Diederich, John b. 4 May 1812 Lierstall, Germany d. 18 Aug 1874 De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA: 1FAMILYTREE Genealogy

1812 - 1874 (62 years) Has 2 ancestors and 33 descendants in this family tree.

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Name	Diederich, John
Born	4 May 1812	Lierstall, Germany
Gender	Male
Family History Document	www.family-history.com/ Diederich
Much info from www.family-history.com/ Diederich John Diederich (1812 - 1874) & Anna Clasen (1814 - 1879) John4 Diederich (Johann Nicolaus3, Paul2, Johann Nicholas1) was born 4 M ay 1812 at Lierstall, Province of the Rhineland, West Germany, the s on of Johann Nicolaus and Anna Maria Catharina (Esper) Diederich. His bir th is recorded in the civil birth register of Virneburg, Province of the R hineland, and his birth and baptism are recorded in the baptismal regist er of St. Remigius Roman Catholic Church at Retterath, Province of the Rhi neland.He died 18 August 1874, age 62 years, three months, and 14 days, probab ly at his farm at Town of Lawrence, Brown County, Wisconsin. The funeral w as probably held at St. Mary's Catholic Church at DePere, Brown County, a nd he is buried in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery at DePere. His dea th is recorded in the death register of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Also s ee Brown County death certificates, v. 3, p. 124, no. 370.He married Anna Clasen 21 November 1837 in a civil ceremony at Virnebur g, and on 30 November 1837 in a religious ceremony at St. Remigius Cathol ic Church at Retterath. Witnesses were Bartholomew Klapperich and John Sch neider. The marriage is recorded in the Virneburg civil marriage regist er and in the marriage register of the church.Anna Clasen was born 22 June 1814 at Arbach, Province of the Rhineland, t he daughter of Peter and Margaretha (Einig) Clasen. Her birth is record ed in the civil birth register of Virneburg, and her birth and baptism a re recorded in the baptismal register of St. Remigius Catholic Church at R etterath. She died in June 1879, age 65, probably in the family farmhou se at Town of Lawrence. The funeral was probably held at St. Mary's Cathol ic Church at DePere, and she is buried beside her husband in Mount Oliv et Catholic Cemetery there.John Diederich's birth is recorded in the civil birth register of Virnebu rg under the name of "Jean Dederich". The civil birth register of Virnebu rg dates from 1798, when it was set up by the French after France annex ed the territory west of the Rhine. Entry No. 209 for 1812, translated fr om the French original, reads:In the year one thousand eight hundred twelve, on the fourth of May, at ni ne o'clock in the morning, appeared before us, burgomaster of Virneburg, O fficer of the Civil Register of the Community of Lierstall, district and m unicipality of Virneburg, Department of Rhine and Moselle, Nicolas Diederi chs, twenty-eight years old, residing at Lierstall, farmer, who exhibit ed to us a child of male sex, born today, at two o'clock in the mornin g, to the declarant by his lawful wife, Marie Espers, to whom he stat ed to give the given name of "Jean". The aforementioned declaration and ex hibition took place in the presence of Mathieu Schmitt, forty-six years ol d, farmer, residing at Mannebach, and of Jean Houff, sixty-two years ol d, farmer, residing at Bereborn, and the father with the witnesses undersi gned together with us, after it had been read out to them.One can only imagine the inconvenience, to say nothing of the risks, of ca rrying a newborn infant son 11 kilometers (about seven miles) across the h ills in order to comply with the French bureaucratic requirements.John Diederich's baptism is recorded in the register of St. Remigius Catho lic Church at Retterath, a small community about a mile and a half nor th of Lierstall. Entry No. 20 for 1812 reads: 4th May, born and baptize d, Joannes Diederich of Lierstall, of Nicolaus Diederich and Maria Espe r, by Joannes Schuller and Catharina Schaeffer, both of them married. S ee Kirchenbuch Retterath, Abt. 72/685, no. 1, p. 89, now preserved in t he Bistumsarchiv (diocesan archives) at Trier. Retterath is in the Archdio cese of Trier.The baptismal register of the Catholic Church at Retterath contains this e ntry for the year 1814 on page 113:22nd of June, at Arbach was born and baptized Anna Klasen, the legitima te daughter of Petrus Klasen and Margaretha Einig, married couple. Lift ed from the holy baptismal font by Anna Diederich and Petrus Klasen, bo th of them single, of Arbach. See Kirchenbuch Retterath, Abt. 72/685, no. 1, p. 113.As is the case in many European countries today, a German couple was th en required to contract a civil marriage, which could be followed by a chu rch marriage ceremony if they wished. Entry No. 26 of the Virneburg civ il marriage register for 1837 reads:In the year one thousand eight hundred thirty seven on the 21st twenty fir st of the month of November at three o'clock in the afternoon, appeared be fore me Carl Friedrich Hermes, burgomaster at Virneburg, Officer of the Ci vil Register, the bachelor Johann Diederich, twenty four years old, bo rn at Lierstall, Governmental District Coblenz, a farmer by profession, re siding at Lierstall, Governmental District Coblenz, of age, son of the he re present and consenting Johann Nicolas Diederich, a farmer by Professio n, residing at Lierstall in the Governmental District Coblenz and of the h ere present and consenting Maria Espers, farmer's wife by profession, resi ding at Lierstall in the Governmental District Coblenz and the virgin, An na Clasen, twenty two years old, born at Arbach, Governmental District Cob lenz, and of the here present and consenting Margaretha Einig, farmer's wi fe by profession, residing at Arbach, Governmental District Coblenz. The s ame ones have asked me to contract legally the marriage agreed upon betwe en them.Since the stipulated publishing of banns of this marriage had really tak en place at the main door of the town hall at Virneburg, namely for the fi rst time on the twelfth, and the second time on the nineteenth of this pre sent month of November, according to the publication register at this plac e, and since the documents concerning this publication had been publicly p osted up, and since there was no opposition against this marriage, to comp ly with the said request, I read out the following documents: namely1. the birth certificate of Johann Diederich, according to which the sa me one was born at Lierstall on the fourth of May, eighteen hundred twelve .2. the birth certificate of Anna Classen, according to which the same o ne was born at Arbach, on the twenty second of June, eighteen hundred four teen.All this according to Civil Register kept at this burgomaster's office.And the sixth chapter of the Civil Law dealing with matrimony was read o ut to them, whereupon I asked the aforementioned groom, and the aforementi oned bride: if they want to be united in matrimony?Since each of them separately answered this question affirmatively, I decl ared in the name of the law that Johann Diederich and Anna Classen, are le gally united in matrimony. After that, I made this present document in the presence of Johan Schlaess er, thirty seven years old a farmer by profession, residing at Lierstal l, who is an acquaintance of the new married couple, of Johann Muller, thi rty five years old, a farmer by profession, residing at Virneburg, w ho is an acquaintance of the new married couple, of Peter Schaefer, fif ty eight years old, a farmer by profession residing at Virneburg, w ho is an acquaintance of the new married couple, and of Peter Nett, twen ty nine years old, a farmer by profession, residing at Virneburg, who stat ed to be an acquaintance of the new married couple; and these persons pres ent undersigned this document together with myself, after it had been re ad out to them, with the exception of the bride, of the groom's mothe r, of the bride's parents, and of the witness Peter Schaefer, who are illi terate. The marriage register of the Catholic Church at Retterath contains this en try for 30 November 1837 on page 17: The honorable adolescent, Joannes Diederich, the legitimate son of Joann es Nicolaus Diederich and Maria Esper, married