Higtliights of Mennonite History in the Ma Am Community
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WATERLOO ONTARIO No. 3 November 1970 Higtliights of Mennonite History in the Ma am Community Prepared and presented by Paul H. Burkholder at the 1969 Fall Meeting of the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario at the Cedar Grove Mennonite Church. Much of what I say today about this names owning land in Vaughan Township as church and Hennoni te community life in early as 1798. A large group of settlers York County was told to me by my father arrived in York County in l804.many of them Le\vis J. Burkholder. He possessed a very relatives who travelled together. There was keen interest in local history and genea Christian Reesor and hi s four sons and two logy. He also collected many old books daughters, one of whom was married to Abra and records, preserving some of the most ham Stouffer. the family for which Stouff ',7aluable in the "Mennonite box" at the ville is named.Christian's eldest son,Peter Provincial Archives in Toronto. He ,vas had been to this area earlier. as evidenced commissioned by Ontario Conference to pre by his barter of horse, saddle and bridle, pare a written record of Mennonite settle for 400 acres of Whitchurch Township. ment and life; the resulting book. A Brief HistoT.z of Mennonites in Ontar!.E? was pub There were three Hoover brothers. Casper lished in 1935. Sherk was a brother to Joseph Schoerg. who settled on the Grand River in 1800. These TDtroduct ion all came to the Markham area in 180(,. Abra ....-_ ... _---- ham Nighswander and his fami 1y came about The early Mennonite settlers who came the same time. from Pennsylvania to York County, or the Home District, as it was known in 1800, The Groff (Grove) and Barkey families were motivated by the same reasons that came a few" years later .. The Ramer family was brought their brethren to other parts of detained for two years on the American side Ontario, or "Canada \-Jest." It has often of the Niagara River and did not reach Mark been suggested that they turned east at ham until 1809. The Deacon Jacob Schmitt Dundas tmvard York, because of the land family came to Vaughan soon after the war of title difficulties experienced along the 1812. This brief struggle marked the only Grand River in 1803. However, it seems interruption in a slow, but steady, flow c{ almost certain that a few hardy fellows settler S 0 had made trips to York and scouted into the woods north of that town, prior to 1803, By 1826 over thirty heads of Mennonite \jlhen the Henry Wideman family arrived at families had arrived in the Markham area. I..Iarkham. The following is a list of names found in York County in 1830: Barkey, Byer, Eyer, Earlv Arrivals Brownsberger, Brillinger, Burkholder, --~--~--- Erundage, Detweiler, Break, Eby. Grove, We find people with Pennsylvania German Herr (Hare), Hoover. Horner, Kindy, Koch, -2- K.reider, Lehman, Miller, Mishler, Mussel Saw mills, grist mills, flour mills, and man, Nigh, , Oberholtzer, Pike, woollen'mills ,,,ere found at many a turn In Ramer, Reamau$ Reesor, Sc.hmidt the big and little Rivers. Shaffer • Shirk, Shunk, Strickler, Stouffer, The Reesors were active in mil Witmer, Wismer and Strohm. Peter built .a mill just down the hill from this it was later his son, Simeon Reesor operated a l11111 one half mile farther south: this was ta st all of these early settlers were ken over by his youngest son, Dav who. farmer s. This was the life they had known with his sons, established Reesor s Mar in Pennsylvania, so moved onto land mill in Markham, which still manufactures which they began clearing, and a complete line of stock feeds. were soon gr to support them- selves and their Two married mil lers: one an the other, a Governor Simcoe had ordered the survey- White, of the Home District. This in the late 1700s and completed in Town in 1796. Much of the land had al- rea been granted by the crown when the the children of Ludwig Huber. who fir st Mennonites arrived. landed in Philadelphia in 1764, were three sons, all of whom came to in 1804. Many of these crown te were held by Martin, who was born in four people who were non-resident, perhaps liv years old when he came to Amer when ing in York, or favorites of officials. he came to Upper Canada, His brothers were Some were ed to soldiers in the servi John and Daniel. ce of the British army which