It can be traced back to Michael Isaac Speyer (1644–1692), who had briefly been the head of the Jewish community in Frankfurt am Main in 1691–92.
In 1837 Lazard Joseph's brother Philipp left Frankfurt am Main for New York City and established there in 1845 Philipp Speyer & Co. (after Philipp´s death in 1876 renamed Speyer & Co.).
The Frankfurt branch, Lazard Speyer-Ellissen, was dissolved in 1934, shortly after the Machtergreifung, the coming into power of the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
[6] The Frankfurt family home, the prominent Villa Speyer, was taken away by the National Socialists in 1938.
[8] The Speyer family belonged to Frankfurt’s patrons and made considerable foundations to support science and scientific education.