Benjamin Eby

Bishop Benjamin Eby was a Canadian minister, schoolteacher, farmer, author, and community leader. He was a pioneer of the Mennonite community in Canada [1][2][3] and a strong proponent of nonresistance.[4][5]

Bishop

Benjamin Eby
Born(1785-05-02)2 May 1785
Hammer Creek, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Died28 June 1853(1853-06-28) (aged 68)
Berlin, Canada West
Burial placeFirst Mennonite Cemetery, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
OccupationMennonite minister
Known forFounder of Ebytown
Spouse(s)
Mary Brubacher
​
​
(m. 1807; died 1834)​

Magdalena Erb
Children11
Parents
  • Christian Eby (father)
  • Catharine Bricker (mother)

Born in 1785, he emigrated to Upper Canada in 1806 and purchased a large tract of land in what would later become Kitchener, Ontario. [6][7] He became a Mennonite preacher in 1809, and by 1811[8] or 1813 [4] had built a log Mennonite meeting house used as a school house and for religious services. He was Bishop from 1812 and was responsible for the growth of Mennonite Church Canada in Waterloo County.[9]

Eby authored numerous published works including a hymn book, catechism, several school texts, and a church history. His church history in particular demonstrated "the nonresistant stance and his belief that war is unacceptable in the Kingdom of God".[4]

Eby encouraged manufacturers to his settlement known as "Ebytown". He is credited with encouraging the peaceful coexistence of Mennonites with the rest of the community, and promoted reconciliation and unity on an international scale as well.[10][4]

"He freely opened his church to non-Mennonites and developed warm friendships with local businessmen of different faiths. He donated some of his own land to two men who wished to establish a furniture factory, and gave encouragement and financial aid toward the creation of a printing and publishing business. Hoping to create an international Mennonite fellowship, Eby cultivated a relationship, through correspondence, with church leaders in Europe and America. His rapport with non-Mennonites and his leadership and oratory skills undoubtedly contributed to the gains made by Mennonites in consolidating their peace position in Canada."[4]

In his mid-forties, Eby's settlement was renamed from Ebytown to Berlin, and in the year of his death Berlin became the County Seat of the newly created County of Waterloo, elevating it to the status of Village. (It was designated a city in 1912[11] and renamed as Kitchener in 1916.)

References
  1. B.J. Boyd Cressman (1956). "Eby, Benjamin". Mennonite Encyclopedia, II. pp. 138–139.
  2. J.Boyd Cressman (1941). "Waterloo Historical Society" (29): 152–158. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Ezra E. Eby and Eldon D. Weber (1971). A Biographical History of Early Settlers and their Descendants in Waterloo Township. pp. 136–137.
  4. Josephson, Harold (1985). Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders. Connecticut: Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-22565-6.
  5. Frank H. Epp (1974). Mennonites in Canada, 1786-1920: The History of a Separate People. Toronto.
  6. "History" (PDF). Waterloo Historical Society 1930 Annual Meeting. Waterloo Historical Society. 1930. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. Plaque 21 Archived 12 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Mills, Rych (17 December 2016). "'Benchi' – Bishop Benjamin Eby was a builder and Berlin booster". Waterloo Region Record. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  9. Ira D. Landis (1940). "Mennonite Quarterly Review" (14): 41–51. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Melvin E. Gingerich (2 March 1965). "Gospel Herald". p. 178.
  11. About Kitchener,Archived 6 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
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