Diez/Dietz Family-Strahan's

The Eleanor Julia Strahan/Strachan Family Website

More than a half century ago a young woman, Eleanor Julia Strahan, after graduation with the Alfred State Class of 1944, ventured from the family dairy farm in Friendship, New York to the honeymoon capital of Niagara Falls to work in a florist shop. Eleanor's life turned a page as she journeyed to the nearby Town of Porter and the dusty lane of the cherry orchards of the Diez farm. She caught the eye of a hard working grandson of German immigrants who tilled the soil of his ancestors. Kenneth George Diez was born in the farm house facing Youngstown-Wilson Road at the north end of Lutts Road. Eleanor married Ken at one of the "loveliest autumn weddings of the season" {Times & Herald, Olean, N.Y.} on October 27th, 1945.

In search of their own roots, Eleanor's sons, Neiland and Raymond, have begun to explore the genealogy of their mother and father {The Dietz/Diez Family Website} to reach into the crevasses of time and the seemingly endless expanse of the Atlantic Ocean that carried their ancestors to this wonderful country, the United States of America. Their ancestors were part of the immigration history to this country and glimpses into the emigration tales of Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

The Strahan/Diez family is looking for their ancestors, and the descendants who remained in the lands of their father and mothers, to grasp a taste of understanding of what the ships that carried our families were life, what fate and history brought them here, what was their life's work, and many other unanswered questions.

Marie Strahan Schlott, Eleanor's aunt on her father's side, was a school teacher in Ohio. Her memories of the family farm house where Eleanor grew up:

"The Strahan farm was purchased by S. B. Strahan from the First National Bank in the fall of 1888. It had been left to Walter Higgins, but he was more interested in horses and did little on no farming. We moved there early the next spring.

I think the house was built by Walter's father, Hugh Higgins, for an Inn. Men who bought and sold cattle and sheep drove the herds and flocks through there, put them in the pastures and remained over night.

The house was built with a lovely center hall with a cherry railing which we kept polished as we slid on it all day on a rainy day. There was a large attic over the back of the house with a big spinning wheel, a flax wheel and many other interesting things. When the house was rebuilt in 1907 I have no idea what became of them.

There were tiny closets built under each chimney and off two big bedrooms were what they called "bed sinks" they were just large enough to "sink" an extra bed in, with a little space at the foot for making it up. We used them for closets.

At the back of the house was a very large room which had been the bar room, we used it for storage and a laundry room.

There is a very old rose bush at the side of the house that was there when we bought the place and my mother was very careful that it should be protected.

There were many small sheds, etc. around the place, which my father tore down. One was an old corn crib where we played until one of us got a wood tick and that canceled that playground. Another was a frail old "smoke house" that my mother and I pushed over one windy day after our hams had been smoked. The next year we had a new smoke house. "

Eleanor Julia Strahan has one brother, Raymond James Strahan, Jr. Raymond (Uncle Jim) and his wife, Marge, lived in the family farm house until recently. They had seven children, Kathy, Tom, Sam, Lucinda Marie, Bruce, Richard (who presenly lives in the family house) and James.

Eleanor & Jim's parents: Raymond James Strahan, Sr., b. 3/27/1892, d. 4/25/1955

Julia Fuller, b. 7/12/1890 Castile, NY, d. 2/9/1963

Julia was the daughter of Byron Fuller and Carrie Briggs. She had three siblings:

Elmer of Webster, ? a sister who married Earl Shader of Pike and Bertha, who married Mark Montanye of Canadaigua, not issue. Byron had one sister {?name} who married J. D. Osterhout. Byron's parents were: L. W. Fuller and Julia {?maiden name}.

Raymond was the fourth and youngest child of Samuel Brown Strahan and Eleanor Nolan.

Samuel Brown Strahan, b. 11/1/1846 in Shaneaker, New York

m. Eleanor Nolan b. 1/21/1860, d. 10/18/1932

{Eleanor called Samuel: "Farr" and Eleanor, her grandmother: "Nanna"}

Their children:

1. Thomas Roy Strahan, b. 10/2/1866 a lawyer in New York City

died ? Maple Grove

2. Marie Virginia b. ?, d. ?

m. Ralph Schlott, no issue

3. Leo Merland Strahan, b. 3/8/1890, d. 6/78

m. Betty Jordan ?, d. 1962

m. Edna Rees, b. 1/21/1894, d. 2/16/1979 Sylvania Township, Potter

County, PA. Edna was the daughter of William & Jennie Reed

Rees.

4. Raymond James Srahan, Sr., b. 3/27/1892, d. 4/25/1955 Male Grove

m. Julia Fuller

4-1 Raymond James Strahan, Sr. (Uncle Jim)

4-2 Eleanor Julia Strahan

m. Kenneth George Diez, son of John, son of Friedrich, son of

Johannes, son of Johannes, son of Jacob

4-2 (i) Neiland

4-2 (ii) Raymond

m. Suzanne Simon

Raymond & Suzanne' children:

a. Olivia

m. Eric Jon Belter

one child, Zachary

b. Jessica

c. Aaron

Samuel was the son of James Alexander Strahan, b. 1809 Clough, Ireland, d. 5/1/1874 New Hudson. James came to the United States about 1828 and lived in

New York City for a short time, then Troy, NY for about two years, Lexinton

Greene County) about seven years, London about 15 years, went to New

Hudson in 1866 and then to Friendship. James Alexander married Margaret

Rainey at Troy in 1842. Margaret died in 1879.

