Welcome to Gold Family Genealogy and more

Introduction: The Gold Family of Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York City

Our Santa Fe heritage has been a family discussion topic for generations. Our great-great grandfather, Louis Gold (1820-1880), was one of the pioneer Jewish merchants of Santa Fe. His daughter, our great grandmother, Lizzie Gold Greenwald, was one of 9 Gold children who lived to adulthood. The family was fractured, resulting in both a Santa Fe and New York residency beginning in the late 1850’s. My grandfather, Louis Greenwald (1887-1971), was born and raised in New York City. He had made comments which survived in our memories in slightly different variations:

“The family went East in a covered wagon” has also been remembered as “The women went East in a covered wagon.” 

“The family owned thousands of acres of land and were swindled out of it,” is also in memory as “The family owned half the town of Santa Fe.”

We have explored interests in our own ways. I have focused on genealogy, initially spending many hours in the basement microfilm room of the Mormon library in West Los Angeles during the early 1980’s. Lately I have been engrossed in DNA research and establishing relationships with as many Gold descendants as possible. My cousin Phil’s interest has centered on the Gold family’s Santa Fe business interests within the context of American West history, in particular the curio trade. 

Louis Gold and His Descendants

1.  LOUIS1 GOLD was born March 13, 1820 in Poland, and died January 06, 1880 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He married (1) MARY (aka Miriam) HARRIS 1844, daughter of ____ HARRIS and RUDA ______.  Mary was born 1827 in Poland, and died February 22, 1894 in New York. This first marriage resulted in 6 children: Moses Aaron, Abraham, Maggie, Lizzie, Isaac Jacob, Mary and Fannie.

He consorted (no known record of marriage) with (2) REFUGIO AGUILAR Abt. 1861 in New Mexico, daughter of ALTAGRACIA ESQUIBEL.  She was born January 1838 in New Mexico, and died May 15, 1916 in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

There is an article in the New Mexican Historical review which recounts a story that Louis Gold was in Santa Fe as early as 1837, which does not appear possible, but is often quoted.  His sons Moses Aaron and Abraham were born in Poland, as was his daughter Margaret (known as Maggie).  It is highly unlikely that Louis made the trip to America as a teenager to be in Santa Fe in 1837, then returned back to Poland before 1844, got married, fathered 3 children and returned with the whole family to America.  

Like many immigrants, Louis Gold was drawn to an area of the country where a relative lived. Joseph Hersch (1817-1901) lived in Santa Fe, a single man, in the 1850 census of New Mexico Territory. The exact relationship to Hersch is uncertain, though he was believed to be a cousin of the Golds. Louis Gold’s wife, Mary/Miriam, had the maiden name Harris, which is an Americanized derivative of Herz or Hersch. Our grandfather believed that Hersch had gotten lost pursuing the Gold Rush in 1849 and ended up randomly in Santa Fe – supposedly Gold accompanied Hersch, however we now know that to be untrue due to the above passenger list. Still, Hersch’s presence in Santa Fe would have been an attraction for the Golds upon their arrival in America.

Louis established himself in Santa Fe as a successful merchant, became fluent in Spanish and fathered three children (no evidence of marriage has been found) to a Hispanic New Mexican named Refugio Aguilar.

Louis, Aaron, Abe and Jake all worked as merchants in Santa Fe, and the story of the various Gold business enterprises is a subject of interest for many.  Louis (name often spelled "Luis") received Spanish land grants, which made him a large landholder in what is now the city of Santa Fe.  The value of his real estate in 1870 was over $25,000 - a healthy sum at the time.

Miscellaneous documents of interest:

· March 14, 1858: Kingsbury letter to Josiah Webb, first accurate mention of Louis Gold in New Mexico.

· July 6, 1859: Territorial Auditor statement of adjustments, notes Luis Gold as a merchant with revenue of $2,000 for a 6-month period in 1859.

- November 15, 1861: Aaron Gold Civil War service begins (end date disputed)

· December 14, 1865: Louis Gold files a claim against The United States, claiming that in 1862, Confederate soldiers seized $2,330.70 worth of his goods, which are itemized in the claim.

· 1867-1868: Santa Fe Weekly Gazette, numerous advertisements for Luis Gold & Sons, dealers in general merchandise, Main Street, Santa Fe

· August 21, 1869: Santa Fe Weekly Gazette, advertisement by Louis Gold to sell his flouring mill.

· January 5, 1871: Daily New Mexican, Willi Spiegelberg publishes a notice of foreclosure against Luis Gold, Moses Aaron Gold and Abraham Gold for non-payment of two 1868 promissory notes totaling $7,501.30, secured by real estate, including Gold’s mill tract.

