Mabel Schneider was born on February 22, 1904 to parents Albert Carl and Emma Schneider. She was the third out of four children. She died at the age of 24 from pulmonary tuberculosis. She was still single at the time of death on July 27, 1928.

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).

Johann Christoph Schneider 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 (now Kitchener), 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 and started married life in a house on what is now College St. in Kitchener. Together they had seven children, of whom John Metz Schneider was the first.

In 1860 Schneider purchased a 100-acre farm in what is now the Victoria/Lawrence St. area of Kitchener, cleared the land and spent the next thirty-seven years as a farmer. He contributed to the growth of Berlin as a builder, helping to construct buildings such as the Waterloo County Court House and the Breithaupt tanneries. He was also a founding member of the Church of the New Jerusalem, a Swedenborgian congregation. He died December 20, 1900 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

John Metz Schneider was a business owner and community builder. The first child of Christoph and Anna Schneider, he was born in Berlin (later Kitchener) on February 17, 1859. He grew up on the family farm but moved into Berlin as a young man to find work in the Dominion Button Works. It was there that he met Helena Ahrens, and they were married on November 8, 1883 at the Ahrens home in Berlin, Ontario. Together they had five children: Charles Alexander, Herbert John, Norman Christoph, Frederick Henry and Emma Louise.

An accident at Dominion Button Works in 1886 kept J.M. home for an extended period. His future as the founder of a major food processing company started with his efforts at this time to support his family. He and his family began to make sausages at home and J.M. sold them, door to door, even after he returned to work at the button factory. The success of this enterprise encouraged him to become a full time butcher, and in 1890 he built his own plant and shop on Courtland Avenue in Berlin . J.M. Schneider Limited became one of the most important industries in Kitchener, known around the world, its reputation based on J.M. Schneider’s personal virtues of thrift, honesty, quality and equality.

Beyond his business pursuits, Schneider was a trustee of the Church of the Good Shepherd, sang in the choir and helped lay the cornerstone of the new church in 1935. He was a member of the Board of Trade, was an alderman in 1905-1907, sponsored radio broadcasts of the Y.M.C.A. choir, and in 1938 started the Schneider Male Chorus.

J.M. died February 23, 1942 and was entombed at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener.

Howard George was born on February 18, 1929 to parents Norman and Ethel Schneider. He was married to Betty Louise Becker with whom he had six children with; Gregory, Pamela, Christopher, Philip, James, and Stephen. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Schneider Inc. since 1957. He was also the Director of Research and Development for the company and a member of the Technical Research Committee of the Canadian Meat Council. He died on March 28, 1988 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Herbert John was born October 20, 1886 to parents John Metz Schneider and Helena Ahrens. He died of typhoid fever on October 11, 1905 after contracting the infection two weeks prior.

Herbert John Schneider was born July 5, 1926 in Kitchener, Ontario to Norman and Ethel Schneider. Educated in local public schools he graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He was married to Betty Ruppel on October 6, 1949 with whom he four children: Gretchen Ann, Eric Norman, Nancy Beth, and Michael Kurt.

Schneider joined J.M. Schneider Inc. in 1948 holding the positions of Production Supervisor and Plant Superintendent, and becoming Vice-President of Personnel and Public Relations, Vice-President and Vice Chairman of Schneider Corporation. He jointed the Board of Directors in 1952 and served as a member until 1997 when he retired as Chairman.

Over the course of his career he was Chairman of the Public Affairs and Marketing Committee of the Canadian Meat Council and a trustee of the National Institute of Nutrition. He was served as councillor for Waterloo Township, member of the Waterloo County Area Planning Board, Pine Grove Community Association, the K-W YMCA Board of Directors, the Vice-President of K-W Oktoberfest, and Chairman of the Town and Country Dinner. He has also served as President of the Board of Directors of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Swedenborgian).

Schneider died suddenly on January 29, 2006.

Helena Schneider was community builder and volunteer born in Berlin (no Kitchener) Ontario on November 1, 1859 to parents Charles Andrew Ahrens and Charlotte Henrietta Roth at the family home on Queen Street. Helena married John Metz Schneider of Berlin on November 8th, 1883. The couple had five children: Charles Alexander; Herbert John; Norman Christoph; Frederick Henry and Emma Louise. John was the founder of J.M. Schneider Limited; he began making and selling sausages around 1890 from their home after an injury prohibited him from working at his job at a button factory.

