a5 Q^ ^ .« 5:) ■°. <5, 9d ■'o V-* o,"?- o * ^^ -4 oEy .4 °^ '='^^-^^*''-*'^&'r\,^^ %•> " J'/, ^ ■^d i?"-^ #' *^ '•. ?*" '^ ^ I %^*°° ^ ^ \\^^' :^\MW/A' -.^^^v .^^ .«o. -^ A, ^'-:'" /.^i:^'^% » ^ * - '^o^ ^ SIR ^0 "^ ^!M - '^ ^!fe - ■ .^^ V .^^ . V ^O., •'„, X THE Hebrews in America. A SERIES OF HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ^ BY ISAAC MARKENS. of* / F ^ ( ■UBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, No. 234 Broadway, . NEW YORK. 1888. Copyrighted, 1888, BY ISAAC MARKENS. ^ ids., and Mr. Abraham Moses, Sr. , the eighth, for ;£?> 7s. The committee of arrangements having charge of the ceremony, in their report to the Vestry speak in glowing terms of its having been " conducted by the rules and regulations of the ancient and honorable fraternity of Freemasons." The building was completed in 1794 and the consecration took place in September of that year. Governor Moultrie and numerous civil and military dignitaries were present. In 1835, forty-seven members of the congregation out of about ninety, petitioned the Board of Trustees to alter and curtail the Liturgy. They desired that the service should be short- ened so that portions repeated twice might be recited once in English and once in Hebrew, and that the children and many grown persons might, during a portion of the time, be able to understand the prayers recited. Precisely what was sought, however, can be best comprehended from the follow- ing extract from the petition . Your memorialists seek no other end than the future welfare and respectability of the Nation. As members of the great family of Israel, they cannot consent to place before their children examples which are only calculated to darken the mind and withhold from the rising generation the more rational means of worshipping the True God. It is to this, therefore, in the first place, we invite the serious attention of your honorable body, by causing the Hazan or Reader to repeat in English such part of the Hebrew prayers as may be deemed necessary. It is confidently believed that the members of the congregation would be more forcibly impressed with the necessity of Divine Worship and the moral obligations 56 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. which they owe to themselves and their Creator, while such a course would lead to more decency and decorum during the time they are engaged in the performance of religious duties. With regard to such parts as it is desired should undergo change, your Miemorialists would strenuously recommend that the most solemn portions be retained. Those parts considered superfluous should be rejected (the frequent repetition of the same prayers) and, if possible, all that is read in Hebrew should also be read in English, so as to enable every member of the congregation fully to under- stand every part of th-^. service. Your memorialists would next call the attention of your honorable body to the absolute necessity of abridging the service generally. They have reflected seriously upon its present length, and are confident that this is one of the principal causes why so much of it is hastily and improperly hurried over. AccoTding to the present mode of reading the Para Sha it affords to the hearer neither instruction or entertainment, unless he be able to comprehend as well as read the Hebrew language. But if, like all other ministers, our Reader would make a chapter or verse the subject of an English discourse once a week, at the expiration of the year the people would, at all events, know something of that religion which at present they so little regard. The Vestry of the congregation, consisting of the Presi- dent, Vice-President and five other gentlemen, rejected the petition, and ordered, it is alleged, that it be laid on the table without discussion, the memorialists receiv- ing no reply. Nathaniel Levin, Esq., for many years Secretary of the Congregation, in an exhaustive history of the synagogue, published some years since, avers that " the proposed changes were believed to strike at the fundamental principles of Judaism." At all events, the forty-seven petitioners resigned in a body, immediately rented an appropriate hall and organized the " Reform Society of Israelites," with a form of worship in accordance with their desires. Mr. David Nunes Carvalho, a brother of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 57 the gentleman who occupied the pulpit of the Congregation Beth-EloJiini and one of the memorialists, gratuitously per- formed the required services in Hebrew and English, which were well attended. In 1835 the Rev. Gustavus Poznanski was elected minister of the Congregation BctJi-Elohini, subsequently re-elected and then elected for life. The destruction of the synagogue by the great fire of 1838 deprived the congregation of their place of worship, and a new edifice was erected in 1840, at a cost of $40,000. About this time thirty-eight members of the congregation petitioned the Trustees for the introduc- tion of an organ in the synagogue. The petition was denied by a vote of four to one, but at a general meeting of the members this action was overruled by a vote of forty-seven to forty. This led to the withdrawal of the minority, who recognized the proposed innovation as a violation of the sacred laws, and these in 1843 formed another congregation, known as ShearitJi Israel. A union of the two congrega- tions was effected in 1866. During the Civil War the organ and the scrolls of the law were destroyed at Columbia, whither they had been taken for safe keeping. From 1750 to 1850 the following ministers occupied the pulpit of the Congregation Beth-Elohim : Isaac De Costa, Abraham Alex- V ander, Abraham Azubee, Benjamin C. D'Azevedo, Emanuel N. Carvalho, H. Cohen, S. C. Peixotto and Gustavus Poz- nanski. Michael Lazarus was Secretary from 1750 to 1780, Lyon Levy from 1781 to 1805. Nathaniel Levin, the pres- ent incumbent, has occupied the office since 1866. Emanuel De La Motta, Moses C. Levy, Israel De Lieben and Abra- ham Alexander took an active part in organizing and estab- lishing the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted 58 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Scottish Rite of Free Masons in South CaroHna in i8oi. Mr. Levy was a Pole and emigrated at an early age to Charleston, where he died in 1815 at the age of eighty-nine years. Mr. Alexander was an Englishman and a noted cali- graphist. Mr. De La Motta was a Spaniard. He was born in 1 76 1 and died in 1821. He was the father of Dr. Jacob De La Motta, President of the South Carolina Medical Society. Isaac Harby, President of the Reform Congregation and a well-known author, was one of the most prominent Charles- tonians early in the century. He was a son of Solomon Harby, whose father was Lapidary to the Emperor of Morocco, and was born at Charleston, S. C, in lySS'rj^X'^ Abandoning the study of law after deciding to adopt that profession, he opened a school on Edisto Island, which he conducted with success. At Charleston he undertook the editorial management of " The Quiver " and then the " Investigator," subsequently known as the " Southern Patriot," in which he championed the then Republican cause. In 1822 he conducted the " City Gazette," and sub- sequently the "Charleston Mercury." In 1807 he appeared as a dramatist, being at the time but nineteen years of age. His first production was " The Gordian Knot ; or Cause and Effects," a five-act play, founded on Ireland's novel, " The Abbess." Next he wrote " Alexander Serverus," and in 1819 he produced a play called " Alberti," the original object of which was the vindication of the character and conduct of Lorenzo D'Medici from the calumnies of Alfieri's Conspiracy. The second performance of this play was honored by the presence of President James Monroe, then visiting Charleston. Mr. Harby's " Letters on the THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 59 Presidency,'' in 1824, over the signature of " Junius/' at- tracted wide attention. Among his earHer contributions to hterature are a review of Byron's " Cain," critique on Marino Fahero, essay on criticism and a Defence of the Drama. He married Leah, daughter of Samuel Mordecai, of