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James Livingston (1881)

By • On • In Politics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

James Livingston was born 29 November, 1838, in East Kilbride, Scotland. He immigrated to Canada in 1856, and began farming flax in 1857 in Wellesley. He became wildly successful in the flax industry. In 1877, he had a home built for himself, Castle Kilbride, named after his home town in Scotland, in Baden, Ontario, where he lived until his death in 1920. While successfully farming in Waterloo Region, he pursued a political career simultaneously. He served as the reeve for Wilmot Township between 1878 and 1879. In 1881, he ran for federal politics in the constituency of Waterloo South as a Liberal candidate. He held his federal seat from 1882 until 1900, when he did not seek reelection.

(The Canadian biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men : Ontario volume. Toronto: American Biographical Pub. Co., 1880; Castle Kilbride. “What is Castle Kilbride?” http://www.castlekilbride.ca/)

 

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In Touch with the Outside World (1886)

By • On • In Politics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

Regardless of federal allegiance, the Waterloo Region was politically in touch with the outside world. In 1871, the town of Berlin celebrated the end of the Franco-Prussian War with the Friedensfest. The Berlin city council also raised funds for national and international disasters. In 1886, they raised  funds to support both Vancouver and Chicago after disastrous fires.  Raising these funds is significant, as Berlin and Waterloo became the top donors, nationally, to the Canadian Patriotic Fund during the First World War.

(Celebration of Cityhood 1912. Berlin: The German Printing and Publishing Co of Berlin, 1912.)

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Joseph Seagram (1896)

By • On • In Politics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

Joseph E. Seagram was born 15 April, 1841, in Fisher’s Mills, Ontario, which is now a part of the city of Cambridge. After working as a bookkeeper at a grist mill, Seagram became the full owner of the company in 1883. He renamed the mill Seagrams, and made his brand of whiskey famous nationwide. Seagram served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Waterloo North for twelve years, between 1896 and 1904. Seagram became a prominent figure in his community and in Waterloo Region due to his success in both business and politics.

(Celebration of Cityhood 1912. Berlin: The German Printing and Publishing Co of Berlin, 1912; PARLINFO. “Seagram, Joseph Emm.” Accessed April 20, 2014. http://www.parl.gc.ca/)

 

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Agriculture in Waterloo Region (Pre 1900)

By • On • In Economics, Pre 1914

The Mennonite settlers of the Waterloo Region established a rich farming tradition in the Waterloo Region, which was continued by the European German settlers who arrived soon after. The fertile farmland in Waterloo Region allowed for the cultivation of several important crops, notably flax, wheat, and other important grains. Due to this type of production, grist mills became some of the first businesses in the area, grinding wheat into flour. One of the first grist mills was established by a Mennonite named Abraham Erb in 1816. However, by the 20th century, as the Region developed key industrial centers in Berlin, Waterloo, and Galt,  farmers began to lose their  economic influence in the face of rural depopulation.

(McLaughlin, Kenneth. The Germans in Canada. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association, 1985; McLaughlin, Kenneth. Waterloo: An Illustrated History. Waterloo: Windsor Publishing Canada, 1990; Fifth Census of Canada 1911, Volume II and III. C.H.Parmelee: Ottawa, 1912.; Fourth Census of Canada 1901, Volume II and III. Ottawa: S.E.Dawson, 1902.; Third Census of Canada, 1890-91, Volume II and III. S.E.Dawson, 1893.; Second Census of Canada, 1880-81, Volume II and III. Maclean, Roger & Co: Ottawa, 1883.; First Census of Canada, 1870-71 Volume II and III. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1873.)

