John Nicholas Dietel served as mayor of Fair Haven for three years from 1890-1892, and again in 1898.
He was born to Johann and Anna Dietel in Stammbach, Bavaria on Novermber 24, 1849. In 1855, when John was six years old, his brother, Thomas, immigrated to Dearfield, New York.
Following the death of his father, Thomas returned to Germany to bring is mother, sister and brother, to Dearfield. They landed in New York City on October 31, 1864 in the middle of the Civil War. John was fourteen years old and soon secured an apprenticeship in Syracuse as a tinsmith.
Barbara Raithel was born in Switzerland. She and John were married about 1871. Their first child, Charles, was born October 10, 1873.
In 1874, he moved to Fair Haven to open his hardware store. Fair Haven was poised to grow at this time, the railroad having arrived two years before. His first hardware store was located near where the home of Roy Lyons later stood on the south side of Main Street, opposite where is now the State Park entrance road.
After the auction of the Cottage Farm lots, land became available nearer the center of Fair Haven. Twenty-five year old John Dietel moved his business to a new building down the road which still stands today as the Hardware Cafe. In 1875 he moved his family into the apartment above the store. Among the items he sold were stoves, glass and paint.
In 1881, the Dutch Reformed Church on Church Street burned. The congregation wished to rebuild closer to central Fair Haven. In April of 1883, John Dietel traded a lot he owned on Richmond Avenue for their old lot on Church Street for $1.00. Here he built a new home for his family.
On May 13, 1885, Barbara passed away leaving John with three children to raise, William, four months old, Josie, 5, and Charles, 10.
The following year on May 4, 1886, he married Louise Schulze, also of Germany. They had three more children, Eveline, Otto and Lucette.
In 1892, an addition to the Hardware Store was added, nearly doubling its size.
In addition to his hardware store, he purchased the hotel that had originally been the Barrus House and renamed it Hotel Dietel.
Otto Dietel moved to Auburn where he worked as a plumber.
William Dietel, a tinsmith and plumber.
Eveline married Harry Longley on November 22, 1905 at her father’s home on Lake Street.
In 1908, John sold his hardware store to his son, Charles.
* Alternate spellings: Deitel, Dietle, Nicholaus, Nicalous, Nichalus, Nicolus, Nicolaus