Savan- nah. He was Vice-President of the Hebrew Orphan Society of Charleston, and in 1825 delivered the first anniversary oration before the Reformed Society of Israelites of Charles- ton, of which he was President. Removing to New York City in 1828, he contributed to the columns of the " Evening Post." He died in that city November 14th of the same year (his wife having died a few months previously), possessing the friendship of many of the best people of the day, in- cluding Thomas Jefferson, Edward Livingston and other statesmen with whom he was in correspondence, and letters from whom are in the possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Joseph P. Joachimsen of New York. In 1833 literary circles of Charleston became much inter- ested in a little volume of poems entitled " Fancy's Sketch- Book." The work showed its author to possess a high ofder of talent, deep feeling and an extremely sensitive and poetic nature. It was the first publication of the writings of Miss Penima Moise, a name that is dear to thousands of Hebrew hearts, especially in the South. Miss Moise was the daughter of Abraham Moise, of Charleston, S. C, and was born in that city on the 23d of April, 1797. Poetic expression came natural to her from girlhood, and her ten- der and sympathetic nature caused her poetry to touch the popular heart at once. After the publication of her book she was engaged to write for a number of leading news- papers and periodicals, among her chief subjects being the 6o THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. great fire in Charleston in 1838, the yellow fever visitation, the charitable work of Sir Moses Montefiore, and others of like nature. She also composed a book of hymns for the Congregation Beth-Elohim of Charleston, of which she was a member. This book is still in use there. Such a favorite did Miss Moise become that she was known as the " Singer of Israel." During many years of her life Miss Moise had the care of her mother, who was a paralytic, and her brother, who was a sufferer from the asthma. Her devotion in these cases, as well as to the yellow fever sufferers in Charleston in 1854, was whole-souled and touching. During the last years of her life Miss Moise became blind, but she continued to compose poetry and was looked upon by her congregation as a holy one among them. She died Sep- tember 13, 1880, in the eigthy-fourth year of her age. Marx E. Cohen, youngest son of Mordecai Cohen, was an extensive planter, born and residing in Charleston, and having his plantation at " Tissabon" (the Indian name for " Clear Spring'"), about eighteen miles from the city, on the Ashley River. At the age of twenty-eight he married Ar- mida, youngest daughter of the distinguished litterateur, Isaac Harby, by whom he had several daughters and one son, Dr. Marx E. Cohen, who was killed in the Civil War. After the close of that great conflict, in which he lost most of his for- tune, he removed with his family to Sumter, S. C, where he died February 24, 1881, at the age of seventy-two. He was graduated with high honors at the college in Glasgow, Scot- land, and was a well-read and highly cultured gentleman. At the time of the Henry Clay excitement he was a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated, in common with the entire Democratic ticket. He was somewhat of a litterateur, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 6l and his name was a synonym for integrity and the most un- bounded hospitality. Mr. Cohen was radically liberal in his religious views. The first discovery of the famous phos- phate beds was made on his plantation soon after he had sold it, at the close of the war. Mordecai Cohen came to Charleston, from England, while yet a lad, and with scarcely a dollar in his pocket. His in- dustry and unquestioned integrity brought him deserved prosperity, and he subsequently became the richest man, with the exception of Robert Adger, in the State of South Carolina. Retiring from active business pursuits, he pre- sented each of his four children with an independent fortune. He married Miss Leah Lazarus, a lady belonging to one of the most exclusive of the aristocratic families in Charleston, and died at the age of eighty-six. He was a man of ready wit and dry humor. His charities were great, but un- bounded by any consideration of age, sex, color or religion. A tablet to his memory was erected by the city of Charles- ton in the Orphan House (an unsectarian institution which has been in existence since the city was in its infancy), to which he had been a most generous and unfailing donor. He is the only Hebrew to whom the city of Charleston has ever reared a memorial stone. His religious views were exceed- ingly liberal and he was highly respected by Christian and Hebrew alike. PHILADELPHIA. An especially prominent position is held by Philadelphia in the history of the early Hebrews of the United States. One of the earliest names mentioned in connection with the race there is that of Samuel Keimer, an Englishman by birth, 62 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. who was the pubhsher of the " Pennsylvania Gazette," and the printer with whom Benjamin Franklin secured employ- ment upon reaching Philadelphia, in 1723. Franklin, in his autobiography, makes no mention of Keimer's Hebrew origin, the publisher of the " Gazette " being described therein as wearing a long beard and abstaining from work on the seventh day. From this statement has originated a belief that Kei- mer was a Hebrew. The author of a valuable work on American literature, recently published, evidently accepting Franklin's inferential testimony as authority, designates Keimer as a "Jew." There is good reason for believing, however, that Keimer was a member of a sect known as " French Prophets." According to Rosenbach's " Jews in Philadelphia previous to the year 1800," Arnold Bamberger, who by special act was permitted to hold lands and to trade in the province of Penn- sylvania, in the year 1726, was the first Hebrew in Philadel- phia regarding whom documentary evidence is extant. Pre- vious to the Revolution it is supposed that worship was con- ducted in Sterling Alley. As early as 1738, Nathan Levy laid out a burial place for himself and family, on Spruce Street, between Eighth and Ninth Streets, and in 1751, Mr. Levy published a notice in the "Pennsylvania Gazette" complaining of injury to the fence of the cemetery caused by the firing at marks set against it by sportive marksmen. Among the members of the Congregation Mickvc-Isracl in 1 78 1 were the Sheftalls of Savannah, several persons from Charleston and others from Newport and New York, the lat- ter including the Rev. Gershom Seixas. Already in 1773 the financial maintenance of the Congregation Mickve-Isracl, then located in Sterling Alley, between Third and Fourth THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 63 Streets, had been the subject of much concern to the mem- bers, the necessary funds being derived from voluntary sub- scription. In that year Bernard Gratz, the Parnass, con- tributed ^10, Michael Gratz £\o, Solomon Marache and Henry Marks each ^5, Levi Solomon £^ and Mordecai Levy ;^3, to continue annually for three years. The influx of co- religionists from other cities on account of the war swelled their numbers to such an extent that more commodious quarters were found necessary, and the congregation removed to Cherry Alley, where it remained until 1782, when Isaac Moses, Haym Levy, Solomon M. Cohen, Simon Nathan, Bernard Gratz and Jonas Phillips were entrusted with the duty of securing still better accommodations. The sum of i^6oo was raised by subscription for erecting a new place of worship. This amount proving inadequate, Haym Salomon came to the rescue by offering to defray one-fourth of the entire cost, regardless of the amount. The new synagogue in Cherry Street, near Third, was solemnly dedicated in September, 1782, by the Rev. Ger- shom Seixas, the committee in charge of the ceremonies being Solomon Marache, Simon Nathan, Haym Levy, Isaac Moses, Solomon M. Cohen and Benjamin Seixas. The building, which had accommodations for nearly two hundred persons, was of brick, with a residence of the