Diehl Family Earl Cline Diehl, Sr., 1893-1958

and His Diehl Ancestry Part 1, Generation 1, Earl Diehl, Sr. and Generation 2, his father,

Isaac Franklin Diehl, 1870-1945

Earl Cline Diehl, Sr., about 1912

Researched and compiled by Wayne Diehl, November, 2019

diehlwp@yahoo.com

mailto:diehlwp@yahoo.com

Generation 1, Earl Cline Diehl, Sr., Dec. 25, 1893 – Sep. 28, 1958

Parents: Isaac Franklin Diehl, 1870 – 1945 and Ida Barbara Cline, 1869 – 1927

Spouse: Icie Omega Huff Diehl, 6/09/1894 – 6/08/1968. Married July 15, 1915 in Washington, D. C.

Children:

Evelyn Ferne Diehl Crosby, 1917-2002. Married G. W. Crosby. Three children, lived at Staunton, VA.

Leon Huff Diehl, 1919-2003. Married Mary Lee Furr. Two children, lived at Mt. Sidney, VA.

Married 2nd, Helen Whitmore. No children.

Dallas Cline Diehl, 1923-1982. Married Alberta O'Toole. Five children, lived in Maryland and Florida

Isaac Willard Diehl, 1926- . Married Mildred Sipe. Two children, lived in Timberville, VA.

Donald Sterling Diehl, 1928-2012. Married Catherine Simmers. Three children, lived in Maryland.

Earl Cline Diehl, Jr., 1930 - 2019. Married Betty Layman. Three children, lived in Maryland.

Earl Cline Diehl was born on Christmas Day in 1893, the first child of Isaac and Ida Cline Diehl. Earl's

youngest sister, Mary Diehl Cline, stated to the writer that he was born in the Sunnyside area of

southeastern Rockingham County, VA.

Above: Birthplace of Earl Diehl, Sr., according to his sister,

Mary Cline Diehl. Address is 6593 Mill Creek Church Road,

Mount Crawford, VA 22841. At right is the earliest known

photograph of Earl Diehl, about 1895.

Earl was raised on the Diehl farm at Diehl's Ford on North River in Rockingham County, along with

younger siblings Nina, Ellis and Mary. The Diehl home was multi-generational. Earl's grandparents,

Josiah and Mary Showalter Diehl lived under the same roof and had a separate, four-room section of

the home.

Ethel Diehl Bauserman stated to the writer in a 1990 taped interview, while looking at a photograph of

the Diehl Farm, “And this part is where they moved after Uncle Ike's (Earl's father) took over. … And

I said to Mary (Mary Diehl Cline, Earl Diehl's sister), not long ago, 'I always thought you all had a

good arrangement that way'. And she said, 'We did.' She said they got along just fine. Said, 'Mama

(Ida) kept her kitchen and Grandma kept hers.' (Laughter) You know they didn't but into one another's

affairs. And she said in the winter time, every night, on a cold night, they'd light the lantern and come

across the hall and go out on the porch and go over there. And visit. Now they lived together all those

years, and they got along just fine. And they always seemed to. And when they had dinners or

anything, Aunt Ida would have Grandma and Grandpap there you know. And when Grandma had

dinners over here she'd have them over there.

Below: Diehl home at Diehl's Ford. At far right of picture is the section of the house that Josiah and

Mary Showalter Diehl occupied. That section of the house was torn down in the mid-1900's. Main

section of house, which Isaac's family occupied at this time, is still standing. Pictured left to right,

behind fence, around 1903 are: Josiah, Shields Koontz (a neighbor), Mary, Isaac and Ida. In front of

fence are Nina Ellis and Earl.

Sterling Diehl, son of Earl, once told the writer a story about Earl's youth. Apparently, Earl was

returning home after dark one evening for one reason or another. The Diehl farm was remote and

secluded with no neighbors nearby. When Earl was putting up his horse, he went to the corn crib to get

feed for the animal. Upon opening the door, a large fat man standing there immediately pulled the door

shut, clearly startling an unsuspecting Earl. He ran from the barn to the house, about a hundred yards

away, leaving the horse, still bridled, to fend for his own forage!

Left: Family of Isaac and Ida Barbara Cline Diehl,

about 1907. Left to right – Isaac, Ida, Mary, Ellis

Earl and Nina. Photo courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

As a youth, Earl attended Sunnyside School and

Sunnyside Church of the Brethren, an off-shoot of

the Mill Creek congregation. Otherwise, his time

must have been spent primarily in helping his father

on the farm.

