Max Kaufman
Occupation: Journalist, musician
Born: 1860
Birthplace: Germany or Pennsylvania
Died: Between 1930 and 1940
Max Kaufman was a journalist and musician who briefly lived in Leadville in the early 1880s. Most likely born in Germany in April 1860, Max responded in the 1900 US Census that he was brought to the United States by 1862, presumably by his parents. [1] Curiously, in the 1920 US Census Max responded that he was born in Pennsylvania to a Pennsylvania-born father and a German-born mother. [2] An article in the American Israelite which briefly described Max Kaufman’s life indicated that he worked as a “minstrel” for the poet Eugene Field prior to his arrival in Colorado. Eugene would have been living in Missouri at the time, placing Max there as well. [3]
Max arrived in Colorado in 1880 and first settled in Denver where he worked for a German newspaper. [4] He showed an interest in Leadville quite early, however, as a notice in the December 12, 1880 edition of the Leadville Daily Herald reported that he was visiting the city and would “probably engage in the newspaper business at this place.” [5] Max officially moved to Leadville by 1881, the first and only year Leadville city directories listed his presence. He boarded at 141 West Chestnut Street and worked as a reporter for the Carbonate Chronicle, one of Leadville’s local weekly newspapers. [6]
Soon after his arrival, Max attained the position of first violin in Leadville’s Apollo club, a musical group which gave concerts in the city on occasion. [7] He later co-founded a small musical group with two men named Passmore and Vinton. [8] Though their concerts were rare, the Leadville Weekly Herald reported that they were profitable and highly regarded. Max’s interest in the performing arts also included theatre as he took up the role of Uncle Josh in the play “The Man from Texas” put on in March 1881 for the benefit of the Humphreys Hose firefighting company. [9] Max was reportedly a volunteer for Humphreys Hose, but the company removed him from the roll by mid-April 1881 for “appropriating funds belonging to the company.” [10]
The notice of Max’s expulsion was his final appearance in local historical records, though whether it served as an impetus for his departure is not known. Max reappears nearly twenty years later in the 1900 US Census recorded as living in a Philadelphia boarding house with his wife, Rosalie H. Kaufman. [11] According to the American Israelite, Max worked for the New York Times until 1899 at which point he joined the Philadelphia Record for which he worked until Philadelphia’s Mayor John Edgar Reyburn chose him as his private secretary in 1907. [12] Max and Rosalie likely remained in Philadelphia for the remainder of their lives, evidenced by their continued residence in the city as recorded in the 1920 US Census. Max appears one last time in the 1930 US Census as a widower at the age of 70. [13]
1 "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M37V-CGN: accessed October 29, 2020), Max Kaufmann in household of Esther E Wilkinson, Philadelphia city Ward 15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 286, sheet 4B, family 66, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972); FHL microfilm 1,241,458.
2 "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNML-58N: accessed October 29, 2020), Max Kaufman, Philadelphia Ward 32, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 1061, sheet 15B, line 87, family 389, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1633; FHL microfilm 1,821,633.
3 The American Israelite (Cincinnati, OH: The American Israelite) April 25, 1907, P6.
4 Personal (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald) December 12, 1880, P1.
5 Personal, December 12, 1880, P1.
6 Schrader’s Skin (Denver, CO: Weekly Denver Tribune) March 9, 1881, P3.
7 The Apollo Concert (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald) March 20, 1881, P1.
8 Our Denver Letter (Leadville, CO: Leadville Weekly Herald) March 19, 1881, P7.
9 Help the Boys (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald) March 10, 1881, P4.
10 Expelled (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald) April 17, 1881, P4.
11 United States Census, 1900.
12 The American Israelite, April 25, 1907, P6.
13 "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH4J-LVK: accessed October 29, 2020), Max Kauffman in household of John Thomas, Philadelphia (Districts 0501-0750), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 503, sheet 9A, line 28, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2140; FHL microfilm 2,341,874.
Bibliography
Expelled. Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. April 17, 1881.
Help the Boys. Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. March 10, 1881.
Our Denver Letter. Leadville, CO: Leadville Weekly Herald. March 19, 1881.
Personal. Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. December 12, 1880.
Schrader’s Skin. Denver, CO: Weekly Denver Tribune. March 9, 1881.
The American Israelite. Cincinnati, OH: The American Israelite. April 25, 1907.
The Apollo Concert. Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. March 20, 1881.
"United States Census, 1900." Database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M37V-CGN: accessed October 29, 2020). Max Kaufmann in household of Esther E Wilkinson, Philadelphia city Ward 15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 286, sheet 4B, family 66, NARA microfilm publication T623. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972. FHL microfilm 1,241,458.
"United States Census, 1920." Database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNML-58N: accessed October 29, 2020). Max Kaufman, Philadelphia Ward 32, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 1061, sheet 15B, line 87, family 389, NARA microfilm publication T625. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992. Roll 1633; FHL microfilm 1,821,633.
"United States Census, 1930." Database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH4J-LVK: accessed October 29, 2020). Max Kauffman in household of John Thomas, Philadelphia (Districts 0501-0750), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 503, sheet 9A, line 28, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T626. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002. Roll 2140; FHL microfilm 2,341,874.
To cite any of the information in this biography, please use the following reference.
AUTHOR: Quinn Whittington
EDITOR: William Korn
SOURCE: Jewish Surnames/Kaufman
PUBLISHED BY: Temple Israel Foundation. Leadville, CO; USA. 2020
STABLE URL: http://www.jewishleadville.org/kaufman.html
