REEB-ROOTS-L Archives

From: "Don Reed" <>
Subject: [REEB-ROOTS-L] The Canadian Reebs
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 12:36:36 -0400

First, I should introduce myself as I am not related directly to any Reebs.
I have been lurking in the background for some time reading all of your
posts. My genealogy research has been on the back burner for the past year
or so as I moved my mother from her apartment to a retirement home and just
recently we have moved her to a nursing home.

My connection to the Reebs is through marriage. My wife Charlotte's
grandmother was Lottie Melissa Reeb (1889-1975), daughter of Wilhelm Eugene
Reeb (1858-1924).

We began our genealogy about eight years ago, but it was not until we came
in contact with John Reeb that we really were able to put it all together.
It is really a remarkable person who will share his work as freely as John.
In my line, I have found many people who want my info., but will not share
theirs at all.

We live in Hamilton, Ontario which is about half way between Toronto and
Niagara Falls. We are a half hour drive from Port Colborne, Humberstone,
Wainfleet, Fort Erie and Buffalo which is the area that the Canadian Reebs
settled. We have visited most of the graveyards and libraries in this area
and we are willing to try to find info. if it is possible.

We recently found the following article in "Chronicles of Wainfleet
Township" in the chapter devoted to Century Farms.

REEB FARM
The Reeb name is one that is well known in Wainfleet Township. In 1848 John
Theobald (1787-1852) and his wife Elizabeth (Hans) Reeb emigrated to the New
World from Alsace, at that time a province in France. They landed in New
York on New Year's Eve. Three children accompanied them: John, George and
Margaret. The family finally made their way to Wainfleet Township, joining
two older sons, Michael and Andrew, who had come to the Township earlier,
taking up property in Lot 7, Concession 2.

Theobald obtained property in Lot 6, Concession 1 and lived in a small stone
house there. It was at this location, while cleaning up and burning debris,
that a stone exploded and burned, leaving a pure white ash. This was the
indication of lime, and he capitalized on the discovery. He began
investigating and digging on his property. The rock proved to contain 40 to
43 per cent of excellent quality lime. Not knowing how extensive the rock
formation was, he started purchasing more properly in the area, 50 acres in
Lot 2, Concession 1, 50 acres in Lot 3, Concession I and 100 acres in Lots 4
and 5, Concession 1.

In 1853 Theobald's son, John, married Henrietta Noxel. They raised five
sons: Menno Alexander, Thomas Euphronius, William John, Eugene and John
Andrew. John and family moved to Lot 2, Concession 1 and lived in a log
cabin on the south side of Concession 1 (now Highway No. 3). A barn was
built in 1857 and enlarged in 1898, making it much longer and having a hip
roof. The log cabin was moved across the road onto the Concession 2 side and
replaced by a 16-room frame house. Eventually, this too was moved across the
road and an impressive brick house was built.

After John's death, his youngest son, John Andrew, continued to farm and
burn lime. He developed the lime-burning into a very profitable- business.
Horses and wagons were used to haul the lime to steel plants as far away as
Hamilton and Buffalo. For a number of years, 16 teams were used for this
purpose. Al Bessey, their head teamster, kept the harness and wagons in
repair in the tack and black-smith shop. The building still stands and is
now situated between the house and barn, on the south side of the driveway.

In the 1850s the Grand Trunk Railway line was built between Goderich and
Buffalo. It crossed the Reeb property. A spur to the mainline afforded
excellent opportunities for shipping the lime by rail to various parts of
the United States and Mexico.

Natural gas was discovered on the Reeb property around 1890 and this soon
replaced wood for lime-burning. Sixty wells were in production at one time
and there was an abun-dant supply. Gas generated on the Reeb prop-erty was
used to light the streets of Port Colborne with street lamps for several
years. Residents in Port Colborne and Wainfleet Township were also able to
heat their homes quite inexpensively. Jack Reeb, grandson of John Andrew,
still uses gas from one of the wells for heating his large home

In 1909 the Great Lakes Portland Cement Company started production in a
plant on the western outskirts of Port Colborne. It used the seemingly
endless supply of natural gas and high quality limestone from the Reeb
quarries in its manufacturing process. Two glass plants nearby also used gas
produced from the Reeb farm.

The descendants of Theobald were enterprising and business-oriented. All
were involved in some manner with the lime pro-duction and gas business. One
of the most enterprising was Menno Alexander who moved to Buffalo at the
time that city was developing rapidly. He marketed the Reeb lime and natural
gas in Buffalo and became a millionaire.

In 1910 John Andrew purchased the interests of his brothers and mother in
the lime works. He then sold the land and quarries north of the rail line
and the lime kilns to the Canada Cement Company. He reserved the land where
he lived and farmed, as well as the quarries, south of the railway. He had
negoti-ated a contract with the Canada Cement Company that he would be paid
ten cents per ton royalty on all the stone that they used from these
quarries. The quarries are now a part of the Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation
Area, property of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

The farm, now in the hands of John Allan (Jack) Reeb, son of John Mack and
grandson of John Andrew, has undergone several agri-cultural phases: raising
and processing turkeys, dairying and raising purebred Holsteins, and now
raising standard-bred rac-ing horses. His wife, Ann Gillespie Reeb, died in
1970. They raised three children: Elizabeth Jane, Jennifer Ann and John
Robert.

Mrs. John Mack (Jennie Dolan) Reeb lived in the stately brick house. She
died on April 8, 1991. The previous home, built by John Andrew, burned in
1930 and was replaced by an exact replica. It is a well-known landmark in
the area.
Submitted by Mrs. Helen B. Minon

SOURCES
Information provided by Mr. John Allan (Jack) Reeb.
Research by Miss Sue Wills, great-great granddaughter of John Andrew Reeb.

Don Reed
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada

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• [REEB-ROOTS-L] The Canadian Reebs by "Don Reed" <>