Never give up!

Yesterday was a great day for me!  As a genealogist, I can't say it enough - never give up!  Keep going back, doing the same research over and over.  Review what you think you know.  Check dates. And then start over again!

It is not easy. It is WORK!!!  And some days, I do feel like pulling my hair out!!!

In Flora Satt's thesis, she reverenced an article written by Dr. C. Spivak 

2. Denver Jewish News, April 6 - April 25, 1925.
Today this newspaper is known as the Intermountain Jewish News, but the issues cited were in a special Anniversary Edition and included a two-page spread on the Cotopaxi Colony. The April 25th issue contains a feature article on the Colony, newsworthy then as a result of a 'Reminiscence Dinner' given for the surviving members of the group. 

I didn't always keep great notes.   But I had a note from somewhere stating that the article was on Page 38 - 39.

I had another note where someone said the article had been torn out of the newspaper and was missing.

That made me give up.  I had been to the Denver Public Library, to Denver University's Beck Archives, and to the Colorado History center and looked at their digitized newspapers.  I found the Anniversary Edition....it only had 8 pages.   I read every single page.  Nothing about Cotopaxi.  It had to have been a special supplement for the anniversary edition that simply wasn't digitized, or was missing before that time.  So I stopped looking.

One day, not too long ago, I decided to spend time searching the online catalog from the Beck Archives at Denver University.  When you do a search like this, you need to take the time to open every file, and read the individual contents of the collection.  I spent an entire day and didn't begin to get through what they have.

I found this under the topic:  Jews   Publications   1897 - 1998

• Abstract

  
  

  Books - ''Made in Hungary''; Hebrew scriptures with wooden cover; ''Cookarama''; and Yehoash sheet music; Inter Mountain Jewish News 13th Anniversary Collection; Denver Jewish News 10th Jubilee Edition; the Jewish News and Hebrew Standard.

  And there was a call number.  I must give great credit to Thyria Wilson at the library who has helped me so much over the last few years!  I think she must get so exasperated with me as I just do not give up!!!  I had just been in to see her a couple of weeks ago and she had pulled box after box of files for me to sit and go through.  And here I am asking for more!!!

She had emailed me this note:     (department head's name removed) says she never found an article on Cotopaxi by Dr. Spivak. 

I was just so pleased that Thyria continued to help me out.  And together, we found the article!  In this box labeled Jews/Publications.   I didn't even have to fight traffic to get to their office - Thyria sent me these scans.  

The article by Dr. C. V. Spivak.  You should be able to click on the 2 pages and download them so you can read them better.  or email me (jlowe54@gmail.com) and I'll send them to you.

Dorothy Robert's article in 1941, p 124,  is a near duplicate, but this dates the information to 1925, which is great!!  And...there are a couple of new clues that I will begin searching - maybe the next time I need a reason to come to Denver!

Another good lesson learned this week.  Librarians are custodians.  The take great care of and preserve these documents and records for future generations.  It is not up to them to know the contents of what is in their libraries.  It is up to us to do the legwork, the research, and to be politely persistent in insisting on what we want to see.  As more and more archives become digitized, this will get even easier for future generations of researchers.

In the meantime.....never give up!!!

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