Herman A. W. Maercklein

**Herman A. W. Maercklein** (December 16, 1826 - June 1, 1921) was a widely known singer and upholsterer in Hartford, Connecticut. He was born on December 16, 1826 in Stettin, Germany, before it became a city in Poland. Maercklein received an ordinary school education and gathered rudimentary experience in light woodworking. He completed his apprenticeship as an upholsterer in 1847. Just as the Revolutions of 1848 began, he fled to the United States in 1851 and married his wife that year in New York. While there, Maercklein sang in one of the first concerts given by Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, at Castle Garden. He also sang with the late Clara Louise Kellogg at one of her earliest concerts. Also while in New York, he was one of the founders of the world-famous society, the New York Liederkranz.

Maercklein's family originally came from Bavaria, as the honorable name could be traced back to the tenth century by documents and records preserved in the ancient city of Nuremberg. The family coat of arms could also befound in the old Nuremberger Wappenbuch, borne by soldiers, bishops, governors of provinces, and scholars. It was also borne by gold and silversmiths during the Middle Ages, retained in a firm in Nuremberg in the early

   Soon after, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut, at the urging of his friend, William Downes, a graduate of Trinity College. Downes, who was then the organist and choirmaster of Christ Church, wanted Maercklein to become a member of his choir in Hartford. From this association sprang the famous old Hartford Quartet, which was a success from the start. He and his wife, Julie, who died in the 1890's, were enthusiastic amateur actors in their younger days and were members of the Philodramatic Society, which took part in many amateur performances, including comedies, classical plays, and light operas.

He cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont in November 1856 and identified heavily with the Hartford Main Quartet and was the last surviving member until his death, possessing a rich baritone voice. He first appeared in the city director as an upholsterer in 1853 in the business of William W. Roberts on Pratt Street, and remained there under various partnerships or by himself until 1911 when he retired. This included a similar establishment conducted by the firm of Talcott & Post. Several years were spent there and then he started into business for himself, owning a place on Main Street in Hartford. His last regular place of business was on Asylum Street, where he remained until 1894. He also aspired to the status of decorator and had a cabinet shop, upholstery shop, and drapery shop all in the same building on Laurel Street. He made numerous sketches for elaborate window treatments. Indeed, the high point of his career was his invention of upholstered seating furniture that converted into a bed, known as "Simplicity." Upon his retirement in 1911, he lived with his son Herman J. Maercklein at his home on Laurel Street in Hartford.

Maercklein was incredibly invested in the German community in the United States. In November 1892, he was named as chairman of the Republican assembly of Germans that met in Buffalo, New York. On October 3, 1904, he took part in the "German Day" Parade in Hartford, celebrating the 221st anniversary of the first settlement of any consequence made by Germans in the United States. His most viable expression of this commitment was his partnership with three other Germans in the old Hartford quartet. On June 1, 1921, he died at the home.

## Family

Maercklein married Julie Moll in New York in 1851.

* Herman J. Maercklein - m. Alice Crane
* Hubert L. Maercklein - m. Effie Hale
* Alice Maercklein - m. Frederick C. Hydel