Joseph H. Silverberg
Occupation: Bookkeeper, clothing merchant
Born: Est. 1840
Birthplace: Prussia/Russia
Died: N/A
Despite being a Leadville resident intermittently for nine years, Joseph H. Silverberg did not appear to be a fixture in the city’s social scene as local newspapers rarely mentioned him in attendance at any event, Jewish or otherwise. What little is available about his time in Leadville refers to his work in the local clothing and dry goods businesses as well as minor legal involvement.
Joseph was born in Prussia or Russia around 1840. [1] It is not known when he immigrated to the United States as even his naturalization record states that the date and port of his arrival is “not of record.” [2] He did arrive in Leadville by the spring of 1880, at the latest. This is the first year he is listed in the city directory and is counted in the 1880 US Census. [3]
Joseph first worked for clothing and dry goods merchants Henry Frankle [4] and Fred Butler [5] at the Palace of Fashion located at 111 and 113 East Chestnut Street, [6] which was destroyed in the infamous Palace of Fashion Fire on May 19, 1882. [7] Despite the devestation of the business, Joseph remained at the Palace of Fashion until 1883, when Frankle departed Leadville, and continued working with Butler as a clerk until 1884. [8] In addition to his work at Frankle and Butler’s stores, Joseph became minimally involved in mine investment at the Scottish Chief lode. [9]
He does not appear in Leadville’s city directories or newspapers from 1885 to 1888 nor does he show up in the 1885 Colorado census. The reason for his disappearance, while unknown, was only temporary. Joseph returned to Leadville in 1889 to open a dry goods business at 428 ½ East 6th Street. [10] He then shifted exclusively to men’s furnishing for his last five years in the city. The store was located at 203 Harrison Avenue until 1894. [11]
As previously indicated, Joseph was either a rather unsociable person or chose not to attend notable events covered by local newspapers. His only newspaper mentions outside of his work and mine involvement, referred to selection as a petite or grand juror in 1892 [12] and receiving writs of attachment against Fred Butler for unknown reasons. [13] He no longer shows up in Leadville newspapers after 1893.
Although Joseph was naturalized in Lake County in 1896, there is no indication that he lived in the city after 1894. Joseph next materiealizes appears in Denver in 1895, when he is listed in the city directory as a “rag man” living in the Colfax neighborhood near Platte River [14] (now West Colfax), home to a large segment of Denver's Jewish community. [15] Absent from the 1900 US Census, Joseph remained in Colorado until 1902 when he advertised a going out of business sale at his Golden men’s furnishing store on the advice of his physician. [16] This ad was the last reference to his presence in the state. Joseph Silverberg’s whereabouts after leaving Colorado are untraceable because no one matching his vital records appears in later censuses or available cemetery records in the United States.
1 "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFDJ-C3W: July 4,
2021), Joseph H Silverberg in household of Henry Frankle, Leadville, Lake, Colorado, United States; citing enumeration district ED
78, sheet 382D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL
microfilm 1,254,091.
2 Colorado, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1868-1990, database with images, Ancestry
(https://search.ancestry.com/cgibin/
sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61194&h=189380&tid=&pid=&queryId=f2a1e7b3c994e1dfd0cff48c498952e7&usePUB=true&_phsrc=R
Ni958&_phstart=successSource: July 4, 2021), Joseph H Silverberg, Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA; citing Naturalization Records
(Denver: National Archives at Denver), NAI number 1307044, record group number 85.
3 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), P329.
4 For more on the Frankle family, see: Matt Hulstine, Frankle (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2016:
http://www.jewishleadville.org/frankle.html.
5 For more on the Butler family, see: Matt Hulstine, Butler (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2016:
http://www.jewishleadville.org/butler.html.
6 Semi-Annual Clearance Sale! (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald), August 24, 1880, P4.
7 “Palace of Fashion Fire,” Temple Israel, accessed July 5, 2021, http://www.jewishleadville.org/palaceoffashionfire.html.
