Rev. Joseph Fr. M. Diel, rector of the church at Wardsville, was bom in Germany, on the Rhine, June 14, 1852, and is a son of Jacob Diel, who was a native of Nassau, Germany. The father was a tailor by trade, and was quite successful in this occupation. To his marriage were born seven children, four sons and three daughters. Three of the sons became priests, and the other son is a leading physician, who still resides in Germany, at Thaiserswerth, near Dusseldorf, where he is superintendent of the St. Mary's Hospital. Two of the daughters are at the head of the high school at Dusseldorf, Prussia. Joseph Diel came to America in September, 1874, and first settled in Milwaukee, where he pursued his studies for three years. He then. went to St. Louis, Mo., and from there to Jefferson City in 1877, to assist Father Hoog. He remained there until the following year, when he returned to St. Louis and assisted in St. Nicholas Church until 1880, after which he returned to his native country, was there a short time, and then returned to St. Louis and took charge of the Catholic Church at Manchester, in St. Louis County. He was stationed there until 1883, then came to Maries County, where he remained for two years, after which he assisted in St. Bridget's Church, St. Louis, and from that to the rectorship of Wardsville, in 1888. Father Diel is quite a young man, yet he has seen more of the world than most men; is a man of broad and expanded views, and is a social, open-hearted gentleman. He is a great lover of America and of American institutions. The present place to which he attends was organized in October, 1880, with Rev. Father Lornnenschein as rector, who left, on account of sickness, after several weeks, when Rev. Father Hurkertein, now rector of St. Augustine's Church at St. Louis, took charge of the congregation, which consisted at that time of thirty-six families. They have built, under his Rectorship, a good brick church, free of debt. After about four years he was transferred to St. Augustine's Church, and as his successor at Wardsville was appointed Rev. Joseph Carl Ernst, a native of Cologne, Prussia. This gentleman had charge over the congregation until September, 1888, when he was removed to St. Thomas, Cole County, Mo. In this time he built a fine brick house, at a cost of $2,500. In October, 1888, Rev. Joseph Fr. M. Diel was appointed as rector for Wardsville. From the organizing of the congregation until the present day the settlement grew very rapidly, so that the families now number eighty. The whole congregation is German, who, here as elsewhere, worked very earnestly for their own sake as well as for the glory of God. At the present time they are building a substantial brick tower to their church, and are also procuring bells for the same. After having lowered their debts to the amount of $350, and having bought with cash other decorations for the church, they are succeeding well. May they continue to prosper as in the past.

Transcribed from:
History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries, and Osage Counties, Missouri, Goodspeed Publishing Company (1889).