Watermelons were a cash crop for Ike Diehl, and the

sandy soil along North River was well suited for

their cultivation. Earl would sometimes accompany

his father on the buckboard wagon to Harrisonburg

to sell the melons there. As an adult, watermelon

remained a favorite food of his.

Around 1914, Earl began courting Icie Huff who

lived in Weyers Cave, a few miles away. Icie's

father died when she was a child, and she lived with

her mother and two sisters on a twelve acre farmette

along the railroad tracks in the village.

They were married in Washington D. C. on July 22nd, 1915 and spent a few days honeymooning there.

Afterwards, Icie stayed with her mother until she died, New

Year's night, 1916. Earl, in the meantime, had returned to

Washington, D. C., working as a trolley driver. They reunited

and lived on Williams Lane in Chevy Chase, MD. Their rent

was $1.50 per month, and Earl earned 23.5 cents per hour with

irregular work. They returned to the Valley in March, 1917.

Earl's mother urged them to come home and work on the farm

because farmers were exempted from the WWI draft. Plus,

she was concerned that Washington might be bombed!

For the time being, they lived in a tenant house at the Diehl's

Ford farm on North River. First child, Evelyn, was born there

in April of 1917.

At left, Evelyn and

Leon Diehl, along

with their cousin,

Roxie Trobaugh,

playing at the Diehl's

Ford farm about

1921.

Above: Their wedding picture taken in

Washington.

In the fall of 1918, they moved to a 103 acre farm in Burketown that Earl's father had purchased and

rented it from him. Leon and Dallas were born during the eight years that the family lived here. The

flu epidemic of 1918 struck the family, and both Icie and Earl were bedridden for weeks. Neighbors

and family pitched in to keep the farm going and look after the small children.

Below: Site of the Burketown farm. House no longer standing. Address is 376 Summit Church Road,

Bridgewater, VA 22812, about ½ mile west of Rt. 11 at Burketown, VA.

In March of 1926, and Icie eight months pregnant with a fourth child (Bill), Earl moved the family to

Pennsylvania. He could not afford to buy the Burketown farm from his father, and some other Valley

families had found cheaper farms available in Pennsylvania.

The family stayed there for eight years, and Bill, Sterling and Earl, Jr. were born during that time.

These years included the beginning of the Great Depression, and they were not good for Earl and Icie.

They had a number of financial setbacks, and had to move several times while in the Hershey area. In

a 1928 letter to sister Mary, Earl wrote, “I have fooled most of my best years trying to get along

farming and seems like it gets worse every year. This is the worst year I have ever experienced in

trying to make money. We are going in a hole this year, and we have worked so hard. I have rumatism

(sp) in my knee and am so I have been limping around for a week.”

Below: Earl's mother, Ida, died on August 31, 1927, and the family made the trip back to Virginia for

her funeral. Mary, Earl's sister, snapped this picture of the family the day of the funeral. Left to right:

Dallas(climbing in car), Leon, Earl, Icie, Evelyn and Mary Showalter Diehl, Earl's grandmother.

Photo courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

Left: Earl & Icie Diehl's children in Pennsylvania about

1931. Front to back: Earl, Jr. (Junie), Sterling, Billie,

Dallas, Leon and Evelyn.

The year 1930 was particularly rough with the burning

of the barn in December (uninsured). They lost all

crops and machinery and some livestock. Earlier in the

year, disease had infected the dairy herd and the pigs

were wiped out by hog cholera. In spite of all this, Icie

wrote to sister-in-law, Mary Diehl Cline, “The children

are all well. Mary, indeed, I do wish you could see our

baby (Earl, Jr., born in June, 1930). He is just simply a

little darling. Really, I don't believe he cries twice in a

week, just laughs and coos all the time.”

Earl got a job in the Hershey Chocolate factory in

March of 1931, after standing in line for three days.

Icie found a way to get to the head of the line and made

an appeal to the manager for a job for Earl, telling him

about the recent family misfortunes. She had promised

a dressed turkey dinner if he would hire her husband. It

worked!

The family lived in the Hershey area for another six years which were up and down, financially. With

the Great Depression blanketing the country, jobs and money were always uncertain. In 1935, the

family returned to Virginia, and Earl purchased a farm on the Keezletown Pike between Weyers Cave

and Mount Sidney. Earl and, especially, Icie had been homesick for the Valley since leaving it. The

return, however, did not solve their problems. Money remained scarce, and Earl went back to Hershey

to work in the factory, leaving Icie and son, Leon, to run the Virginia farm. Beginning in 1937, Earl

stayed in Virginia, and his dairy farm began to prosper.

