Carl John Dieterichs was born March 10, 1876 in Cedar Township, Mitchell County, Iowa. He attended a country school but 1/4 mile from where he was born. He probably finished 8th grade, but that was the extent of his education. According to his daughter, Lola, he had said that he worked for his dad for $200.00 a year.
Carl was 28 years old when he married Bertha Wilhelmina Amelia Kronemann, on October 6, 1904. They were married at St. Johns Lutheran church in Rock township, Mitchell County, Iowa. Bertha was born December 10, 1883 in Rock township, Mitchell county, Iowa, the daughter of Wilhelm Fredrick Kronemann and Louise Minna Vedder.
About that time he bought the 80 acres in Floyd County, just south of the Mitchell county line. It was on that farm that the first four of five children were born to them: Wilmer, Ervin, Lola and Lawrence. In 1919 he sold that land and bought a farm about two miles south of St. Ansgar, in Mitchell county. He sold the 80 acres for $200 per acre and bought the 160 acres for the same price per acre. The new farm had been owned by a Mr. Hylden. Their son Arnold was born on the new farm.
Carl hived his first swarm of bees in 1908, and having bees and selling honey was his sideline all his life. In 1940 John and Bertha went with Ervin and Elaine on a week's trip to the Black Hills -- that was really the first time they were gone for more than a day.
According to Lola, "Dad and Ervin also went on a Farm Bureau trip, which took them to the west coast. Mom didn't think she could stand the trip. Dad bought a pair of pajamas for this trip because he didn't want to be caught in a night-shirt."
Carl also rode the train to Chicago several times when he sold cattle. You could ride for free one way, and pay coming back. He also attended the Worlds Fair in St. Louis -- the Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exposition -- in 1904.
Carl was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod all his life. His dad was a charter member of St. John's Lutheran church south of Osage; he was baptized and confirmed there. His baptismal records showed his name as Karl Johann Dieterichs. After moving to Mitchell county, he joined St. John's sister congregation in St. Ansgar -- Immanuel Lutheran.
He passed away on November 14, 1974, at St. Ansgar, at the age of 98. He has suffered from diabetes much of his life.
Copyright ©2004, Kermit L. Kittleson
"Bring containers and get delicious extracted
buckwheat flavored honey at 10 cents per pound.
C. J. Dieterichs."[A classified add in the Enterprise, Oct. 24, 1928]