They don't show up in the U.S. census of 1870,nor in that year's directory of the City of Chicago.  But since 1871, there has been a continuing presence of Breitsprecher in Chicago.  By 1871, Chicago was experiencing exceptional growth, so the Mayer asked the Edwards Directory of Chicago to do a detailed canvas.  The directory listed a Breitsprecher, William, a baker who rented a place at 27 Cornell in the 15th Ward with 2 males and 1 female, total 3, born in Germany.

Chicago of 1871 would be a good place for the Breitsprecher's to put down roots.  There was already a large, established German population.  The growing city could definitely put a skilled worker to good use keeping itself fed  

Cornell Street no longer exists on Chicago's north side.  In 1871, it was a small street about a quarter of a mile west from the north branch of the Chicago River; intersecting Milwaukee Avenue and running just a few blocks west.  It had mixed residences and businesses, outside of the central business district, but still densely populated and bustling.  

On the evening of October 9 of that year, life in Chicago became exceedingly frantic, for a fire southwest of the city center jumped the south branch of the Chicago River, swept through the central business district, and then jumped the river again t  spread north.  Luckily, the north branch of the Chicago River kept the fire from spreading west, or the Breitsprecher's life in the New World could have been very short.

The family continues to live in the same neighborhood during the rebuilding of the city, although their address changes often.  In 1880, Edward shows up in the city directory as a clerk working just a few doors away from he family home.  It is interesting to note that these city directories were published for business use, very expensive ($50 in 1910) and only listing businesses, working people categorizing their profession, and widows.  Although those directories often list business addresses as well as the residential address, there is never a specific business address listed for where William bakes (maybe he baked breads in the home?).

For the first time, the Breitsprecher's also show up in the Federal Census.  In the census, William, Louisa, and Edward are listed as being born in Russia.  William and Louisa's fathers are listed as being Prussian and their mothers, Russian.  The city has grown to over half a million people.  From the Chicago fire to WWI, the city's population growth exceeds any seen in the history of the world.  By 1890, Chicago is over a million strong, surpassing Philadelphia as the second largest city in the United States.  By the time Dad is born, Chicago's population exceeds 3 million.

By the early 1880's, the neighborhood that the Breitsprecher's were living in would have been swallowed by developing, planned central manufacturing district  and spread out along the north and south branches of the river.  The city was becoming more congested, noisy, industrialized, and polluted.  

to counter this, the city reversed the flow of the Chicago and Calumet rivers to drain from the fresh water source, Lake Michigan.  The city also raised the street grid so a "municipal sewer system" could be installed.  In some older neighborhoods, you can still see front yard and doorways below street level.

The city also developed a ring of large, open spaces with formal gardens and man-mad lagoons to break up the dense residential development that was growing up around the central manufacturing district.  It was by one of these, Humboldt Park, that the family now moves.  

The records of this period don't seem consistent.  Sometimes, the city directories don't list the Breitsprecher's and the street numbering system isn't standardized yet.  Their residential address seems to jump around quite q bit.  Except for the 1880 listing with Edward as a clerk when he is 15 years old; when he shows up in the directories in the 1880's, he is a baker.  He is always listed at the same address.  In 1889, and Ernest R. Breitsprecher is listed boarding with William.  There are no Federal Census listings for 1890 and 1900, they were destroyed in a fire.