Krupitzky, Grupitzky, Kroupitsky, Ruhittsky, Grupik, Keripitzky, Krupit, Groupetzky, Kropetzky, Korpitzky, Krupit, Krup line

Yes, in researching the David Krupitzky line, there are at least that many spellings and changes to the surname!  Makes it really hard to research this family.  Not to mention that some descendants claim their ancestors were never part of the Cotopaxi Colony.

Let’s start out with the earliest record, the land deed at Cotopaxi.  This is dated June 20, 1882 and his name is listed as David Grupitzky.

There were 3 weddings in the summer/fall of 1882 at Cotopaxi.  In all 3 wedding certificates, David Grupitzky was the “minister” and he spelled his name that way.  I’ll attach one of those certificates here.  Just click on any of these documents to zoom in and look at them closer.

In the October 23, 1882 letter from Julius Schwarz to HEAS, we find the following mention of David Grupitzky:

David Grupitzky, a man who during the week, shovels the ground and carries lumber, or goes to work, while on Sabbaths he performs the duties of a reader and rabbi,

The next time we see his name is in the 1885 census and he is living in Denver, next to many of the other colonists.  This 1885 census shows his name was transcribed by the census department as being spelled Ruhittsky.  But when you look at the actual writing on the census record, it’s easy to see that it should have been spelled Rupittsky.  The “h” on th eline above is much different from the “p” in his name.

In 1887, the Denver City Directory lists him as a pedler (that matches his occupation in the 1885 census).  David Krupitzky, r, 7th, ur. Wynkoop.  That tells me he lived in the rear of the building at 7th and Wynkoop.  

In the 1888 Denver City Directory, he was a pedler living in the rear of 1628 7th street and he spelled his name Kroupitsky.

In 1890, he spelled his name Krupitzky and was now and Expressman living at 111 Market Street in Denver.

We find the same spelling, occupation and residence in the 1891 and 1892 directories.

Oral family history states that he died in 1892.  There is no 1890 census.  

In the 1896 Denver City directory, we find Mrs. Annie Krupitzky living in the rear of 111 Market street.  We also find her oldest son, Reuben Krupitzky, a salesman for CF Adams Co, living in the rear of 1348 1st Street.

In the 1900 census, his widow, Anna states that she was born in Russia in 1860 and that she immigrated in 1876.  

Their oldest son Rabin was married to Grace and in his census record he states that he was born in 1873 in Russia and immigrated to America in 1876.  Because this concurs with Anna’s census, we can assume that David and Anna were married and immigrated to America about 1876.

I have been unable to locate them in the 1880 census and that is most likely due to the various spellings of their surname.

The next child is Sarah.  She married Morris Breslow and these are her census answers.

Sarah	1900 Census	1910 census	1920 census
year born	1876 Russia	1877 Russia	1870  Russia
year immigrated	1880	1888	blank

Louis	1900 Census	1910 Census	1920 census	1940
year born	1884 NYC		1886 Colorado	1881 Colorado
year immigrated	blank

in the 1925 Spivak interview, it is “remembered” family “7.  David Korpitzky, age 36.  Hebrew teacher, three daughters and one son one year old.  Came from Kaidanow, Russia.”  Later it states, “Kropitzky was learned in ancient lore and acted both as a rabbi and chazan.  He tied the know of Motel Shuteran with Hanna and of Jacob Millstein with Yente.  One child, a boy of one year, the son of David Kropitzky, died in the colony and was buried there.”

Dorothy Roberts wrote in 1944, “Only one death occurred while the colonists were in Cotopaxi.  A child, one year old, the son of David Korpitzky, died from injures received in falling from a window.”  

That 1885 census shows us:

David Ruhhitsky     age 35   born in 1850

Annie age 30   born in 1855

Reuben                   age 9     born in 1876

Sarah age 8     born in 1877

Luis                       age 1      born in 1884

If the child who died was age 1 in 1882, he/she would have been born in 1881.

But that only gives us 3 children in Cotopaxi, and 1 was a boy, so that is a conflict with the 1925 Spivak report.

We need to keep in mind that 1925 was 41 years after Cotopaxi disbanded.  How much does one remember about their neighbors 41 years ago?  The last record that we have that this family was in Denver was 1896.  We then find them in New York City.  There is no evidence that they corresponded or kept up with any of the people who were in Denver.  So the Spivak report is the memories of those who were at Cotopaxi.  While it’s a great place to start, the reliability is perhaps questionable when it comes to the family members and the ages of their children.

It’s probably more reliable to go with census data (although that also has it’s problems as well).  The fact that there were 4 children is provable if Luis was born before they left Cotopaxi.  

The next problem is their year of immigration.  Almost all of the census records agree with 1876.  There should be a record of them in the 1880 census.  But I have not been able to locate it - probably due to the variety of name spellings.  

I received an email from a possible descendant who had been told that his ancestors settled in 1876 in Cripple Creed.  We have to remember that Colorado became a state in 1876 and was a territory prior to that.  It was originally part of El Paso county and did not become “Cripple Creek” until 1890.  It’s quite possible that there were early minors in the Cripple Creek area, but from all the maps there were no roads.  There was a railroad spur by 1884.  And because we know the train came through Canon City in 1880, we know there was no spur earlier than that.  It is doubtful that the Krupitzky’s were in Cripple Creek in 1876.  Until we locate them in the 1880 census, we simply won’t know.

We do know at this point is that the Krupitzky’s were in Cotopaxi in 1882, that they were in Denver by 1885 and that they moved to New York City by 1900.

There is no mention of a wife in Cotopaxi, but there was one, Anne, in the 1885 census.  And until we find the ship’s manifest or records in Europe, we won’t know if she was at Cotopaxi or not.  There are no records of their marriage in Denver so I think at this point, we should assume that she was with in in Cotopaxi.

In conclusion, the ship’s manifest and the 1880 census will be crucial in making any more determinations about this family.   And the fact that there could be even more spellings for this surname!!

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