Meyer Rehoefer
Occupation: Clerk, store manager
Born: est. 1845
Birthplace: Germany
Died: N/A
Meyer Rehoefer was a German immigrant born to German parents circa 1845. [1] He lived in Leadville between 1880 and 1883 working originally at the clothing store Poznanski & Cohen, [2] later at G. J. Nichols, [3] and finally at Frankle & Butler, owners of the famous Palace of Fashion [4] clothing store which suffered a major fire in 1882. [5]
Meyer arrived in Leadville sometime prior to the publication of the 1880 city directory where he began working as a clerk at Poznanski & Cohen. [6] The 1880 US Census indicates that he was unmarried and a boarder with Reuben Wisotski and Sam Cohen who both lived at 203 Harrison Avenue, located above the clothing store. [7] In 1882, Meyer began working as a clerk at G. J. Nichols, another clothing store located on Harrison Avenue. [8] He shifted his career again in 1883, becoming a manager for Frankle & Butler while also settling into a new apartment at 320 Harrison Avenue. [9]
Meyer does not appear in city directories after 1883 and is not listed in the 1885 Colorado Census, indicating that he had left the state when his tenure in Leadville ended. Where he went is not known.
The store of Poznanski & Cohen at 203 Harrison Avenue where Meyer worked in 1880.
1883 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Maps Division.
A newspaper lithograph of Meyer’s residence (upper floor) and his employer (storefront to the right) in late 1880.
“Mrs. Sarah Ray’s Block.”. Leadville, CO: Leadville Weekly Democrat. January 1, 1881. Page 20.
1 "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFDJ-W3V), M Reahoffen in household of S Cohen, Leadville, Lake, Colorado, United States; citing enumeration district ED 75, sheet 355C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,091.
2 T. B. Corbett, W. C. Hoye, and J. H. Ballenger, Corbett, Hoye & Co.’s First Annual City Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms etc. in the City of Leadville for 1880 (Leadville, CO: Democrat Printing Company, 1880), P304.
3 T. B. Corbett and J. H. Ballenger, Corbet and Ballenger’s Third Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms etc. in the City of Leadville for 1882 (Leadville, CO: Corbett and Ballenger Publishers, 1882), P240.
4 For more information on the Palace of Fashion fire, please visit: http://www.jewishleadville.org/palaceoffashionfire.html
5 T. B. Corbett and J. H. Ballenger, Corbett and Ballenger’s Fourth Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms Etc. in the City of Leadville for 1883 (Leadville, CO: Corbett and Ballenger Publishers, 1883), P230.
6 Corbett, Hoye, and Ballenger, Leadville, CO: USA, 1880, P304.
7 United States Census, 1880. M Reahoffen; Trevor Mark, Wisotksi (Wisotski) (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2019: http://www.jewishleadville.org/wisotski.html.
8 Corbett and Ballenger, Leadville, CO: USA, 1882, P240.
9 Corbett and Ballenger, Leadville, CO: USA, 1883, P230.
Bibliography
Corbett, T. B., Hoye, W. C., and Ballenger, J. H. Corbet, Hoye and Ballenger’s First Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms Etc. in the City of Leadville for 1880. Leadville, CO: Democrat Printing Company, 1880.
Corbett, T. B. and Ballenger, J. H. Corbet and Ballenger’s Third Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms Etc. in the City of Leadville for 1882. Leadville, CO: Corbet and Ballenger Publishers, 1882.
Corbett, T. B. and Ballenger, J. H. Corbett and Ballenger’s Fourth Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms etc. in the City of Leadville for 1883. Leadville, CO: Corbet and Ballenger Publishers, 1883.
United States Census, 1880. Via FamilySearch.org. https://www.familysearch.org/.
To cite any of the information in this biography, please use the following reference.
AUTHOR: Quinn Whittington
EDITOR: William Korn
SOURCE: Jewish Surnames/Rehoefer
PUBLISHED BY: Temple Israel Foundation. Leadville, CO; USA. 2020
STABLE URL: http://www.jewishleadville.org/rehoefer.html