Above: Earl Diehl farm at Mount Sidney, VA. Address is 398 Keezletown Road, Mount Sidney, VA

Earl Diehl farm at Sand Beach, just outside Hershey, PA. This was the barn that burned. Address is

~1200 Swatara Road, Hershey, PA 17033. Mary Diehl Cline photo.

In 1948, Earl sold the Mount Sidney farm to son, Leon, and moved to 264 West Market Street in

Harrisonburg. He was semi-retired, but worked part time just two blocks away at Wetsel's Feed Store.

Right: Earl & Icie Diehl family,

standing l-r, Sterling, Bill, Dallas,

Evelyn and Leon. Seated, Earl, Sr.,

Earl, Jr., and Icie. Taken about

1942.

Above: Earl & Icie Diehl, Sr. extended family, 1955. Picture taken at Cavennaugh Hotel in

Harrisonburg, VA. L to R – back row, Leon, Dallas, G. W. Crosby, Bill, Junie and Sterling. Middle

row - Diane, Mary Lee, Bertie, Gary Crosby, Evelyn, Brenda Crosby, Mildred, Betty and Catherine.

Seated – Don, Steve, Ronnie, Mike, Icie, Debbie Sue, Earl, Sr., Wayne, Donna and Steve Crosby.

Earl began to have health problems in the middle 1950's. He had several stays in Rockingham

Memorial Hospital and the Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond and was treated for

stomach ulcers. On September 28, 1958 he passed away at the hospital in Harrisonburg at the

relatively young age of 64. He and Icie are buried at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren in Weyers

Cave, VA.

I remember him fondly. Earl was quite taken with my ability to identify most models of farm tractors

at a young age. We would look at “Farm Journal” magazines together, and he would quiz me about the

respective tractors, laughing heartily with each correct answer.

He was almost always willing to go outside for a “two man” game of baseball, even though he was not

always feeling well. In order to shorten his distance when rounding the bases, he would run an “inner

loop” tagging each base with the bat rather than his foot – much to the objection of his young opponent.

He was sometimes discouraged from going outside to play ball, but he would not be deterred. There

were times when he paid a price later in the evening for having exerted himself too much.

Sometimes, he also would set me on his lap in their West Market Street home and make up fanciful

stories about one of the neighbors. Even to a youngster they seemed beyond the bounds of credulity.

I remember him putting salt on his watermelon and sugar on sliced tomatoes. Granddaddy Diehl

always had Par-T-Pak grape sodas and cherry nut ice cream on hand which I did not particularly care

for. He was astonished that a child would refuse ice cream of any kind.

Earl and Icie enjoyed playing parcheesi with Mom and Dad. He always selected the red “men”, and

when it was his turn, threw the dice down forcefully, as if willing the numbers desired to be face up.

Left: Earl, Donna, Icie, Wayne and Bill

at 264 West Market Street,

Harrisonburg, VA, about 1954.

He would walk the two blocks home for

lunch when working at Wetsel's Seed

store. If I happened to be staying with

them, I would go the sidewalk when

noon approached and wait for him to

appear coming up the hill with his

distinctive gait.

The mealtime blessing he asked was always the same: “Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this food.

Bless it to its intended use, pardon us for our wrongs and in death save us for Christ's sake. Amen.”

When he died, I lost a good friend.

Son, Bill, wrote a remembrance of his dad shortly after Earl's death in 1958.

Backward over many years we'll tread, looking at the life of a man, it is said

Many traits had he, and his faults were not few, but compelled am I to write his life as I knew.

His gait was something to behold; you couldn't mistake it--the agrarian fold.

He plodded along in his leaning way, doing the necessary things to do today.

Rise early in the morn and work till late--long hours he did labor at his onward gait.

When he planned his day, we'll never know, unless at night when only stars were aglow,

But well did he do it, for well we all know, rest periods were few and the sweat, how it did flow!

Hitch up the team, to the field we must go; and Dolly and Kate were anything but slow.

With his reins he did not check them, but urged them on, while we bounced over the wagon to hold our

own.

The ride did not shake him; he stood stooped but sturdy, Tho ever so tired, he always seemed to hurry.

Off the wagon he would jump with fork in his hand; two sheaves would soon follow before you could

get off your can.

This is the way it went from day to day, no matter if he were working in wheat, hay or clay.

