Samuel Burkholder Biography

Born: 1812, Died: 1893
Married: Susannah Diller, Eva Reis

Samuel Burkholder’s great-grandfather, Christian, had lived in Switzerland and was a follower of the new Mennonite sect that was growing there. However there was also much difficulty and persecution of these converts to the teachings of Menno Simons. Christian decided to move to America with other such-minded co-religionists and they settled near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Samuel’s father, also named Christian, decided to move to Waterloo Township in 1814 when Samuel was just a baby of two years. They settled on a farm in Lot #13 G.C.T. As Samuel grew up he learned all about farming but also became interested in and mastered the skills of masonry and bricklaying. In 1845 he married Susannah Diller and the couple moved to a 30 acre farm that Samuel had purchased in 1842 from Fred Musselman and which was located in the vicinity of Columbia St and Marsland Ave today. No doubt Samuel followed the masonry trade while supplementing his income from farming. Somewhere along the way, Sam became a member of the new Evangelical Association that was making a mark on the religious life in Waterloo. Perhaps he met his future wife, Susannah Diller, at the historic camp meeting of 1839 (where Evangelical Association was formed) held on David Erb’s land which was located just east of his father’s property. But in 1848 tragedy struck when his wife Susannah died. In 1849 Samuel purchased a lot on Church St in Waterloo where the 1820 log school had been situated. Here he began construction of a red brick building. When it was partially finished he offered it to the newly formed Evangelical Association on condition that the members complete it as their church. This proposition was gladly accepted and Sam and his new wife (in 1850) were faithful members. When this building became too small for the fast-growing congregation a new site was purchased. Sam was on the building committee in 1870 when the church on the corner of Water St (Dorset) and Bridgeport Rd. was erected. Perhaps it was because of scarcity of land for his six growing sons that, in 1873, the Burkholder family moved to Marion County, Kansas. Samuel died there in 1893. It is interesting to note that his sons donated a memorial window in the Evangelical church of 1905 in memory of Samuel and Eva Burkholder.

Sources:
1. J. P Hauck. History of Emmanuel Church, published by Congregation, Copy in personal file of Ellis Little
2. Census Figures, Town of Waterloo, 1871
3. Ezra E Eby, a Biographical history of Early Settlers and their Descendants in Waterloo County. Eldon D. Weber, Editor, Kitchener, 1971.