8 T. B. Corbett and J. H. Ballenger, Corbett & Ballenger’s Fifth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the
Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of
Leadville, for 1884 (Leadville, CO: Corbett & Ballenger Publishers, 1884), P223.
9 Land Office (Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald), October 19, 1882, P4.
10 J. H. Ballenger and W. H. Richards, Ballenger & Richards’ Tenth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List of
the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of
Leadville, for 1889 (Leadville, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1889), P226.
11 J. H. Ballenger and W. H. Richards, Ballenger & Richards Fourteenth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List
of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of
Leadville, for 1894 (Leadville, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1894), P229.
12 County Commissioners (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat), October 5, 1892, P5.
13 That Replevin Suit (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat), January 14, 1893, P4.
14 J. H. Ballenger and W. H. Richards, Ballenger & Richards Twenty-Third Annual Denver City Directory: Containing a Complete
List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the
City of Denver, for 1895 (Denver, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1895), P963.
15 “West Colfax Neighborhood History,” Denver Public Library, accessed July 5, 2021, https://history.denverlibrary.org/west-colfaxneighborhood-
history.
16 Forced to Quit Business (Golden, CO: The Colorado Transcript), January 1, 1902, P4.
Bibliography
Ballenger, J. H. and W. H. Richards. Ballenger & Richards’ Tenth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of Leadville, for 1889. Leadville, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1889.
Ballenger, J. H. and W. H. Richards. Ballenger & Richards Fourteenth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of Leadville, for 1894. Leadville, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1894.
Ballenger, J. H. and W. H. Richards. Ballenger & Richards Twenty-Third Annual Denver City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of Denver, for 1895. Denver, CO: Ballenger & Richards, Publishers, 1895.
Colorado, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1868-1990. Database with images, Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61194&h=189380&tid=&pid=&queryId=f2a1e7b3c994e1dfd0cff48c498952e7&usePUB=true&_phsrc=RNi958&_phstart=successSource: July 4, 2021). Joseph H Silverberg, Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA; citing Naturalization Records. Denver: National Archives at Denver. NAI number 1307044, record group number 85.
Corbett, T. B., 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.
Corbett, T. B. and J. H. Ballenger. Corbett & Ballenger’s Fifth Annual Leadville City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms, Etc. in the City of Leadville, for 1884. Leadville, CO: Corbett & Ballenger, Publishers, 1884.
County Commissioners. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. October 5, 1892.
Denver Public Library. “West Colfax Neighborhood History.” Accessed July 5, 2021. https://history.denverlibrary.org/west-colfax-neighborhood-history.
Forced to Quit Business. Golden, CO: The Colorado Transcript. January 1, 1902.
Hulstine, Matt. Frankle. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2016: http://www.jewishleadville.org/frankle.html.
Hulstine, Matt. Butler. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2016: http://www.jewishleadville.org/butler.html.
Land Office. Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. October 19, 1882.
Semi-Annual Clearance Sale! Leadville, CO: Leadville Daily Herald. August 24, 1880.
Temple Israel. “Palace of Fashion Fire.” Accessed July 5, 2021. http://www.jewishleadville.org/palaceoffashionfire.html.
That Replevin Suit. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. January 14, 1893.
"United States Census, 1880." Database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFDJ-C3W: July 4, 2021). Joseph H Silverberg in household of Henry Frankle, Leadville, Lake, Colorado, United States; citing enumeration district ED 78, sheet 382D, NARA microfilm publication T9. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. FHL microfilm 1,254,091.
To cite any of the information in this biography, please use the following reference.
AUTHOR: Quinn Whittington
EDITOR: William Korn
SOURCE: Jewish Surnames/Silverberg
PUBLISHED BY: Temple Israel Foundation. Leadville, CO; USA. 2021
STABLE URL: http://www.jewishleadville.org/silverberg.html
