Julius
R. Dietrich
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 on April 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 moved his family to Bloomington, IL,
where he would spend the rest of his life.
What Julius is most known for is when he purchased the Bloomington
Journal, Bloomington’s
weekly German language newspaper. Julius
was the owner and managing editor.
Besides publishing the Journal, he also
commissioned and
published the Bloomington
Deutsche in Word und Bild, translated as the Bloomington German
Population in Words and Pictures.
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.
Temperance was a movement that began in the 19th
century and
continued into the 20th century.
Temperance encouraged the moderation 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 form 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.
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