Sam Ehrlich

Born 1860

Born in Austria

Parents from Austria

Immigrated 1884

Married in 1885 to Mollie (Maiden name unknown)

Tailor

 

Mollie Ehrlich

Born 1860

Born in Germany

Parents from Germany

Immigrated 1882

Married in 1885 to Sam Ehrlich

 

Benjamin Ehrlich

Born 1887

Born in New York

 

Mary Ehrlich

Born 1889

Born in Colorado

 

Nettie Ehrlich

Born 1891

Born in Colorado

 

Lizzie Ehrlich

Born 1893

Born in Colorado

Sam Ehrlich was born in Austria during 1860.  Ehrlich immigrated to America at the age of 24 in 1884.  Initially, he settled in New York.  He married Mollie (maiden name unknown) in 1885. Mollie was born in Germany during 1860, and immigrated to America during 1882.  While in New York the couple had their first child, Benjamin, in 1887. Afterwards, they left the East Coast for the opportunity which awaited pioneers on the frontier and moved to the mining communities of Colorado.  The Ehrlichs had three more children while in Colorado: Mary in 1889, Nettie in 1891, and Lizzie in 1893.[1]

 

The Ehrlichs arrived in Leadville in 1894 and subsequently set up a tailoring store.[2]  From 1894 to 1899 Ehrlich’s business was located at 111 East 5th Street.[3]   In 1900 the store moved to 103 East 4th Street, where it remained until 1901.[4]   From 1900 to 1902 the Ehrlich residence was listed as 135 East 4th Street.[5]   Their residence is not listed for the previous years, but they may have resided in their store.

Sam Ehrlich had a rocky start in Leadville.  In January ,1894, his first appearance in the local newspaper granted him some minor notoriety.   When he moved to Leadville Sam took out a chattel loan to pay for the furnishing of his home.  However, Sam proved unable to pay off the loan.  In financial distress, he skipped town, fleeing to Salt Lake City and later Ogden, Utah.   Sam claimed he did not understand the details of the loan and he later absconded “from the city, taking a portion of the mortgaged furniture with him.  He was located in Salt Lake, and later in Ogden and a portion of the goods recovered.”   The goods were later requisitioned and Sam was put in jail on his return to Leadville.   In the trial “J. L. Wright was the first witness for the people.  He had been the means of getting the goods back from Utah at the time Sam was captured in Ogden.  He identified the goods as those shipped in the name of George Curtis.

This was really the leading feature of the transactions, as it gave the prosecution the argument that Sam’s intention was bad, and that he knew he was doing wrong when he shipped the goods under a false name.”[10]   The conclusion of the trial is not clear.  However, the ramifications were not serious enough for the Ehrlichs to leave Leadville and a few months later, in September, Sam was running advertisements for his business. [11]

 

The Ehrlichs were involved extensively in Leadville’s social scene.  Both Sam [12] and Mollie [13] were part of the Modern Woodmen of the World / Women of Woodcraft organization. Their son Benjamin appeared in the papers several times during his adolescence.  In 1900, after switching schools, Ben and Abraham Flaks became disgruntled and decided to run away.  They were later

apprehended in Denver and returned to their families.[14]  Ben was active in sports, and participated in local hockey [15] and baseball clubs.[16]  He was even the captain of his baseball team during 1901.[17]  Marie and Lizzie both appear in the Herald Democrat, participating in the Sunday School held at Temple Israel.[18]  In June, 1902, Ben and Marie both underwent confirmation ceremonies at Temple Israel.[19]

 

The Ehrlichs disappear from the city directories after 1902 and moved to Pueblo. [20]  In 1912 [21] and 1913 [22] Ben returned to Leadville to visit his old friends.  Afterwards the Ehrlich family ceases to appear in any Leadville records.  The family arrived in Leadville and experienced an uncertain start, but the duration of Samuel’s business suggests that they later experienced more stability and success.