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CHRISTIAN HEISEChristian Heise came to Canada in 1804 and died in 1830. He was the first deacon of the Tunker church organized in 1808. His wife, Fanny, died in 1814 and was one of the first to be buried in Heise Hill cemetery. The next generation – John Heise. There were three daughters and one son in the family. One daughter married Bishop Samuel Baker, another married Peter Doner and the third became the wife of Geo. Brillinger. The son, Christian, married Nancy Witmer of Waterloo district. Called a mother in Israel, she was a good singer and often started the hymns. She was a staunch member of the Tunker church. Christian Heise was gifted in making up poetry and often wrote verses for obituaries and also on other lines. His house was one of the oldest and was one of the places where the general conferences were held, They held meetings there every sixteen weeks. The first Love feast in their barn was in 1857. In 1861 and 1867, Bishop Samuel Baker, his brother-in-law, also gave his barn for Love feasts. In those early days the barns afforded more accommodation. The first Love feast was held in 1851. Another brother-in-law gave his house and barn for similar meetings as did George Brillinger. Christian Heise had three sons and one daughter. The sons were Jacob, John and David, and a daughter, Betsy, were all church members. The daughter married Alfred Brillinger. Jacob united with the Methodist faith and lived at Stouffville. He was a skilled carpenter and business man. He operated the planing mill. D. W. Heise became a carpenter, skilled in his work and he and his brother, Jacob, built many houses and barns. D. W. Heise kept a store at Bethesda for a number of years and was the first promoter of the Bethesda and Stouffville Telephone Co. and held this position until his death in 1937. He became interested in bees and made a success in this business. In 1914 he was elected a minister of the Tunker church at Heise Hill. They commissioned him to mission work and he traveled a great deal, visiting India and Africa and other foreign lands. John W. Heise retained the old homestead and was accordingly a good farmer. He became a deacon in 1890 and was greatly reverenced. He contended strongly for things meek and lowly but paid tribute to those in high places as well. It grieved him to see the changing world and new things surging into church life. Today a son, Joseph, lives in that part of the big house that was occupied by his parents and Joseph's son, Russel, occupies the remainder of the house with his family making the sixth generation born there. So we may say "God bless the Heises and the faith they so steadfastly uphold." Bishop H. R. Heise often used to give out the hymn, 208 in the old hymn book:
This hymn was usually sung after baptismal service when they were leaving the water. This was one of Jacob Heise's favorite hymns:
Christian Heise, Sr., married Mary Keffer. They came to Markham district and settled on Lot 33 on the third concession. His family was: Annie married George Reanan; Magdeline married John Hilts; Barbara married John Hoover; Fanny married Daniel Horner; John married Elizbeth Hoover. Family of John and Elizabeth (Hoover) Heise: Fanny, John, Christian, Daniel, Jacob, Elizabeth and Christina. Joseph Heise, brother of Christian, Sr., came to Canada at the age of twenty-eight from Pennsylvania and bought Lot 26 on the eighth concession of Markham, two hundred acres where Lewis Reesor now lives, from Alexander Woods on the 10th of May, 1806, for one hundred and twenty-five pounds. He died in 1841, aged 69 years. He is buried in Wideman's cemetery. John Heise, son of above married Elizabeth Snider who died in 1846. He had two sons and two daughters, Samuel, Sarah, Abraham and Anna. Abraham married Miss Keizer, daughter of Jacob Keizer of West York. He had thirteen children, namely: Lydia, Samuel, Levi, Emmanuel, Alberta, Sarah, Harrison, John, Elizabeth, Isabel, Abraham, Myrtle, and Fred who lives at Elmira. This family was born on the farm where Hugh Boyd now lives. Jacob, another brother, came to Canada from Pennsylvania in 1805 and bought 200 acres on Lot 26, Con. 3, Markham, from John Kennedy for one thousand dollars. He died in 1832 aged seventy-one years. Hannah, his wife, died in 1846 aged seventy-eight years. They had four children, Barbara, Jacob, Abraham and John. Jacob married Mary Stickley, daughter of Bishop John Stickley, Sr. Their family: Elizabeth, Nancy, Abraham, Jacob and Christopher, twins, John and Daniel. Abraham married Sarah Wideman, Barbara married Mr. Wideman, Sarah married Benjamin Hare, Christina married Peter Lehman, Hannah remained single, Abraham died in 