minister adjoin- ing. Notwithstanding Haym Salomon's liberal contribution the financial condition of the congregation was far from satis- factory for some years after, and so pressing was the neces- sity for further funds that in 1788 relief was sought by a memorial to the General Assembly to permit a lottery, with a view of securing the money necessary to liquidate the in- debtedness. An address to " all humane, charitable, and 64 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. well disposed people," was then issued, setting forth at length the financial difficulties under which the congregation labored, and asking their worthy fellow-citizens of every re- ligious denomination " their benevolent aid and help, flatter- ing themselves that their worshipping Almighty God in a way and manner different from other religious societies will never deter the enlightened citizens of Philadelphia from generously subscribing toward the preservation of a religious house of worship." In April of the same year Rev. Jacob Cohen informed the congregation that his term of service was about to expire, and desired to know whether a re-engagement was contem- plated. The minister during the preceding year had been sustained by subscription, and it was determined at this meeting to continue the subscription plan for another year. For this purpose Manuel Josephson contributed ;i^i 5s. 6d.; Samuel Hayes, £1 2s. 6d.; Solomon Lyon, ;^i los.; Jonas Phillips and son, £2 12s. 6d.; Sholas Barrnitza, 14s. 6d.; Tiny Phillips,. 12s.; Bernard Gratz, £1 i6s.; Michael Gratz and son, £1 19s.; Michael Levy, 17s. 6d.; Isaac Moses, Sr., 7s. 6d.; Moses Nathan Levy, 2s. 8d.; Moses Nathan Levy's brother, i8s.; Solomon Aaron, 7s. 6d.; Jacob Cohen, Sr., £1 2s. 6d.; Myer Hart, lis.; Abraham Hart, 7s. 6d.; Michael Hart Cohen, £1 lis.; Solomon Etting, £1 2s. 6d.; Benjamin Nones, £2 3s. 6d.; Isaac Ximenus, 6d.; Joseph Henry, 8s.; Meyer and Solomon Marks, 3s.; Aaron Syefort, £10 los. A few months later the congregation took into considera- tion the subject of depredations at the burying ground and it was voted to permit the erection of a building close by, at the expense of the builder, in order to remedy the evil. This THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 65 cemetery Avas at Spruce and Ninth Streets, and among others buried there, prior to the present century, were : Nathan Levy, 1753; Jacob Henry, 1751 ; David Gomez, 1780; Mat- thew Gomez, 1781 ; Sarah Judah, 1783; Miriam Marks, 1784; Sarah Marks, 1784; Abraham Levy, 1786; Emanuel Josephson, 1796. The stone marking the grave of the latter gives the date of his death as February 30, 1796. On February 24, 1790, Bernard (jX2X.z,Parnass, and Manuel Josephson, Trustee, on behalf of the congregation, issued a fresh appeal for funds wherewith to pay off the indebtedness on the synagogue. This was addressed to the congregation in Parimarirba Surinam. "In former times," it read, " the few housekeepers that were settled here, being impressed with a sense of duty to assemble on Sabbath and Solemn days, to offer up their prayers in Congregation, thereby pre- serving the mode of worship and those ceremonies appertain- ing to our holy religion, and initiating their young offspring therein, that the same might become familiar to them, and so be handed down inviolate to succeeding generations, and in order that they might have a place wherein to assemble for that purpose, they hired a room in a private house and furnished and decorated it proper for a synagogue, although in miniature, it being suited to their numbers and circum- stances. This they continued many years, satisfied and happy in that particular, until the year 1776, when the dis- turbances in this county began and which caused numbers of our brethern from the different congregations in America to come with their families to reside here. Thus the congrega- tion greatly increased, so that the room aforesaid, became insufificient to contain so considerable a number. * * * * But no sooner did the news of peace reach these parts than 66 • THE HEBREWS IN "AMERICA. they all returned to their respective homes and former places of abode, leaving this small congregation saddled with a debt that had been contracted chiefly on their account, and is be- come impossible for this handful to discharge, without the assistance of their benevolent brethren abroad, finding it at present even difficult to raise the annual salaries of the Haza?z, Shochet and Shamasy Two years after the application to the Legislature for a lottery, an act was passed, allowing the congregation to raise ;^8oo by that means. The story of Haym Salomon's life is an interesting one. His prominence was not confined to the synagogue, to which he was the most liberal contributor, but was attained by generous and timely assistance to the founders of the Republic, and will cause his name to be remembered for all time to come. He was a native of Poland and of Portuguese descent. His family were highly respectable and learned people. His wife was Rachel Frank, daughter of Moses B. Frank of London, who, with his brother, the distin- guished Jacob Frank of the Revolutionary War, died in New York while it was yet a colony .~ ■ Moses and Jacob Frank were sons of Aaron Frank of Germany,\vho was the companion and friend of King George of Hanover, and who loaned that monarch the most valuable jewels in his crown at his Coronation. Jacob Frank was the British King's sole agent for the Northern Colonies at New York, and his son David was the King's agent for Pennsylvania. After visit- ing many countries and acquiring various languages, Haym Salomon left Lissa and came to America. He was in New York when the British took possession of the city, and with other patriots was arre-^ted and confined in the prison THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. ' 6/ known as the " Prevost,'' which stood on the spot now occupied by the Hall of Records in the City Hall Park. So closely were the prisoners packed there that " when they laid down at night to rest, wheri their bones ached on the hard oak planks and they wished to turn, it was altogether by command 'right-left,' being so wedged as to form almost a solid mass of human bodies." Escaping from the clutches of the British, Haym Salomon made his way to Philadelphia, and there married the sister of Colonel Frank. It was during his residence there that he was entrusted with the negotiation of all the war subsidies of France and Holland on his own personal integrity, which were disposed of to the resident merchants in America with- out any loss, at a credit of two and three months, for which he received the small commission of one-fourth of one per cent. It was Haym Salomon who, when the people of Philadelphia were deprived of the use of any circulating medium by the act of withdrawal of Continental money and great distress existed, caused $2,000 in specie to be dis- tributed among the poor of that city. In Madison's letter to Virginia in 1 881, he writes: "My wants are so urgent that it is impossible to suppress them. The case of my brethren is equally alarming." And later on he declares that " the kindness of our friend in Front Street (Mr. Salo- mon) is a fund that will preserve me from extremities, but I never resort to it without great mortification, as he obstinately rejects all recompense. To necessitous delegates he gratui- tously spares from his private stock." And the same year he admits, in a letter to Edmund Randolph, that he had been " for some time past a pensioner on the favor of Haym Salomon." The magnitude of these great favors granted by 68 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Mr. Salomon may be judged by what was written by one dis- tinguished Virginian in 1781-82, who said: " We have tried to raise funds to reheve ourselves by offers of depositing the best names in Virginia, but it is in vain. My brethren are in like distress." Relief from any other quarter than from Mr. Salomon was so rare that the only instance where it occurred is thus recorded in Mr. Madison's journal, in September, 1782: " I succeeded in getting the sum of fifty pounds from Mr. Cohen by depositing the. obligation of Mr. Randolph