Dietz, William, Captain

Birth

William was born in 1747 at Ulster County, NY, a son of Johannes Dietz and Anna Maria Oberbach. His siblings were:

Elizabetha Dietz b. 1745
Jacobus (James) Dietz b. February 16, 1750
Peter Dietz b. March 10, 1754
John Michael Dietz b. March 10, 1754

Marriage & Children

At about 1772, William married Maria Magdalena Cregeler who was born at 1751. They had the following children:

Maria Dietz b. October 30, 1773 died on September 2, 1781
Jeremiah Dietz b. October 18, 1775 died on September 2, 1781
Johannes Dietz b. January 25, 1778 died on September 2, 1781
Catherine Dietz b. July 5, 1780 died on September 2, 1781

Military

Earlier military records are not available, but it appears that William served in a militia prior to his enlistment with Colonel Vrooman’s Regiment in 1777. At one point, he served as Judge Advocate in the trial of soldier who was charged with disobedience of orders. The trial was held March 20, 1780, the infraction took place in June of 1779. Sometime in the month of September, Capt. Dietz, who resided near the fort had gone home to see his family and attend to some business was surprized and taken by a party of Indians &Tories & his family consisting of his wife & several children, & his Father & Mother & a servant girl were all murdered. He himself was taken prisoner & carried to Canada & died on his way home after being discharged…William Ball entered the service as a volunteer in the month of August, he thinks it was, in the year 1778, in captain William Dietz's company in colonel Peter Vrooman's regiment, the company was then commanded by Lieutenant Mattice Shultes, Captain Dietz having been a few days before taken prisoner by the Indians, and his father, mother, wife and all his children murdered and scalped by the Indians, and he taken to Canada where he died as was reported. Francis Becraft

Death

Maria Magdalena died on September 2, 1781 along with her children and their grandparents when their home was raided and burned to the ground. John Jost Dietz went to the farm and assisted with the burials of the family. It was a mass burial in the churchyard. William was taken prisoner and was carried to Canada. Exactly when he died and whether it was there at Fort Niagara or on his way home after being released from there has not been determined.

Obituary

Additional Media

Payroll for Col. Vrooman’s Regiment for March 22, 1781 with the name and rank of William Dietz
Undated service index card for William Dietz, does not show his rank
A page from Col. Vrooman’s journal depicting the trial that William adjudicated

Sources