AUGUST BAADER - Historical Albion Michigan

Coming up on Sunday, October 14 at 1:30 p.m. will be my annual guided tour of Riverside Cemetery. This year’s tour is entitled "The German Hill Tour of Riverside Cemetery," and I hope to see you and your family there for a great afternoon together.

A German name once prominent in Albion which is now extinct is the Baader family. August J. Baader (1863-1939) was a local cigar maker. Several Germans here engaged in that trade a hundred years ago, along with various saloons that dotted downtown Albion. A native of Baden, Germany, the family came to Manchester, Michigan in 1872. After working at a cigar firm in Jackson for 18 years, August came to Albion in 1894 and started his own cigar firm. He was also in partnership with August Wochholz from 1901 to 1903 at 114 E. Erie St.

August lived at 107 E. Walnut St., and his cigar-making factory was behind the house at 105 E. Walnut St. It is the house that sits so far back it is right next to the alley in the center of the block. It was here that thousands of cigars were rolled and up to 15 persons were employed in the trade. The retail outlet store was at 309 S. Superior St., and August operated the firm until his death in 1939. His wife was Henrietta Beilfuss (1862-1945).

From our Historical Notebook we present a photograph of the August Baader cigar factory with nine workers, circa 1920. Here we see even the ladies with tobacco leaves on their laps as they perform their tasks. In this internet version we also present a photograph of August and his wife Henrietta. These photographs are courtesy of James Baader Pahl of Mason.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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