My great-great-grandfather William Watson Diehl was the eldest son of Joseph Watson and Mary Elizabeth Staudenmayer Diehl, born on November 11, 1869 in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. He and his parents moved to Philadelphia when he was a little boy. His maternal grandparents, Gottlieb and Maria Staudenmayer came to America some time around 1835 from Ludwigsburg, in Württemberg, Germany. As the eldest child, he helped his father raise his three siblings Otto, Catherine, and Jacob after their mother died a few days after giving birth to their sister Augusta when William was fifteen. Sadly, Augusta herself passed away three weeks later. As part of helping his father support the family, his first job consisted of carrying heavy hides on his back for a tannery, an occupation that within a few years gave him the strong, muscular physique that he kept for the remainder of his seventy-eight years.
As an eighteen-year-old, once his family's financial situation was in order, he was able to tour Europe with two other young men he had known from his school years. While overseas, William immediately set out with his friends to make the most of their time, seeing landmarks they recognized from their textbooks, and having their fill of the delicious local food. After returning to Philadelphia, William eagerly told his family about his European travels.
Throughout his long life, William was constantly pursuing knowledge. As a young man he attended evening classes in the sciences, getting his Bachelor's Degree from Drexel Institute, and later his Master's from Spring Garden Institute (later Spring Garden College) in the 1890s.
According to my grandmother, her Grandpa William had been a very handsome man, with a square jaw, broad face, full head of sandy brown hair, and pale blue eyes. It was only a matter of time before he caught the eye of Mary Glaser, and they were married in 1892. From this union three children were born: William Russell Diehl, my great-grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Diehl Huggins, and Robert Earl Diehl. As a father, William was ahead of his time, encouraging Great-Grandma Ruth to attend and graduate college, and be in charge of the family's bookkeeping and investments after her marriage. William and Mary were members of a local gymnasium in Philadelphia, and also regularly attended balls.
When World War I came along in 1914, William was one of the first businessmen in Philadelphia to start selling war bonds, receiving recognition from the U.S. government for his exceptional sales, and becoming a millionaire in the process. Despite his new-found wealth, he never forgot his blue-collar origins, and during the same time period, worked for a navy yard, advocated for workers' rights, and seized every opportunity he could find to donate to charity. William's success with war bond sales enabled him to retire in 1919 at the age of 50, and live quite comfortably for the last 28 years of his life.
William's wife died on January 18, 1920 of tuberculosis she had acquired from a boy she had been babysitting, but in 1923, he married again, this time to Mary A. Fraser, a family friend and neighbor who had been widowed shortly after William. They were happily married for 23 years until Mary died in 1946, and they enjoyed countless visits from William's five grandchildren, including my grandmother . William enjoyed an amicable relationship with his son-in-law Floyd Huggins, and he was greatly saddened by Floyd's sudden passing September 24, 1947. William Diehl eventually went to be with the Lord on June 14, 1948, at the advanced age of seventy-eight.
As an eighteen-year-old, once his family's financial situation was in order, he was able to tour Europe with two other young men he had known from his school years. While overseas, William immediately set out with his friends to make the most of their time, seeing landmarks they recognized from their textbooks, and having their fill of the delicious local food. After returning to Philadelphia, William eagerly told his family about his European travels.
Throughout his long life, William was constantly pursuing knowledge. As a young man he attended evening classes in the sciences, getting his Bachelor's Degree from Drexel Institute, and later his Master's from Spring Garden Institute (later Spring Garden College) in the 1890s.
According to my grandmother, her Grandpa William had been a very handsome man, with a square jaw, broad face, full head of sandy brown hair, and pale blue eyes. It was only a matter of time before he caught the eye of Mary Glaser, and they were married in 1892. From this union three children were born: William Russell Diehl, my great-grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Diehl Huggins, and Robert Earl Diehl. As a father, William was ahead of his time, encouraging Great-Grandma Ruth to attend and graduate college, and be in charge of the family's bookkeeping and investments after her marriage. William and Mary were members of a local gymnasium in Philadelphia, and also regularly attended balls.
When World War I came along in 1914, William was one of the first businessmen in Philadelphia to start selling war bonds, receiving recognition from the U.S. government for his exceptional sales, and becoming a millionaire in the process. Despite his new-found wealth, he never forgot his blue-collar origins, and during the same time period, worked for a navy yard, advocated for workers' rights, and seized every opportunity he could find to donate to charity. William's success with war bond sales enabled him to retire in 1919 at the age of 50, and live quite comfortably for the last 28 years of his life.
William's wife died on January 18, 1920 of tuberculosis she had acquired from a boy she had been babysitting, but in 1923, he married again, this time to Mary A. Fraser, a family friend and neighbor who had been widowed shortly after William. They were happily married for 23 years until Mary died in 1946, and they enjoyed countless visits from William's five grandchildren, including my grandmother . William enjoyed an amicable relationship with his son-in-law Floyd Huggins, and he was greatly saddened by Floyd's sudden passing September 24, 1947. William Diehl eventually went to be with the Lord on June 14, 1948, at the advanced age of seventy-eight.