· March 14, 1879: Criminal case #970, Louis Gold is accused of obtaining deeds by false pretenses from Rafael Romero y Ortiz.

· July 25, 1891: Santa Fe Weekly Sun, the bodies of Louis Gold, Aaron Gold, Mrs. Frank Chavez (Maggie Gold) and a little sister of Ned Gold (Sarah Gold) are relocated from the Masonic Cemeterty to “a large and beautiful lot in Fair View cemetery.”

Multiple family members believed that the family was swindled out of the land shortly after Louis Gold’s death. Our grandfather Louis Greenwald and his first cousin once-removed Aaron Davis corresponded extensively in 1954 and 1955 on this very topic.    Our Grandfather stopped in Santa Fe in 1945 while driving from Connecticut to California and visited the Land Office to review deeds. He saw one deed which conveyed property from his parents Morris and Lizzie Greenwald to an attorney named James Purdy. It was closing time at the Land Office, so he requested that copies be made and mailed to him, but the Land Office did not follow through.

It is interesting that, in the 1870 census, Louis Gold lived alone with Thomas B. Catron, later territorial governor. Catron is now documented as having gained wealth and power by defending Spanish Land Grants and taking his legal fees in the form of land – he was a leader of the "Gang of Santa Fe".  Could Catron have taken land from Louis, who was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1871?  Catron's name is on the bankruptcy charges.    Or could Louis have been allied with Catron in some way?  How could they be friendly enough to live together in 1870, yet Catron prosecutes Gold one year later?  Vanessa Gold Rupp recalls hearing that the family viewed Catron as a friend and supporter (see photo of Catron under entry for Zepora Gold).

The following is Louis Gold's obituary from the Santa Fe Weekly New Mexican, January 10, 1880.  This is a translation from Spanish:

  "Louis Gold, one of our well known citizens from Santa Fe and the territory, died last Monday from typhoid fever after being bedridden for several weeks. 

Mr. Gold, who was German and Hebrew descended, resided in our city for more than 30 years, keeping busy with his business.  He learned perfect Spanish, had many Spanish customs, had many acquaintances among the Spanish-American families of the territory and was most considerate of his fellow businessmen.

  He also had considerable trouble with his business, which forced him to declare bankruptcy.  Some time later, with the help of his friends, he was able to open another store and regain a satisfactory level of solvency by the time of his death.

  At the age of 60, he was one of the most active and intelligent merchants in the territory, an active and energetic man, who wanted a voice in the material details of his business.

 He died in San Vincente hospital with his eldest son at his bedside along with the Sisters of the hospital.  His funeral was held Wednesday and was attended by his friends and countrymen."

All of these data points, flawed as they may be, paint the following hypothetical picture:

Following arrival in America, Louis Gold found his family a place to live in New York City, and promptly impregnated Mary, resulting in the birth of Lizzie in June of 1852. With his cousin, Joseph Hersch, already a merchant in Santa Fe, Louis would have had opportunity to bring fancy goods from New York to Santa Fe for trade, then return to New York with Navajo blankets, which could be sold for $50 apiece in gold as early as 1850. He could have made his first trip in Fall, 1851, before knowing that Mary was pregnant, and prior to the onset of Winter. Although traveling the Santa Fe Trail at this time was with some peril, Louis could manage this on his own, but not with his family. He quickly began to build his estate via trade, with Hersch helping him establish a foothold in Santa Fe. 

Louis likely spent the winter of 1852 in Santa Fe with Hersch, then returned to New York around May of that year. He may have been able to make one more trading trip from NYC to Santa Fe and back again in 1852, settling in NYC with his family for the winter of 1853. Mary became pregnant again that winter and Jacob Gold was born in November of 1853. 

By now, a routine had developed for Louis. He could make one round trip to Santa Fe each year from May to October. And, each year, his wife would become pregnant. Shortly after giving birth to Jake, Mary became pregnant again, and their daughter, also named Mary, was born in September of 1854. Louis continued to build wealth as a merchant trader and became known in Santa Fe, even though his family was in New York. It became clear to him that his greatest opportunity lay in Santa Fe. He left New York for Santa Fe in early December, 1857, as the weather was mild that month. Mary became pregnant, and Fannie, the last child from her marriage with Louis Gold, was born on September 14, 1858. As cited in the book Trading In Santa Fe (edited by Jane Lenz Elder and David J Weber, SMU Press, Dallas, 1976), John M. Kingsbury of Santa Fe wrote the following to James Josiah Webb on March 14, 1858:

       “Louis Gold has written for his son to come out, about 13 or 14 years, and has requested as a favor that you will make arrangements with our train or some other to bring him & him baggage.  He requests this of you as a special favor not knowing anyone in Kansas to do this for him.  The boy will be directed to look for you at Kansas.” 