payable for it at sixty days." The disinterestedness of Haym Salomon was again forcibly illustrated in his intercourse with the members of the Government. When he was called on to advance the entire pay for the ensuing year to Messrs. Jones, Randolph and Madison, as members of the Revolutionary Congress, they had in writing allotted that Mr. Madison should get fifty pounds less than the other two, but Mr. Sal- omon seeing in this young statesman, then only twenty-nine years old, those great, latent talents, for which he became in after years distinguished, presented him, from his own pri- vate purse, the fifty pounds, and thus equalized the pay of the whole delegation. Jared Sparks, the historian, in the Life of Governeur Morris, a member of Congress in 1780, pub- lishes a letter written by Mr. Morris, in which he declares that " the person who did loan cash to a member to relieve his distress in that day, was in no expectation of ever getting repaid." While many of the merchants who subscribed to make up army supplies in 1780, were represented as having given their names without any security, it is shown by Mr. Madison's journal that they had a contingent security of the best Sterling Exchange to the amount of i^ 150,000, in rm^ HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 69 excess of their subscription. Facts not generally known are contained in a document presented to a committee of Congress, from the Bank of North America, the first and only bank chartered by the Revolutionary Congress. This document shows the relative proportion of the account of Mr. Salomon, and forty other principal merchants, who com- menced with the opening of the bank. Their accounts, up to the period of his death, when his account closed, occupied in all fifteen pages of the large ledger, and his single account occupied fifteen pages, double columns, of the same ledger. The amount of his one account was as large as their entire account in the aggregate. His balance at the various times of settlement in his bank book show specie balances of $15,000 to $50,000 at each period. The amount charged by the bank to his account as paid to the financier of the Revo- lution was more than $200,000, while Robert Morris own account during the same period has but a deposit of less than $10,000, and which was received on the very day from Haym Salomon as it was charged to him. Funds were also given, when necessity required, to Jefferson, Willson, Ross, Duane, Reed, and others of the Congress of the Declaration, and also to Madison, Mercer, Arthur Lee, Joseph Jones, Harri- son, Mififiin, Rittenhouse, Pendleton, Randolph and others. Haym Salomon was also the confidential friend of that ardent adherent to the American cause, the Chevalier de la Luzerne, the French Ambassador, as well as to the two Consuls-Gen- eral Marbois and De La Forrest, both of whom were subse- quently ministers of Napoleon L In the archives of the Intendancy of Cuba, there is a letter from Don Francisco Rendon, Minister from Spain to the United States, addressed to Don Diego Jose de Navarro, 70 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Governor-General of Cuba, in which the former says : " I am entirely indebted to the particular kindness of Mr. Salomon to support my credit with any degree of . reputation, and without it I certainly could not have been able to render that protection and assistance to the subjects of His Most Catholic Majesty which is enforced on me by his royal Com- mands." The list made and deposited at the Probate oflfice of the certificates of Revolutionary indebtedness, of which he was seized at the time of his death in 1784, shows upwards of $350,000, consisting of War ofhce, Loan ofifice, Commissioner, Treasury and Continental certificates, not one cent of which was ever received by the infant children, owing to circum- staances for which they could not be accountable. Henry Wheaton says that Judge Wilson, so distinguished for his labors in the convention that framed the Federal Constitu- tion, would have retired from public service had he not been sustained by the timely aid of Haym Salomon, adminstered with equal generosity and delicacy. A committee of , the United States Congress, in 1850, to whom was referred a resolution to reimburse the heirs of Haym Salomon, for the moneys so generously advanced by their illustrious ancestor, admitted the justice of the claim and reported that he had " advanced liberally of his means at a time when the sinews of war were essential to success," and as late as 1864, the Committee on Revolutionary Claims of the United States Senate, reported a bill appropriating the sum of $353,726.43, provided that Mr. Salomon's heirs would relinquish all further claim upon the Government. Isaac Moses was a Philadelphia merchant whose patriot- ism was emphasized by a contribution of ^3,000 when Rob- ert Morris undertook to raise money with which to prose- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 71 cute the war. He subsequently removed to New York, where he was for years a leading merchant and was one of the founders of the Bank of New York. David Franks, son of Jacob Franks, of New York, was a prominent Philadelphia merchant, whose fortune was swept away by confiscation on account of his adherence to the British cause. In 1743 he married Margaret, daughter of Peter Evans, of Philadelphia, having previously abjured the Hebrew faith. Three daugh- ters and one son were born to them. The three daughters were among the belles of Philadelphia during the Revolu- tionary War, the eldest, Abigail, having married Andrew Hamilton, the owner of " Woodlands," and at one time the Attorney-General of the State ; the second was unmarried, while the youngest, Rebecca, was, after the war, wedded to Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Johnson, who rendered im- portant service in the rebellion in Ireland. Rebecca Franks was distinguished for her beauty, wit and intelligence. She was a conspicuous figure in Philadelphia society during the period named. General Lee said of her that she was " a lady, who has had every human and divine advantage." She was universally courted for the charms of her conversation. At the celebrated fete of the Mischianza, which took place at Philadelphia, May 18, 1778, and which was given by the British officers to Sir William Howe before he relinquished his command to Sir Henry Clinton, Rebecca Franks was one of the princesses. The following interesting description of social life in New York towards the close of the Eighteenth Centur}^ occurs in a letter from her pen, and is taken from Mrs. Ellett's " Queens of American Society : " By the bye, few ladies here know how to entertain company in their own houses, unless they introduce the card-table. Except \~i-. 72 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Van Homes, who are remarkable for their good sense and ease, I don't know a woman or girl who can chat above half an hour, and that on the form of a cap, the color of a ribbon, or the set of a hoop, stay ox jupon. I will do our ladies, that is the Philadelphians, the justice to say, that they have more cleverness in the turn of an eye than those of New York have in their whole composition. With what ease have I seen a Chew, a Penn, an Oswald, or an Allen, and a thousand others, entertain a large circle of both sexes ; the conversation, without the aid of cards, never flagging, nor seem- ing in the least strained or stupid. Here in New York, you enter a room with a formal set courtesy, and after the howdos things are finished ; all is a dead calm till the cards are introduced; when you see pleasure dancing in the eyes of all the matrons, and they seem to gain new life. The maidens, if they have favorite swains, fre- quently decline playing, for the pleasure of making love ; for to all appearance, it is the ladies, not the gentlemen, who now-a-days show a preference. It is here, I fancy, always leap-year. Indeed, scan- dal says, that in the cases of most who have been married, the first advances came from the lady's side, or she got a male friend to introduce the intended victim and pass her off. I suspect there would be more marriages were another mode adopted ; they