Their children:

1. Mary Ann b. 11/1/1848 Troy, New York

m. William Breadon who died ca. 1918 in Friendship, buried in Mt. Hope

Cemetery, Friendship

Mary Ann & William's children:

1-1 Ann B. Sabin, m. ?, daughter Irene

1-2 Minnie B.

m. ? Partridge, children: Paul & Leslie

1-3 Charles

m. Grace ?, d. 1945 buried in Beltsville, New Hudson

no issue

2. Sarah Elizabeth {Aunt Lib} b. 11/17/1846 in Lexington Greene Co. or Ulster

Co., d. 8/1/1879

m. George Adams, a Quaker, 3/18/1878

no issue

both Sarah & George were buried in Hicksite Friends burying ground

in Stroudsburg, PA.

3. Samuel Brown Strahan b. 11/1/1846 Shaneaker or Shandaken ?spelling, NY,

d. 2/28/1932

lived in Lexington, Shandaken, Lyndon then to New Hudson and W. Almond

and in 1887 settled in Friendship

m. Eleanor Nolan in 1885, b. 1/21/1860, d. 10/18/1932

Eleanor was the youngest daughter of John Nolan. He was born ca. 1821 in

Newcastle, Ireland, d. 1904. John married Joanna O'Conner in Ireland.

Joanna was born in Ireland.

John Nolan and Joanna O'Conner's children:

I. Elizabeth, b. 3/1845 Newcastle, Ireland, d. 6/14/1926 at the age of 83

Elizabeth married Ardan Frary {?spelling}

I - 1Marie, b. ? in Lyndon, NY, d. 11/13/1963

m. Burton W. Kendall

no issue

II - 2 Mary L., b. ?, d. ?

m. J. J. Costigan

no issue

II. Mary (Mame), b. 12/10/1846 Newcastle, Ireland, d. 7/27/1930 at the

age of 84 years

no issue

III. Anna, b. 3/7/1854 New Hudson, NY, d. 5/8/1946 at the age of 92 years

m. John McGraw

no issue

IV. Margaret, b. 1856, d. 1852 at the age of 96 years

no issue

V. Eleanor b. 1/21/1860, d. 10/18/1932 at the age of 72 years

m. Samuel Brown Strahan

It is not known when John Nolan, his wife, Joanna, and their two oldest daughters: Mary and Elizabeth left Ireland and came to the United States.

4. Thomas Alexander Strahan, b. 5/14/1848, d. ca. 1906 Cuba, New York

m. Bertha Barnard in Moorehead, Minnesota

Their children:

4-1 Harlan, b. ?, d. 11/27/1954

m. Margaret Kingsley (daughter of Ebenezer & Anna Manton

Kingsley) b. 12/26/1901, d. 1/5/2001 at the age of 99 years,

m. 12/24/1922

no issue

NOTE: Margaret's second marriage was to J. Arthur Brooks who died 1973.

Their children:

a. Suzanne

m. Richard Morris

b. Constance b. 1923, d. 10/24/1978

m. Franklin J. Eschrich

Their children:

(i) T. Craig of Cleveland, Ohio

(ii) Philip of Iowa

(iii) James of Buffalo, NY

4-2 Mary, b. ?, d. ?

5. Charles Strahan, b. 1/6/1850 Lexington, d. 1865 Lyndon at the age of 15 years

6. Johnny, b. 9/4/1832, d. 1854 Lexington at the age of 3 years

7. Margaret b. 5/17/1853 Shandaken, d. 1861 at the age of 8 years

8. Robert Wilson, b. 9/11/1856 Lyndon, d. 1860 at the age of 3 years

9. Martha Emma {Emma}, b. 8/11/1859 at Lyndon, d. 12/1947

m. Royal Whipple in Belfast in 1909

Emma was buried in Belfast Cemetery

Samuel ?Bruce Strahan was born ca 1780 in Clough, Antrim County, Ireland. He married Sarah Alexander. Samuel died 3/12/1840. All their children were born in Clough, Ireland.

Samuel and Sarah's children were:

1. James Alexander Strahan b. 1809

2. Rose Ann. b. ? d. ?

m. Hugh Alexander

2-1 Samuel b ? d ?

came to United States and settled in Dansville, New York

3. Mary b. ? d ?

m. Chas. Brown b ? d?

issue ?

4. Martha b. ? d ?

m. Edward Bonynge b ? d ?

Martha and Edward left Ireland and settled in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Their children were:

4-1 John

4-2 Thomas

4-3 Charles

4-4 Edward

5. Margaret b. ? d ?

m. Andrews Strahan (her cousin ) b. ? d?

Margaret and Andrew also left Ireland to come to America. They lived in

New York City for a time and then moved to Lyndon, Cattaragus County,

then Illinois then Fo - du - Lac ?

issue ?

6. Thomas b. ? d ?

m. Mary Ross b. ? d ?

Thomas lived in Clough all his life. Their children were:

6-1 John b. ? d ?

born in Clough and studied medicine at the University of Belfast

6-2 Samuel (Rover) b ? d ?

Samuel visited the US three times.

6-3 Hamilton b. ? d ?

Hamilton married in Ireland to ?. He left for Australia. Issue ?

6-4 Mary b. ? d ?

6-5 Montgomery b. ? d ?

6-6 Sarah b. ? d ?

6-7 Thomas b. ? d ?

Alexander Strahn was born ca. 1750 in Aberdeen, Scotland (MacDonald Clan). He was an Army Officer in a religious war. Alexander fled to Antrim Co., Ireland and settled in Clough near Ballymena about 1775. He died ca. 1820. The name of his wife is unknown.

Alexander had three son:

1. Samuel ? Bruce Strahan b. ca 1780 d ?

2. Andrew b. 1783 d. ?

3. John b. 1785 d. ?

This information is from a family book kept by Marge Strahan wife of Raymond James Strahan, Jr. of Friendship, New York. Neiland Diez and Raymond Dietz, sons of of Kenneth George Diez and Eleanor Julia Strahan are in the initial stages of researching to verify and add to the information here.