John Charles Spry (1828 - 1891)

Born 13 Aug 1828 in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Ellen (Hirst) Spry — married about 1858 in Illinois, United States

Descendants

Died 5 Feb 1891 at age 62 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

Biography

John was born and christened in Cornwall in 1828.^[1]

In the 1840s, he moved to the United States with his parents. In the 1850s, he married Ellen Hirst. In 1860, the four of them lived in Chicago, Illinois.

Obituary

1891 Feb 6, Friday, Daily Inter Ocean, Chicago IL, Page 1 HIS BUSY LIFE ENDED John Spry, the Well Known Chicago Lumberman Passed Away Last Night. A Resident of this City for Many Years and Prominent in Business Circles. From a Humble Beginning He builds Up an Enormous Lumber Trade Clean, Straight, and True. Last night at 9 o’clock, after a painful illness of one month, John Spry died at his residence, No 481 Montrose street. A year ago Mr. Spry was severely attacked by the gripped and for some time it was feared that he would not live. Although he apparently recovered, he found his general health undermined, and for the past year has been more or less ailing. A month ago he attended the Hebrew charity ball and in some way caught cold. He was out the next day, but the following day was not able to leave his bed. Serious complications arose, involving the kidney and liver. There was apparently blood poisoning and finally the brain became affected. For the four days preceding his death he was delirious and died without recovering consciousness. The Story of His Life is a plain, straightforward tale of a long, honest, manly, useful career. He was born in Cornwall, England, August 13, 1828, and was therefore 62 years, 7 months and 21 days old at his death. When he was 13 years old he came to Chicago. He began his lumber business by entering the yard of Andrew Smith at a salary of $12 a month. Smith’s lumber yard was then at the corner of South Water and Franklin streets, the site of the Lumber Exchange block. That was the beginning of a business which has grown steadily for fifty years until today. John Spry is as well known in the lumber trade as Gould or Vanderbilt in the railroad world. In 1848 with the opening of the Illinois Canal, business increased in activity. Honest, industrious John Spry was one of the first to receive the $50 a month salaries which came in with the early ‘50s. In 1854 he was working for F. B. Gardiner, and in the following year he married Miss Ellen Hirst, who survives him. Soon after he acquired a working interest in Mr. Gardiner’s business and retained it until 1866 when he acquired a general interest, which he held. later he formed the partnership of Gardiner and Spry with H. H. Gardiner. This lasted for three years and then the Gardiner-Spry Lumber Company was formed. In 1885 Mr. Gardiner retired and Mr. Spry formed the John Spry Lumber Company, with himself as president and his three sons, John C., S.A., and George E. Spry as vice president, secretary and treasurer, respectively. THE PROSPERITY WHICH Mr. Spry deserved followed him. the company owns 20,000 acres of pine lands in the Lake Superior regions and great yards in this city. A Schooner, the S. B. Pomeroy and two steam barges, the J. L. Johnson and the H. S. Hubbel belong to the company and are engaged in bringing the lumber from the pine lands to the yards. The business of the company is over $1,000,000 years. Mr. Spry was one of the earliest members of the Board of Trade. In politics he was a consistent Republican and deeply interested. he never failed to vote at elections and primaries. He was a t one time collector of the West town and in 1887 was elected county commissioner. He was one of the Republican candidates for the drainage commission. He was prominent in Masonic circles, being a life member of his commanders in the Knights Templar and a member of Oriental Consistory A. and A.S.R. He was an active member of the Second Baptist Church and took great interest in its work and prosperity. He was a sunny tempered man, making many friends and losing none. Cheeriness was eminently to be seen in his twinkling eyes, pleasant smile, and hearty voice. he was persistent in manliness, quiet earnestness, and thorough honesty. It speaks for the man that it is held in the trade that lumber from the John Spry Company is clean, straight and true, and better words cold not be found to describe the man himself. He leaves his mother, an aged lady of 85, his widow and seven children. The youngest of his four sons is in Europe and of the three daughters, one is a widow and the other two young girls of 15 and 10 years of age. Mr. Spry was essentially a home lover. After the cares of business, he found his greatest delight in his beautiful home, where with mother, wife, and children he lived quietly and happily. No arrangements have as yet been made for the funeral, but it is probable that it will occur on Sunday, that the interment will be at Rose Hill, and that his life long friend, Dr. Lawrence, will preach the funeral sermon.

^[2] Together, John and Ellen had NUMBER children:

1. John Charles (b. 1857)
2. Eliza Olive (b. 1859)
3. Samuel Alfred (b. 1862)
4. George Edward (b. 1864)
5. Walter Pope (b. 1868)
6. Charlotte Maud (b. 1874)
7. Ellen Emma (b. 1878).

In 1870, the Spry family still lived with John's parents in Chicago.^[3] By 1880, his father had passed and the Spry family and his mother remained in Chicago, where John was half of Gardner & Spry, a lumber company.^[4]

He passed away in 1891.^[5] He was buried at Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NG9P-VH8 : 10 April 2021), John Spry, 1828.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX4L-QY6 : 18 February 2021), John Spry in entry for Samuel Spry, 1860.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M64R-D88 : 29 May 2021), John Spey in entry for Samuel Spey, 1870.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXNT-ZZT : 13 January 2022), John Spry, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
5. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7N1-R3G : 8 March 2018), John Spry, 05 Feb 1891; citing , Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference cn 14894, record number 39, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,030,965.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88705436/john-spry: accessed 06 November 2022), memorial page for John Spry (13 Aug 1828–5 Feb 1891), Find a Grave Memorial ID 88705436, citing Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA; Maintained by John Burns (contributor 46739176) .