have made the men so saucy that I sincerely believe the lowest ensign thinks he has but to ask and have ; that a red coat and smart epaulette are sufficient to secure a female heart. At a ball given by Mrs. Washington to the French Minister in honbr of the alliance between France and the United States, Miss Franks took occasion to show her Tory sympathies by bribing a servant to decorate a dog with the cockades of the two countries and usher the animal into the ball room. In i8iO the former Philadelphia beauty was liv- ing in Bath, England, where she was visited by General Scott some years later. In the course of an animated con- versation, she remarked to the hero of Lundy's Lane : " I have gloried in my rebel countrymen. Would to heaven^ I, too, had been a patriot! I do not— I have never re- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 73 gretted my marriage ! No woman was ever blessed with a kinder — a better husband ; but I ought to have been a patriot before marriage." A sister of David Franks married General Oliver De Lancey, of the British Army. David S. F* ranks, a nephew of David Franks, was an ofificer of the Continental Army. Mayer Isaac Franks, a brother-in-law of Haym Salomon, was for a time Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. One of the sons of David Franks returned to England, and died a member of Parliament, while Colonel Franks, after the war, was appointed Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which office he held at the time of his death. Israel Israels, a native of the Island of Barbadoes, was a prominent character in Philadelphia, up to the time of his death in 1821. During the Revolution he resided on the Delaware, near Wilmington. The female members of the family being dependent upon Israel and his younger brother Joseph, for protection, lots were drawn to determine which should become a soldier. The lot fell upon Joseph, the younger, while Israel devoted his time and attention to his farm on the Delaware, where he resided with his wife. The story of Israel's trial and escape, after his arrest by the British, forms /one of the most thrilling episodes of the Revo- lution and is thus graphically described by the historian Lossing: " Israel Israels, was a member of the Committee of Safety, and, of course, a marked man. Betrayed by Tory neighbors, he and his wife's brother were made prisoners and taken upon the frigate ' Roebuck,' lying in the Delaware, in sight of his house, for trial. He was treated harshly ; his bed was a coil 74 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. of rope on deck, his food was of the meanest kind. It was reported that he had declared that he would ' sooner drive his cattle as a present to General Washington, than receive thousands of dollars in British gold for them.' On being informed of this the British Commander ordered a detach- ment of soldiers to go to his (Irsael's) meadows, in full view, and seize and slaughter his cattle then feeding there. His young wife (then only nineteen years old) saw her husband and brother taken to the frigate, and she also saw the move- ment of the plunderers. She guessed their purpose when she saw the soldiers land. With a boy eight years old, she hastened to the meadows, cast down the bars and began driv- ing out the cattle. The soldiers told her to de-sist and threatened to shoot her. ' Fire away !' cried the heroic woman. They fired, and the balls flew thickly but harm- lessly around her. The shield of God's providence was over her, and, though the cowardly soldiers fired several shots, not one grazed her. The cattle were all saved, and the discom- fited marauders returned to the frigate. The trial of Israel took place. A kind-hearted soldier asked him if he was a Free Mason. He answered in the affirmative and was in- formed that a lodge was to be held on board the vessel that night, the officers being Masons. The trial ended. The life of Israel was in jeopardy. He made a manly defense before the Court, and when opportunity offered he gave a sign of the brotherhood. It was recognized ; the haughty bearing of the officers was changed to kindness ; the Tory witnesses were reprimanded for seeking the harm of an honorable man : presents were prepared for his heroic wife, and himself and brother were sent on shore in a splendid barge and set at liberty. The records of the Grand Lodge of Masons of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 75 Pennsylvania bear testimony that Mr. Israel (who was at one time Grand Master) was saved from an ignominious death by the use of Masonic signs." Israel Israels, was at one time High Sheriff of Philadelphia, and was seventy-eight years old when he died. A clock owned by Israels is among the relics in possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Israel's wife was Hannah Erwin, a Christian, and Mrs. Ellett, author of " Women of the Revolution," and "■ Queens of American Society," was their daughter. Jonas Phillips, who lived at i lo North Second Street, mar- ried Rebecca, daughter of Hazan Machada. Their son, Naph- tali Phillips, was born October 19, 1773. Zelegman Phillips, another son, was born June 28, 1779. He married Arabella, daughter of M, Solomon. He was one of the ablest criminal lawyers in Philadelphia, and died in 1839. Moses Levy, an- other lawyer, sold his house in Chestnut Street to the Bank of North America. Another distinguished member of the Bar, was Sampson Levy, whose impromptu speeches were said to be " perfect gems." For many years the Hebrews of Philadelphia have occupied an honorable place in the community. Prominent among those in the mercantile world, half a century ago, were John and Samuel Moss, shipowners, and Lewis Allen, who carried on an extensive wholesale dry-goods business from 181 5 to 1 841. A merchant then widely known was Leon J. Levy, who occupied a large establishment on Chestnut Street. Among the numerous bankers were found the Gratz family. Michael Gratz came from Austria when a lad, and traded largely with the Indians. He sided with the Colonists during the war, and his name appears among the signatures to the -j^ THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Non-Importation Resolutions after the passage of the Stamp Act. Of his eleven children, Simon, the eldest son, was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Hyman, a brother, was President of the Pennsylvania In- surance Company. Rebecca, a daughter, who is immortal- ized as the heroine of Scott's " Ivanhoe," was born March 4, 1 78 1. She was prominently identified in the organization of numerous charitable and ' benevolent associations. When fifty-seven years old she organized the first Hebrew Sunday- school in the United States. Writing of her in her younger days, Gratz Van Rensselaer says: " Her eyes were of exquisite shape, large, black and lustrous ; her figure was graceful and her carriage was marked by quiet dignity — attractions which were height- ened by elegant and winning manners. Gentle, benevolent, with instinctive refinement and innate purity, she inspired affection among all who met her ; and having received the best instruction that the time and country afforded, she was well-fitted for practical and social duties." Among her numerous acquaintances was Washington Irving, and to the latter it is said Scott was indebted for the character of Rebecca in Ivanhoe, Irving having portrayed to him, during one of his visits abroad, the fair Philadelphian's " wonderful beauty, the story of her firm adherence to her religious faith under the most trying circumstances, and particularly illustrated her loveliness of character and zealous philan- thropy." She died in 1869 at the age of eighty-eight. Hyman Marks was also engaged in the banking business. Other bankers were Robert and Isaac Phillips, the latter a son-in-law of John Moss, thfi^J^oseph brothers and Joseph Andrade. Mr. Andrade was a Frenchman and a man of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. J'] immense fortune. Though received in the best society he was noted for his penury, eccentricity and shabby attire. Among the members of the bar Zehgman Phillips and his sons, Altamont and Henry M., occupied high places. Johaveth, a