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.

Miss Oktoberfest 1995.

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.

Herbert was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on May 2, 1883 in Conestogo, Waterloo County and raised alongside his seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, and Florence Annie Catherine Schantz.

He attended school in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. He enjoyed bike riding and kept a tame crow.

Herbert experienced significant health problems throughout his life. He suffered from epilepsy, a condition that worsened as he grew older.

Herbert’s health continued to decline in his twenties and he was eventually confined to the Hamilton Asylum for the Insane (also called the Ontario Hospital and later the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital) during the last three years of his life. He reportedly also developed dementia and asthma during the final two years of his life.

Herbert died on November 3, 1912.

Franklin was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on January 12, 1874 in Hawkesville, Waterloo County and raised alongside his seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

In 1877 Franklin and his family moved to Conestogo, Waterloo County. In 1884, Franklin and his family moved to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario and he attended Central School.

Franklin left school at the age of thirteen. Subsequently he worked as a clerk in dry goods stores including R.D. Lang Dry Goods and the Smythe Brothers Dry Goods. Franklin continued to work for R.D. Lang Dry Goods located on King Street West for the majority of his career and was eventually promoted to Head of the home furnishings department.

Franklin’s sister Etta died from complications of childbirth in 1900. Afterwards, Franklin took care of the family, especially Etta’s infant daughter Dorothy Etta Russell (nee White). He helped to pay off the family’s debts and eventually his mother Mary deeded ownership of the house at 43 Schneider Avenue to him in 1901.

In 1908, Franklin stayed with his siblings Arthur, Austin and Florence in Alberta for several months.

In 1917 Franklin was summoned by a letter from Military District No.1 to appear under the national registration at a recruiting office. He joined the 108th Militia Battalion and trained in the local barracks in the Williams Greene and Rome Company factory on Queen Street South in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario.

Franklin joined the Waterloo Historical Society, which met in the Kitchener Public Library. Franklin was also an avid stamp collector and member of the K-W Philatelic Society. In addition, Franklin had a lifelong interest in nature. He was particularly interested in birds and often gave talks on the subjects and led nature walks.

Franklin retired from his work in the dry goods business in the 1930s but continued to work part time elsewhere. During World War II, he worked as a night watchman at a power station on Breithaupt Street. Later, he delivered accounts for the Public Utilities Commission to Kitchener homes.

Franklin served as Secretary-Treasurer of the KW Orphanage Board from 1918 to 1942. He was elected to the Kitchener Public School Board as a Trustee between 1933 and 1940.

Franklin died of stroke on October 2, 1962 at the age of 88 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Florence was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on December 28, 1879 in Conestogo, Waterloo County and raised alongside her seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

In 1887 she moved with her family to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario and attended Central School.

In 1907 Florence moved southwest of Didsbury, Alberta to keep house for her brother Arthur. Between 1910-1911, she kept house for her brother Austin who also lived southwest of Didsbury, Alberta. Sometime in 1911 Florence moved back to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario.

During the 1920s, Florence’s sister Sophie worked for Woolworth's Five, Ten & Fifteen Cent store. Sophie helped Florence acquire a job in the store where she worked.

Florence liked to collect Victorian ephemera and postcards. In addition, she diligently recorded Schantz Russell family history in ledger books, created scrapbooks, poetry, and preserved her decoupage cutouts, clippings, schoolbooks and music.

Florence died of breast cancer on March 11,1938 at the age of 58.

Cornelia (Carrie) Caroline Flagler was born on August 9, 1864 in Illinois to Samuel Adee and Melvina (nee Browne) Flagler. She married Orpheus Moyer Schantz 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. Carrie died on October 26, 1922 and was buried in Mount Auburn Memorial Park.

Austin was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on October 5, 1871 in Hawkesville, Waterloo County and raised alongside his seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Arthur Benjamin Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

In 1877 Austin and his family moved to Conestogo, Waterloo County and later to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario in 1884.

In the 1890s Austin moved to Chicago, Illinois and worked as a clerk with Chas. Gossage & Co, a dry goods store. During this period, he sent money home to support his family in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario.

Austin moved frequently between Iowa and Nebraska in the late 1890s.

Austin moved out west to homestead in Alberta with his brother Arthur, his father Tobias and his brother-in-law Ward White in 1900. They each claimed a quarter section of a 160 acres of land southwest of Didsbury, Alberta for a fee of $10.00. Austin lived in a small framed house with finished wood in Alberta. Between 1911-1912, his sister Florence helped him keep house. Austin kept angora goats and hogs on his property and possibly some horses. He had two dogs named Tony and Bobs.

Between 1917-1919, Austin worked as a courier between a mine and a nearby town around Grant, Colorado. As a courier, Austin made two trips a month carrying supplies, mail and samples of ore for assaying between the mine and the town. In the meantime, a neighbour in Didsbury, Alberta maintained his crop and stock back home.

During the 1920s and 1930s Austin travelled frequently. He briefly worked as a caretaker for a mine in Denver, Colorado.

In 1942, he returned to Kitchener, Ontario and moved into the family home at 43 Schneider Avenue. Austin subsequently suffered from rheumatism and dementia and died at Sunnyside Nursing Care Home on June 9, 1959.

Arthur was born to Tobias and Mary Schantz on November 22, 1876 in Hawkesville, Waterloo County and raised alongside his seven siblings; Orpheus Moyer Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary Schantz, Sophie Emma Schantz, Austin Tobias Schantz, Franklin Abram Schantz, Florence Annie Catherine Schantz, and Herbert Cecil Palmer Schantz.

In 1877 Arthur and his family moved to Conestogo, Waterloo County and later to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario in 1884.

As a young adult, Arthur likely worked on Freeport, a farm situated on land owned by his grandfather Benjamin Schantz (September 2, 1811-November 9, 1868).

In 1894 Arthur worked at a photo gallery with Schneuker in Berlin, Ontario.

In 1895 he left for an unknown job opportunity in Nebraska. By 1896, Arthur was in Manitoba.

In 1898 Arthur was employed by the North American Transport and Trading Company in the Old Colony Building in Chicago, Illinois.

Arthur moved out west to homestead in Alberta with his brother Austin, his father Tobias and his brother-in-law Ward White in 1900. They each claimed a quarter section of a 160 acres of land southwest of Didsbury, Alberta for a fee of $10.00.

Arthur lived in a two story log cabin with a mansard shingled roof. In 1907, his sister Florence moved out west to help him keep house for three years.

Arthur considered himself a rancher and he raised horses. He returned to Kitchener, Ontario a few times over the course of his life to visit family but never moved back to Ontario permanently.

Arthur died in Carstairs, Alberta on September 9, 1958.

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.