Marie, daughter of Henry Behtel, was married to John Didion.

Passed away in North Wheeling Hospital, Wheeling, Ohio, WV.

Maria (Marie) Bechtel Didion was born February 22, 1857 in Hangard, Landkreis Neunkirchen, Saarland, Germany. Maria was the second born child of five known children of Henrici (Henry) Bechtel (1829 - 1865) and Maria Haab (1829 - 1905) of Hangard, Landkreis Neunkirchen, Saarland, Germany.

Maria Immigrated to the United States of America along with her husband, Joannes (John) Didion Jr., and her four very young children, Joannes III (John), born 1874, Jacobus, born 1876, Maria (Mary Ann), born 1878 and Anna Margaretha (Annie), born 1880. The Didion family left Germany and traveled to Antwerp, Belgium, and boarded the Belgian Steamer "De Ruyter" for the United States of America. They departed Belgium on May 10, 1881, and arrived at Port of Entry, New York, New York on the Belgian Steamer "De Ruyter" on May 21, 1881.

Also traveling to America with the John & Marie Bechtel Didion Family was John's younger brother Petrus (Peter) Didion, born 1868, and Marie Bechtel Didion's younger brother Ludwig (Louis) Bechtel, born 1862. John Didion's younger sister Catharina Didion Jochum, born 1853, and her husband Joannis Nicolaus Jochum, born 1848, along with their three very young children, Catharina Jochum, born 1874, Jacobus Jochum, born 1875, and Nicolaus Petrus Jochum, born 1879. The families all made their homes in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia.

Joannis (John) Didion, age 24, and Maria (Marie) Bechtel, age 16, were married July 31, 1873 in the Diocese of Trier, Catholic Church, in Schiffweiler, Landkreis Neunkirchen, Germany. John and Marie had nine children.

We are aware that the birth date of 1856 on Marie Didion's grave marker does not match the birth date of 1857 entered in her Bio section. Every recorded document we have ever found either in Germany or the United States lists her birth date as 1857. At this time I cannot explain the discrepancy in the two birth dates.

Contributors: Ron Didion and Greg Myers