There was no such thing as weather's too rough. He'd say, "Boys, let's go get the stuff.”

So off you would go with a bound, and we would utter an audible grumbling sound,

But treat us well, that he did, for we were well dressed and fully fed.

Plenty of foresight in farming had he, to Grade A he went which other farmers couldn't see.

Even though in debt and times were depressed, he borrowed more money for which to invest.

He was a pioneer of a sort, for a crop of alfalfa he was one of the first to import,

Today this crop has come of age, but he used it back on another page.

In winter it was the same as the summer--no rest for this enterprising farmer,

Alone to the empty field he'd go, what his thoughts were, we'll never know.

It must have been a lonely road to tread, nobody to talk to and twenty-two acres of corn to shed.

There he would sit like a lonely speck which we could see as off to the bus we would trek.

This is the way he wants it we kept reminding ourself, and thus we would place him upon a shelf.

Today I still wonder why did he do it, for no other pursuits in life would he use it.

Politics, sports, gossip had he none, his only love was farming from sun to sun.

What was his goal in life, behold; certainly not for the honor, I'm told.

This must have been an agrarian soul, sent here by God to reap and sow.

The sun has now set on the life of this man, but the speck now looms out in a distant land.

The speck is not lonely now you see, for his life now belongs to eternity. END

Above: Christmas Card from Earl and Icie to his Grandmother, Mary Showalter Diehl before 1937.

Earl had a very nice handwriting as shown here.

Below: Calling card of Earl Diehl, probably about 1910.

Generation 2: Isaac Franklin Diehl, January 1, 1870 – July 14, 1945.

Parents: Josiah Hartman Diehl, 1842-1927, and Mary Catherine Showalter Diehl, 1845-1937.

Spouse: Ida Barbara Cline, March 5, 1869 – August 31, 1927.

Children:

Earl Cline Diehl, Sr., 1893 – 1957, married Icie Omega Huff, six children. Lived in VA and PA.

Nina Arlene Diehl, 1897 – 1977, married Guy Trobaugh, one child. Lived in Augusta Co.

Ellis Trostle Diehl, 1900 – 1939, married Maude Roadcap, one child. Lived in Augusta Co.

Mary Nancy Diehl, 1906 – 1995, married Earl Cline, two children. Lived near Mill Creek Church.

Spouse, 2nd - Valley Miller, May 30, 1891 – May 7, 1974. No children from this marriage.

Above: Early pictures of Isaac Franklin Diehl and Ida Barbara Cline Diehl. Both pictures were

probably taken prior to their marriage. Photos courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

Below: Ike and Ida shortly after their marriage. Courtesy of Marlin Diehl.

Jacob Diehl, who was an uncle of Isaac Diehl, wrote

a Diehl Family history.1 In it he reported that,

“Isaac F. Diehl was born Jan. 1, 1870 on his father's

farm near Sangersville. He was the first child of

Josiah and Mary Diehl. After his grandfather's

(Mathias Diehl) death in 1876, he moved with his

father to his grandfather's farm, which his father

bought at Diehl's Ford. Isaac grew to manhood here

and, on Dec. 27, 1892 married Ida Barbara Cline,

who was born March 5, 1869 – Aug. 31, 1927.

“Isaac finally bought this farm from his father, and

his parents lived in one end of the house. After his

father's death, April 27, 1927, he bought a small farm

near New hope and moved on that. He did not enjoy

his new home long until his wife, too, was called

away, Aug. 31, 1927. He was left with one daughter

(Mary) at home. She married soon and his mother

was too old to keep house. Therefore, on June 5,

1931, he married Valley Miller.”

Below: Sunnyside School, near Diehl's Ford, about 1887. Ike Diehl standing at right rear, #23. Sister

Rosa and brother Kenney, numbers 9 and 24, respectively on the back row. The school stood at the

southwest corner of East Timber Ridge and Scott's Ford Roads. Courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

1Diehl, Jacob P., “Diehl Family,” unpublished manuscript. Copy at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society,

Dayton, VA

The writer taped several conversations, individually and jointly, with Mary Diehl Cline (Ike and Ida's

daughter) and Ethel Diehl Bauserman (daughter of Ike's brother, Harve) in the 1980's and 90's. They

relayed a number of recollections and stories about life of the farm at Diehl's Ford that follow.

“Wayne” is the writer, and “Bill” is I. W. Diehl, the writer's father.

In one instance Mary relayed this anecdote about her parents' wedding.