This describes the arrival of Moses Aaron Gold, joining his father as the first of the Gold children to live and work in Santa Fe. The first Gold store was likely established in 1859, as evidenced by the tax assessment later that year. Although the 1860 census lists Abraham Gold in both Santa Fe and New York, with political hostilities building, it is unlikely that Louis would send for Abe, not yet 12 years old, to join him in Santa Fe. The first Yom Kippur in Santa Fe is documented as occurring in Fall of 1860, with “Louis Gold and son” attending, the singular son being Aaron. By 1860, Louis had amassed $8,000 in estate value, and his cousin Joseph Hersch had $25,000 in estate value, both very high sums for that time. The outbreak of the Civil War in April of 1861 prevented further travel, and the Gold family would be separated by 2,000 miles.

Aaron Gold, eldest of Louis and Mary Gold's children was tough for Louis to handle as a single father when Aaron arrived in Santa Fe at age 13 in 1858.  On Sept 6, 1862, Louis took out a Caution advertisement in the newspaper (see right), advising that Aaron was underage and should not be harbored or trusted, not married by any Priest or Alcalde with any woman.  The following year, Aaron's son Atilano Gold was born from Aaron's union with Guadalupe Abeytia, making him a father at Age 18.  

Aaron enlisted with the Union Army at age 16 as a Sergeant under Juan de Dios Baca's Company in the New Mexico Militia, commanded by Col. Francisco Perea.  It is likely that his father did not support his enlistment.  He was transferred on the day his service began to Captain Hubbell's Co, in the 3rd Regiment, NM Vols.  He served for 90 days (Nov 15, 1861-Feb 15, 1862), but was denied a Civil War pension under the June 27, 1890 Civil War Pension Act, based on the number of days being counted by the government as 64, 26 days short of the pension requirement.  One document states that his service was completed upon its expiration on Feb 15, 1862, but  the official pension rejection states that Aaron was honorably discharged on January 20, 1862, not Feb 15 as his enlistment commitment stated.  Phoebe engaged 4 different attorneys throughout this process, including both of Zepora's husbands, Al Renahan and Robert Gortner, at different points in time.

I obtained the entire Civil War Pension file.  It includes an affidavit signed by his brother Jacob Gold on August 5, 1891, which states the following: "My name is Jacob Gold, am about 38 years of age.  Live in Santa Fe, N.M. at which place I have lived for the last 29 years.  Am a merchant by occupation.  I know the above named Phoebe Gold, she is the widow of the late Aaron Gold, who died in Santa Fe, N.M. May 1884.  The deceased was my brother.  I saw him when he died, attended his funeral.  I know of my own personal knowledge that said Phoebe Gold has not remarried since the death of my said brother.  I know the two minor children, under 16 years of age, Zepora and Louis, both of them are living.  I have known them all their lives.  Of my personal knowledge, I know that said Phoebe has no property of any kind, she is poor and has no income whatever.  She depends largely on the help of friends and relatives for her support and that of her family and to educate her children.  I have always lived right by her and this how I know these facts." 

Aaron Gold's children Benjamin and Louis married outside of the Jewish faith, and their descendants are not Jewish. 

Aaron died at age 39 following a long illness.  At one point I saw a document mentioning the type of illness, but I did not record/remember it.

Maggie Gold, had married Hyman Rinaldo in New York, and Louis Gold sent for them as well, employing Rinaldo in his store. Maggie and Hyman’s daughter Annie was born in January of 1865 in Santa Fe, so they must have traveled to Santa Fe during the latter part of the war. Louis and Mary Gold’s daughter, also named Mary, died in 1863 at age 9. By the 1870 census, only Lizzie, Jake and Fannie lived with their mother in New York. Aaron, Abe and Maggie were enumerated in Santa Fe for the 1870 census.

