Charles Frederick Weigle was born November 20, 1871 in LaFayette,
Indiana, into the family of a God-fearing, German-Lutheran baker
and his wife. One of twelve children, five boys and seven
girls, young Charles was accustomed to hearing his father pray
and every morning after breakfast, Bible reading was observed at
the family worship time.
When Charles was twelve, the Methodist Church of LaFayette, where
his parents attended, was having a series of revival meetings. A
great number of his friends and playmates came under conviction
and were going forward during the progress of the meeting. This
made an quite an impression on young Charles. Even though he
resisted longer than most of the others, one night a strong,
overpowering realization that he was lost came over him and Charles
was converted.
As he grew up, his keen interest in music led him to attend the
Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he received training
that later helped him in his ministry. Not only did Charles
become an inspiring preacher, but he was also a gifted
songwriter, having written more than 1,000 songs.
Charles Weigle's most famous song, No One Ever Cared for Me
Like Jesus, was the product of one of the darkest periods of
his life. He spent most of his life as an itinerant
evangelist and gospel songwriter. One day after returning
home from an evangelistic crusade, he found a note left by his
wife of many years. The note simply said she had had enough
of an evangelist's life and was leaving him.
He later said that he became so despondent during the next
several years that there were times when he contemplated
suicide. He even wondered if anyone really cared for him,
but after a time, his faith was again restored and he became
active for the Lord again. Soon he felt compelled to write
a song that would be a summary of his past tragic
experience.