"Sem Wissler, founder of Salem, Ontario, Canada.
Sem Wissler was born in Clay Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvaniaon March 21, 1819. He was the youngest in the family of Jacob Wisslerand his wife Anna Eby; and a descendant of one Jacob Wissler and hiswife who emigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylvania in 1720. Sem'sfather Jacob was one of the many Germans who, during the first fewyears of the 19th century, bought land in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.Between 1802 and 1805 he bought over 7000 acres in Waterloo, andalthough he sent his sons to Canada he remained in Pennsylvania on thesame farm until his death.
He gradually sold all the land in Canada with the exception of twofarms and in 1834 he gave the two farms to his son John, who hadlearned the trade of tanner. John came to Waterloo in 1834 and built atannery in Bridgeport known as Eagle Tannery. In 1837 John's brotherLevi came to Bridgeport and joined as a partner in Eagle Tannery. Onthe 24th of August 1839, Sem Wissler came to Eagle Tannery and workedfor his brothers until 1841. His father Jacob was anxious for him tocome to Pennsylvania and take the homestead, but Sem preferred to stayin Canada and on the 4th of May 1841 he received $2,650 from hisfather and bought out his brother Levi's partnership in the Tannery.
By 1843 the tan bark was becoming scarce in the neighborhood of EagleTannery and Sem on different trips through the Nichol Township to thetown of Fergus to visit Jane Robertson, whom he married on the 6th ofAugust 1843, saw opportunites for water power on the Irvine River. OnOctober 23, 1844 he brought his brother John to look the area over,and John was evidently impressed for he immediately wrote an offeringto buy lot 16 and the west half of lot 17 on the 11th concession ofUpper Nichol for $700. Sem Wissler them completed an arrangement hehad made for the north east half of lot 16 and the south west half oflot 15 and hired someone to clear a part of the land and erect a logshanty for himself and family. On the 9th of June 1845, Sem, Jane andtheir son J R took up residence in the log shanty. He called his placeSalem.
During that first season he built the dam on the river, the flume, thesaw-mill, and part of the tannery. In 1846 the tannery was completedand part of this large building was fitted as a dwelling, part wasused as a store, another part for the shoe shop, and the rest for thetannery.
From the beginning there was a great trade done in Salem. The tanneryand saw mill were worked to the utmost capacity, the general store dida large business, and the shoe shop employed from fifteen to twentyshoemakers. Such was the beginning of Salem.
In 1848 Mr. Wissler, though not a resident, was elected by theresidents of the Township of Peel as their representative in theDistrict Council and on October 8th, 1849, he secured the passage of aBy Law for the purpose of opening the present road between Elora andSalem.
By 1857 the partnership with his brother having expired each member ofthe firm then pursued his own course. His brother John and brotherLevi both returned to Virginia, while Sem remained in Salem retainingthe saw mill, tannery, shoe shop, store, farm and other property. Asbusiness increased Salem grew to be a thriving village with a largenumber of citizens.
Mr. Wissler left no stone unturned to provide for the continuedprosperity of Salem. It was carefully and thoroughly founded. The oneobject of his life was to build a lasting village. However, almosttwenty years after he had arrived in Salem, on the 18th of May 1865 hewas rising from his bed when he fell back and died immediately. He wasburied in a vault erected in the Elora Cemetery on land sold by him tothe corporation of the village of Elora the year before. Mr. Wissler'sdeath was a great calamity to Salem from which it has never recovered.Sem left a wife, five sons and two daughters.
Read more about Sem Wissler in The Early History of Elora, Ontario andVicinity by John Robert Connon 1930."
