By 1805, many
Mennonites from
Pennsylvania had settled nearby in
Berlin but Wellesley Township itself was not surveyed until 1842–43, due to being part of the
Queen's Bush a region with a large Black settler population. In 1837, John Philip Schweitzer from Germany squatted at what is now Hawkesville, and had of land cleared over the following nine years. Then, John Hawke received government permission to buy the clearing for $700.00 on the condition that he build a
grist mill (for flour) and a
sawmill within two years. By 1869, the population had increased to 200 and the post office was receiving mail daily. Records from 1846 about the entire Township indicate that much of the land had been "Queen's Rush, crown land, where fifty acre lots were given away to actual settlers". The Population of the entire township in 1841, was only 254. The area now the village of Wellesley on the
Nith River was first settled in 1847, by John Smith and was originally called
Schmidtsville. The post office opened in 1851 and the village was renamed
Wellesley after
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, the eldest brother of
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The community quickly grew to be the largest economic centre in rural
Waterloo County, with a wood mill, feed mill, a grain mill (which still stands after being constructed in 1856), leather tanner, cheese factory, restaurants and housing, and many other businesses that also brought much trade to the town from the nearby farms and farming villages. By 1864, the village also had two stores, a flour mill, three wagon makers, boot and shoe shops, a hotel two churches and a school with 78 students. By 1869, the population of the village of Wellesley was 400; the nearest rail station was away in
Baden. In 1869, the village of Bamberg had a population of 200; it was on the stagecoach line to St. Agatha. When the Waterloo County boundaries were established in 1852 to include the townships of Waterloo, Wellesley,
Wilmot,
Woolwich, and
North Dumfries, John Hawke was named the first
reeve of Wellesley and the first township hall was built in Hawkesville. When the decision was being made for the location of a county seat, Hawkesville originally anticipated being chosen over Berlin and
Galt. However, John Hawke had the deciding vote, and he cast it in favour of Berlin. With the railway and the county seat, Berlin began to grow rapidly and kept on growing; Hawkesville flourished only until the end of the century before diminishing. At the end of the 1900s, the area was home to doctors,
blacksmiths, and merchants, as well as a
tannery, hotels, and churches. Into the early 1900s, the village
carriage and wagon maker, George Diefenbacker (his preferred spelling) would entertain his grandson,
John Diefenbaker, each summer. The first library in Wellesley Village was incorporated in 1900, and except for the period between 1916 and 1921, there has been continuous public library service ever since. The current branch, now part of the Region of Waterloo Library system, is located in the former S.S. No. 16 Wellesley Township public school building. The school closed its doors in 1967. The building gradually came back to life as the library was placed in the left classroom on the main floor in July 1970. A residential summer camp for children has been located on
Paradise Lake, located near Bamberg, since 1924; Camp Ki-WaY was owned by the
Kiwanis Club until 2009 when it was donated to the
YMCA. The early settlers of Bamberg were from Germany and the village was initially named Weimar; it was changed to Bamberg in 1852. The first settlers were squatters, including the Moser and Kroetsch families. By 1904, Bamberg, had two general stores, various businesses, a brewery, and post office. ==Geography==