Margaret Heddle
Margaret Heddle was allegedly abused by the Keeper and Matron of the time, Mr. and Mrs. Martin, and wrote a letter to the King of England asking to be taken out of the House due to the ongoing abuse.
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Tag: inmate
Annie and Edward Dollar
Edward Dollar lived at the Poorhouse for the first 2 years of his life with his mother in 1906. After they were discharged from the House, Annie sent Edward to an orphanage. Edward was eventually sent to the Orillia Hospital for the Feeble-Minded at the age of 9.
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Valentine Reichert
Valentine entered the House of Refuge after being sick for years and no longer having anyone to care for him. He stayed in the House for 9 months before he died from paralysis.
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Margaret Wirsching
Margaret Wirsching was admitted to the Poorhouse in 1899 for having “Weak Intellect” and was later sent to the Hamilton Asylum in 1911.
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August Drexler
August Drexler was born near Halle, Germany around 1821. His parents and family are mostly unknown as he immigrated alone to Canada sometime before 1855. He was living in the Village of Preston and working as a musician. August became well-known throughout the Waterloo Region for his musical expertise and his wandering ways. He would travel by foot from town to town to play music and stay at friend’s houses. For an in-depth look at August’s life in Waterloo County, please visit his page on Waterloo Generations. Below is the article written by W.H. Schmalz in the Waterloo Historical...
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Noah Shantz
Noah Shantz was a seasonal worker who would enter the Poorhouse during the winter months and leave in the spring to find work on a farm.
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