couple of Liersthal, and t he chaste virgin, Anna Classen, the legitimate daughter of Petrus Class en and Margareth Einig, married couple of Arbach, after no impediment w as detected, were united in matrimony, in accordance with the regulati on of the Council of Trent, in the parish church of St. Remigius. Witness es were: Bartholomaeus Klapperich at Retterath and Joannes Schneider at Li ersthal. See Kirchenbuch Retterath Abt. 72/685, no. 3, p. 17. The death register of St. Mary's Catholic Church, DePere, contains this en try in Latin for the year 1874 on page 30: "Obiit Aug. 18va Joannis Dideri ch filius Joanie Nicolai et Annae conj. natus AD 1812." It is signe d, W. A. Verboort, pastor. Translated, it means "Died August 18th, John Di derich, son of John Nicholas and Anna, married. Born AD 1812." The Revere nd W. A. Verboort filed a death certificate at Brown County Courthou se on 10 September 1875 but the transcription (Brown County Death s, v. 3, p. 124, no. 370) contains a number of errors. It reports that Jo hn Dideich, farmer, was born 1802 in Germany, died August 18, 1874, a ge 72 years, at Lawrence, Brown County and is buried in DePere. His parent 's names are given as "John Nic Diderich" and "Anna". His wife's name is g iven as "Anna". The inscription on his gravestone reads, "John Diederic h/ Died/ Aug. 18, 1874/ Aged 62 yrs 8 ms/ & 6 d's." Whoever calculated h is age at death made an error of almost five months. The death register of St. Mary Catholic Church contains this entry in Lat in for the year 1879 on page 41: "Gertrudis Diederiks (date unreadable) Ju nii 1879 Sepultis est conjun Joannis Diedericks aet 64." It is sign ed by A. Van Grotel, pastor at that time. Translated, this means, "Gertu de Diederiks, wife of John Diedericks, was taken away (date unreadable) Ju ne 1879, age 64." Why the register gives her name as "Gertrude" is unknow n. Since there was no other widow or wife of a John Diederich living in Br own County in 1879, it is evident that this entry records Anna Diederich 's death. Unfortunately, her death is not registered in Brown County dea th records. That portion of her gravestone which tells the date of her bir th and death has been broken off, and the remaining inscription reads simp ly, "Anna Diederich/ Wife of/ John Diederich." There was no obituary. T he Wisconsin State Historical Society at Madison has an excellent collecti on of Brown county newspapers published during this period, and these ha ve been searched to no avail. It simply was not customary for those loc al newspapers to publish death notices except of very important or wealt hy people, until a few years later. John Diederich, his wife, Anna, and three children, Gertrude, Peter, and M ichael, emigrated to the United States sometime between 1843 (when Micha el was born) and 1847 when they settled in the Town of Lawrence, Brown Cou nty, Wisconsin. The region from which they came is only 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwe st of the Rhine River city of Koblenz, but even today it is relatively iso lated and sparsely populated because of the poor road network. Accordi ng to the census of 1883, Lierstall was then a village of only 212 inhabit ants. Other nearby communities include Arbach (149 inhabitants), Berebo rn (115 inhabitants), Calenborn (227 inhabitants), Mannebach (231 inhabita nts, Oberelz (175 inhabitants), and Retterath (266 inhabitants). These villages are in the Eifel Mountains, a region bounded on the nort h, east, and south by the world-famous rivers and vineyards of the Ahr, Rh ine, and Moselle. To the west, the district passes into the forest of t he Ardennes of Belgium and Luxembourg. The savage beauty of the Eifel is u niversally renowned as the peculiar mark of its landscape, whether abla ze with golden blossoming broom in the early spring or when the green foli age of the woods is reflected in the dark waters of the numerous ancient " maare" or volcanic lakes. John Diederich may have left his native home because of the difficul ty of earning a living as a farmer in that forested and hilly land, but fa mily tradition is that he came to America to