John Dieden

John Dieden's letters are featured in the book, Germans in the Civil War: Letters They Wrote Home. 

Half Centuries Progress of the City of Chicago 1837 - 1877

The 1860 census shows that Agnes Dieden had married John Herting and they lived with their blended family: John, Nicholas, Anthony, & Catherine Dieden and William Herting. 

By 1870, John, Anthony, and Nicholas have all married and live with their families next door to one another on Chicago Ave in the 18th ward. Their occupations are shown as wholesale grocer. John and his wife Catherine Dieden had three girls, Agnes, Catherine, and Anna. 

In this 1874 news report, Catherine died in a terrible accident.

The widower, John, married Anna Krone the next year. 

         Anna was born in Lauschied, Germany in 1849 and emigrated             the following year with her parents, Frank and Catherine.

John and Anna Dieden's first child, Frank, was born in 1876. and seven children followed after that, Walter, Gerard, Clara, Helen, Arthur, Esther, and Rudolph.  

John Herting became a County Commissioner and gave his step-son, John Dieden, a post as Commissioner of the Insane Asylum. 

In 1874, they were embroiled in a skimming indictment ... 

It seems nothing ever stuck to Herting and his stepson but John did step down from his post. John and Anna's eighth child, Clara M. Dieden, was born in March 1881. Anna was 31 and John was 46. They lived at 43 Chicago Avenue and John's job was listed a saloonkeeper. 

In the article below from the Chicago Tribune of January 1880, John is a member of the Flour and Feed Dealers' Association where they gave a dance in the Turner Hall. Follow this link is to a very interesting article about the German Turner Halls.

THEY ENTERTAINED THEIR FRIENDS 
Members of the Flour and Feed Dealers' Association Give a Little Dance

The third annual entertainment and hall of the Flour and Feed Dealers' Association was held at the North Side Turner-Hall last evening. Five hundred members and their friends were present. The musical and program which preceded the hop, was an excellent one and was rendered in good style, the talent for the most part being secured from among the members. There were a song by Miss Mary Kopf, a recitation by Miss Grace E. Morrell, a piano solo by Miss Fanny Livingston, acrobatic feats by John Uaworth, a cornet solo by A. Fischer, a tenor solo by John Kellar, a recitation by Albert Peters. and songs by David Lockwood M. B., and Prof. J. F. Jones. besides orchestral selections. The entertainment was in charge of the following gentlemen:

J.W. Xeys, J. J. Banenoch, Charles Davies, M. E. Campbell. W. E. Cropper, C. Lasman Jr., E. T Head H L. Walters. M. M. Freeman, J. Jonas, M. G. Butzow, George J. TKoenig, L. Livingston, Z. 11. Carter, F. Engert. 0. BUnge, and Ed Meyer.

The Reception Committee was composed of the following: C. Lasman, G. F. Ge'st. M. 13. Nlere- ley, John Pries, J. 1). Tobey. F. Conrad, W. IL Martin, W. Yu. Mumford, J. J. Badenoch. George Pearce. NV. Woehling, J. T. Rawleigh, Fred Grimsell, W. Wittman. H. N. La Prentz. Louis Englehardt, J. H. Dieden, S. Foster, Fred Schuen. J. Considine, E. E. Todd, G. S. Biridges, William Cogley, I. Morehead G. S. Blakeslee, Kenry Karstens. and Fred Pauch

Dancing commenced at 11 o clock and a pro- gram of twelve numbers was gone through.

Chicago Tribune, Friday January 31, 1880


John Herting died in July of 1881. This statue of St. Boniface is a familiar sight in St. Boniface Cemetery in Chicago. Find it just inside the entrance on Clark Street. 

Agnes Dieden Herting, who had died in 1880, is pictured in profile on the northern side of the memorial in St. Boniface Cemetery. 


In 1887, John Dieden passed away, bequeathing his home at 362 N. Wells to his wife and his swords and canes to his sons as described in his will.

In 1900, Clara was 18 years old, living at home with her mother. There were 5 brothers and 2 sisters and they all lived at 362 North Wells Street.