daughter of Moses Isaacks, of Newport, married Michael Marks of Philadelphia, who came from England with Hyman and Michael Gratz. He, with his father, Henry Marks, were among the founders of the syna- gogue Mickve-Israel. Anna, a daughter of Michael Marks, married Lewis Allen, a well-known and highly respected merchant of Philadelphia, who succeeded his father, Lewis Allen, Sr., in business in 1815. Mr. Allen was for many years President of the syna- gogue of which his father-in-law was a founder, and his widow, Mrs. Anna Allen, assisted Miss Gratz in the forma- tion of the first Hebrew Sunday-school of thac city and was one of the founders and first President of the Jewish Foster Home and Orphan Asylum, and was forty years Treasurer of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society of Philadelphia. Mrs. Allen, who was born in the village of Sing Sing, N. Y., in the year 1800 is now (1888) a resident of the city of New York. Abraham Hart, was for many years a member of the firm of Carey & Hart, the leading book house of the United States. Mr. Hart's uprightness and integrity, during his business career of more then a quarter of a century, was marked, on his retirement from active life, by a public dinner, tendered him by the publishers and booksellers of Philadelphia, in 1854. He was, for upwards of thirty years, President of the Mickve-Israel congregation, and his opinion was sought after by all his co-religionists. He generously 78 IHE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. aided and encouraged all Hebrew institutions in his city and elsewhere, and " many a time in the synagogue when the Sabbath was over, a crowd of poor would gather about him, and he would deal out money to them, and many a poor soul went forth rejoicing, calling God's choicest blessings upon the head of this generous man." He enjoyed the friendship of General Grant, George W. Childs, and other famous men, and the announcement of his death, in July, 1885, called forth expressions of sincere sorrow in many Hebrew households. Miss Louisa B. Hart, was one of the three Jewesses of Philadelphia, to whom we are indebted for the first Hebrew Sunday-school in the United States. She was born at Easton, Penn., June 3, 1803, and, after the death of her father, a merchant of that town, removed to Philadelphia, where she became interested in the formation of the Sunday-school founded by Miss Gratz, and of which she became a teacher and first Vice-president and subse- quently Superintendent. She died in 1874. LANCASTER. A numerous Hebrew community existed in Lancaster, Penn., in colonial days. The most prominent of the early set- tlers there, was Joseph Simon. He reached Lancaster about 1735, and taking out a license as an Indian trader, soon mo- nopolized the business in that section, ranking for almost half a century as one of the wealthiest Indian traders and merchants in America. The colonial records of Pennsylvania made frequent and honorable mention of his services. As early as 174a, he began to acquire land in Lancaster and the sur- rounding country, and gradually accumulated immense tracts in Pennsylvania. In 1747, he bought one piece of 288 acres, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 79 near Maytown, from John Lowrey. Mr. Simon's store was the largest at Lancaster, and was in Penn Square, in the centre of the town. Levy Andrew Levy, was a partner in this store for many years and his (Simon's) sons-in-law, Levi Phillips, Solomon M. Cohen, Simon Gratz and Solomon Etting, were also, at various periods, associated with him. Another son-in-law was Dr. Nicholas Schuyler, of Albany, a surgeon in the Revolutionary war. Prior to the French and Indian wars of 1755, Mr. Simon made frequent excursions to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers with his pack horses, trading with the Indians. In 1763 the series of Indian depredations culminated in the attack by the Shawnees, Dela wares and Huron tribes at " Bloody Run," in Bedford County, Penn. This re- sulted in heavy losses to the traders, among whom were David Franks, Joseph Simon, William Trent, Levy Andrew Levy, and Colonel Alexander Lowrey, twelve traders sus- taining thereby a loss of i^8o,ooo (four hundred thousand dollars). Five years after this disaster, on November 8, 1768, at the treaty of Fort Stanwix (Rome, N. Y.), all the tribes of the Six Nations joined in a deed to the aforemen- tioned Indian traders of the tract of land " beginning at the south side of the mouth of Little Canhawa Creek where it empties into the Ohio River, and running from thence south- west to the Laurel Hill until it strikes the River Monon- gahela, thence along said river to the southern boundary line of the Province of Pennsylvania, thence along the boundary line of Pennsylvania to the Ohio River, and down that stream to place of beginning," The region referred to in this deed, which may be seen in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, at the present time com- 8o THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. prises the large State of West Virginia. The settlement of this land was resisted by Virginia, and the breaking out of the Revolution put an end to all negotiations looking to its acquirement. Mr. Simon, however, cherished for many years a hope of reclaiming it and until the day of his death ex- pended large sums of money to obtain possession of the grant. The losses at Bloody Run proved but a temporary check to Mr. Simon, who was a man of push and enterprise, and he enjoyed a lucrative trade until after the Revolutionary War. On July 5, 1773, the different tribes of the Indian nations in Illinois conveyed to twenty-two residents of Lancaster and surrounding country a grant of land which now embraces the southern half of the State of Illinois. Eight Hebrews were interested in its purchase. They were Moses Franks, Jacob Franks, David Franks, Barnard Gratz, Michael Gratz, Moses Franks, Jr., Joseph Simon, Levy Andrew Levy. This land, like that in Virginia, never passed into the control of the purchasers, which was also owing, it is presumed, to the Revolution. Levy Andrew Levy's interest in Mr. Simon's business ceased in 1778, when he and Susanna, his wife, conveyed it to Aaron Levy, also a storekeeper in Lan- caster, presumably a son. The Levys reached Lancaster a few years after the arrival of Mr. Simon, his (Simon, s) sons-in- law coming many years thereafter. One of them, Solomon Etting, had previously lived at York, Penn.* Mr. Simon's closing years were embittered by his son-in-law, Michael Gratz, whom he fancied had dealt unjustly with him in cer- tain business transactions. On this account Mr. Simon dis- posed of the whole of his real estate, including several thousand acres in Northumberland County, in order to pre- vent him from enjoying any part of it. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 8 1 Colonel Alexander Lowrey, was, for over forty years, en- gaged with Mr. Simon in the fur trade. Colonel David Clark, of New Orleans, father of the late Mrs. Myra Gaines, whose claims involving millions of dollars were the subject of many years of litigation with the Government, was employed as wagon boy by the two traders when they visited the Ohio and Mississippi country. Mr. Simon lived to the ripe age of ninety-two years and was buried in the Lancaster Cemetery. The inscription on his tombstone reads : And Joseph gave up the Ghost, and died in a good old age. An old man and full of years and was gathered to his people. • Joseph Simon Departed this life the 1 2th day of the month Shebath, in the year 5565, corresponding with the 24th day of Januuary, 1804, aged 92 years, in a good old age And he walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. At his side rests his wife, on whose tombstone is this record : The Body of Mrs. Rose Simon, wife to Mr. Joseph Simon, who departed this life the 3d day of May, 1796, in the 69 th year of her age. Levi Phillips and Belah, his wife, (son-in-law and daughter of Mr, Simon) were appointed his executors. A clause was inserted in his will providing that the " silver plate used for re- 82 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. ligious worship " in his