Frank Hassell- First Occupant
William Klopp- Retired Farmer
185 Hibernia Street
Built 1906

In 1898, Frank Hassell purchased lot 25 on the South side of Hibernia Street between John Street and Avondale Avenue. He built a house on the west half of the lot in 1904, where he lived with his wife and daughter. Lot 25 was subdivided in 1906 into two 1/8th acre parcels and a house was built on the east section. When numbers were assigned to the houses, Frank's house become 187 Hibernia Street and the new house became 185.

In 1907 Frank sold 187 Hibernia to William Pauli, a local butcher and moved to Vancouver. Daniel McGregor, a contractor, occupied 185 during the year after the house was built.

In 1908, William Klopp, a retired farmer, purchased 185 Hibernia Street. William was born in Hessen, Germany on June 20, 1852. He immigrated to Canada at age 17, settling in Huron County (Hay Township), where he found work as an apprentice harness maker. In 1876 William married Louisa Zeller who was born in Huron County on October 1, 1858, to German immigrants. William and Louisa farmed and raised their ten children in Hay Township near Zurich, Ontario.

When he retired from farming in 1907, he and Louisa moved to Stratford with five of their children living on Huron Street before purchasing 185 Hibernia in 1908. Living with William and Louisa on Hibernia Street in 1911 were daughter, Ella and sons, William Henry, Hubert, Leonard and Lambert.

Ella was a teacher who moved to Welland, Ontario after her marriage to Harvey Church. William Henry married Edna Rohfritoch in 1914. Hubert, married Barbara Dettman and practiced dentistry in Waterloo. Leonard also found work in Waterloo, as a salesman for a rubber company. He married Oralla Lehner in 1924. Lambert enlisted with the US army at age 19 serving in France during WWI. He became a US citizin 1921 and in 1940 was working as an orderly in a military hospital in Washington, DC.

Their daughter, Clara settled in Shakespeare with her husband, Lloyd Wagner. Flora and her husband, Rev. Charles Becker, moved to the United States and served Presbyterian congregations in Illinois and Iowa. Horace was a machinist for the GTR. In 1913 he married Annie Alendorf and moved his new bride into the house he built at 174 Nelson Street. Two of their boys, Elmore and Oscar, stayed in Huron County to farm and raise their families.

Empty nesters in 1914, William and Louisa returned to live in rural Huron County.

Recently married son, William Henry, took over ownership of 185 Hibernia. He and his family lived there until 1924 when they moved to 121 Church Street. William Henry Klopp was a well-respected Stratford plumber working for Peter and Sylvester Plumbing on Ontario Street

William Klopp died on June 1, 1927. He is buried with Louisa in St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery in Zurich, Ontario.

William Henry Klopp died Jan 27, 1971. He and his wife Edna are buried in Avondale Cemetery.