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George Adam Clare (1900)

By • On • In Politics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

George Clare was born in Preston, Ontario, on 6 June 1854. He worked for his father’s foundry in Preston, until his father’s death in 1881. After his father’s death, Clare and his brothers founded the Clare Brothers Company Limited. As president of this company, he became involved with several businesses, such as Galt Stove and Furnace Co. Ltd.; Clare and Clare and Brodest Ltd., situated in Winnipeg; Canadian Office and School Furniture Co. Ltd.; Solid Leather Shoe Co. Ltd.; and the Preston Car and Coach Co. Clare served as reeve of the village of Preston from 1886 to 1888, and again in 1891. When Preston was incorporated as a town in 1900, he was elected as the town’s first mayor. Earlier, he ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate for Waterloo South in two federal elections against James Livingston, in 1891 and 1896. However in 1900, when Livingston did not run for another term, Clare was elected to Parliament. Clare was Member of Parliament for Waterloo South from 1900 until his death in office in 1915.

(Cambridge. “Hall of Fame Members.” http://www.cambridge.ca/; PARLINFO. “Clare, The Hon George Adam.” http://www.parl.gc.ca/)

 

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Williams, Greene, and Rome Company (Tailoring) (1901)

By • On • In Economics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

In 1901, tailoring and the manufacturing of clothes was the second largest industry in Berlin, Ontario, after furniture and upholstered goods. Star Whitewear Manufacturing Co. manufactured bathing clothes, lingerie, bridal sets, and a variety of other clothes. The John Forsyth Company Ltd specialized in men’s shirts, as did the Williams, Greene & Rome Company.

Samuel James Williams established the Williams, Greene & Rome Company in 1881. In 1886, the company moved its plant from Toronto to Berlin when the company was officially incorporated. In the summer of 1914, Williams, Greene, & Rome was the first company to be contracted in the Waterloo Region to manufacture 10, 000 military service shirts.

(Waterloo Region Generations. “Charles August Ahrens.” www.generations.regionofwaterloo.ca; Celebration of Cityhood 1912. Berlin: The German Printing and Publishing Co of Berlin, 1912.; “Busy Berlin Jubilee Souvenir 1879,” published by the Berlin News-Record, https://ia600303.us.archive.org/24/items/cihm_02113/cihm_02113.pdf)

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Ahrens Shoes (Boots and Shoes) (1910)

By • On • In Economics, Pre 1914, Storyboards

Charles August Ahrens was born to German immigrant in Berlin, Ontario, on 28 August 1856. Having previously worked as a harness maker, and then in manufacturing, Ahrens started the Charles A. Ahrens & Co Slipper and Shoe Manufactory in 1910. The building to the left housed the factory at 5 Michael St., in Berlin (Kitchener). At the turn of the twentieth century, Ahrens Shoes was one of the dominant shoe manufacturers in the Waterloo Region, along with the Western Shoe Company, theValentine Shoe Company, and the Berlin Shoe Company. In the summer of 1914, Ahrens Shoes was one of the companies contracted to produce boots for the Canadian military during the First World War.

(Waterloo Region Generations. “Charles August Ahrens.” www.generations.regionofwaterloo.ca;“Busy Berlin Jubilee Souvenir 1897,” published by the Berlin News-Record, https://ia600303.us.archive.org/24/items/cihm_02113/cihm_02113.pdf; “Berlin Today 1806-1906;” Waterloo Regional Museum. “Region Hall of Fame. www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/)

 

 

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Religion in Waterloo North (Pre 1911)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Pre 1914

At the turn of the 20th century, religion played a crucial role as a cultural identifier, and influenced the social lives of citizens. While Waterloo Region was ethnically diverse, it was religiously diverse as well. German culture is evident from the religious breakdown of Waterloo North. German Lutherans remained the dominant religious group between 1871 and 1911, growing from a total of 5959 of the total population of 19,256 in 1871, to 11,251 of the total population 33,619 in Waterloo North in 1911. Other prominent religions in the Waterloo North in 1911 were Roman Catholics, numbering 7,223, Mennonites numbering 4,006, and Methodists numbering 2,904. While the Mennonites congregated in larger numbers outside of major town centers, they were still present as a minority in Waterloo, Berlin, and Elmira. Regardless of the religious diversity of Waterloo North there is no evidence of conflict among the groups in contrast to the situation in Germany and Europe. They were united through a common German ancestry, the nostalgic use of the German language, German cultural festivals, and the Christian faith.

