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Family
Marriage: Children:
  1. Della Gertrude Spies: Birth: FEB 1861 in Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA. Death: 15 MAY 1927 in Shawano, Shawano, Wisconsin, USA

  2. Charles A. Spies: Birth: 26 NOV 1863 in Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA. Death: 20 FEB 1942 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA

  3. Frank Albert Spies: Birth: 28 APR 1865 in Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. Death: 25 AUG 1935 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA

  4. Amelia B. Spies: Birth: DEC 1866 in , , Wisconsin, USA. Death: 27 DEC 1946 in Marinette, Marinette County, Wisconsin, USA

  5. Harriet Spies: Birth: 11 MAR 1872 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA. Death: 14 SEP 1955 in Milledgeville, Baldwin County, Georgia, USA

  6. Alice Spies: Birth: AUG 1874 in , , Michigan, USA. Death: 1959 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA

  7. Elizabeth Spies: Birth: 27 APR 1876 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA. Death: 27 MAY 1931 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA

  8. Nellie T. Spies: Birth: JUN 1878 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA. Death: 4 OCT 1963 in Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA

  9. Arthur G. Spies: Birth: MAR 1880 in , , Michigan, USA. Death: 1925


Sources
1. Title:   FamilySearch� International Genealogical Index v4.02
2. Title:   1860 Federal Census, United States
3. Title:   1880 Federal Census, United States
4. Title:   Obituary (see notes)