My great-great-grandfather William Watson Diehl was the eldest son of Joseph Watson and Mary Elizabeth Staudenmayer Diehl, born on November 11, 1869 in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. He and his parents moved to Philadelphia when he was a little boy. His maternal grandparents, Gottlieb and Maria Staudenmayer came to America some time around 1835 from Ludwigsburg, in Württemberg, Germany. As the eldest child, he helped his father raise his three siblings Otto, Catherine, and Jacob after their mother died a few days after giving birth to their sister Augusta when William was fifteen. Sadly, Augusta herself passed away three weeks later. As part of helping his father support the family, his first job consisted of carrying heavy hides on his back for a tannery, an occupation that within a few years gave him the strong, muscular physique that he kept for the remainder of his seventy-eight years.
As an eighteen-year-old, once his family's financial situation was in order, he was able to tour Europe with two other young men he had known from his school years. While overseas, William immediately set out with his friends to make the most of their time, seeing landmarks they recognized from their textbooks, and having their fill of the delicious local food. After returning to Philadelphia, William eagerly told his family about his European travels.
Throughout his long life, William was constantly pursuing knowledge. As a young man he attended evening classes in the sciences, getting his Bachelor's Degree from Drexel Institute, and later his Master's from Spring Garden Institute (later Spring Garden College) in the 1890s.
According to my grandmother, her Grandpa William had been a very handsome man, with a square jaw, broad face, full head of sandy brown hair, and pale blue eyes. It was only a matter of time before he caught the eye of Mary Glaser, and they were married in 1892. From this union three children were born: William Russell Diehl, my great-grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Diehl Huggins, and Robert Earl Diehl. As a father, William was ahead of his time, encouraging Great-Grandma Ruth to attend and graduate college, and be in charge of the family's bookkeeping and investments after her marriage. William and Mary were members of a local gymnasium in Philadelphia, and also regularly attended balls.
When World War I came along in 1914, William was one of the first businessmen in Philadelphia to start selling war bonds, receiving recognition from the U.S. government for his exceptional sales, and becoming a millionaire in the process. Despite his new-found wealth, he never forgot his blue-collar origins, and during the same time period, worked for a navy yard, advocated for workers' rights, and seized every opportunity he could find to donate to charity. William's success with war bond sales enabled him to retire in 1919 at the age of 50, and live quite comfortably for the last 28 years of his life.
William's wife died on January 18, 1920 of tuberculosis she had acquired from a boy she had been babysitting, but in 1923, he married again, this time to Mary A. Fraser, a family friend and neighbor who had been widowed shortly after William. They were happily married for 23 years until Mary died in 1946, and they enjoyed countless visits from William's five grandchildren, including my grandmother . William enjoyed an amicable relationship with his son-in-law Floyd Huggins, and he was greatly saddened by Floyd's sudden passing September 24, 1947. William Diehl eventually went to be with the Lord on June 14, 1948, at the advanced age of seventy-eight.
As an eighteen-year-old, once his family's financial situation was in order, he was able to tour Europe with two other young men he had known from his school years. While overseas, William immediately set out with his friends to make the most of their time, seeing landmarks they recognized from their textbooks, and having their fill of the delicious local food. After returning to Philadelphia, William eagerly told his family about his European travels.
Throughout his long life, William was constantly pursuing knowledge. As a young man he attended evening classes in the sciences, getting his Bachelor's Degree from Drexel Institute, and later his Master's from Spring Garden Institute (later Spring Garden College) in the 1890s.
According to my grandmother, her Grandpa William had been a very handsome man, with a square jaw, broad face, full head of sandy brown hair, and pale blue eyes. It was only a matter of time before he caught the eye of Mary Glaser, and they were married in 1892. From this union three children were born: William Russell Diehl, my great-grandmother Ruth Elizabeth Diehl Huggins, and Robert Earl Diehl. As a father, William was ahead of his time, encouraging Great-Grandma Ruth to attend and graduate college, and be in charge of the family's bookkeeping and investments after her marriage. William and Mary were members of a local gymnasium in Philadelphia, and also regularly attended balls.
When World War I came along in 1914, William was one of the first businessmen in Philadelphia to start selling war bonds, receiving recognition from the U.S. government for his exceptional sales, and becoming a millionaire in the process. Despite his new-found wealth, he never forgot his blue-collar origins, and during the same time period, worked for a navy yard, advocated for workers' rights, and seized every opportunity he could find to donate to charity. William's success with war bond sales enabled him to retire in 1919 at the age of 50, and live quite comfortably for the last 28 years of his life.
William's wife died on January 18, 1920 of tuberculosis she had acquired from a boy she had been babysitting, but in 1923, he married again, this time to Mary A. Fraser, a family friend and neighbor who had been widowed shortly after William. They were happily married for 23 years until Mary died in 1946, and they enjoyed countless visits from William's five grandchildren, including my grandmother . William enjoyed an amicable relationship with his son-in-law Floyd Huggins, and he was greatly saddened by Floyd's sudden passing September 24, 1947. William Diehl eventually went to be with the Lord on June 14, 1948, at the advanced age of seventy-eight.
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