Helena was an active member of the Good Shepherd church, the Ladies Auxiliary and of the Independent Dorcas Society and the Kitchener Red Cross. She served for a number of years on the Kitchener Orphanage Board, and was active in relief work, particularly during the depression years. Helena died on November 3rd, 1944 and is entombed at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener with her husband who died in 1942.

Heinrich Metz Schneider born on September 22, 1865 to parents Johann Christoph and Anna Schneider. He was the second of five children. He married Louisa Lehnen on June 10, 1896 with whom he has five children with; Edith, Emil, Anna, David and Alberta. He died February 23, 1951.

Georgina Allendorf was born on February 16, 1887 to parents Conrad and Magdalena Allendorf. She was the eighth of fourteen children and came from a family of wagon makers. She married Charles Alexander Schneider on October 26, 1862 with whom she had one daughter: Lorraine Katharine. Schneider died August 15,1959 in Kitchener and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Fred Paul Schneider was born in Kitchener, Ontario on March 14, 1926 to parents Frederick Henry and Ella Daniels Schneider. He attended Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute, graduated in 1947 from McMaster University with a B.A., and in 1949 from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Commerce degree. He married Frances Jean Cressman on July 11, 1953 with whom he had five children: Peter Frederick, Daniel John, Anne Cecile, Margaret Ella, and Thomas Ervin.

Schneider joined J.M. Schneider Ltd. in 1949 working in Cost Accounting and went on to hold a number of positions: By-Products Manager (1961), Vice-President (1963), Executive Vice-president (1967), President (1968), Chief Executive Officer (1969) and Chairman of the Board (1970). He retired from the company in 1989 as one of the last Schneider family members to run the company, but carried on as a member of the Board of the Directors. He first joined the Board in 1952 and became Chairman in 1991, a position he held until retiring in 1992.

Over the course of his career served as president of the Canadian Meat Council and as president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra Association, Inc. During the 1960's he was a trustee of the Board of Education, and from 1978-1984 was a Director of the Center in the Square. He was also a member of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Association), an association which aids third world countries. An environmentalist, Schneider was also responsible for planning thousands of trees and actively supported land stewardship efforts in the region.

Schneider died at home in Wilmot Township on September 19, 2011. He was cremated and interred at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Fredrick Henry was born on August 1, 1890 in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) to John M. and Helena Schneider. He attended public school in Berlin followed by one year at Euler's Business College, entering the family business at the age of sixteen. By 1907 he was serving as a clerk and meat cutter in the family's retail store. He would go on to become the second president of the company, a position he held from 1943 to 1963. He was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of J.M. Schneider Ltd. He organized the first sales staff and promoted the first insurance and pension plans for J.M. Schneider employees. Fredrick and his brother Norman, decided to abandon the plant their father had begun on Courtland Avenue and constructed a new plant on Courtland Avenue East.

In the community, Frederick Henry served on the Board of Directors of both the Waterloo Trust and Savings Co. and the Equitable Life Insurance of Canada. He was elected president of the Meat Packers Council of Canada three times. He served on the Municipal Council of Kitchener as well as Chairman of the Public School Board.

Schneider married Ella Eugenia Daniels on May 12, 1914 and together they had two children: Jean May and Frederick Paul. Frederick H. Schneider died November 9, 1967 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Kitchener.

Ethel May Lapsley was born in Galt, Ontario (now Cambridge) on March 31, 1894 to William Henry and Clara Sophia Lapsley. She was married to Norman Christoph, owner of J.M. Schneider’s Ltd., with whom she had three children: Herbert John, Howard George, and Brita. She was an active member of the Canadian Red Cross, volunteering with the organization for 60 years. Schneider died at Victoria Place in Kitchener on September 23, 1988 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Emma Gerbig Schneider was born in 1879 to parents George and Catherine Gerbig. She married Albert Carl in 1901 with whom she had four children with; Clarence, Maudie, Mabel, and Florence.

Emil John Schneider was the son of Heinrich Metz and Louisa Lehnen. He was born on August 22, 1898 in Berlin, now Kitchener, Ontario. He married Pearl Katherine Wing with whom he had three children: John, Ruth, and Anne. He worked for J.M. Schneider Inc. until his retirement in 1969 and was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He died June 24, 1976 and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.

Ella Daniels Schneider was born on March 1890 to parents Rev. Eugene Davidson and Ella Graves Daniels in Indianapolis, Indiana. She immigrated to Canada in 1909 where she worked as a teacher. She married Fredrick Henry Schneider with whom she had two kids; Jean May and Fredrick Paul. She died November 4, 1959.

