JOHN DIEHL, of Osceola Township,
was born near Eaton, in Preble County, Ohio, February 27, 1835, a son of Jacob
and Nancy (Good) Diehl, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio,
respectively. They had a family of ten children, of whom six still survive,
John being the fifth child. His father went to Ohio in his youth, and was
married near Germantown in that State, the mother dying in her native State in
1852. The father subsequently married again, and moved to Illinois, where his
death occurred in 1873. John Diehl was
reared on a farm till his fifteenth year, when he began learning the blacksmith’s
trade, which he followed until coming West in 1860. Mr. Diehl has been twice
married. His first wife, Lydia A. Boadle, was a native of Montgomery County,
Ohio. She died at the age of twenty-four years, leaving one daughter, Mary. Mr.
Diehl was again married in 1859, to Sarah A. Carnahan, of Darke County, Ohio, a
daughter of John and Sarah (Adams) Carnahan. They have four children living – Charley
B., Minnie E., Dellie V., and John Richard.
In 1860 Mr. Diehl left Ohio, coming to Clarke County, Iowa, when he
located on his present farm on section 4, Osceola Township, on the Knoxville
Road. In July 1861, he enlisted in Company F., Sixth Iowa Infantry, in the
three years’ service, and was in the Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps. He
participated in the siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Mission Ridge and Lookout
Mountain, after which he was transferred to Battery D of the Fourth Missouri
Artillery, in which he served six months, when he was detailed head blacksmith
in the Fourth Division, in which capacity he served till he was honorably
discharged at Davenport, Iowa, in July, 1864. Soon after his discharge he
recruited a company, of which he was appointed First Lieutenant, and later
promoted to Captain, but his company did not go into active service. Since his return from the war, Mr. Diehl has
devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he has met with
success, and is now the owner of 400 acres of choice land, which is well
improved and under fine cultivation. He is now classed among the prosperous and
enterprising citizens of Clarke County, most of his property being made by his
stock-raising, he having been very successful in the raising of cattle and
hogs. Mr. Diehl has been president of the Clarke County Agricultural Society,
and has served his township as trustee. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, and a comrade of the Grand Army post, of which he is at present
senior vice-commander. He and his wife are members of the Christian church,
attending Union Chapel, and are respected members of society.
SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Record of Clarke
County, Iowa, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1886 p. 314-5
