Dr. James Diemer

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Dr. James Diemer (1733 - 1820)

Also Known As: "Dr. James Demon"
Birthdate:
Death: July 1820 (82-91)
Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Capt. John Jacob Diemer, Sr. and Rachel Diemer
Husband of Elizabeth Diemer
Father of Margaret Hoffa and Sarah Struben
Brother of Rev. John Christman Diemer, missionary in India
Half brother of Michael Diemer

Managed by: Private User
Last Updated:

About Dr. James Diemer

The codicil of the will of Rev. William Currie mentions his granddaughter Hannah Struben. From this with the additional clues of Reading and Dr. Demon (sic) we eventually find his correct name: Dr. James Diemer ( = var. of Demon)

Philip Struben
in the Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801 (1788)

  • Dr. James Diemer sponsored the baptism of his grandson Diemer Struben in November 1790

In terms of intra-family dynamics: It is notable that the "Speaker's House" at Trappe is just a short distance from The St. James Perkiomen Episcopal Church. This Church was just one of the three where Dr. James' father-in-law the Rev. William Currie was rector. In other words, the Diemers : Elizabeth Diemer and her husband Dr. James Diemer were part of a sort of Diemer/Curries enclave, although Rev. Curries did assist with the other nearby congregations.
See <timeline> tab.. We can catch a glimpse of the end of Dr. Diemer's domicile at Trappe both with the advert. for sale and in the Journals Vol. III of the Rev. Henry Melchior Mühlenberg: On May 17th, 1785 the Rev. bemoans the loss of his services. the"German doctor" in the text.
The Diemer family as a whole was beloved by the Rev. Dr. Mühlenberg as James' brother Rev. John Christman Diemer, missionary in India was a Lutheran missionary in India.

Worth study: There was a Rev.War era hospital set up in Reading to serve casualties of the Continental Army. Perhaps Dr. Diemer was part of that effort. We do not see him there as Demon in tax records, but we do see him as Dr. James Diemer .
In earlier life, Dr. Diemer had been part of the British Royal American Regt. so he once had been quite loyal to the Crown. See <Timeline>

~• MMvB, vol. curator•~

possible additional son

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222510060/george-diemer a son? a brother? a cousin? a nephew?

other local Diemer family in area

  • very early on (1720's) A Thomas Diemer signed petitions to form Providence township (Bean Cha. LXX p. 1044)
  • https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21286531/catrina-diemer
    • possibly the Catherine Diemer of the advertisement
  • https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34171059/johann-michael-diemer (1731-1794)
    • BURIAL Augustus Lutheran Church Cemetery Trappe, Montgomery County
      • (remember ; Dr. James lived in Trappe for a while) Johann Michael may be Dr. James' brother or cousin.
    • further research reveals: *(from Bean's Hist. of Montg. Co.) "Gottlieb Mittelberger, who lived in the township for several years,deserves notice. He brought with him from Germany the organs in the Lutheran Churches at Philadelphia, New Hanover and Trappe, parts of which last remain to this day, he was liberally educated as a linguist and musician. He arrived in 1750, October 10th, and for four years resided in Providence, holding the position of organist and schoolmaster in the Lutheran Church, and gave private instructions in music and the German language at the house of Captain John Diemer. On his return to Germany he wrote a very interesting account of his sojourn in America, which was published in German in 1756. Parts of the book have been recently

translated and published by Mr. Henry S. Dotterer, of Philadelphia.

1065

research

  • for any Reading appointment and work in capacity as a doctor during the War
  • speculative: Should it prove that Demon & Diemer are interchangeable spellings, this might suggest that the family came from a bordering region of French and German cultures... such as Alsace-Lorraine, Geneva, etc.
  • a probable grandfather, Thomas Diemer , has been noticed (MMvB, June 13, 2022)
  • as for any Alsace Lorraine connection: See Rev. John Christman Diemer, missionary in India . He was born there.
view all 24

Dr. James Diemer's Timeline

1733
1733

as calculated from text in Obituary
Berks and Schuylkill Journal, June 24, 1820, vol. 5, iss. 4, p. 3, Reading, PA

1760
1760
range of years is a guess, Pennsylvania

(year unknown) a range is given here as a guess...

1766
1766
probably, Pennsylvania