Dimitrios G. Balafas was born in Viniani, Evrytanias in 1889 to George and Arhondo (Papsostathis) Balafas. He had eight siblings: George, Nick, Paul, Pete (Epaminontas), John, Penelope, Eleni, and Evdoxia. He married Athina Smaragdis from Anatoliki Fragista. Together, they had two children: Kostantinos and Kassiani [(Rigas) 1918-2004]. While his family remained in Greece, he immigrated to America on April 22nd, 1920, sailing from the port of Piraeus, Greece to Ellis Island. For a time he lived in Greenville, North Carolina, before ultimately returning to his wife and daughter in Greece in 1956 and settling in Lamia. While Athina would never visit America (and Kassiana would only visit once to attend the wedding of her cousin Athina Balafas to George Kanovos in the 1960's), his son Konstantinos immigrated there in the 1930's. His brother George G. Balafas came to America in 1905 and spent two years in New York, before settling in Greenville, North Carolina, where his brothers Nick and Paul also lived. His brother Pete (born in 1893 in Viniani) married Koula Keramidas, and lived in Wilmington, NC before later returning to Greece and settling in Ipati, a village outside of Lamia. His brother John as well as his three sisters (Penelope [Kanderes], Eleni [Mantis] and Evdoxia [Zographopoulos]) remained in Greece. Dimitrios died in May, 1966 in Lamia. His wife Athina died shortly after in August of 1966.

ADDENDUM 1 On Dimitrios' father, Georgios Balafas While Dimitrios was in America at the turn of the century, his father Georgios resided in California, where he worked for a local railroad as a track layer. ADDENDUM 2 On Kassiani Balafas' husband, Nikos Rigas Kassiani would eventually marry Nikos Rigas, who was from Lamia.