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George L. Trayser (1808 – 1881) was a German-born American piano maker. He emigrated to the United States in 1849, and made pianos in Indianapolis and Richmond, Indiana. His pianos—due to their high quality and rich, resonant tone and responsive action—had a reputation as instruments suitable for school and concert work. ==Early life (1808–1865)== Trayser was born in 1808 in Hesse-Darmstadt, Prussia which later became Darmstadt, Germany. Trayser apprenticed in piano making in German piano factories near Darmstadt. He married in Germany, and two sons were born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Frederick L. was born in 1840 and Paul was born in born 1842. Trayser owned a piano company in Switzerland. The family emigrated to the United States in 1849 and settled initially in Newport, Kentucky. Trayser started a small factory in Covington, Kentucky (Traeyser & Co.), and had Morse & Guernsey as consignment agents in Louisville, Kentucky in 1851.〔 Trayser was granted his first patent for an upright piano in Cincinnati in 1853.〔U.S. Government Patent Office, patent 9640, 29 March 1853〕 Trayser traded in and repaired pianos. At some point the spelling of the original family surname of "Traeyser" was changed to "Trayser", likely at the time of naturalization if not earlier. His younger brother Phillip, who lived in Baltimore, signed a guarantee for $1,000 in October 1853.〔Baltimore Sun, 24 January 1864〕 Trayser struggled financially and was insolvent 1854-1856. There were lawsuits about his debts until 1862. 〔 John A. Skiff was a sales agent for Skiff & Trayser pianos in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854.〔 In 1857, the Covington, Kentucky factory was destroyed in a fire, and Trayser moved to Louisville, Kentucky.〔 In 1858, Trayser was a witness in an extensive church dispute in Louisville, Kentucky.〔 It was apparent that customers took advantage of Trayser, especially in written contracts, because Trayser did not yet read English. He was competent to hear and speak English in the trial. Trayser moved to Indianapolis in 1859. He paid a manufacturing license tax to the state of Indiana in May 1864 in Indianapolis.〔Indiana Tax Rolls, May 1864〕 He also partnered with Col. William J. H. Robinson to form Trayser, Robinson & Co. in 1865. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Trayser」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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