kerr Clement. Peggy graduated from University of Toronto as an occupational therapist and served overseas with the Red Cross in First World WarI. Peggy was very involved in the arts and established the LaCloche Art Show in 1977 as well as being involved in many other artistic organizations. Peggy married 21 year old Capt. Donald Rossell Forbes (1920-2005) in 1942 and they had two children: Diana Forbes and Jock Forbes. Donald died in 2005 and Peggy in 2010.

The Clement – Bowlby family has an interesting link to Canadian art. Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby’s sister Isabella Murphy (1829-1890) married Henry Fletcher Joseph Jackson (1820-1895). Their eldest son Henry Allan Jackson (1850-[?]) married Elizabeth Georgian Young (1851-[?]) and bore seven children. One of these was Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson (1882-1974) one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. A.Y. and his aunt Geneva were close to the E.P. and Janie Clement family and spent many summers vacationing with them at E.P.’s cottage in Portage Point, Georgian Bay. He visited the family after his first stint in First World War before he went back to a war artist, and kept up correspondence with Florence Grace Clement. Florence herself kept much history on A.Y. and Naomi Jackson Groves corresponded with her frequently regarding A.Y.

Alida Burrett (nee Schriel) (1944-2011), women's rights and environmental activist, was born August 26, 1944 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. At the age of six she immigrated to Canada with her parents and siblings. Alida attended Trent University for her B.A. (class of 1974) and Brock University for her B.Ed. (class of 1976). Alida met George Burrett while at Trent and the two married in 1971. Alida worked for B.F. Goodrich where she became involved in expanding the role of women in the company, and later as a teacher. Her passions were in women's rights and environmental protection and she became active as a student in the 1970s, helping to produce an early environmental magazine, and shortly after graduation as a champion of female equality in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Alida was involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo Status of Women Group in the 1980s and in 1997 she founded the Citizen's Advisory Council on Air Quality.

George Burrett is also politically and professionally active in environmental protection as well as peace, particularly in terms of nuclear disarmament. George was a member of the Waterloo Region Peace Network and performs home energy audits in the Waterloo Region.

Alida Burrett died March 25, 2011.

The Bray family were early white settlers of what is now southern Ontario. Members of the family are the descendants of George Bray (1795-1846) who was born in England on December 11, 1795. He married Ann Preston (b. 1796) and the pair had 10 children: Jemima (b.1816-1866), Abraham (1818-1901), Isaac (1819-1837), Sarah (b. 1821), Rebecca (b. 1824), Rachel (b. 1827), Ruth (1832-1837), Hannah (b. 1834), Mary (b. 1839) and Jacob (1840-1920).

Eldest son Abraham immigrated to Canada in the early 1840's where he settled in Zorra Township and began to farm. By 1845 he had married Sarah, also a British immigrant, and the couple had nine children: George (b. 1845), Elizabeth (b. 1847), Robert (b. 1849), James (b. 1853), Mary Jane (b. 1855), John (b. 1858), William (b. 1860), Marie (b. 1862), Joseph (b. 1867).
Abraham's youngest sibling, Jacob, settled in the Listowel area and there married Jane Brown (b.?). Jacob and Jane had son George (1873-1937) who later married Florence Murray (1874-1959).

(George) Murray Bray (1905-1974), lawyer, was born January 12 1905 to Florence Murray Bray (1874-1959) and George Bray (1873-1937) both of Canada. Born in Perth, Murray and his parents later moved to 70 Margaret Ave. in Kitchener. Murray studied law in Toronto and in 1929 he was called to the bar. He began working at his father's law office of Sims, Bray, McIntosh and Schofield in Kitchener. In 1928 Murray married Isabel Treacy (1906-1986) daughter of William (1878-1953) and Francis Crawford Treacy (1875-1929). Murray and Isabel had two children, William George, called Bill (b. 1929) and Judith (b. 1933). The family of Murray Bray lived in the Westmount region, at 145 Union Blvd. and later at 54 Rusholme Ave. Murray died in 1974 and Isabel in 1986.

Jacob Hoffman (1809-1878) married Veronica Eby (1817-1876) and lived in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. Their oldest child, Isaac Hoffman (1835-1898) married Caroline Harlen[1] (1838-) ca. 1854. Two daughters (of their six living children) are represented in the fonds: Caroline M. Hoffman (1857-) and Emma Sivina Hoffman (1862-).

Caroline M. Hoffman married John D. Barnes of Providence Rhode Island (date of marriage unknown, ca. 1878?). They had one daughter, Lillie Caroline Barnes.[2] As of 1895[3] they were living in Providence, R.I. but sometime after that Caroline and Lillie returned to the Waterloo area.

Lillie Caroline Barnes married David Shannon Bowlby, K.C. (1873-1938) in 1904. They had two children, foster daughter Carolyn Barnes Bowlby, and son Shannon Bowlby. (Source: "David Shannon Bowlby, K.C.," WHS 26 (1938): 45-46 and Ezra E. Eby, Biographical History of Waterloo, 1895-1896, p. 802).

Carolyn Barnes Bowlby married Norman Davison (1877-) in 1920. They had two children, Peter (1927-) and Carolyn, known as Patti (b. ca. 1930).
Carolyn Davison married J.W. Carlisle.

Emma Sivina Hoffman (b. 1862), married Cyrus Schiedel of Waterloo in 1885. They had one son, Wilfrid H. Schiedel. (Source: Ezra E. Eby, Biographical History of Waterloo, 1895-1896, p. 802)

[1] Spelled variously in sources Herlan, Harlen, Harlan.
[2] Ezra Eby gives her name as Lillie, probably after her aunt Lillie Josephine Hoffman. However, the name used by the donor is "Lillian".
[3] Date from Ezra Eby.

