Mount Morris (Ogle County), Ill., merchant and landowner.
Born in Md., Sprecher moved to Mount Morris in 1839. Originally a farmer, he became a hardware dealer in 1864. In 1866, he opened general merchandise store, Sprecher & Clevidence, in partnership with Henry H. Clevidence (1836-1901). They sold dry goods, groceries, and clothing in a building on corner of Center and Wesley streets, and after 1876 in a new store built on Wesley Street. After 1875, they also traded in grain. This business was sold to L.C. Stanley in 1891. In 1893, Sprecher returned to the dry goods business as John Sprecher & Co. which he operated until he died on April 29, 1911. Sprecher married Lydia Palmer (1838-1919) in 1857; they had ten children. He and his sons owned farmland and other properties in Ill., Iowa, Wis., Kan., and S.D.
From the description of Papers, 1857-1913. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 40464809
