The Firm’s History Detroit, 1865

Over 160 Years of Patent Practice

The practice’s beginnings, early partnerships, clients, and work in Detroit, told first-hand in Recollections of Fifty Years of Patent Practice—the original typewritten history preserved in the firm’s library.

Established: 1865
Founder: Col. Thomas S. Sprague
Founded in: Detroit, Michigan

The first typewritten page of Recollections of Fifty Years of Patent Practice — “…the business, which was established in 1865, the year of my birth. The originator was Colonel Thomas S. Sprague…”Recollections, page 1

From the firm library

The Original Record

64 pages · Binder pp. 4–67 · Archival scan

This archival excerpt reproduces the complete first history contained in the firm’s blue binder: PDF pages 4–67, ending before the newspaper clipping and the separate account that follows. Spelling, wording, pagination, and historical perspective remain as they appear in the source.

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Source: The History of Reising Ethington, blue binder preserved in the firm library. This 64-page excerpt is reproduced from an image-only archival scan.