DAVID DIEL—Among the highly respected and esteemed citizens of
Clay City is David Diel, who is now living retired from active pursuits.
His father, Jacob Diel, and his grandfather, Henry Diel, were both
natives of Pennsylvania, where Adam Diel, the great-grandfather of
David, settled on coming from Germany to this country, and where he
spent the remainder of his life.
    Henry Diel was born, reared and married in Berks county, Pennsyl-
vania, but in 1812 moved from there to Ohio, taking with him his wife,
four children and all of his earthly possessions. A pioneer of Montgom-
ery county, he bought a tract of timbered land that is now included
within the corporate limits of the city of Dayton. He was the first black-
smith in that locality, and one of the first in the county. After a resi
dence there of twenty years he settled in Wayne county, Indiana, which
was then in its primitive wildness. Purchasing one hundred and sixty
acres of timbered land, he cleared and improved the farm, on which he
carried on general farming for twenty-two years. Coming then to Jack-
son township, Clay county, he purchased a partly improved farm, the
management of which he left to his son Joseph, who was still a member
of the parental household. There he lived, retired from the activities of
life, until his death, September 15, 1858, at the venerable age of ninety
years. He married Elizabeth Hetsel, who was born, of German parents,
in Pennsylvania, and died at the very advanced age of ninety-six years.
She belonged to a family noted for its longevity, her father having
attained the age of ninety-nine years.
    One of a family of ten children that grew to maturity, Jacob Diel
was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1805, and when seven years
old was taken by his parents to Montgomery county, Ohio, where he
grew to manhood and married. Coming in 1830 to Indiana, he lived for
four years in Fayette county, and from 1834 until 1847 was engaged in
farming in Wayne county, where he had purchased wild land. Remov-
ing then to Clay county, he bought one hundred and sixty acres of tim-
bered land in Jackson township, and soon the ringing strokes of his axe
were heard as he leveled the giants of the forest in his endeavor to clear
a space in which to erect a log cabin. He split boards to cover the roof
of the cabin, holding them in place with poles, and split puncheon for the
floor. His wife, who shared with him the privations of pioneer life,
worked equally as hard, carding, spinning and weaving the homesptrn in
which she clothed her family, making the garments herself. He cleared
a fine homestead, replaced the original log cabin with a substantial house
made of hewed logs, built a good barn, and was there employed in tilling
the soil until 1872. Going to Jasper county, Illinois, in that year, he
bought an improved farm of two hundred acres, which he subsequently
divided among his children, after which he made his home with his son
William in Sugar Ridge township, Clay county, until his death at the
age of ninety-one years and twenty-four days. He was a man of fine
physique, stalwart and strong, weighing over two hundred pounds, and
was very industrious and temperate in his habits. He married Sarah
Kersehner, who was born in Pennsylvania, which was also the birthplace
of her father. John Kerschner, who removed from there to Ohio in 1820,
and spent his last years in Montgomery county. Mrs. Sarah (Kersch-
ner) Diel died in Jasper county, Illinois, aged seventy-two years. She
reared nine children, namely: Emeline, David, Jacob, John, Daniel.
Mary, Catherine, William and Lucinda. During the Civil war all of
these sons enlisted in Company F. Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
and Daniel died in the service, all of the others returning home, marry-
ing, and rearing families.
    Fourteen years old when he came to Clay county with his parents,
David Diel had previously obtained the rudiments of his education in the
pioneer schools of Wayne county, each day walking three miles to reach
the rude log school house. He subsequently attended school in Jackson
township for a while, in the meantime having a practical drilling in the
various branches of agriculture, and remained at home until his mar-
riage, when he began life as a farmer on rented land. In September,
1864, Mr. Diel enlisted in Company F, Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, and was with the regiment in all of its engagements until
December i6, 1864, when, at the battle of Nashville, he was wounded and
sent to the hospital. Recovering from his injury, he joined his regiment
in Alabama in February, 1865, and continued with it till the close of the
war serving in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and
North Carolina. Receiving his honorable discharge from the service
June 14, 1865, Mr. Diel returned home, and during the ensuing six years
was employed in a saw mill. He then resumed farming, and in 1881 pur-
chased land in Perry town ship, where for twenty years he was prosper-
ously employed in agricultural pursuits. In 1901 Mr. Diel removed to
Brazil. and six years later, in September, 1907, traded his Brazil property
for his present home estate in Clay City.
    Mr. Diel married, in 1858, Catherine Latham, who was born in Cass
township, Clay county, September 14, 1841, that being likewise the place
of birth of her father, George W. Latham. Her grandfather, John
Latham, moved from his native state, North Carolina, to Cass township,
which then formed a part of Owen county, about 1818. He cleared and
improved a farm from the wilderness, and after living there for a long
time went with his son to Jackson township, where he lived until more
than ninety years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth
Lucas, died two years before he did. Reared on the home farm in Cass
township, George W. Latham subsequently lived for a few years in Jack-
son township, after which he sold the farm that he there owned and
returned to Cass township. Buying land, he cleared and improved a
homestead, on which he was employed in tilling the soil until his death,
at the age of seventy-four years. He was a man of prominence in the
community, and for twenty years served as a justice of the peace. His
wife, whose maiden name was Lucinda Wilkerson, was born in Cass
township, a daughter of Robert and Catherine (Moffit) Wilkerson, the
former of whom was born in Ireland, of Scotch ancestry, and was a
pioneer settler of Cass township. George W. Latham’s first wife died
at the early age of twenty-nine years and he married for his second wife
Rhoda Slack, who is still living, being now eighty-five years of age.
    Six children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Diel, namely: Myra
Ella, Sarah Lucinda, Rhoda Annis, Mary Elizabeth, Clarissa Catherine
and Olive May. Myra Ella is the wife of Lawrence Loudermilk, and
has four children, Bessie, Myrtie, Ray and Hester. Sarah Lucinda, wife
of Daniel Meyers, has eight children, Gertie, George, Mabel, William,
Edith, Leora, Dewey and Bernice. Rhoda Annis, wife of Charlie Bennett,
has three children, Grace Belle, Fred and Fredie. Mary Elizabeth mar-
ried Leander Overton, and they have one child, Elsie. Clara Catherine
married William Schiele, who died in 1898. She lived but two years
longer, dying in May, 1900, and leaving one child, David William Schiele.
Olive May is the wife of John Nevins. Three of the grandchildren of
Mr. and Mrs. Diel are married, Bessie Loudermilk having married
William Beasley ; Myrtie Loudermilk is also married and Gertie Meyers
married Frank Nyer and has two children, Janice and an infant.