Benjamin Springer

Family/Spouse: Mary Rykeman. Mary died on 30 Aug 1834. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From Ezra Eby's Book

Moses Springer, "If there is a self-made, self-educated man in the town of Berlin, that man is our worthy sheriff, Mr. Moses Springer, who never had a year's schooling in his life, but was left an orphan at ten years of age and thrown entirely upon his own resources. He was a son of Benjamin Springer, merchant and afterwards farmer, and Mary Rykeman, a prominent member of the Mennonite Church, and was born in the township and county of Waterloo, Ontario, (Near Blair on the farm lately owned by Deacon John Z. Detweiler) August 24th, 1824. His father was born near Poughkeepsie, New York, and died of cholera in Blenheim Township, Oxford County, Ontario, August 16th, 1834, and his mother died of the same dreaded disease, August 30th, 1834. His great-great-grandfather, Charles Christopher Springer, a native of Holland, an ordained bishop, was sent to Stockholm, Sweden, where he was created a baron and where Mr. Springer's great-grandfather first saw the light of day. After being well advanced in his studies the younger Mr. Springer (the younger Mr. Springer was a Liberal and never had the least desire to associate with the nobility, hence his desire to come to America and associate with his countrymen who had settled in Delaware, then called New Sweden) was sent to London, England, to complete his theological studies. After having completed the same, he, without the consent of his parents, crossed the ocean and came to Wilmington, Delaware, (He, although the son of a Baron, worked for his passage across the ocean) where he built the first church, a stone structure which is still standing, and preached there for a number of years. The grandfather of our Sheriff, Rev. David Springer, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and was also educated for the ministry of the Episcopal Church. He was a loyalist during the revolutionary troubles and while stationed near Poughkeepsie, New York, he was shot in his own yard soon after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He was married to Margaret Oliver,(She was of aristocratic parentage. Her mother died when she was born and after she arrived at the age of maturity she was married to a nobleman and three months after their marriage the bloody persecutions of Paris broke out. She and her husband left in disguise for America. After being out on a voyage for several days, he returned with a homeward bound vessel, promising to meet her in America after the restoration of peace, but this was the last of him. It is supposed that he lost is life during the civil disturbances. The wife continued her journey and came to Poughkeepsie, New York, where she purchased a large tract of land with the money willed to her by her father) a native of Paris, France, and had a family of nine children. Soon after her husband's death, the widow with her family left Poughkeepsie, New York, and emigrated to the wilds of Canada and finally settled in Hamilton, Ontario, where she died. One of her sons, Benjamin, as already stated, settled in Waterloo County, Ontario, and finally in Oxford County, where he died. As good luck would have it Mr. Springer (Sheriff) early fell into the hands of a Mennonite, afterwards a minister and bishop, Joseph Hagey, a noble-souled man, by whom he was raised. Not satisfied with the little knowledge he had picked up at odd intervals in public school, he was proffered gratuitous aid by an honest and kind-hearted Scotchman, William Collins, to give him night lessons. Mr. Springer farmed until he was twenty years of age, taught school off and on for seven years, was for a number of years engaged in surveying, subsequently was a general merchant and latterly has been engaged in the conveyancing, insurance and general business. He assisted in establishing the Waterloo Mutual Fire Insurance Company and was its president for seven years. In 1852 he was appointed a magistrate for the town (then only a village) of Waterloo and was elected first Reeve for the said town in 1857 which position he held for fifteen years, and when Waterloo was incorporated as a town in 1876, he was elected the first mayor and re-elected the next year without opposition and afterwards retired. Nobody took more interest in the progress and general welfare of Waterloo than Mr. Springer or has done more solid work in its municipality and that of the county. He has been secretary and treasurer of the North Waterloo Agricultural Society for twenty-four years, and was a member of the board of directors of the Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co. of London, Ontario, for about eighteen years. In 1867 he was elected to the Ontario Assembly for the N. R. of the county of Waterloo and represented that constituency until 1881 when he received the appointment of sheriff of the county, which appointment he still holds. Mr. Springer is a Reformer in politics and while the representative of North Waterloo he gave good satisfaction to his constituency. Shortly after being appointed sheriff he moved to Berlin where he now resides. Mr. Springer is, we believe, no member of any church, but cherishes a warm regard for the Mennonites. He is well disposed, in fact, towards all christian people and very generous in support of churches and sabbath schools. In 1845 he was married to Barbara, daughter of Joseph and Catharine (Schneider) Shantz. She was born August 11th, 1825, and died October 13th, 1884. In 1890 he was again married to Sophia, widow of the late D. Bowman, Barrister, of Hamilton, and daughter of the late Henry Beasley, many years treasurer of the county of Wentworth, Ontario, and a grand-daughter of the late Col. Beasley, a member of the first parliament of Canada. Mr. Springer's family consists of the following children, viz:"

Moses married Barbara Shantz in 1845. Barbara (daughter of Joseph Shantz and Catharine Schneider) was born on 11 Aug 1825; died on 13 Oct 1884. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Moses married Elizabeth Degenhardt on 19 Jun 1886 in Waterloo, Waterloo County, Ontario. Elizabeth was born about 1840 in Germany; died on 13 Oct 1887 in Berlin, Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Moses married Sophia Beasley on 30 Apr 1890 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario. Sophia (daughter of Henry Beasley and Sophia) was born about 1841 in Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph married Rosina Roos on 9 Feb 1868 in Waterloo, Waterloo County, Ontario. Rosina was born about 1844 in Preston, Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Henry Roos on 03 Aug 1869 in Freeport, Waterloo County, Ontario. Henry was born about 1838 in Waterloo County, Ontario; died on 04 Oct 1903 in Waterloo, Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Isabell McVane. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Lizzie married Cyrus E. Moyer on 09 May 1872 in Waterloo County, Ontario. Cyrus was born on 11 Jul 1849 in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Urias married Lucena Clemens on 01 Jan 1890 in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. Lucena (daughter of Joel Clemens and Magdalena Shoemaker) was born on 26 Apr 1855 in Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married Michael Joseph Keeyan on 08 Apr 1891 in Sarnia, Lambton County, Ontario. Michael was born about 1857 in London, Middlesex County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Walter married Maria Sears on 17 Mar 1900 in Windsor, Essex County, Ontario. Maria was born about 1872 in Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Angus married Lucinda Moyer on 11 Oct 1899 in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. Lucinda (daughter of Noah Moyer and Mena Krieger) was born about 1872 in Berlin, Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]