In 1875 Carl Gustav Adolph Voigt (1833-1908), a German immigrant, moved his family from Michigan City, Indiana to Grand Rapids, Michigan to join his business partner, William G. Herpolsheimer (1841-1920) in the dry goods business. Voigt, Herpolsheimer & Co. operated out of a storefront at 42 Monroe Street.

In time they purchased an interest in the Star mills, managed by Mangold, Kusterer & Co., with Voigt’s primary focus being the mills and Herpolsheimer’s the dry goods business. In 1877 the management company changed its name to Voigt, Kusterer & Co. After Kusterer was lost on the steamer Alpena in 1880 the firm became C. G. A. Voigt, purchasing Crescent Mill in 1882. Eventually Carl G. A. Voigt became president of the Voigt Milling Company, operating both the Star and Crescent mills. In 1902 Voigt and Herpolsheimer amicably dissolved their partnership; Voigt taking the mills and Herpolsheimer the dry goods business.

When C. G. A. Voigt died in 1908 his wife, Elizabeth S. (Wurster) Voigt (1841-1929), and four of his six children carried on the Voigt Milling Company. Elizabeth was named vice-president of the business and was active until her death in 1929. Their son, Frank A. (1861-1927), was president and manager until his death and their daughter, Emma Louise Voigt (1870-1953), was described as a director of the Voigt Milling Company in her obituary. Carl S. (1874-1958) and Ralph (1882-1971) worked for the company in various capacities until 1955 when the operation was closed down as a result of a strike. The buildings were demolished in the early 1970s.

These notes were written with information from the collection itself, obituaries from The Grand Rapids Herald, articles from Michigan Tradesman, and records at AncestryLibrary Edition.