David Frederick was born March 25, 1907 to Heinrich Metz and Louisa Lehnen in Berlin, now Kitchener, Ontario. He was the Director and Purchasing Manager of the J.M. Schneider Ltd., for 41 years. He married Dorothy F. Kyle on December 30, 1937, with whom he had one daughter, Lynne. Schneider died February 4, 1968 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Charles Alexander Schneider was born on November 17, 1884, the first child of John Metz and Helena (nee Ahrens) Schneider. He began working with his father at a young age and worked at one point in a hardware store to gain retail experience. He was eventually named a director of the J.M. Schneiders, Ltd., where he was responsible for the management of the shipping department. "Schneider married Georgina Allendorf in 1908, and they had one daughter: Lorraine Katharine (1910-1993).

Outside of work Schneider was interested in the promotion of amateur sports. Schneider sponsored minor league baseball teams and was interested in fish and game conservation. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias and was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. In his later hears he became a hobby farmer with a farm “The Forest View” near Blair. He died June 24, 1945, in Kitchener, at his 51 Schneider Avenue home and was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Anna Elizabeth Schneider was born on August 5 1899 to parents Heinrich Metz and Louise Schneider. She died at infancy due to Inflammatory Croup on October 28, 1900.

Alberta Schneider was born on October 8, 1901 to parents Heinrich Metz and Louise Schneider. She married a widower named Clarence Edwin Traeder with whom she moved to Wisconsin with from 1956-1960. After that, they resided in Phoenix, Arizona.

Albert Carl Schneider was born on September 26, 1877 to parents Johann Christoph and Anna Schneider. He married Emma Gerbig on February 27, 1901. Together they had four children: Clarence Carl, Maude Elizabeth, Mabel, and Florence Irene. Schneider died of pulmonary tuberculosis on August 30, 1920 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

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 Schneider Employees' Association (SEA) was established in 1945 after workers at the Schneider Foods plant voted to be represented by an internal employee association. At the time United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) was also vying to represent the employees. Prior to the employee association being established, Schneider Foods was well known for its positive relationship with its employees and benefits including free meals, sick leave, and employee redistribution to help ensure everyone had a fair number of hours. The history of the SEA indicates that the Committee for Industrial Organizations (CIO) specifically targeted Schneider Foods for unionization because of this relationship, believing that if they could organize here where workers had an amiable relationship with their management, they would be able to organize anywhere. A group of 12 workers at Schneider Foods felt that an internal employee association would be better able to understand the needs of the workers than an outside organization and as such they drafted a proposed constitution and elected officers.

The original executive consisted of John Albrecht (president), Edwin Yanke (vice-president), Edwin Hurlbut (secretary) and Cecil James (treasurer). This employee association was sanctioned by the management and they began recruiting members. Almost one year after the SEA was established, workers at the plant voted to elect the SEA as the legal bargaining unit and the first meeting was held December 10, 1945. The first collective agreement was signed on September 23, 1946 granting employees a 12 cent per hour raise. In June of 1947 a hospital, medical and sick leave benefit plan was agreed to that covered employees as well as their families and in 1949 an employee pension plan was arranged. By 1956 there was some disagreement among employees as to whether the SEA was still the best choice, or if they should be represented by the United Packinghouse and Commercial Workers of America (UFCWA). A vote on April 4, 1956 saw the SEA continue to represent employees and negotiate a new two year agreement. Throughout the next few decades the agreement would be updated, and benefits changed, to keep in line with the changing needs of the employees, including equal pay for women workers in 1971.

During the mid 20th century there were more changes at the plant and to the agreements, including covering employees in Ayr, Wellesley, Thunder Bay, Manitoba, and Alberta. Throughout the years there was only one strike, in 1988, and relations between the employees and the company remained amiable through many changes in ownership after the Schneider family sold the company in 1997. In 2014 the Schneider Foods plant in Kitchener closed for good and the SEA ended after almost 70 years.

Euphemia Bean was born June 27, 1865 in Freeport (now part of Kitchener), Ontario, the first daughter born to Daniel G. Bean and second wife Margaret Hailer Wagner. She married Henry N. Schmidt, a miller, in Bruce County on November 18, 1885. They raised a family in South Dakota, where she died in 1924. She was buried in the Sisseton Cemetery.

