Benjamin Landis Hershey b. 14 Nov 1776 PA d. 26 Nov 1831 Hershey Cemetery, Ft. Erie, Ontario

Rainham Builders

1776 - 1831 (55 years)

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Name	Benjamin Landis Hershey
Born	14 Nov 1776	PA
Gender	Male
Died	26 Nov 1831	Hershey Cemetery, Ft. Erie, Ontario
Person ID	I1132328	Jacob and Barbara (Schenk) Hoover
Last Modified	2 Nov 2016

Father	Benjamin W. Hershey, b. 1741, East Hempfield Township, PA , d. 29 Oct 1820, Bertie Township, Ontario-McAffee Cemetery (Age 79 years)
Mother	Catherine Landis, b. 1747, Manheim Township, PA
Married	1766	Lancaster, PA
Family ID	F203478	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Nancy Anna Long, b. 26 Aug 1785, Landisburg, PA , d. 15 Feb 1852, Ft. Erie, Ontario-Hershey Cemetery (Age 66 years)

Married Abt 1806 Perry, PA

Children

	1. Esther Hershey, b. 1806 [Natural]
	2. Christian Hershey, b. 1809 [Natural]
	3. Abraham A. Hershey, b. 5 Nov 1811, Bertie Township, Ontario , d. 13 May 1858, Welland County, Ontario-McAffee Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario (Age 46 years) [Unknown]
	4. Benjamin Hershey, b. 5 Jan 1814, Bertie Township, Ontario , d. 3 Jan 1888 (Age 73 years) [Natural]
	5. John B. Hershey, b. 14 Feb 1816, Bertie Township, Ontario , d. 29 May 1904, Hershey Cemetery, Bertie Township, Ontario (Age 88 years)
	6. Henry Hershey, b. 13 Feb 1820, d. 27 May 1902 (Age 82 years) [Natural]
	7. Jacob Hershey, b. 1822 [Natural]
	8. Benjamin Hershey, b. 1826, d. 1888, Missouri (Age 62 years) [Natural]
	9. Randolph Hershey, b. 1826 [Natural]

Last Modified 2 Apr 2014

Family ID F203487 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Notes

Bertie Township (WELLAND COUNTY, ONTARIO, CANADA)

Bertie Township, Ontario, the centre of a now extinct Mennonite Church Settlement, called the Bertie Congregation Through most of its history. Into this settlement lying west of Buffalo across the Niagara River in Ontario, Mennonites migrated from Eastern Pennsylvania as early as 1788. The main centre of worship was a church one mile east of Sherkston. Property deeded in 1828 from that time served for church building and Cemetery purposes. The first church was a log building which about 30 years. By 1860 the log meetinghouse had been replaced by a brick church, which served during the greater period of strength and decline. In 1916 another church was erected on the same grounds and from it dated a revival of interest and attendance for more than a decade, when decline again set in. In 1931 the Mennonites sold this Bertie Church to the Brethren in Christ with burial privileges reserved for the Mennonite families and their descendants.

The first Leader of the Bertie Congregation was preacher George Zavitz, son of pioneer Jacob Zavitz who came to Canada in 1788. Other preachers during the succeeding years were John Zavitz (1798 to 1872), John B. Hershey (1816-1904), Benjamin Hershey (1826 to 1888), Christian Hershey (1768 to 1845), Nelson Michael (1843 to 1923), Howard Stevanus, Noah Hunsberger, and Simon Martin.

Bishop John Lapp of Clarence, New York made a definite contribution to the strength and life of this church by visits and oversight. In 1865 he made a conference-wide appeal in behalf of the ministerial need of the congregation.

Among the reasons for varying strength and loss was the problem of leadership and the problem of language. Bertie had a few strong leaders able to promote harmony and growth. Others were less capable and a few definitely in incapable. Schism had its part and some leaders were interested in other groups and organizations. The General Conference Mennonites had a congregation for a time in the northern part of the township. The United Brethren Church took rise and grew in strength while the Mennonites hesitated on the use of English Language. The Brethren in Christ (Tunker, River Brethren) had their strong leader for Ontario in this area. And so the Mennonite Church in its hundred years in Bertie Township experienced more loss than growth, until eventually all Mennonites families have withdrawn, or become absorbed in other local organizations.
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