had access t~ more land than money. The soldiers much The story is told that Daniel and his the solid silver of the Pennsylva wife had lost a child by drowning in their nia Dutch to 200 acres of wilderness no mat:- mi 11 pond in They had ter how the soil was under the trees. begun to settle on their new land, Lot 22, Con. 8, thr which the Ri.ver And it was good soil: a loam over winds, when Mrs, Hoover observed her hus g:cswelly clay that provided good drainage. band studying the lay of the river valley In the whole of Markham Township there is and assu..'lled he was a new mi 11 DO' waste land such as sand hills or swamps, site. Out of concern for her remaining children, she brought pressure on her hus There were great pine trees cover band, and they soon re-located three farms some of the knolls of lighter land. and the north on the brow of a hill with no stream s used these in home building. It is nearby, said that when Chris. Wideman was about to bui house on Lot 33. fifth con- This farm is still owned and operat;ed e ssion of Markham, he bought standing Willis Hoover, whose son, Kenneth, is the pine tree OVer on the third, cut and sixth 'of Hoovers in Canada. sawn. It provided all the needed lumber and trill! :for the large brick home nm.,r occupied descended from the German by h:!s great Ken Reesor. Wideman , Sebastian. His Henry had paid the sum of One Dollar for the tree, was born in Bucks Pennsylvania in 1757, In 1803 he came to with his family: six sons and six er s. One son, Christian, was a another, Som~ of the businesses which grew up a was a minister. Ada.m' s son, Jacob, was with the farm community were mills. also a minister and the father of - 3- minister and later bishop,. Samuel was the oldest son. Peter, nO"¥J took charge of the father of Jaeoh, a deacon who still serves esta t(:; and divided their extensive hold - cb". VJideman congrega.tion. ings among the family, He was a man of strong will and many stories are told of (,ue branch of the Hideman family moved his rather unique character. An example . Jacobs. others to Michigan, and the of his direct way of dealing with a prob 31\actia.;.1 tvest. Henry himself was killed by lEnD is the following: a fall tree in 1810. His homesread was adjacent to the church which bears the fam One very warm day as he was attending .Lly name, The Hideman name has conti.nued the Sunday morning meeting at Wideman's strong in the community, being numerically church, he was seated in front of a wind second only to Reesor in the local tele- Ow 1ilhich was either not built to open, or directory. was jammed shut. He mopped his hrowwith his handkerchief again and again. Flnally T will deal on briefly with the Rees he wrapped it around his flst and poked orG here. The four brothers and two sist out one of the panes. then leaned back to ~rs with their parents, Christian Reesor oy the fresl::. air. Fir st thing Monday and Ruff came in 1804. John, the sec morning, he went to the village, bought a (md sou, married Armie Grove and they had pane of glass, drove his horse the eight, fifteen children. een miles round trip to Wideman 1 s to in stall it. {, seems their family had reached number thirteen when one child married and left He built the stone homestead on the home, Later another child was born and died. west river bank in Cedar Grove. His wife After their fifteenth child was born, there was Esther Ehy, a sister to "Indian Sam" " ct COmml'ilL1::y s5.ying, "Drei mal dreiZ(~hn Ehy of Wate~loo. and a cousin to Benjam kLr.1der cot Q" Literally this means, H Three in Eby. tinH,,;:; thirteen chi ldren had," or "Three ti.·· a t had thirteen children. li The descendants of Christian Reesor Sr. now nwnber nearly six thousand, ha\re It is told that when John ",lent courting maintained a family genealogical record • he asked her father, Bishop Abraham and a fami. reunion has been held appro- ~' . fot- the hand of his daughter, The ximate every ten year s. be;,: thought she "ms too young: shl3 \flaS sixteen. Reesor asked if she could ma~ The Ramer fami became numerous in t~ and the a 11 s\\rer wo. s af £ irnla t i.ve., So community., The first generation was known insisted [hat she was old enough and th~ for longe\;·ity. Among them have been ca.r' '.fete ma.r:r ie d, penters. beekeepers and farmers. Some of the Ramers were very musical incline';J" Abraham Reesor. another of Christian!s SG(lS., married a Detweiler.