Menno Biehn Bowman (1837 - 1906)

Born 20 May 1837 in Berlin, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 18 Mar 1906 at age 68 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Biography

Soon after marriage, moved onto the farm of his wife's father's farm comprising the west portion of Lot 6 of the James Wilson Tract near modern day Bloomingdale, Ontario. In 1871, a single-story brick house was erected for his widowed mother using bricks made on the farm.

In 1875, he entered the ministry of the New Mennonite Church, now known as the United Missionary, being ordained in 1879. He had moved off of the farm in 1877, renting it to a Franklin Brubacher. He had charge of the following Ontario circuits in this order - Bethel, Twenty, Markham, and Maryborough. In 1885, he returned and lived on Bingeman Street in Berlin (now Kitchener, Ontario), In 1886, he was appointed Presiding Elder during the national annual conference. In 1891, this national organisation was divided into two resulting in his spending most of his time in Michigan.

In 1892 the family returned to the original farm in Bloomingdale and undertook improvements including alterations to the barn and the construction of a concrete pigpen and chicken house. He was helped in the farm work by his sons Emerson and Lloyd. He sold the farm (of which almost 150 acres remained after various transactions) to a Elizabeth Reist on 1 April 1904 for $8,200 and retired with his family to Bingeman Street in Berlin again.

He is buried in the Bloomingdale Mennonite Cemetery, very close to his original farm.

Land Transactions

All transactions involve parts of the original farm unless otherwise stated:

- 11 March 1873, 57 acres to Ignatz Weiler
- 26 February 1876, 11 acres from Lot 71 of the German Company Tract to Isaac Moyer. It is not known how he came into possession of Lot 71 property.
- 22 October 1878, 2 acres to William Brandle
- 1 February 1879, very small portion to Elizabeth Klemmer
- 9 April 1879, 20 acres from Lot 71 to Henry B Wahl
- 11 April 1879, half acre to the Trustees of the United Brethren Church
- 22 October 1879 (1878?), 1 acre to Louis Schwoob
- 27 November 1879, half acre to Caroline Rebelski
- 17 February 1880, half acre to Elizabeth Snider
- 8 April 1882, 19 acres from Lot 71 to Henry B Wahl
- 31 January 1884, very small portion to James Turel
- 1 November 1886, half acre to Peter Strub
- 3 November 1900, shy of 4 acres to George McAllister

Sources

• First-hand information as remembered by Jayme McClary, Sunday, November 16, 2014.
• Eby, Ezra E. A Biographical History of Waterloo Township: Being a History of The Early Settlers and Their Descendants. Berlin, Ontario, Canada. 1895. Volume I, p. 135-136, #363.
• Folklore, pages 125 to 127. See https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Common_Sources%2C_Descendants_of_Hannes_Schneider_born_1534