A letter in the Archives of St. Mark’s Church, written in 1992, requests the use of the
parish hall for a reunion of the Hainer family. In an explanation of the planned event, the
writer, Don MacDonald, provides an interesting account of the history of this family.
In an early settlement plan, Britain offered passage to the New World to eight hundred
prospective German settlers from the Palatinate. Although England’s King George I was
a direct descendent of James I, he was also the grandson of “The Winter King” Frederick
V, King of Bohemia, Palatine Elector and Duke of Bavaria. He and his successor,
George II, retained an interest in their Germanic relatives and the conviction that the
Hessians were among the best farmers and settlers. So they were anxious to populate
North America with these Germanic citizens.
Among those taking up the offer of a new life was Johannes Höner. In 1710 he left the
village of Storndorf, Kreis Alsfeld in Hesse and settled in Dutchess County, New York.
The family prospered there and soon spread to other counties. During the Revolutionary
War, like many others, this family was split in its loyalties. Some took up arms as
Patriots, to fight against England. Others remembered their original ties to the Crown of
Great Britain and were know as Loyalists. When the “Patriots” succeeded in defeating
the British army, the “Loyalists” found it necessary to leave the homes and farms that
they had developed and begin over again north of the Great Lakes. Various descendents
modified the spelling of the name. The most popular spelling in this country is Hainer.
Among the Loyalists who settled in Canada was Zachariah Hainer who was born in 1761.
He had joined Butler’s Rangers. When they were disbanded, he took up land to the west
of Twelve Mile Creek, where Ridley College now stands. In 1797, he married Sophia
Brown, daughter of John Brown, who had also served with Rangers. Their marriage was
solemnized by Robert Addison, Rector of St. Mark’s Church. During the War of 1812,
Zachariah joined the Lincoln Militia and died in 1813 as a result of war injuries.
In the mid twentieth century members of the family on both sides of the border decided to
have a reunion every two years, to provide an opportunity for the descendents of
Johannes Höner to meet each other and exchange family stories. Their custom was to
begin on Friday evenings and spend Saturday exchanging family history. Then they
worshipped together on Sunday mornings, before saying farewell for another two years.
While the original family was Lutheran, over the years their Sunday worship had been in
Lutheran, Methodist and Episcopal churches.
Today the Hainer name is rather rare in the Niagara area. Several family members are
buried in St. Mark’s cemetery, including Harvey Hainer and his wife, Ethel Matthews.
There are other descendents, however, with differing surnames. Among them is Neil
MacDonald, a member of the Archives Committee currently studying at Library Science
UBC in Vancouver. He is a great great great grandson of Zachariah Hainer.
Although the intent of the letter that found its way into the archives was simply to request
the use of facilities for the gathering of this family, its preservation has allowed an insight
into the way families move about, lose touch with one another and then make an effort to
restore some sense of unity in their diversity.