Charles Julius Rohwer

1838-1907

One of the early settlers in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, was Charles Julius Rohwer.  A convert to the Church, he was born April 10, 1838, in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia.  He was baptized November 12, 1862, in Jylland, Denmark, and came to Utah, arriving October 8, 1864.

He arrived in Diaz about the first of January 1890 with his family.  After buying a lot of Main Street, he built a well-constructed two-story adobe house.  An additional room was added to the back of the house, which was used as a “summer kitchen.” Surrounding the lot he built a three-foot adobe wall for protection from intruders as well as from bad weather.

The yard was artistically landscaped with many flowers and plants.  An orchard of fruit trees was planted in the back yard along with some grape vines to complete the landscaping.  He received many compliments on the beauty of the home and its pleasant surroundings.

While the Rohwer family resided in the area, two infants were born to them.  One, a son, died at birth and was buried in the Diaz cemetery.  The other, a daughter Alice, born May 11, 1890 is still living.  She resides in Utah and is 79 years of age (1969).

Although Rowher made several trips back to the States, his family remained in Mexico until 1897.  At this time, the home and property were sold to the Richardson family and the Rohwer family moved back to Utah. 

The remainder of his life was spent farming several areas of northern Utah.  He died September 12, 1907, following a heart attack and was buried in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah.

Lucille M. Johnson, granddaughter

Stalwarts South of the Border, Nelle Spilsbury Hatch, page 578