family and two scrolls of the law, were to remain in Mr. Phillips' family, during the latter's life-time, after which they should revert to the Philadelphia synagogue. After Mr. Simon's death the Phillipses, Cohens, Gratzes and Ettings all removed to Philadelphia. Mr. Simon left five daughters and two sons. The latter were imbeciles and were amply provided for in his will. In the year 1747 one-half acre of ground was acquired for a Hebrew cemetery, Isaac Nunus Ricus and Joseph Simon being named as Trustees. The deed conveying the prop- erty reads that it is to be held " for the Society of Jews settled in and about Lancaster." The first interment in the old cemetery after 1804 was in the year 1855. Two years prior to this the Hirsh brothers reached Lancaster. They took measures to form a congregation, and on February 25, 1855, a charter was obtained with twenty-one members, the congregation styling themselves Shaaray-Sharnoyim. On September 13, 1867, their synagogue was built and dedi- cated. It stood at the corner of Orange and Christian Streets. For some years the following gentlemen officiated as Hazan, or Reader, of the congregation : Joseph Eckstein, L. Rosenstein, W. Frankenstein, Jacob Stein, Weil, William Shuster, A. B. Black and Henry Weile. Easton, Penn., was settled in 1750, and eleven families numbering about forty men, women and children, comprised the population two years thereafter. Among these was one Hebrew family, the head of which was Meyer Hart, who was the first merchant in the town. In 1763 he was the heaviest tax-payer found there. That year his assessment amounted to nineteen shillings. Meyer Hart's business career, according to the town records, was a satisfactory one. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. . 83 By thrift and industry he prospered so far as to become the owner of three houses and several negroes, besides whicli he owned a good stock in trade. In 1782 his stock was val- ued at $1,200. Michael his son, encouraged by his father's success also embarked as a merchant, and in 1776, was found occupying a store on the north-east corner of the square. He also owned slaves. It was at his house that Washington accepted an invitation to lunch while tarrying for a few hours in the town. The late Miss Louisa B. Hart, his daughter, thus proudly records the event in her diary : " Let it be remembered that Michael Hart was a Jew, practically, pious, a Jew reverencing and strictly observant of the Sabbath and festivals ; dietary laws were also adhered to, although he was compelled to be his own Shochet. Mark well, that he, Washington, the then honored as first in peace, first in war and first in the hearts of his countrymen, even during a short sojourn became for the hour the guest of the worthy Jew." A congregation, Beth-Shalome, was started in Easton in 1839, and chartered in 1842, with the following members : Henry Rosenfield, Michael Lederer, Solomon Rohden, Sam-' uel Bachenheimer, Moses Cohen, Solomon Scheit, Samuel Able, Adolph Hirsch, Lewis Bachenheimer, M. Gardner, Wolf Rosenbaum, Emanuel Scheif and Isaac Menline. Rev. Morris Cohen was the first Rabbi, and was succeeded by Messrs. Kling, Pritzel and Jacoby. RICHMOND. In Richmond, Va., the Congregation Beth-Shalome, was founded in or about the year 1791. Among the organizers and earlier members were Jacob Mordecai, Samuel Alexander, Joseph Marx, Gershom Judah, Myer M. Cohen, Baruch 84 « THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Judah, Zalma Rehine, Asher Marx, Benjamin Myers, Israel I. Cohen, Benjamin Solomons, Samuel Mordecai, Jacob I. Cohen, Marcus Elkan, Joseph Darmstadt, Isaac H. Judah, Isaac Mordecai, Lyon Hart, Aaron Henry, Benjamin Woolfe, Manuel Judah, Isaiah Isaacs, Mordecai M. Mordecai, Abra- ham Myers, Satnuel M. Myers, Jacob Lyons, Solomon Jacobs, Moses Myers, Jacob Block. Divine service was- held in early years on Nineteenth Street, in the rear of the Union Hotel. In excavating the foundation for the hotel a portion of the building in which the synagogue was located was demolished. This caused its abandonment and subsequent removal, about 1817, to Mayo Street, where the city donated a lot for synagogue purposes. On October 21, 1791, Isaiah Isaacs deeded to the Trustees of the synagogue a portion of his garden, on the south side of Franklin Street, west of Twenty-first, for the purpose of burying " all Jews, male and female, that may hereafter die in the City of Richmond, or whose bodies may be brought there to be interred." The cemetery had a frontage on Franklin Street of forty feet and extended southwardly 102 feet. Here many of the oldest and best known citizens found a resting place. As the population increased, a larger cemetery was laid out in the northwest section of the city. Isaac H. Judah officiated as Minister of the synagogue early in the century. Isaac B. Seixas was acting minister after his retirement. Rev. Abram Hyam Cohen, occupied the pulpit from 1829 to 1830. He was the son of Rev. Jacob Raphael Cohen, a native of Gibraltar, who officiated in the synagogue Mickve-hrael, of Philadelphia, and died in 181 1. Rev. Jacques J. Lyons and Rev. Ellis Lyons, brothers and natives of Surinam, were Mr. Cohen's successors in the Richmond synagogue. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 85 The following letter of Washington is in reply to an address from the congregations of Richmond, Philadelphia, New- York and Charleston, felicitating him upon his accession to the Presidency : The liberality of sentiment toward each other, which marks every political and religious denomination of men in this country, stands unparalleled in the history of nations. The affection of such a peo- ple is a treasure beyond the reach of calculation, and the repeated proofs which my fellow-citizens have given of their attachment to me and approbation of my doings form the purest source of my temporal felicity. The affectionate expressions of your address again excite my gratitude and receive my warmest acknowledgment. The power and goodness of the Almighty so strongly manifested in the events of our late glorious Revolution, and his kind inter- position in our behalf, have been no less visible in the establish- ment of our present equal government. In war he directed the sword and in peace he has ruled in our councils. My agency in both has been guided by the best intentions and a sense of duty I owe to my country. And as my exertions have hitherto been amply rewarded by the approbation of my fellow- citizens, I shall endeavor to deserve a continuance of it by my future conduct. May the same temporal and eternal blessings which you implore for me rest upon your congregations. Jacob I. Cohen, one of the early members of the Congre- g-ation Beth-Shalome came from Rhenish Prussia in the year 1773. After a brief sojourn at Lancaster, Penn., he proceeded to Charleston, S. C, with a view, it is supposed, of establish- ing himself there in business. During the active hostilities which soon followed, Mr. Cohen took part as a volunteer soldier in the defense of the colonies, serving under Moultrie and Lincoln, in the ranks with numerous co-religionists from Charleston and other sections, until the British were driven out of the Carolinas. He was then honorably discharged from service, and shortly thereafter, and before Cornwallis' 86 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. surrender, at Yorktown, settled at Richmond. Mr. Cohen soon became a successful merchant and subsequently a banker, and in the latter capacity was able to render im- portant service to the young Republic. Frequent reference to Mr. Cohen is found in the Madison papers and the future President, on several occasions, bore testimony to his valu- able services. Though absorbed with the cares of business, Mr. Cohen, during his residence in Richmond, was interested in public affairs and was conspicuous in all municipal move- ments, being chosen a magistrate and a member of the City Council. He was twice married but had no children. He died at Philadelphia, in 1823, and his remains rest in the old Hebrew burying ground on Spruce Street. After the close of the Revolutionary War, Israel I. Cohen, a younger brother of Jacob