(McLaughin, Ken. The Germans in Canada. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association,1985; Celebration of Cityhood 1912. Berlin: The German Printing and Publishing Co of Berlin, 1912; Fifth Census of Canada 1911, Volume I. C.H.Parmelee: Ottawa, 1912; Fourth Census of Canada 1901, Volume I. Ottawa: S.E.Dawson, 1902; Third Census of Canada, 1890-91. S.E.Dawson, 1893; Second Census of Canada, 1880-81. Maclean, Roger & Co: Ottawa, 1883; First Census of Canada, 1870-71. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1873.)

 

 

St.John'sAnglican St.PaulsLutheran OldMennonite NewJerusalemTemple GermanBaptist

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Religion in Waterloo South (Pre 1911)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Pre 1914

At the turn of the 20th century, religion played a crucial role as a cultural identifier, and influenced the social lives of citizens. While Waterloo Region was ethnically diverse, it was religiously diverse as well. Waterloo South was a mixed society. The towns of Galt and Ayr had a unique ethnic and religious identity in contrast to that of their German counterparts.

While Lutheranism was the most prominent religion of the Waterloo North, religions closely associated with Britain, such as Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, and Methodism, were dominant in the Waterloo South. This is most evident in Galt, where the dominant parishioners were 4,240 Presbyterians, 1,930 Anglicans, and 2,122 Methodists. The exception to this dominance of Anglo-Protestants is Preston, whose parishioners were 862 Lutherans, 844 Roman Catholics, 707 Methodists, 704 Anglicans, and 525 Presbyterians in 1911. Much like Waterloo North, these parishioners worked together as the majority of citizens shared Christian beliefs.

(Fifth Census of Canada 1911, Volume I. C.H.Parmelee: Ottawa, 1912; Fourth Census of Canada 1901, Volume I. Ottawa: S.E.Dawson, 1902; Third Census of Canada, 1890-91. S.E.Dawson, 1893; Second Census of Canada, 1880-81. Maclean, Roger & Co: Ottawa, 1883; First Census of Canada, 1870-71. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1873.)

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Waterloo South as a Canadian Community (1911)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Pre 1914

In 1911, the leading cultural backgrounds of the populations of Galt and Ayr were Scottish, followed by sizable English and Irish populations, with a minority German population. Galt’s dominant populations were 4345 Scottish, 3707 English, 1044 Irish, and 866 people of German ancestry, making the city predominantly British in ancestry. Ayr presents a similar situation, with 432 Scottish, 227 English, 68 Irish, and 68 people of German ancestry. Hespeler, Preston, and surrounding rural areas were quite different, as German ethnics held the majority, followed by an abundance of English people. Hespeler featured a population of 866 Germans, 698 English, 490 Scottish, and 246 Irish, and Preston held 1795 Germans, 1131 English, 342 Irish, and 341 Scottish. Therefore, while Hespeler and Preston had a significant German-Canadian population, British-Canadians outnumbered German-Canadians. Additionally, Waterloo South received 4,607 immigrants from Great Britain, most of which came from England and Scotland. Waterloo South was diverse, but was overwhelmingly Canadian. Much like Waterloo North, the residents were primarily Canadian by birth.

(Fifth Census of Canada 1911, Volume I. C.H.Parmelee: Ottawa, 1912; Fourth Census of Canada 1901, Volume I. Ottawa: S.E.Dawson, 1902; Third Census of Canada, 1890-91. S.E.Dawson, 1893; Second Census of Canada, 1880-81. Maclean, Roger & Co: Ottawa, 1883; First Census of Canada, 1870-71. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1873.)

A View of the Grand Hotel in Galt, Ontario, c.1906-1909 Galt Town Hall, built in 1857, in 1902