Ada Kornblum
Occupation: Student
Born:
Birthplace:
Died:

Ada Kornblum was a young resident of Leadville who lived in the city in 1893. She first appeared in the roster for Ninth Street School published in the Herald Democrat on December 10, 1893. [1] Two days later, the Herald Democrat published a story on the year’s Hanukkah celebration held at Temple Israel at which Ada and her Sunday school class performed “musical and literary entertainment.” [2] Ada does not appear in historical records after December 12, 1893, nor is it clear who she lived with during her brief tenure in Leadville. It is nearly certain that she had relatives in Leadville, either parents, siblings, or more distant. However, neither the name Kornblum nor alternate spellings such as Cornbloom appear in Leadville’s city directories or censuses. The only potential lead on Ada’s origins and family can be found in the 1892 Washington (State) Census in which a nine-year-old Ada Kornblum appears alongside her mother and father, G. and M. S. Kornblum, and a younger brother, Abe, living in Tacoma. [3] The Ada found in the 1892 Census is possibly the same Ada who lived in Leadville, however the lack of vital records available during her residence in Leadville makes it difficult to corroborate whether they are the same person.

Leadville’s Ninth Street School which Ada Kornblum attended. The school was located at the corner of 9th Street and Poplar.

Courtesy of Lake County Public Library Mountain History Collection.

Ninth Street School, scanned photograph, 5.1 cm x 3.1 cm, Mountain History Collection, Lake County Public Library, Leadville, photo ID: 00414CC, resource ID: 1413, accessed November 17, 2020: http://69.146.43.46:8081/pages/view.php?search=ninth+street+school&k=&modal=&display=xlthumbs&order_by=relevance&offset=0&per_page=48&archive=&sort=DESC&restypes=1%2C2%2C3%2C4%2C5&recentdaylimit=&foredit=&ref=1413.

Sanborn fire insurance map showing the location of the 9th street school at the corner of 9th Street and Poplar Avenue. This building no longer stands today, but the ground is partly occupied by a modern playground.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Leadville, Lake County, Colorado. Sanborn Map Company, October 1889. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01031_003.

Same intersection of 9th Street and Poplar Avenue as shown with Google Maps satellite view. The southeast corner where the school once stood is currently partly occupied by a modern playground called Kiddie Koral.

Image by Google Maps satellite view.