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Pennsylvania Trails History and Genealogy

Graeflin, John

JOHN GRAEFLIN, silk manufacturer and president of the United German Singing Societies of Pennsylvania and other German-American organizations, is a native of Basel, Switzerland, and was born in 1857, a son of John Graeflin, Sr. After being educated in the high school of his native city, he began to learn the silk business. In October, 1878, he came to the United States and accepted the foremanship of teh Rheinania nills at College Point, N. Y., and a short time later was made superintendent of these mills. He continued in this position until 1897, when he came to Allentown to assume the superintendency of the Palace Silk Mills. In 1898 Mr. Graeflin was elected president of the Lehigh Saengerbund and has served this honorary office ever since. He is also prominently identified with the German-American Alliance, and many other similar organizations. He is a member of the Allentown Lodge of Elks. On March 31, 1883, he married Louisa Schmidt, a daughter of Isaac and Marian (Gurver) Schmidt, of New York.