Maggie and Hyman Rinaldo’s marriage broke apart in the early 1870’s, and Hyman returned to New York, leaving their daughter Annie (“Juanita”) with her mother. In a relationship viewed as scandalous in the family, according to Jewel Glatzer, Maggie married Francisco “Frank” Chavez in 1877, and it is assumed that Annie returned to New York at approximately that time. Annie told her children that Louis Gold had thousands of land acres in New Mexico, and that traveling by stagecoach, they rode over her grandfather Louis’ land for days. Maggie died in 1881 at the age of 31 and is buried in Fairview Cemetery. Her husband, Frank Chavez, became Sheriff and was assassinated on May 29, 1892, in one of the most notorious crimes in New Mexico history. Atilano Gold (Aaron's son via Guadalupe Abeytia) was walking with Chavez when he was shot, and was briefly accused of being an accomplice in the crime.

According to Aaron Davis, his mother Annie told him that Jake Gold destroyed the will of his father Louis Gold upon finding that he had been disinherited. Jake became a colorful figure in Santa Fe, but returned to New York in 1880 and married Lizzie Cohen. They had no children.

It is unclear when Jake first came to Santa Fe, but his 1891 affidavit (mentioned earlier) states that he had lived in Santa Fe since age 9, approx 1862.  However, he is counted in the 1870 census in NY under the name Jacob Gelpstein (surname of his mother's 2nd husband), and he is not counted in Santa Fe until the 1880 census, when he is living with his brother Aaron.  It is safe to say that he joined his father in Santa Fe between 1870 and 1880.

One piece of evidence about Jake's colorful character is in a letter that his brother Abe wrote to their niece Annie (Juanita) on February 7, 1887, shortly after her wedding to Isaac Davis.  In his later, Abe writes:   " ...write me all the particulars about your wedding, and what did the Rinaldos do for you. How did your uncle Jake aked [sic, act]..."  It is interesting that Abe shows some concern about Jake acting inappropriately at the family wedding.

Jake was ultimately jailed for adultery after appealing for pardon to President McKinley, which was denied. He died in the territorial insane asylum at Las Vegas, NM in 1905 and is buried there in an unmarked grave.

 Fannie Gold came to Santa Fe in the late 1870’s and married Finis McFarland, a Missouri native, who was then a bartender in Santa Fe. Fannie and Finis were living in Santa Fe at the time of Louis Gold’s death from typhoid fever in January of 1880. Fannie and Finis’s children were born in Santa Fe, but they moved to St. Louis in the 1890’s, and Fannie died there in 1923. Fannie only has a few living descendants via her son Harry McFarland, and I have been in touch with one descendant, Sara Thompson of West Chester, PA.  The descendants of Fannie Gold are not of the Jewish faith.

Louis Gold and Mary (Miriam) Harris had the following children: 

2. i. MOSES AARON2 GOLD was born on 03 Mar 1845 in New York, New York, New York. He died on 02 May 1884 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He married (1) MARIA GUADALUPE DEL PILAR ABEYTIA, daughter of Diego Abeyta and Maria Josefa Armijo on 12 Nov 1862 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was born about 1838 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He married (2) PHOEBE COHEN, daughter of Niemar Cohen and Esther on 29 Sep 1866 in New York, New York, New York. She was born on 15 May 1848 in New York, New York. She died on 08 Oct 1930 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. 

ii. ABRAHAM GOLD was born on 11 Nov 1848 in Poland. He died on 14 Aug 1903 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He married Mary Levy, daughter of Jacob Levy and Rachel Ephram on 28 Mar 1867 in New York, New York, New York. She was born in Nov 1853 in England. She died on 31 Jul 1917 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York, USA.
 

iii. MARGARET (MAGGIE) GOLD was born on 20 Apr 1850 in Poland. She died on 16 Apr 1881 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She married (1) HYMAN RINALDO in 1865 in New York, New York, New York (Divorced 1872-1873). He was born on 08 Mar 1841 in Lipno, Plock, Poland. He died on 09 Dec 1904 in Rye Village, Port Chester, New York. She married (2) FRANCISCO CHAVEZ, son of Domingo Chavez and Juliana Vigil on 16 Dec 1877 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was born on 03 Apr 1851 in New Mexico. He died on 29 May 1892 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
 

iv. ELIZABETH GOLD was born in Jun 1852 in New York, New York. She died on 12 Jan 1913 in New York, New York, New York. She married Morris Greenwald, son of Julius Greenwald and Dora Spiro on 15 Oct 1873 in New York, New York, New York. He was born in Dec 1855 in Warsaw, Poland. He died on 29 Jan 1917 in Bronx, New York. 

v. ISAAC JACOB GOLD was born in Nov 1853 in New York, New York, New York, USA. He died on 15 Dec 1905 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He married Lizzie Cohen, daughter of Wolff Cohen and Bertha Hirsch on 12 Sep 1880 in New York, New York, New York, USA. She was born in Mar 1858 in New York. She died on 28 Apr 1928 in New York. 

vi. MARY GOLD was born on 08 Sep 1854 in New York, New York. She died on 17 Mar 1863 in New York, New York. 

