Henry (Heinrich) Dilcher From Harle, Germany To Pomeroy, Ohio

After the birth of their first child, William, in May 1847, Henry and Anna Catharine moved to Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio, which at that time had a large German population. Henry Dilcher operated a shoe store in Pomeroy until 1852. On 27 Feb. 1852, Henry Dilcher purchased lot number 18 on Front Street in Pomeroy for $270.00. Henry built, owned, and operated the Grand Dilcher Hotel on that lot. He continued to operate a small shoe store on the first floor of the hotel, which later became the Mecca Saloon.

Henry and Anna Catharine had three more children once in Pomeroy. Henry Dilcher, Jr. born about 1853, Charles Dilcher, born 04 June 1859, and Elizabeth Catharine (Lizzie) Dilcher born about 1850. The children were raised on the farm is Scipio Township, owned and operated by Henry Dilcher, Sr.

After the death of his wife in March 1892, Henry moved to Charleston, West Virginia where two of his sons lived. He came back to Pomeroy at regular intervals to look after his investments, the hotel and farm only be part of his holdings. Henry Dilcher, Sr. passed away in March 1900 at the home of his son Charles in Charleston. Henry is buried with Anna Catharine at Beech Grove Cemetery in Pomeroy, Ohio.

Henry's oldest son, William, took over the operations of the Grand Dilcher Hotel after the death of his father. In Henry Dilcher, Sr.'s obituary, it states he was known by almost every man in Meigs County, and that he was a careful business man that amassed quite a fortune by the time of his death.

- Bethellen Coughran

More information

Maps and pictures of Harle

Henry's apprenticeship certificate and translation.

Letters from Henry and his nephew Andreas (Andrew) to Harle.

Pictures of Beech Grove cemetery in Pomeroy, Ohio, where Henry and Katharina are buried. (Photographs by Mary Ann Norris, 1995).

• Gravesite and monument
• The larger area.

Photographs of the Grand Dilcher Hotel in Pomeroy, sent to me by Bethellen Coughran. The hotel was built and owned by Henry Dilcher.

• The great flood of 1884; picture taken by a Mr. Feiger on Feb. 12, 1884.
• The waters are receding; the flood of 1897.
• More normal times.

An official excerpt from the church records of August 28, 1839, showing Henry's parents Johann Heinrich and Maria Elisabeth, and his sisters Anna Martha (1815-1838) and Martha Elisabeth (b. 1819). It appears that Anna Martha's widower Johann Adam Wickert (b. 1811) was seeking permission to marry Martha Elisabeth. NEW

The next generation emigrates from Harle; two brothers and a sister of the farmer Johann Georg Dilcher (1850-1918), who was a nephew of Henry's, also go to the US.

• Andreas Dilcher (b. Oct. 20, 1854) is featured in the letters above.
• Johann Wilhelm (William) Dilcher (b. March 4, 1866) was a cabinet maker. An armoir he made is still in the possession of the Dilcher family in Harle.
  • William and his brother Johann Georg, before William's departure for America. NEW
  • Apparently William's wedding photograph. NEW
  • William's wife Hanna (?). NEW
  • William and his wife in later years. NEW
• Maria Dilcher, married Johannes Stieglitz. The two secretly went to America. Here are Maria and Johannes with their two daughters, one of whom was called Katharina, born in 1887. NEW

---

In Memoriam: Henry S. (Hank) Dilcher 1935 - 2000

Hank Dilcher died suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, June 30, 2000 in Atlanta. Without his help and advice this small webpage, and the one about Harle, would not have been possible. His kindness and that of his close family reestablished the ties to the Dilcher family in Harle that had been severed for over 100 years. He will be missed.

• Obituary, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 2, 2000. [JPEG] or [HTML]
• Larger version of Hank's photograph.