Notes
a. Note:   Household Record 1860 United States Census Town of Winneconne, County of Winnebago, State of Wisconsin, 8 August 1860 ___________________________________________________________________ Name Age Sex Profession/Occupation Value of Real Estate Value of Person al Estate Place of Birth Attending School within the Year Augustus Spies 23 M Farmer $3,400 $300 Darmstadt Gertrude Spies 23 F Darmstadt Justus Spies 54 M Darmstadt Dorothy Spies 52 F Darmstadt Christina Spies 22 F Darmstadt Student Catherine Spies 20 F Darmstadt Student Dorothy Spies 18 F Darmstadt Student Meary Spies 16 F Darmstadt Student Bertha Spies 12 F Darmstadt Student George Meader 15 M Farm Labor Penn Household Record 1880 United States Census ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------ Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace August SPIES Self M Male W 43 GER Grocer GER GER Gertrude SPIES Wife M Female W 43 GER K. House GER GER Della SPIES Dau S Female W 19 WI GER GER Charles SPIES Son S Male W 18 WI At School GER GER Frank SPIES Son S Male W 15 WI Clerk In Store GER GER Millie SPIES Dau S Female W 13 WI Attending School GER GER Harriet SPIES Dau S Female W 10 MI Attending School GER GER Allice SPIES Dau S Female W 7 MI GER GER Elizabeth SPIES Dau S Female W 5 MI GER GER Nellie SPIES Dau S Female W 2 MI GER GER SPIES Other S Female W 2M MI GER GER Adlaide TOWN Other S Female W 14 WI Servant GER GER Amelia SCHRADER Other S Female W 16 GER Servant GER GER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ------ Source Information: Census Place Menominee, Menominee, Michigan Family History Library Film 1254595 NA Film Number T9-0595 Page Number 13C -- Obituary, Menominee Herald-Leader, August 14, 1915 AUGUSTUS SPIES EXPIRES AFTER YEAR'S ILLNESS One of Leading Capitalists of Menominee and Donor of Public Library Dies at His Home; Family is With Him as End Was Expected. FUNERAL TO BE MONDAY Augustus Spies, capitalist and director in many of the largest business interests on the Menominee River, former mayor and donor of the Spies Public library, is dead. The end came yesterday afternoon at 5 o'clock in his home at 1212 Main street. Mr. Spies had been suffering with heart trouble for more than a year. Members of his family were at the bedside. Mr. Spies was 79 years old, and had lived in Menominee for fifty-five years. Funeral services will be held at the residence Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock. All the plans for the funeral had not been completed this afternoon. No man, possibly, has been more prominently identified with the business progress of Menominee than Augustus Spies. Director in many large corporations which contributed materially to the growth and prosperity of the twin cities, and active head of others, his keen business policy was largely responsible for many big enterprises. At the time of his death, Mr. Spies was president of the Menominee & Marinette Light & Traction company and of the First National bank, while he was active head of the Marinette & Menominee Paper company for many years and founder of the Spies Lumber company, now the Spies-Thompson company. Born in Hessel, Darmstadt, Germany, on October 23, 1836, Mr. Spies arrived in the United States in 1850 with his parents, who settled on a farm in Roygan [sic: Poygan] township, Winnebago county, Wisconsin. He attended school in Germany for seven years, but his educational opportunities in his younger life were meager, for he went to work on his father's farm at thirteen years of age. He later worked for a nurseryman, and when he was twenty-two years of age he rented and later bought a farm of 160 acres. After his marriage in 1860, he took advantage of improving finances to complete his education by attending college at Lawrence college in Appleton. He sold his farm, realized a good profit on the land, and came to Menominee in 1866. He started a meat market at the corner of Ludington avenue and Kirby street, later building the first brick building in the city of Menominee at the corner of Ludington avenue and Main street, where the P. C. Servatius market is at present. Mr. Spies remained in the market business until about 1875. In the meantime he had been trading judiciously in real estate and timber lands, and in 1880 he erected a lumber mill on the bay shore, upon the present site of the Spies-Thompson mill. The mill built by Mr. Spies at that time is the oldest mill now operating on the Menominee river, with the possible exception of the N. Ludington company's mill on the island. The long life of this mill was made possible by the firm belief of Mr. Spies in conservation. During the rush times in the lumber industry, when other institutions were running day and night, the Spies mill was open during the daylight hours only. No rise in lumber prices or heavy demand for lumber could force a change in this policy of looking toward the future . Mr. Spies withdrew his interest in the lumber company three years ago, and the Spies-Thompson company is now composed of Frank Spies, his son, and John Thompson. Mr. Spies was one of the incorporators of the Stephenson Banking company of Marinette, which later became the Stephenson National bank, and was director in the bank up until the time of his death. He also helped in the organization of the First National bank of Menominee and was president of that institution at the time of his death. He was president and general manager of the Marinette & Menominee Paper company for many years, retiring as active head for the concern several years ago. Perhaps no other business enterprise in the city owes its growth to Mr. Spies as much as does the Menominee & Marinette Light & Traction Company. He entered the Menominee Electric Light, Railway & Power company in 1891 when the first street railway lines were built, and became president of that company. He was instrumental in the consolidation of the traction company with the Menominee Gas company and the Marinette Gas, Electric Light & Street Railway company in 1903, and was president of the consolidated enterprise, the present Menominee & Marinette Light & Traction company. He was still president of the company at the time of his death, thus making a continuous service of twenty-four years in that capacity. Men associated with him in business had unlimited confidence in his business judgment, and there was little trouble in financing ventures in which he was interested. He also believed in Menominee for Menomineans, as shown by an anecdote recalled by Edward