Notes for Mary Gold: 

Death record cites burial at Cypress Hills Cem, Brooklyn - cemetery records say “Daughter of Louis Gold, age 8” - this is definitely the correct Mary Gold.

vii. FANNIE GOLD was born on 14 Sep 1858 in New York, New York. She died on 01 Feb 1923 in Saint Louis, Missouri. She married Finis J McFarland, son of John H McFarland and Mary Amanda Frissell in 1879. He was born on 01 Oct 1855 in Farmington, Missouri. He died on 09 Jan 1940 in Saint Louis, Missouri. 

Generation 1

LOUIS GELPSTEIN1 (GELBSTEIN) was born in Aug 1828 in Prussia. He died in 1916 in New York. He married Mary (Miriam) Harris, daughter of Harris or Hersch and Ruda on 01 Jun 1862 in New York, New York. She was born in 1827 in Poland. She died on 22 Feb 1894 in New York.

Notes for Louis Gelpstein (Gelbstein):

1910 census: age 78, retired tailor, immigrated 1858

Record in NY Emigrant Savings Bank from 1859 says that he was a native of Posen and arrived in US May 20, 1857 on the ship William Stetson (can't find that record).

Notes for Mary (Miriam) Harris:

First wife of Louis Gold. It appears that Mary may have had a brother named Meyer Harris, who is listed as a witness on the Marriage Certificate of Moses Aaron Gold and Phoebe Cohen.

Marriage certificate of Mary to her second husband, Louis Gelbstein (Gelpstein) on 6/1/1862 shows her marital status as Divorced.

I believe that Mary Harris is the niece of Joseph Hersch of Santa Fe. In the document "Cases Decided in the Court of Claims of the United States", Dec 1879, there is a case Hersch vs the United States which involves both Joseph Hersch and Abraham Gold. In the case it clearly documents that Abraham Gold was the "grand-nephew" of Joseph Hersch. Since Harris is the anglicized version of Hersch, I am assuming that Mary Harris' father was the brother of Joseph Hersch. The family referred to him as Uncle Joe.

Louis Gelpstein (Gelbstein) and Mary (Miriam) Harris had the following children:

i.

SARAH2GELPSTEIN was born in 1863. She died on 07 Feb 1893 in New York, New York. She married Jacob Posner, son of Jacob Posner and Betta Kalmus on 25 Sep 1883 in New York, New York, New York, USA.

ii.

DORAH GELPSTEIN was born in 1864. She died on 15 Feb 1881 in New York, New York, New York, USA.

iii.

PHILIP GELPSTEIN was born in 1865.

2.

iv.

ESTHER GELPSTEIN was born on 27 Dec 1867 in New York. She died on 03 Sep 1961 in New York, New York. She married Julius April, son of Isaac April and Rachel Nusbaum on 05 Jun 1887 in New York, New York, New York. He was born on 14 Aug 1856 in Ryrsgow, Galizia (Ukraine). He died on 07 Mar 1931 in New York (Bronx), Bronx, New York, USA.

This one has me stumped.  Vanessa Gold Rupp shared a copy of this business card (known as a trade card) from sometime between 1880 and 1910.  The trade card was passed down from generation to generation in the same box as Moses Aaron Gold family photos  The location of this store, operated by "P. Gold" was on the lower east side Manhattan waterfront.  It is almost directly underneath the Brooklyn Bridge.   I am unable to identify the full name of P. Gold, which would help me figure out how P. Gold is related to us.  

I had reached out to the South Street Seaport Museum, located very close to the No, 117 South Street address on the business card, and received the following response - at one point, I thought that the P might stand for Phoebe, but that was incorrect:

Dear Mr. Horner, 

Thanks for reaching out to the South Street Seaport Museum collections and archives. I've been unable to find any record of a "P. Gold" or "Pheobe Gold" in our collections or archives. Though there are records of several oil and rubber clothing retailers/manufacturers at 117 South Street from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s I've been unable to find any listing that matches this trade card. I've also checked photographs of 117 and 119 South Street and there is no images of this business.

I would suggest contacting the Museum of the City of New York or the New York Public Library to see if they have any business directories or photographs of the building from the time period you're researching. 

Best, 

Michelle

Can you solve the mystery or give me clues?  Let me know at hornerken@sbcglobal.net.  And enjoy the rest of this genealogy.