Wayne: Didn't they say Fred Kline didn't want any of his daughters to get married?

Mary: That's right – that's what they said. He's so bad. Papa used to laugh – how mad he was when he

brought Mama down there to live. Said he wouldn't even tell them, “Good-bye.” Got up early and left.

And Papa said he was bringin' Mama down the road – he was sittin' up on a fence post – just sittin'

there and lookin' at them. Never said a word. And, my daddy used to laugh about it.

Bill: Didn't approve of your dad, then?

Mary: No, he didn't.

Ethel described her Aunt Ida Diehl as, “... a very sweet woman. I always liked her, because she seemed

to have so much fun and get along with so well together with Grandma. … She was a very pretty

person. She had the most beautiful hair. And I still remember her hair in the prettiest waves you know.

And she had it long and tucked it up back here. And she wasn't gray at that time. She had blonde, kind

of blonde hair.”

In describing Ike Diehl, Ethel said, “Well, I always liked him. I always liked Uncle Ike. He was nice

and friendly to me, and I think everybody, nearly, liked him.

In politics, he was a Republican, and he was a life-long member of the Church of the Brethren.

Mary and Ethel relayed the following memories about Ida Diehl and an incident on the farm at Diehl's

Ford.

Mary: I know that **** Diehl come in there and loaded up his car with watermelons one day when we

was all gone. And that was the only time I ever saw my mother mad. She wrote him a letter. She said,

“We wouldn't mind giving you a couple of watermelons, but we didn't mean for you to take a whole

load.” I reckon Mama saw him going out with the load. And then he said that Grandpap (Josiah) said,

“Help yourself.” (laughter) So that's what he did! Mama got so aggravated. She said, “That's hard

work.”

Ethel: I know Papa (Harve Diehl, Ike's brother) used to say, “We'll go up to Uncle Ike's.” “Well,”

says, “I usually wait for Ellis to ask me to go down to the watermelon patch.” Said, “He's more

generous than anybody else”! (laughter) Then he'd fill up the old buggy, and then he'd say, “Ah, Uncle

Harve, here's another one. You've got a whole lot of little kids. They like watermelons. Here's another

big watermelon.”

Mary: Yeah, that was right nice wasn't it? That was the only time, and my mother sat down and wrote

him a letter. I don't know whatever. didn't amount to nothin'. He ate the watermelons and enjoyed

them, I reckon.”

Ethel (1906-1996) recalled that, “When Grandma (Mary Showalter Diehl) would have her dinners, now

I remember one time, I must have been about six or eight years old, I went up there. And then, you

know, children were mostly seen and not heard. And it happened to fall on my birthday instead of

Grandma's birthday. She couldn't always make it come on Sunday, you know – her birthday. It

happened to be on my birthday. But everybody was talking about Grandma's birthday, and I don't think

anybody mentioned mine. And Ellis (Diehl) said – now I don't know if he took an extra cake or cookie

or what and gave it to me, and he said, 'Ethel, this is your birthday. Nobody said anything about your

birthday.' Now he was the only one that mentioned my birthday. You know that went over big with

me”!

Mary also relayed these anecdotes about family life on the farm at

Diehl's Ford.

In regards to grandfather, Josiah, who lived with them, she said,

“ I loved him. He was just as nice as he could be, and we went

fishin' nearly every morning on the river. And when I got big

enough to drive a car, I'd just go together with him. Some people

said he was crabby. He never was to me. Said he was cross - you

know – irritable, but I liked him. They were just like my second

parents.”

Left: Lillie Diehl, 1882-1900. Photo courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

As to the death of Isaac's sister, Lillie, in 1900, Mary said, “My

mother and her (Lillie) was picking cherries. She fell out of the

tree and hit a bucket under the tree and broke her neck at

seventeen. She was engaged to be married. People on nearby farms heard my mother scream.”

The accident occurred on Showalter Road, Mount Crawford, VA, several miles from the Diehl farm.

The land had formerly belonged to Lillie's great-grandfather, Abraham Diehl, Jr.

In speaking of life at the Ike Diehl farm, Mary would say, “You get tired there, down at that old river.

Never seen nobody – hardly ever seen nobody. We had to walk to school clear way over here

(Sunnyside, over a mile away). … They didn't have any electricity down here.

