Joseph Freudenfeld

Born: 1851, Czechoslovakia.

Died: ?

OCCUPATION(s): Joint proprietor, Freudenfeld and Jelenko (Dry Goods). 11 East Chestnut Street. Mine Speculation

Joseph Freudenfeld was a business partner of Gustave “Fred” Jelenko, who carries the distinction of being the first soul interred in Leadville’s Jewish cemetery. [1] Freudenfeld was involved in establishing The Hebrew Benevolent Association on October 19, 1878, which was responsible for the acquisition of the land section within Evergreen Cemetery designated for Jewish burials . [2] It is not known when Freudenfeld arrived in Leadville, however the confederation’s dry goods store, Freudenfeld & Jelenko had already been established at 11 East Chestnut street by the time the first annual city directory was published in 1879. [3]

It is evident that Joseph left Leadville for Iowa almost immediately after Jelenko’s death. This put most of their business holdings in a state of flux. A lawsuit heard on June 20, 1881, regarding the detention of store inventory by Sherriff Tucker resulted in a judgment against the Sherriff for the value of the property and included an additional $1000 penalty. Freudenfeld was not present for the proceedings and the partnership’s interest was assigned to one D. E. Parks.  The details of the lawsuit are lacking, but, in summary, Sherriff Tucker removed the assets from the Freudenfeld & Jelenko store after Joseph closed up shop and left town to ensure the partnership did not defraud creditors. [4] Freudenfeld and Jelenko also dabbled in mining speculation.  They partnered with several others in the Arctic Lode claim and their shares were absorbed by the remaining partners when Freudenfeld failed to respond to demands for repayment of maintenance fees in 1882. [5]