Elizabeth Ziegler

Ziegler was born September 15, 1854, in Berlin, Canada West (now Kitchener) to Enoch and Hannah (née Hallman) Ziegler.[1] Her grandfather, Dillman Ziegler, was born in 1781 in Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and was an early settler in Waterloo Township.[2] His own great-great-grandfather, Michael Ziegler, emigrated to Pennsylvania Colony around 1707 from Switzerland and was one of the earliest settlers in Montgomery County.[3]

Educated at local schools, Elizabeth went on to study at the Toronto Normal School, graduating at 16 years of age. She was the youngest student to receive a teaching certificate from the school, which was signed by Egerton Ryerson, Ontario's first Minister of Education.[4][5]^: 35

After graduation she taught for a year in Breslau, followed by two years teaching in Bloomingdale.[5]^: 35 Ziegler returned to Waterloo County in 1875, after accepting a teaching position at Central School during a period when women made up less than half of the teaching staff in the area and were unable to marry if they wished to continue on as teachers.[5]^: 35 She taught a range of subjects at the school including reading, spelling, arithmetic, geography and drawing.[6]^: 72 Ziegler was later appointed as the principal of Alexandra School, Waterloo's second elementary school, making her the first woman principal appointed in Waterloo County.[5]^: 35, 36[7] She retired from teaching in 1930.[4][8] To mark her lengthy career the Canadian National Railway gifted her a return ticket to the Pacific Coast.[5]^: 36

Entrance of Elizabeth Ziegler Public School with name engraved over doorway

When construction began on Waterloo's third elementary school, local teachers requested that it be named in Ziegler's honour.[9][5]^: 36 She initially resisted the recognition but was eventually persuaded by members of the Waterloo Public School Board.[5]^: 36 The school opening on September 2, 1931, was attended by Ontario Premier George Stewart Henry who commented that: "This splendid building is a monument to the purpose, integrity and inspiration of a woman who has helped fashion the lives of the citizens of this community and has helped them to make the best use of their lives."[4] Her teaching certificate signed by Ryerson hangs at the school along with her portrait.[4][10] In addition to having a school named after her, Ziegler is a member of the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.[4]

Ziegler spent her later years living with family in Kitchener and London.[11] In 1941 Ziegler moved to Simcoe to live with a sister, where she died a year later.[5]^: 37 Following her death on November 3, 1942, she was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Kitchener. Her headstone reads: "She taught little children for sixty years."[12]