Shortly after Josiah Diehl died in 1927, Ike Diehl sold the farm at Diehl's Ford and purchased the John

Spitler farm at New Hope in Augusta County, about 9 miles away. This farm was just a mile from the

Fred Kline farm where Ida was born and raised. Mary Diehl Cline said that the reason for the move

was that she was begging him (Ike) to do so. She did not like the loneliness and seclusion of the farm

at Diehl's Ford. She said, “The Spitler place was for sale, and he liked it. But you know – to tell the

truth – I don't believe Mama wanted to go as bad as my daddy did. See they didn't have anything like

electricity down here. So, we thought that was a nice place up there. Mama got sick pretty soon

afterwards. Everything went to the bad, looked like.”

Ida Diehl died on August 31, 1927, aged 58. Her obituary read, “Mrs. I. F. Diehl Dies of Blood

Poisoning – New Hope Woman's Finger Becomes Infected from Small Wound in Her Finger. Mrs.

Isaac F. Diehl died at her home in Hew Hope, yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock from blood

poisoning. She was born in that section and spent her childhood there. Her married life was spent in

the North River section, moving to New Hope only four months ago. Mrs. Diehl had been ill for about

a month having contracted blood poison through a wound in her finger.”

Mary Diehl Cline said that Ida did not go to the doctor when the finger first became infected, not

wanting to spend the money because they had just bought the farm.

Below: Ike Diehl farm at New Hope. Address is 766 Battlefield Road, Fort Defiance, VA

The census of 1930 showed Ike Diehl's home consisted of Ike, his mother, his daughter, Nina (who had

separated from her husband) and her daughter, Roxie. Nina worked in Staunton, and Ike needed help

in keeping the house. Accordingly, in 1931, about four years after Ida's death, Ike Diehl re-married to

Valley Miller. She was forty years old and had not been previously married. Ike Diehl was sixty-one,

and they did not have any children. Valley had served as a Church of the Brethren missionary to China

in earlier years. Following Ike Diehl's death, Valley remarried to Rev. Minor Myers. Valley also

worked as a teacher and wrote a booklet in 1970 titled, Step-Kin Stories. She passed away in 1974 and

was buried in her native Port Republic, VA.

Above: Birthday party for Mary Showalter Diehl, age 84, at Ike Diehl's home in New Hope. Front row

l to r: Mae Diehl Showalter, Mary Showalter Diehl with cake made by Mary Diehl Cline, Roxy

Trobaugh, Byron Diehl, Byron Wampler (son of Annie Bell Cupp Wampler. Ellis Diehl standing on

porch. Rest l to r: Laura Diehl (Harve's wife), Mary Diehl Cline, Etta Cline Long, Louise Diehl, Rosa

Diehl Cupp, (next partial face unknown), Ethel Diehl, Ike Diehl, Lelia Devers (neighbor), Lizze Cline

(neighbor), Jackson Long, Annie Bell Cupp Wampler (Rosa's daughter), Roy Diehl, Clara Diehl,

Salome Cline (Aunt Lomy), Irvin Long (friend), Ivan Diehl and Nelson Diehl.

Isaac Diehl lived to be seventy-five years old, dying in 1945 at the home of daughter, Mary Diehl Cline

near Port Republic. He was buried with wife, Ida, at the Middle River Church of the Brethren, in New

Hope.

Left: Isaac and Ida Diehl tombstone at Middle River Church of the

Brethren, unusual in that in has their picture embedded in the stone. It

remains quite clear in 2013.

Below: Middle River Church of the Brethren Cemetery.

Right & below: Large family Bible given to Isaac Diehl

by his father, Josiah in 1896. Bible weighs over twelve

pounds.

Ellis Diehl

Leon, Earl, Ike and Josiah Diehl

Nina, Roxie, Ida and Mary Ike, sister, Rosa and brother, Harve.

Nina Mary

Photos this page courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

Above: Ike and Ellis Diehl making hay at Diehl's Ford. Photos this page courtesy of Mary Diehl Cline.

Below: Isaac Franklin and Ida Barbara Cline Diehl about 1920.

Above: Birthplace of Isaac Diehl on January 1, 1870. Josiah Diehl and his brother, Amos, shared this

farm from the late 1860's until 1876 when Josiah moved his family back to the Diehl farm at Diehl's

Ford. Amos remained here for twenty-one years before moving to Nokesville in Prince William

County. The farm is on the northwest corner of the intersection of Emanuel Church Road and Old

Mountain Roads near Sangerville, VA which is in the northwest corner of Augusta County. The lane

leading to the house is on Old Mountain Road, about 200 yards west of its intersection with Emanuel

Church Road.