1861 and his wife in 1861. They are buried in Wideman's cemetery. John, son of Jacob, married Anna Shank. To this union were born ten children: Peter, Michael, Abraham, Henry, Fanny, Sarah, Mary, Nancy, Susan and Elizabeth. Elizabeth married Daniel Rhodes of Clarence Centre, N.Y., who was chosen minister of that place. Elizabeth was the daughter of Jacob Heise. Abraham, son of Jacob Heise, died in 1844, aged sixteen years. Jacob married Margaret Smith. He died in 1909 in his eightieth year. Margaret, his wife, died in 1872, aged thirty-six. Christopher married Leah Rhodes of Clarence Centre. They had a family of seven children. Henry, Anna, Mary, Anthony, Sarah, Levi and Leah. Christopher died in 1908, aged seventy-nine years and Leah, his wife, died in 1912, aged eighty-eight years. John married Sarah Rhodes of Clarence Centre. Their family was Louis, Adella and Alice. John died in 1922 in his eighty-fourth year. Daniel married Fanny Rhodes. They had no family. He was a minister at Clarence Centre and was buried there. I received a lot of this information out of a record that Elder H. R. Heise compiled. Christopher Heise, son of Jacob Heise, Jr., who was a deacon, married Leah Rhodes of Clarence Centre. He was elected a deacon of Markham district in 1878 and he died in 1908. He had a family of three sons and four daughters, their names are Henry, Anthony, Levi, Mary, Annie, Sarah and Leah. Christopher Heise was a very prosperous farmer, a hard worker and a good manager, a man who could see ahead. He owned one of the best two hundred acre farms in the township. He built the store at Uictoria Square and several houses. He was a well informed man as he did a lot of travelling. He was a man that loved his church and he visited a lot of those who were discouraged and backslidden. He was much interested in his members' temporal welfare as well as the spiritual. The writer well remembers of him coming to my father's house and sitting behind the table with the ministers and would testify to the truth. I well remember him at a prayer meeting at Johnny Byers taking the prayer meeting as there was no minister there. I will never forget how he used to sing. His son, Henry, lived where Harold Heise now lives. He married Jane Schell and was ordained a minister in 1888 by Bishop Jesse Engle of Kansas and was chosen bishop by lot to help Samuel Baker in 1897 until 1911 when he was relieved of his office. He was a good visitor and a staunch believer of the Tunker faith and stood true to his principles. He had a good memory and knew his Bible. He often gave the children Bible verses to memorize which some still remember. Anthony, another son, married Mary Engle, daughter of Bishop Jesse Engle who lived in Brown Co., Kansas. They had a family of five children. He was elected a deacon at that place. Later, his wife died and in 1902 he married Martha Jane Cober, a daughter of John Cober of Pickering township. Levi, another son, married Alice Eyer and got the old homestead. His wife died a number of years ago and he is one of the oldest members, eighty-eight years old. His son, Orla, now owns the two hundred acres. Orla was chosen a deacon and married Catharine Lehman of Carlisle, Pa. She died in 1951. His oldest son, Harold, married Elder Marshall Winger's daughter and Louis married Elder J. H. Heise's daughter. They are both farmers on the home farms. Clarence, Levi's son, married Ruth Brechbell who was a granddaughter of Henry Davidson, bishop, who was first editor of Evangelical Visitor. They were missionaries in India for several years until her health failed. They are now living near Welland. Wm. Heise married Ida Sider, daughter of Deacon Joseph Sider of Wainfleet. They had a farm at Victoria Square. They had a family of six sons and two daughters. Edgar was chosen deacon at Fordwich. He married Bishop Shoalts' daughter, Ruth. H. R. Heise, in our church history, said that his grand-father, Jacob Heise, a deacon and Peter Cober, bishop, used to take in the Love feasts every spring and fall at Black Creek, and Waterloo which was one of the largest districts then and Nottawa and Clarence Centre. This was a distance of five or six hundred miles. They would visit the members and as many other people as possible. This was continued for a period of over thirty years. Their trips were made on a one-horse vehicle with wooden springs and a frame covered with a canvas top. No money was accepted for these trips but instead these brethren labored during the winter so they would have means to take these trips during the summer. Christopher Heise's favorite hymn was:
One of bishop Peter Steckley's favorite hymns out of new book:
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