escape the draft. The war rea diness of the German armies was maintained through universal military serv ice in which every able-bodied man was required to serve his time. When and where the family landed in the United States is not known, b ut on 9 February 1847, John Deitrick (sic) purchased, for $50, two trac ts of land in the Town of Lawrence from Philip Molitor and his wife, Ann a. The tracts are 20-acre rectangles, measuring 40 by 80 rods, and the nor theast corner of one adjoins the southwest corner of the other. In Brown C ounty deeds, Books ___, p. 204, the property is described as the Nor th ½ of the Southeast ¼ and the South ½ of the Southwest ¼ of the Southwe st ¼ of Section 20, Town 23, Range 20. John Diederich built his home on the South ½ of the Southwest ¼, about a m ile west of West DePere. It is close by the road now designated County Tru nk EE. The two 20-acre tracts and buildings were owned by Nell Bolda in 19 68 when I visited the farm. In the censuses of 1850, 1860, and 1870, John Diederich reported his occup ation as farmer. He apparently was successful. In 1850, he told the census taker that his real property was worth $300. T he family was enumerated as follows: John Deadarick 37 M Farmer Anna " 35 F Gertrude " 12 F Peter " 10 M Michael " 7 M John " 3 M Joseph " 7/12 M In 1860, he reported his real property was worth $400, and his personal pr operty was worth $200. By 1870, according to the census, his real property was worth $4,000, a nd his personal property was worth $900. In addition to the original 40-acre homestead, John Diederich ultimately a cquired two other tracts. On 6 February 1856, he paid Joseph and Adeline M yers $250 for 51 acres of land, described in Brown County deeds, Bo ok X, p. 83, as the East Part of the East ½ of the Southwest ¼ of Secti on 19, Town 23, Range 20, consisting of a parcel 51 rods wide by 160 ro ds long running northwesterly. This tract is also in the Town of Lawrenc e, about a half-mile west of the first tract, on County Trunk EE. In 196 8, it was part of a 104-acre tract owned by Eugene and Mary Manders. On 27 April 1869, John added 74¾ acres to his holdings, bringing the tot al to l65.75 acres. According to Brown County deeds, Book 18, p. 536, Lou is Scheuring and his wife, Mathilda, conveyed to John Diederich for $410 L ots 2 and 3 of Section 36, Town 23, Range 19, containing 74¾ acres mo re or less. These lots are on the opposite side of DePere and front on Cou nty Trunk GV, a mile and a half east of that city. In 1968, they were own ed by Roger Denis, et al. When John Diederich died 18 August 1874, he apparently did not leave a wil l. At least none is recorded. Thus the property passed into the hands of h is widow and children, and they apparently held it jointly until 1 Octob er 1878, when his widow, Anna Diederich, sold her dower rights to Anton De idrich (sic), her son, and Peter Karst for $1,333.34. In addition to the d escription of all the various tracts of land, the deed reads, "The intere st intended to be conveyed hereby is my dower rights as the widow of Jo hn Deidrich and also my right as such widow to hold, use, and occupy the h omestead as such widow under the laws of Wisconsin reserving and excepti ng from such conveyance the sole use and right of possession and occupati on by myself during life of the front room and bedroom off therefrom in t he house now occupied by me and being on the said homestead situate on t he S.W. 20 acres of Section 20 as above conveyed." She signed with her mar k. See Brown County deeds, Book 31, p. 609. That same day, her daughter "Gertrude Gates and Philip Gates, her husban d" sold their one-eighth share in the estate to Anton Diederich and Pet er Karst for $63.26. See Brown County deeds, Book 31, p. 608. On 5 March 1879, "Joseph Diedrich and Cecilia Deidrich, his wife" sold the ir share to Anton Diedrich and Peter Karst for $150. See Brown County deed s, Book 39, p. 95. The reason for the substantial difference in the amount of money each rece ived is unknown. Perhaps there was some other consideration involved whi ch is not mentioned in the deeds. On 10 March 1880, "Peter Karst