Daniell, general manager of the traction company. An offer from eastern capitalists for controlling interest in the traction company had been received. The offer was considered a good one and some of the company directors were in favor of acceptance. Mr. Spies put down his foot against the sale. "If we let a crowd of eastern capitalists get hold of this, they might not take the same interest which Menominee people would take, and let it run down," Mr. Spies told the directors, and the stock was not sold. The Spies home at the corner of Main street and Woodford court was the first solid brick residence built in Menominee. Mr. Spies often recalled during the last few years how people had chided him because he was building his house "way off in the woods." His generosity to the city was best demonstrated in his gift of the Spies Public library site and building in 1903 and by charter amendment this became the public library of the city. Out of respect to the memory of the donor, Librarian Zana K. Miller announced that the library would be closed until after the funeral of Mr. Spies. In addition to his civic gift, Mr. Spies was a liberal benefactor of various public charities and churches in Menominee. Mr. Spies was interested in public affairs all through his residence here. He was one of the first aldermen after the incorporation of the city in 1888, and he treasured a city order for $1, which was the compensation for serving on the council at that time, and which he had never cashed. He was elected mayor in 1906 with a vote of 1,178 to 544 for George Haggerson, his opponent, and was re-elected in 1908, retiring from office two years later. He served six years as a member of the school board and for many years as a cemetery trustee. Gertrude Prince, whom he knew in Germany before coming to this country and to whom he was married in 1860, survives her husband. The living children of this union are: Charles A., Frank and Arthur Spies, Mrs. D. G. Bothwell, Mrs. R. W. S. Hoskin[s], Mrs. C. R. Elwood, Mrs. Victor de Morainville, Menominee; Mrs. George H. Peats [sic], Evanston, Ill.; and Mrs. F. W. Humphrey of Shawano, Wis. Three children died in infancy. _______________________________________________________________________________________- Menominee County Michigan Biographies Augustus Spies A. Spies, a prominent lumber dealer of Menominee Michigan is one of the most enterprising and progressive business men of the city. A resume of his life is as follows. A. Spies was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, October 23, 1836. In 1850 he came to America with his parents, who made their settlement on wild land in Poygan Township, Winnebago County Wisconsin. As soon as the land was on the market, his father bought the tract upon which he and his family had settled, and as the years passed by he developed a fine farm. He had come to this county, with but little means. A short time before his death he rented his farm and made his home with his son, the subject of our sketch. He died at the age of 63 years and his wife passed away at about the same age. They were the parents of eight children, seven now living - Mrs. Lightenburg of Oshkosh WI; Jacob, Oconto WI; our subject: Mrs. Van Loon Bloomer WI; Mrs. Church Winneconne WI; Mrs. Peter Kurtzmier Bloomer WI and Mrs. Kurtzmier, Chippewa County WI. Mr. A. Spies was reared to farm life. He attended school seven years in Germany and after coming to this country was for several terms a student in the common schools near his home in Wisconsin. When he was 13 he began working out as a farm hand. He continued working for wages until he was 20 and for three years before he was 20 he was employed in a nursery; then for two years he rented a farm in Winneconne Twp. Winnebago County, at the end of which time he purchased 160 acres of improved land in that township. He made some additional improvements to his farm, and continued operating it, off and on, until he was 30 years of age. In the meantime he rented it one year while he removed with his family to Appleton, where he attended college. When he was 30 he again rented his farm, and this time moved to Menominee. Here he has since lived and prospered. For 12 years he conducted a meat market and general supply store, and while thus occupied traded some in real estate, making a specialty of timber lands. In 1880 he built his present mill, which he has since operated, at first being in partnership with Henry Martin, but for the past 11 years has done business alone. Pine lumber is the chief product of his mill; and while Mr. Spies has given close attention to his lumber business he has also found time to give to the advancing of other interests. He was one of the incorporators of the Stephenson Banking Company of Marinette WI, which later was organized into the National Bank, of which he was a director. Subsequently he helped to organize the First National Bank of Menominee and is vice president of the same. He is also president of the Marinette and Menominee Paper Company and is president of the Menominee Electric Light, Railroad and Power Company. He is one of the trustees and chairman of the Board of the Cemetery Association, of Menominee, and is a director of the the Gruhl Sash and Door Manufactory, of Milwaukee WI. The first brick block in Menominee was erected by him, its location being on Main street, and his residence was the first solid brick residence in the town. Thus it is seen that he is and has been for year, prominently connected with the material growth and development of Menominee. It may here be stated that he disposed of his farm, above referred to, some years ago. Mr. Spies was married in 1860 to Gertrude Prince, a native of Hesse Darmstadt. She came with her parents to America in about 1852, their location being in Onondaga county NY where they spent the rest of their lives. She was educated in Germany and in the high school at Horicon WI. Mr. and Mrs. Spies are the parents of nine children - Charles A., of Menominee; Frank A., also of Menominee; Arthur G, attending school; Adella wife of Frank Humphrey of Shawano WI; Amelia wife of D.G. Bothwell; and Hattie, Alice, Lizzie and Nelie, at home. Mrs. Spies is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is in harmony with the Republican party. He has served four years in the City Council and six years as a member of the School Board, being treasurer of the latter. From the Memorial Record of the Northern Peninsula 1895


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