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- John Bear, "was born near Preston, Ontario, May 15th, 1804. His boyhood days were spent on his father's farm. When eighteen years of age he commenced life as a builder and contractor. Many a house and barn still standing in this and adjoining counties. were erected by him between the years 1823 and 1835. He was also the possessor of a beautiful farm lying between Preston and Hespeler, now owned by Anson Groh. Here he resided until the death of his wife in 1875. Then he had his home with his youngest son, Joseph, for five years. In 1880 he went to live with his son John, who resides a little west of Doon, where he died happy in the Lord, December 24th, 1894.
He was converted unto the Lord when a young man, and in 1833 he joined the Mennonite Church. On December 2nd, 1838, he was ordained as Minister of the Gospel by the late Bishop Benjamin Eby. His field of labor was to be at 'Wanners', for which locality he was ordained. In 1870-71 when the first glimmerings of dissatisfaction were observable among the Mennonites, Mr. Bear was an active worker to keep up the union (The writer heard him advocate strongly in favor of union in 1870-71-72) but the spirit of disunion was carried so far (1873-4), which ultimately caused a division into the old and new communions. Mr. Bear joined himself with the new party and was one of their first ministers.
We might add in conclusion that his educational attainments were very limited. Besides the acquisition of the simple elementary branches of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he in his youth was not favored, as the country was new and the schools in their primeval state. Being possessed of a very retentive memory, he exhibited a great taste for reading and was remarkably fond of investigation. He seldom accepted anything without first giving it due consideration and careful study. What little spare time he was able to snatch from the labors of the farm, he studiously devoted to the reading of such works as came within his reach. His library was composed of books pertaining to religious and devotional works. He was well versed in the Bible and works of a religious character.
On February 11th, 1827, he was married to Anna, daughter of Cornelius and Anna (Detweiler) Pannabecker. She was born near Hespeler, Waterloo County, Ontario, April 23rd, 1812, and died February 16th, 1875. They had a family of thirteen children, viz:".. Ezra E. Eby
"Bear, John (1804-1894)
John Bear: minister and building contractor; born 15 May 1804 near Preston, Upper Canada to Martin and Catharine (Gingrich) Bear. He was the oldest child in a family of six sons and seven daughters. On 11 February 1827 he married Anna Pannabecker (23 April 1812-16 February 1875); they had ten sons and three daughters. John died 24 December 1894.
By vocation John Bear became a carpenter and builder. One of his projects was the Union Mennonite/Tunker school and meetinghouse of 1829 that predated the Wanner building of 1837. This building was used as a school until 1848. He did much of his construction work between 1823-1835. He also farmed between Preston and Hespeler (both now part of the city of Cambridge).
John Bear was baptized as a member of the Mennonite Church in 1833; on 2 December 1838 he was ordained as a minister by Benjamin Eby particularly for service in the Wanner/Hagey area of the conference. He was widely read, but had only the basic primary education of the day. He was a second generation minister in the conference; his father had been one of the first persons ordained as a minister in the Waterloo region.
When a doctrinal conflict arose in the Ontario Conference beginning in 1869, John Bear led an party of three ministers to investigate revival activities in Solomon Eby's congregation at Port Elgin, ON. Bear's group brought back a positive report in early 1870, but a division ultimately could not be averted. Bear then joined the new "Reformed Mennonites"; a group that ultimately became part of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ denomination (later known as the Evangelical Missionary Church). He served as a minister in that denomination until his death. He was ordained as an elder in that denomination on 4 March 1888 by Menno Bowman.
Bear's departure from the Ontario Mennonite conference was very significant because of his longstanding leadership role in the conference. As leader of the investigation committee to Port Elgin he carried the respect of his fellow ministers, and his loss to the movement was keenly felt." Mennonite Historical Society of Canada
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