Carl Balzer "Cully" Schmidt was a journalist and the editor of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Schmidt was born in Waterloo (Ontario) on March 9, 1911, the third of four children to Lydia Catherine Burghardt and Carl Heinrich Eckhardt (“Charles Henry Edward”) Schmidt. On October 7, 1936, Schmidt married Margaret Elizabeth Lockhart. The couple had two children: Margaret Jane and John Alexander.

Schmidt began working as a paper carrier for the Kitchener-Waterloo Record as a boy and started writing as a journalist at the age of 17. He went on to move through various roles in the editorial department before being named editor-in-chief of the newspaper in 1968, at the age of 56. Nicknamed the "Iron Duke," Schmidt held the role until his retirement in 1975.

During his youth, Schmidt served as a player and team representative in the Ontario Hockey Association and the Ontario Rugby Football League, curling player and controlling body of the Kitchener-Waterloo Granite Club, and president of the Athletic Association of Kitchener and Waterloo. Schmidt was also president of the Kitchener Musical Society, the operating body of the Kitchener Concert Band, and a founding member of the Western Ontario Newspaper Awards in 1952 (renamed the Ontario Newspaper Awards in 2004).

Cully Schmidt died in Waterloo on September 21, 2006, at 95.

William Henry Eugene (W.H.E.) Schmalz was born July 29, 1890 in Waterloo Township to William Henry Schmalz (1862-1933) and Eleanor Oelschlager (1867-??). W.H.E.’s father, William Henry, was an insurance salesman and later the mayor of Berlin (now Kitchener). In 1915 W.H.E. married Rachel Beatrice Richardson (1890-??) and had one child, Herbert Schmalz (1916-2000).
W.H.E. attended Royal Military College where he was educated in map and architectural drawings, and in 1916 served with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. W.H.E. later attended the University of Toronto and ultimately became an architect. W.H.E. is perhaps best known for designing the original City Hall of the City of Kitchener which was completed in 1924 and torn down in 1973. He contributed significantly to Ontario architecture both on his own and working for firms such as Pearson and Darling.
W.H.E. was involved in many aspects of life in Kitchener including as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Kitchener Parks Board, the Kiwanis Club and the Kitchener Musical Society. He also held a personal interest in philately and wrote a text on the postal history of Waterloo County. W.H.E. died January 25, 1981.

Worth Flagler Schantz was born to Orpheus Moyer Schantz and Carrie Schantz on August 20, 1902 and raised alongside his sibling Ruth Schantz.

Worth died in 1964.

Tobias Kolb Schantz was a mill worker and salesman. He was born to Benjamin Schantz (1811-1868) and Lydia Kolb (1814-1862) on April 10, 1842 in Freeport on the Grand River and raised alongside his ten siblings: Josiah K. Schantz (December 5, 1834-August 3, 1913), Catharine Schantz (May 17, 1836-February 28, 1917), Hannah Schantz (April 1, 1838-August 20, 1841), Christian Schantz (January 20, 1840-?), 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).

As a young adult, Tobias worked in his father’s gristmill in Port Elgin, Ontario.

On August 6, 1863, Tobias married Mary Moyer. The couple had eight children: Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

From 1864-1865, Tobias attended the Eastman National Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Tobias completed his schooling in the spring of 1865 and returned to Port Elgin, Ontario in 1866 with his family.

Tobias’ father Benjamin sold his gristmill in Port Elgin, Ontario in 1866. Afterwards, Tobias travelled to Missouri with his father for a short period in 1867.

Tobias moved to the village of Hawkesville in Waterloo County in 1870 with his family where he worked in Wilson’s mill. Later in 1877, Tobias moved to the village of Conestogo in Waterloo County with his family where he worked in the Conestogo and Bridgeport mills.

In 1884 Tobias and his family moved to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario and lived in a house on Benton Street. In 1887, the family purchased two aces of land from Samuel Schneider’s farm for $1,100.00. In 1888, the family built an Italianate style home at 43 Schneider Avenue. It was the first house built on the street and cost $1,725.00 to build. During this period, Tobias worked for ED Smith selling fruit trees and he also worked as a book salesman.

In 1902, Tobias followed his two sons Arthur and Austin and son-in-law, Ward Malott White, out west to homestead in Alberta. They each claimed a a quarter section of a 160 acres of land southwest of Didsbury, Alberta for a fee of $10.00.

Tobias remained in Alberta until 1907. Afterwards, he returned to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. He died on April 16, 1925.

Sophie was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on May 4, 1869 in or near Campden, Ontario and raised alongside her seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

In 1870 Sophie and her family moved to the village of Hawkesville in Waterloo County. In 1877 Sophie and her family moved to Conestogo, Waterloo County and later to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario in 1884.