and Katherine Karst, his wife, of the To wn of Lawrence" conveyed the interest previously conveyed by Anna Diederi ch to Anton Diedrich for $125. By then, Anna Diederich was dead. See Bro wn County deeds, Book 39, p. 208. Then on 1 April 1880, "Antoon Diederich and Mary Diederich, his wife, Math ias Diederich (unmarried), Theresia Pennings (nee Diederich), and John Pen nings, her husband," sold an undivided six-eighths interest in the two 20- acre tracts and the 74¾-acre lots east of DePere to Peter, John and Anto on Keyzers for $900. See Brown County deeds, Book 42, p. 294. "Mary Dieder ich of Fillmore County, Nebraska" sold her one-eighth interest in these pr operties to the Keyzers on 12 April 1880 for $150. See Brown County deed s, Book 42, p. 311. Peter Didrich of Miles City, Custer County, Montana, T erritory sold his one-eighth interest to the Keyzers on 19 June 1881 for $ 464.89. See Brown County deeds, Book 42, p. 459. Did Peter get more becau se he held out? Also on 1 April 1880, "Antoon Diederich & Mary Diederich, his wife, Theres ia Pennings (Nee Diederich), John Pennings, her husband, and Mary Diederic h, unmarried," sold their six-eighths interest in the 51-acre tract to the ir brother, Mathias Diederich of DePere, for $800. See Brown County deed s, Book 42, p. 318. On 9 July 1881, "Mathias Diedrich of Brown County, Wis consin" resold the six-eighths interest in the 51-acre tract back to his b rother, "Antoon Deidrich of the same county" for $800. See Brown County de eds, Book 43, p. 556. On 26 August 1882, "Antoon Deidrich and Mary Deidrich, his wife, of Bro wn County, Wisconsin" conveyed the 51-acre tract to William Michaelis of t he same county for $1,100. See Brown County deeds, Book 47, p. 23 9. On 21 May 1883, "Peter Diederich of Fort Benton, Choto County, Montan a" sold his one-eighth interest in the 51-acre tract to "William Michael is of Town Lawrence" for $100. See Brown County deeds, Book 47, p. 419. Th us, the last of the property acquired by John Diederich passed from the ha nds of his heirs. Census and other records indicate John and Anna Diederich had at least ni ne children. Three were born before the family emigrated to the United Sta tes, and the other six were born in Brown County, Wisconsin. They were: Gertrude Diederich = Philip Goetz Peter Diederich Michael Diederich John William Diederich = 1) Cecilia Van der Heyden = 2) Wilhelmina Van der Heyden Joseph Diederich = Anna Catherine Ostermann Mary Ann Diederich = Leroy Oscar Kerns Antone Diederich = Mary Klipstein Mathias Diederich Theresia Diederich = John Pennings
Immigration	Unknown
Died	18 Aug 1874	De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA
Person ID	I56190	1FamilyTree
Last Modified	27 Apr 2016

Father	Diederich, Johann Nicolaus, b. 24 Jul 1782, , , , Germany , d. 4 Apr 1849, , , , Germany (Age 66 years)
Mother	Unknown, UnknownF, d. Yes, date unknown
Family ID	F37076	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Classen, Anna, b. 22 Jun 1814, Arbach, , Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany , d. Abt Jun 1879, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA (Age 64 years)

Married 30 Nov 1837 Retterath, Germany

Children

	1. Diederich, Gertrude, b. Abt 1838, d. Abt 1888 (Age ~ 50 years)
	2. Diederich, Michael, b. Abt 1843, d. Abt 1876 (Age ~ 33 years)
+	3. Diederich, John William, b. 11 May 1847, Lawrence, Brown, Wisconsin, USA , d. 25 Dec 1930, Ladysmith, Rusk, Wisconsin, USA (Age 83 years)
	4. Diederich, Joseph, b. 2 Sep 1849, Lawrence, Brown, Wisconsin, USA , d. Bef 1949 (Age 99 years)
	5. Diederich, Mary Ann, b. 20 Jan 1851, Lawrence, Brown, Wisconsin, USA , d. 25 Aug 1937 (Age 86 years)
+	6. Diederich, Anton, b. 15 May 1853, Lawrence, Brown, Wisconsin, USA , d. 16 Feb 1935, Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, USA (Age 81 years)
	7. Diederich, Mathias, b. Abt 1854, d. Abt 1934 (Age ~ 80 years)
	8. Diederich, Gertrude Theresia, b. 10 Sep 1857, Lawrence, Brown, Wisconsin, USA , d. 8 Jan 1897, Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, USA (Age 39 years)

Last Modified 1 May 2010

Family ID F16876 Group Sheet | Family Chart