John Joseph Conrad Keppelman ¹

  Noted events in his life were:

• Immigration, 1848. ¹

• Book: Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania, 1909. ¹ John Joseph Conrad Keppelman, father of John H., was born in 1827, in Baden-Baden, Germany, where he learned the trade of locksmith. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1848, and located at Pottsville, but he remained there only a short while when he moved to Reading and engaged in the foundry business which he carried on quite extensively for many years, having established and operated very successfully three plants, the first on North Sixth street, the second on North Fifth street and the third in Riverside. He died in 1907. He married Christina Bauer, daughter of John and Wilhelmina (Beltz) Bauer, of Reading, by whom he had ten children: William m. Ella Brown; John H. (above); Emma m. Dr. Samuel Ermentrout; Edward m. Ella Beacher; Howard m. Ida Seiders; Ida m. Joseph Veasey; Katharine m. Dr. F. X. Wolf; Albert m. Catharine Schroeder; Theodore m. Sallie Rowe; and Florence m. Howard Frees.

John Keppelman, the grandfather, was a distinguished soldier under Napoleon, and for valorous conduct at the battle of Wagram was awarded two medals of honor, which have come into the possession of his grandson, and are highly prized by him. He died at the age of forty-six years, and his wife lived to be ninety years old. They had four children, but their son John was the only one to come to America.

John married Christina Bauer.