Julius
R. Dietrich
(1858-1910)
Julius R. Dietrich was born in September
of 1858 in Heinichen Saxony, Germany. He
spent most of his early life in Germany, having been educated in
schools and in
college there. In 1878, he immigrated to
the United States and attended Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois
for two
years.
In 1887, Julius moved to Streator, IL and
took a job working at the town’s German language newspaper, the Volksblatt. While still living in Streator, Julius
married Anna Maria Neff onApril 12,
1888. Anna
Maria, born in 1867, was the daughter of
Peter, (born in 1833, died July 29, 1894) and Mary A. Loser Neff, (born
January
14, 1830, died March 3, 1910). Julius
and Anna Maria had seven children, six of whom survived into adulthood: Emilia, (born in 1890), Anton, (born February
12, 1892, died February 20, 1953), Emma L., (born in 1894), Agatha,
(born
September 13, 1897, died January 25, 1982), Selma, (born in 1901), and
Julius
Jr., (born in 1908).
In 1891, Julius and his family moved to
Bloomington, IL, where he would spend the rest of his life. He continued his career in the newspaper
business that he began in Streator by purchasing the Bloomington
Journal,
Bloomington’s only weekly German language newspaper.
Julius was the owner and managing editor for
the rest of his life.
Besides publishing the Journal, he
also commissioned and published the Bloomington Deutsche in Wort
und Bild,
translated as the Bloomington Germans in Words and Pictures. In the introduction of this book, he wrote
that the idea which inspired him “for the edition of this little book
was to
draw solid outlines of an exact picture of the achievements and the
importance
of the local German spirit.” This book
documented the activities of the German schools, businesses, churches,
clubs,
and biographies of the German community in Bloomington, though he did
not
include a biography of himself or his family.
Besides being a publisher, Julius was also
very involved in the community. He was a
member of various organizations in Bloomington, and even held several
offices
at both the state and local level. One
of the most well known organizations in Bloomington, of which Julius
was a
member of, was the Bloomington Turnverein. The
Turnverein, or Turners as they were commonly called,
was a national
gymnastics organization started in Germany in 1811.
In order to become a Turner, a person had to
be from Germany or the child of someone from Germany.
Women could also become members, or if they
married a German, could become associate members. The
Turners
began a chapter in Bloomington in
April 1855. Julius became the president
in October 1899.
Julius was also active in the Illinois
Skat League. Skat is a three-person
German card game and is also the national card game of Germany. It was invented in 1810 and has spread
throughout the world since. Julius was
an avid card player and was elected the secretary of the Illinois Skat
League
in 1904.
Julius was also very active in the
anti-Temperance and anti-Prohibition movement in Bloomington. Like many people of German origin, he enjoyed
beer and wine. Temperance was a movement
that began in the 19th century and continued into the 20th
century. Temperance opposed of the
consumption of alcohol. People who
followed the teachings of the Temperance movement blamed alcohol for
the
majority of problems in society, like crime and poverty.
Mostly women subscribed to the doctrines of
the Temperance Movement. The Temperance
movement culminated with Prohibition. Prohibition
began in 1920, with the passage of the 18th
Amendment, which banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of
intoxicating beverages.
Julius belonged to several anti-Temperance
and anti-Prohibition organizations, serving as the Chairman of the
United
German Societies of Bloomington, a political party against prohibition. He was also the president of the Personal
Liberty League, and a member of the Democratic Party.
Julius also opposed the preaching of Billy
Sunday, a well-known evangelist and pro-Prohibitionist at that time. When Sunday came to Bloomington in December
of 1907, he was quoted in the Daily Bulletin that he would pray
for the
editors of the Pantagraph and the Daily Bulletin but
not the Journal. Julius took this
as a compliment, noting that
he apparently did not need intersession on his behalf to reach the
Throne of
Grace.
Besides these organizations, Julius was
known for his dog ownership. He bred
Boston Terriers, Great Danes, and was especially known for his
Dachshunds. He won two awards for his
dogs, first prize
award for his Boston Terriers and first prize for his Tri Color Puppies. In January of 1909, he was even elected
secretary
of the Bloomington Kennel Club.
Julius also held memberships in the
following organizations: the German
Press Federation, vice president of the Illinois German Editorial
Association,
an honorary member of the German Veterans Society, the Odd Fellows, the
Mozart
Lodge #656, (the German lodge of the Free Masons), Improved Order of
the Red
Man- Osceola Tribe #28, the German Benevolent Society, and was elected
as the
Deputy Game Warden for the Peoria District, which included Bloomington
and
Normal. Julius was active in the
community until the day he died.
Julius’s health began to decline towards
the end of his life. In May of 1910,
Julius developed complications from surgery and died on May 13, 1910 at
the age
of 52. In honor of Julius, who had also
stood up for keeping alcohol legal, all of the saloons in Bloomington
closed
for one hour, from 2:30 to 3:30pm on May 16th, 1910, the day
that he
was buried. His funeral was very large
because he was a very respected and well-known member of the
Bloomington
community. He was laid to rest in
Evergreen
Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington.
His wife, Anna Maria, lived for many years
after Julius’s death, having lived with several of her children and
taking care
of their daughter Emma. She followed
Julius in death on July 21, 1936 at the age of 68.
She was buried next to her husband in
Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.
By: Candace
Summers
2005