PART II.-NEW GERMANY, ST. BONIFACE CHURCH.
-------------------
SECTION I.-THE CHURCH.
--------------------
CHAPTER I.-THE LOCATION OF NEW GERMANY.
The Village of New Germany (Little Germany) is
situated near the northwest corner of Waterloo Township, about nine
miles northeast of Berlin, the county town, and as far northwest of
Guelph, the county seat of Wellington. It lies on a cross-road in
a level plain. The cross-road running north goes up a rather
steep hill for a few rods. On its top are the parish buildings,
dominating the whole country for miles in every direction. On the
east side of this road are the cemetery, church, and rectory, on the
west side the school and
convent.
The parish extends north into the Townships of
Woolwich and Pilkington eight to nine miles, eastward two or three
miles into Guelph Township, south to Kossuth about six miles, west
about four miles to the Grand River, on which are situated the Villages
of Breslau, Bloomingdale, Winterbourne and Montrose. The Grand
Trunk Railway passes New Germany about three miles south, with Breslau
the nearest station about four and a half miles to the southwest.
The Canadian Pacific from Guelph to Goderich passes the village
about three miles to the northeast, with Weissenburg the nearest
station, about three miles distant. The Grand Trunk Line to
Palmerston is also about three miles away, with Marden as its nearest
station.
The land is rolling, very fertile and well
cultivated. Originally it belonged to the German Land Company
like the rest of the Township. The farms along the Grand River
were all taken up by Pennsylvania Mennonites in the beginning of the
nineteenth century. As to the climate of the district, Father
Holzer cannot praise it enough. He declares that during the first
nine months of his residence here they had only one funeral, and that
was of a man 84 years old. That the healthfulness of the climate
has not changed for the worse since is evident from the fact that three
brothers, named Thomas, Joseph, and Martin, Hummel, who were among the
early settlers, lived to be 99, 95 and 86 years old respectively.