Born: 1823, Died: 1893
Married: Christine Schneider
Nicholas Killer grew up in the Bridgeport area and in the 1840s was working for Caspar Schneider who owned a small farm (where Hilltoy Park is today) and where he also had a small furniture factory attached to his home. The machinery was run by water power. Schneider was also a skilled carpenter who, among other things, helped build the first frame church for the St. John's Lutheran Congregation.
In 1850 Nicholas married Christina Schneider the daughter of his employer, the ceremony conducted by Pastor Bindermann in the bride’s father’s farm home. Killer learned well the carpentry trade while working with his father-in-law and went on to be an important building contractor. Among his accomplishments was the construction of the new village hall in 1874 (later Town 1876) and City (1948). He also purchased the farm on Bridgeport Rd that later became part of the Seagram Horse Farm. In addition he operated an early hardware store on King St, that later became Weichel's Hardware. The fire bell installed in the new fire hall built on Albert St. in 1885 was made in U.S. but purchased through Killer Hardware. As well he started a small foundry across King St where he manufactured early agricultural machinery.
Sources:
Ellis Little, "Charles G. Moogk, Waterloo's Great Builder and First Civic Engineer", Waterloo Historical Society Vol 86 1998.
Waterloo Mount Hope Cemetery Records
Bindermann Marriages, Kitchener Public Library
Census Figures, Waterloo North, 1851.
Nicholas Killer Biography
Description
- Creator
- Little, Ellis, Author
- Media Type
- Text
- Item Type
- Articles
- Description
- This is a handwritten biography of Nicholas Killer from the Ellis Little Papers. This biography has been transcribed exactly as written. Ellis Little was a local historian, who was the principal of Elizabeth Ziegler Public School. On his retirement, he invested much of his time in researching and writing about Waterloo's history. The Ellis Little Papers consist of extensive notes, papers and historical works.
- Notes
- To see the original document please visit the Ellis Little Local History Room at the Main Branch of the Waterloo Public Library
- Date Of Event
- 1823-1893
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Killer, Nicholas ; Schneider, Christine ; Schneider, Caspar
- Corporate Name(s)
- Weichel's Hardware ; Killer Hardware
- Local identifier
- ELP 51.106
- Collection
- Ellis Little Papers: Men and Women of Our Past
- Language of Item
- English
- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Location of Original
- Ellis Little Papers
- Contact
- Waterloo Public LibraryEmail:askus@wpl.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:35 Albert Street, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 5E2
- Full Text
