44
HISTORY
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECTION III.-MISSIONS OF ST. AGATHA.
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CHAPTER I.-NEW PRUSSIA.
This settlement in the northwest corner of
Wilmot Township was at one time the largest and most promising Mission
of St. Agatha, and about seven miles northwest of it. The first
colonists were Rhenish-Prussians. Some of them had already been
in Rainham, from where they moved to this new colony. Among them
were Michael Brick, Peter Brick, Nicolaus Detzler, Nicolaus Schmidt,
Peter Lienliart, John Lienhart, John Alt, John Herres and others.
From Alsace were: Joseph and Jacob Fritz,
Caspar, Michael, and Baltzer Meyer, Bernard Illig, Christian Faehner.
From Baden were: Martin Ernst, Franz Gehrich,
Franz Treinich, Mr. 01haeuser. From the Bavarian Palatinate came:
Fred Zimmer, Geo. and Jacob Buchheit, Joseph Leyes. A little
north of Wellesley Village, in the Township of the same name, were six
brothers Diemert with their father, who had been for some time in
Puslinch, and half a dozen Frenchmen from old France, who named the
settlement Little Paris. When the Village of Wellesley came into
existence, a few Catholics were found there. Francis Treinach,
who lived here, later moved to the States and became a priest.
Martin Meyer's son John was tinsmith.
Early during the administration of the Jesuits
a Separate School was organized and a building put up which also served
as a church. For some years they had Mass about every second
Sunday, and the congregation was often nearly as large as at St.
Agatha, many coming from Perth County and from Crosshill, etc. As
late as 1860 Father Edward Glowacki, then recently ordained, gave a
three days' Mission here during the Easter season. Unfortunately
for the colony the Saugeen fever broke out in the latter 50's, and
began to diminish the number of Catholics in spite of Father Ebner's
efforts to keep them there. The colony continued to decline, and
finally there were only a few families left. The school was
dismantled and church services ceased many years ago.
The teachers at New Prussia were: Mr.
Welhaeuser, Louis Walter, Ferdinand Walter, Anton Elmlinger, Mr.
Winzer, Carl Seeber, August Kaiser, John Kaiser, Peter Kaiser, Julius
Noll, Anton Schmidt, and several others. The school must have
been open quite a number of years.
There is much more that could be said about
this colony, but its sad decline and final death forbid going more into
particulars.
In the middle 70's several Catholics of
Wellesley Village made an effort to secure a church for the place.
Among them were Carl Breitkopf, a carpenter, now a priest in
Nebraska; John Meyer, the tinsmith, and several others. But
considering the number of Catholics and the scarcity of priests, the
scheme, however laudable, was impracticable.