As a young adult, Sophie worked as a dressmaker. In 1884, she stayed with her brother Orpheus and sister-in-law Carrie in Chicago, Illinois. In 1897 she enrolled in a two year kindergarten course at the Chicago Froebel Association’s Jones School in the city. She received a license to teach in Chicago in 1899 and taught there for a short period.

Sophie returned to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario following the death of her sister Etta in 1900. She planned to help Ward White, Etta’s husband, raise his infant daughter Dorothy. Around 1902, Ward proposed marriage to Sophie and asked her to move out west to homestead with him in Alberta. Sophie declined his proposal and remained in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario.

Sophie was unable to teach in Ontario with her license from Chicago, Illinois. Instead, she worked at Woolworth's Five, Ten & Fifteen Cent store. She helped her sister Florence acquire a job in this store as well during the 1920s.

Sophie retired in the 1930s and subsequently kept house at her family home at 43 Schneider Avenue in Kitchener, Ontario.

Sophie owned and played a reed organ. She enjoyed quilting on large frames in her home with friends from church.

By 1950, Sophie suffered from dementia and was confined to a wheel chair. She was eventually taken to Scott Pavilion at the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital (now the Grand River Hospital) where she stayed until she died on October 8, 1958.

Orpheus was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz (nee Moyer) on May 27, 1864 in Port Elgin, Ontario and raised alongside his seven siblings; Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

From September to December 1864, Tobias, Mary and Orpheus lived in Poughkeepsie, New York while Tobias attended the Eastman National Business College. Tobias completed his schooling in the spring of 1865 and the family returned to Port Elgin, Ontario in 1866.

In 1870 the family moved to the village of Hawkesville in Waterloo County. In 1877, the family moved to the village of Conestogo in Waterloo County.

In 1881 Orpheus moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa to work as a clerk in his uncle Levi. N. Moyer’s dry goods business. Orpheus initially lived with his uncle but eventually moved into a boarding house.

Orpheus married Cornelia (Carrie) Caroline Flagler (1864-1922) in Ottumwa, Iowa on January 30, 1889. The couple had two children; Ruth Schantz (1892-1976) and Worth Flagler Schantz (1902-1964).

Once married Orpheus and Carrie lived in Iowa Falls, Iowa but later moved to Chicago, Illinois because Orpheus acquired a job working for the department store Carson Pirie Scott & Company. Between 1912-1917 Orpheus acquired an elected position as Treasurer of the Cicero Area School Board.

Although he made his living as a dry goods merchant he had an abiding interest in ornithology, botany , geography and geology. He was president of the Illinois Audubon Society, secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Geographic Society and a popular author and lecturer.

In 1918 Orpheus visited the Great Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He later formed a company called Schantz Tours that organized trips around the mountain range for over 20 years.

After he retired, Orpheus moved to Riverside, Illinois to live with his son Worth. In 1943 he moved with Worth and his family to Red Bank, New Jersey.

Orpheus died on September 2, 1951.

Mary was born to Abraham Bechtel Moyer and Mary Gross Moyer (nee Nash) on July 1, 1840 in Cayuga, Ontario and raised alongside her nine siblings. She was raised in a pioneer Mennonite farming family and moved throughout her childhood to Norfolk County, Lincoln County, Pelham, and Cainsville, Ontario.

Mary was also a descendant of Samuel Meyer who came to Lincoln County, Canada West in 1800.

At the age of 16, Mary acquired a position as a school teacher in the Niagara Peninsula. She eventually accepted a teaching position in Port Elgin, Ontario.

On August 6, 1863, Mary married Tobias Schantz in Port Elgin. The couple had eight children: Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

From 1864-1865, Mary lived in Poughkeepsie, New York while Tobias attended the Eastman National Business College. She returned to Port Elgin, Ontario in 1866 with her family.

In 1867, she stayed with her mother and brother in Campden, Ontario while her husband travelled to Missouri with his father.

Mary moved to the village of Hawkesville in Waterloo County in 1870 later to the village of Conestogo in Waterloo County in 1877 as Tobias found work in local mills.

In 1884 Mary and her family moved to Berlin, Ontario and lived in a house on Benton Street. In 1887, the family purchased two aces of land from Samuel Schneider’s farm for $1,100.00. In 1888, the family built an Italianate style home at 43 Schneider Avenue. It was the first house built on the street and cost $1,725.00 to build.

Mary died on January 28, 1935 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.