Flora Satt wrote her 1950 Master's thesis about the Cotopaxi Colony. Consider what a master's thesis is and who it is written for. While she did a great job, her professors are not going to know if it is accurate or not. They cannot prove her right or wrong! They were looking for her research capabilities and with the limitations given in 1950 - she did an outstanding job! Yet with the research capabilities we have available today to genealogists, I can prove her wrong time and again.
It has been said that she was a descendant of one of the Colonists. Her mother was Ethel Milstein. Her grandfather was Menash Milstein. And her great grandfather was Saul Ber Milstein. Saul Ber Milstein and his children were not Colonists as their ship did not arrive in America until December 1884.....after the colony had disbanded. But Flora was closely related to the Colonists.
First myth busted. Flora's ancestors were never at Cotopaxi.
Flora gave us many great references. But I found out that when you go to find the references, they are nonexistent. Family Bibles cannot be traced. Old newspaper articles have been lost, never digitized. Family letters are not available. I am the kind of researcher who wants to read the entire article, not just a sentence or two out of the article. As for my research on Cotopaxi - when I am done, you will be able to read anything and everything as I will donate it all to the Family History Center here in Canon City. (oh! lucky them!!!)
Flora's proof - a lot simply doesn't exist.
In her footnotes, she gives us a breakdown of who was living in Cotopaxi in 1882 - 1884:
35. The list of the twenty-two 'heads of family' who were eligible to file on 160 acres each includes the following:Flora doesn't tell us specifically where this list came from, but she does use Dorothy Roberts "The Jewish Colony at Cotopaxi" 1941 as a reference.
1. Benjamin Zalman Milstein, 40, with his wife Hannah, and younger son Henry. His eldest son Jacob was married and thus the head of his own family.
2. Jacob Millstein, 19, with his wife Nettie, 20. (The spelling of the name was changed on the marriage license issued at Blackhawk, 1882).
3. Jacob Milstein, 18, eldest son of Saul Baer Milstein. He represented his father, the original
leader of the group.
4. Isaac Leib 'Shames' (Milstein), widower, with two young daughters, Hannah, Rachel, (Nettie,
see 6)
5. Michael 'Shames' (Milstein), 23, eldest son of Isaac Shames, with his wife Frieda Raisie, and two young daughters, Esther Mary and Sarah Bessie.
6. Joseph Washer, 22, son-in-law of Isaac Shames, with his wife Nettie.
7. Charles Prezant, 24, cousin-in-law, having married Keile Milstein in Europe. They had at this
time one son, Isaac, 3 years old.
8. Max Shuteran, 19, having married Keile's sister Hannah Milstein, was also a cousin by
marriage to the seven families listed above.
9. Solomon Shuteran, 21, brother of Max, with his wife Rachel and baby girl who died in
Cotopaxi and was buried there.
10. David Korpitsky, 37, widower with three daughters and one baby son which died in
Cotopaxi and was buried there.
11. Samuel Schneider, 48, with his wife Alta.
12. Abrahan Newman, son-in-law of Schneider, with his wife Nechama.
13. Berel Morris, son-in-law of Schneider, with his wife Sarah and daughter Helen.
14. Samuel Shradsky, 65, widower.
15. Sholem Shradsky, eldest son of #14, with his wife Mindel, two young daughters, Asna and Sarah.
16. Hyram Shradsky, 19, eldest son of Sholem.
17. Max Shradsky, 18, son of Sholem.
18. Herschel Toplitsky, 23, son-in-law of Sholem (#15), having married Riva, his eldest daughter.
19. Charles Moscowitz, with his wife and four young daughters.
20. Morris 'Zedek' Needleman, with his wife Rivka, four daughters.
21. Max Tobias, with his wife Bessie.
22. Ed Grimes, 18.