Emma Allen Bowlby was born to David Sovereign Bowlby and Martha Esther Murphy Bowlby in Waterloo in 1862. When she was 21, in 1884, she married the 39 year old Gardiner Boyd. Gardiner Boyd was born in 1845 to Mossom Boyd and Caroline Dunsford of Bobcaygeon Ontario. The couple had three children, Gardiner Mossom (born 1885), Mary Olive (born 1886) and Frieda Kathleen (born 1888).
Emma died in 1897 and her husband in 1898 leaving her children to be raised by their maternal grandparents, and later by their father’s half brother.

Doris Bolender nee Moyer (1922-2011) and Gordon Bolender (1920-2002) both of Kitchener, traveled to Jebba and Igbeti, Nigeria in 1946. Doris worked as a nurse while Gordon was a teacher for The United Missionary Society until 1960. Doris and Gordon had three children, two of whom were born in Nigeria: Mark, David, and Merla.

Mervin Albert Ball (1919-1999) served in the Second World War and later worked for Krug Furniture. Mervin was married to Jean Adelaide Ball nee Forsey (1920-1995).

R. Boehmer & Co. was a fuel business in Berlin (now Kitchener, Ontario) founded by Reinhardt Boehmer, who originally began selling limestone to the building trades in 1875 and later sold coal, wood, and other fuels and equipment. The Boehmer family remained in ownership of the company until 1965. In 1973 the business was sold to the St. Lawrence Cement Co.

The Bechler family immigrated to Canada from Germany in the 1870s. Christian Bechler and his wife Christina moved to Wilmot Township before settling in Berlin (later Kitchener) with their sons, Gottfried and Edward. Christian worked as a farmer. Gottfried Bechler and Louise (Louisa) Schmidt were married by Reverend Reinhold von Pirch on July 10, 1894 in Berlin. Gottfried worked as a buttonmaker. Edward Bechler and Anna (Annie) Schmidt were married by Reverend Reinhold von Pirch on the April 18, 1899 in Berlin. Edward worked as a labourer and a machine hand.

Frederick Bechler lived in Wilmot Township before moving to Berlin (later Kitchener). Frederick worked as a labourer, button maker, and button turner in Berlin. Frederick married Auguste “Maria” Schultz in 1879. Frederick and Maria had four children: Gustave, Wilhelmina Henrietta, Willie, and Carl Gottfried.

Gustav Bechler worked as a cigar maker in Berlin. Bechler married Margth Reeger on November 11, 1903. The couple lived in Michigan with their daughters Ella and Ethel. Minnie (Wilhelmina Henrietta) worked as a cigar maker in Berlin. Carl Gottfried (Charles Godfrey) worked as a cabinet maker in Berlin. Charles married Mary Hazel Reid on November 30, 1910 in Guelph.

After Maria’s death, Frederick Bechler remarried on July 6, 1897 to Matilda Rogge-Wiese. Frederick and Matilda had two children: Viola and Walter. Walter worked as a shoemaker in Kitchener. Walter married Dorothy Regan on July 1, 1937 in Kitchener.

Henrietta Wilhelmina Bechler was born in Germany on November 7, 1859. It is likely Henrietta was the daughter of Christian and Christina Bechler. She married Christian Rosekat and immigrated to Canada with him in 1879. Christian Rosekat worked as a tanner. The Rosekats lived in Berlin (later Kitchener) where they had nine children: Wilhelmine Henriette (Mina), William, Charles, Henry, Alfred (Frederick), Herman, Albert, Walter, and John.

Jacob and Mary Kaufman were prominent citizens of Kitchener, Ontario from the late 19th century to WWII. Jacob Kaufman and Mary Ratz married in 1877. Jacob began his career in the lumber industry but switched to rubber, forming the Kaufman Rubber Company in 1908. Jacob and Mary Kaufman were active in civic and community life, supporting causes such as The Children’s Aid Society, the Kitchener-Waterloo Orphanage, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the YMCA, the YWCA and the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital. Together they had four children: Emma Ratz, Alvin Ratz, Milton Ratz, and Edna Louise.

Emma Kaufman dedicated her life to the Young Women’s Christian Association, serving for thirty years in Japan and Canada. The Emperor of Japan presented her with a memorial cup in 1965, the 60th Anniversary of the YWCA in Japan, and in the same year she received an International Cooperation Year medal presented by Cardinal Leger in Montreal.

Alvin (“A.R.”) Kaufman ran the rubber company started by his father and became well known as a local philanthropist, supporting many of the same causes as had his parents. He is primarily remembered for his activities in support of the YMCA, YWCA and of family planning and birth control.

Edna Kaufman married Albert William Augustine (1890-1972) Aug. 22, 1918. They had three children, Albert Jacob (1923-1990), John Ross (1927- ), and Mary Caroline (1931- ).

Mary Caroline Augustine married James Milton Ham (1920-1997), who was President of the University of Toronto from 1978-1983.

Albert Benjamin Augustine, a school teacher from Racine, Wisconsin, marred Caroline Margaret Barbara Breithaupt in Berlin, Ontario on August 3, 1887. Together they lived in Racine and had three children: Albert Augustine, Laurine Catherine and Grace Melvina Louise. Following Albert Benjamin's death in 1909, the family moved to Berlin. Albert became an industrialist, Laurine taught at what would become the Kitchener Vocational Institute and Grace pursued a career in academia after obtaining a PhD at Columbia University.