I., joined the latter at Richmond. He subsequently made a voyage to England, where he was married, and in 1787 returned to Richmond, bringing with him his wife. He died in that city in 1803, and was there buried, leaving a widow, six sons and one daughter. The sons were : Jacob I. Cohen Jr., Philip I., Mendes I., Benjamin I., David I., Joshua I. In 1802, the six sons, with their mother and sister, re- moved to Baltimore. Hyman Marks was a citizen of Rich- mond towards the close of the Eighteenth Century. His wife was a native of Newport and a child of Hillel and Abi- gail Seixas Judah. The burning of the Richmond theatre in the year 181 1, resulting in the death of the Governor of the State and many other prominent citizens, caused a painful sensation through- out the country, and brought grief to numerous Hebrew households. Among those who perished in that memorable catastrophe, were : Mrs. Zipporah Marks, Miss Eliza Jacobs, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 8/ Joseph Jacobs, Charlotte Raphiel and Adelaide Boseman, the two latter being children. Joseph Marx was a wealthy merchant. His son Samuel was cashier of the Bank of Virginia. Marcus Levy was an eccentric character. He claimed to be a prophet. Solomon Jacobs, besides occupying various public offices, was Presi- dent of the synagogue. Reuben Canter, an intelligent Eng- lishman, was a tobacconist. Mr. Norstedlan, a prominent Ger- man and highly respected in the community, was engaged in a similar business. Alexander Levy came from Alsace, France. He had been a soldier under Napoleon L Isaac Lyon was a prominent business man, and in his youth was engaged in the printing establishment where the State laws were published. Israel B. Kursheedt reached Richmond soon after the war of 1812, having come to New York from Germany in 1796. In Richmond he conducted a lottery and exchange business. His wife was a daughter of Rev. Ger- shom Mendes Seixas, of New York. Abram L. Philip, was a well known merchant. Henry L. Philip was an importer of fancy goods. Myer Ansel, who married the eldest daughter of Rev. Abraham Hyam Cohen, was also a merchant. Zalma Rehine was a storekeeper, and the uncle of Isaac Leeser. One of the leading members of the synagogue was David Judah, a merchant. About the year 1840 the Hebrew community in Richmond was one of the most flourishing in the country. The year 1844 witnessed the formation of the Synagogue Beth-Ahaba. An unpleasant episode occurred about this time, steps hav- ing been taken by the older congregation to prevent the in- terment of members of the new synagogue in the cemetery, of which the first congregation claimed exclusive control. A 88 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. legal contest was necessary in order to settle the points at issue. Gustavus A. Myers, a co-religionist and prominent member of the bar, was retained as counsel by the Ger- mans. The decision of the Court was in favor of his clients. During the second decade of the present century the He- brew population included Abram Levy, Jacob Levy, Simon Block, Benjamin Jewell, Marcus Levy, Solomon Raphael, Mordecai Marks, Solomon Fallen, Israel B. Kursheedt, Myer Angel, Samuel Daniels, Isaac Cardoza, Reuben Canter, Isaac Lyons, Jacob Phillips, Myer Ansel, Abram L. Philip, Henry L. Philip, Solomon Marks, Adolph Ancker, Mitchell Ancker, Hart Ancker, Jacob Ancker, Gustavus Ancker, Mr. Norstedlan, Alexander Levy, David Judah, Joseph Jacobs. Prior to 1 845 the population was increased by the arrival of Elias Mayer, Abraham Seixas, Hyman Seixas, Elias Mar- kens, M. J. Michelbacher, Abraham Hirsh, Solomon Soher, Aaron Myers, Lewis Pyle, Abram Pyle, Isaac Schriver, Isaac Rosenheim, Joseph Myer, Moses Waterman, Myer Stern, Joseph Milheiser, William Fleishman, Emanuel Strauss^ Solomon Hunt, Emanuel Hunt, Henry Hyman, Lewis Hy- man, Lazarus Rosenfeld, Lewis Rosenfeld, Emanuel Rosen- feld, Simon Rosenfeld, Isaacs Bachrach, Moses Mittledorfer, Abraham Hutzler, Simon Hutzler and Augustus Mailert. Emanuel Hunt, who lived to the age of 106 years, was a highly respected merchant. He strictly observed the Hebrew Sabbath and holidays up to the time of his death, including the twenty-four hours fast on the Day of Atonement. He was the recipient of numerous testimonials for saving the lives of several citizens from drowning. His death, which occurred in 1845, caused profound sorrow in the community. His funeral was attended by the Governor of the State and numerous State and Municipal ofificers. THE HEBREWS IN_ AMERICA. 89 NEW ORLEANS. Of the early settlement of Hebrews in the State of Louisi- ana the information obtainable is somewhat meagre. The edict known as the " Black Code," in the reign of Bienville, forbade them from becoming settlers, denied them the rights of citizenship, and placed them in the same category with the negroes for whom the code was originally intended and whence it derives its name. The Huguenots, however, were subjected to similar restrictions, and when, after their expul- sion from France, they expressed a desire to emigrate to Louisiana, the answer was returned from the Home Govern- ment that they had not been expelled from France for the purpose of allowing them to settle in any of the French colonies. Hence, it appears that the provisions of the "Black Code" deterred Hebrews from venturing to Louisiana until the edict was regarded as inoperative and, to some extent, a *' dead letter." Judah Touro, Alexander Isaac and Asher Phillips, were arnong the arrivals early in the present century. Abraham Labatt, father of the present well-known lawyers, was among the old-time residents. Bernard Cohn, born in 1820, is one of the few survivors of early days. The first Hebrew burial ground at New Orleans was located just beyond the suburb of Lafayette in the Parish of Jefferson, and fronted on Jackson Street, the purchase price being $361.24 which sum was paid by Manis Jacobs and Aaron Daniels the Senior Wardens, and Abraham Plotz, Asher Philips and Abraham Green, the Junior Wardens of a benevolent society styling themselves SJiaaray-CJiesed. On June 28, 1828, the first interment in the cemetery, that of Hyam Harris took place, followed on July 23d by Emanuel 90 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Stern, and the following day by that of his wife. Among the interments up to 1834 are G. S. Gomperts in 1828; Sarah Jacobs in 1829; M. Marx in 1829; Susan Barnett and Samuel Hart in 1832, M. Strauss 1833; August Luzenburg 1834. Most of the earlier interments were natives of Germany and Holland, many of those later on coming from Charleston, London, England, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Kingston, Jamai- ca. The first congregation adopting the name of the benevo- lent society {Shaaray-Chesed) before referred to, worshipped in a room on the top floor of a building in St. Louis Street. The population of New Orleans did not exceed 10,000 when, in 1801, Judah Touro took up his abode in the town. He was then but twenty-five years of age, and was the son of the Rev. Isaac Touro of Newport, where he was born. Having lost his father when eight years old, and his mother four years later, his care and education devolved upon his mother's brother, a son of Michael Moses Hays of Boston, in whose counting-room he was reared. At the age of twenty-two he was selected as supercargo of a valuable shipment to the Mediterranean. After returning home he went to New Orleans where he opened a store and soon built up a thriving trade in New England products. His earnings were invested in ships and real estate and he soon attained prominence. Forming the acquaintance of Rezin D. Shep- perd, also an enterprising merchant from Virginia, a warm attachment soon sprung up between the two. During the memorable defense of New Orleans by Andrew Jackson, Judah Touro entered the ranks as a common soldier, and on January i, 181 5, volunteered his services to aid in carrying shot and shell from a magazine to a battery. Whilst thus engaged he was struck on the thigh by a twelve pound THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 9I shot and seriously wounded. Mr. Shepherd was also serving in the ranks when he learnt of his friend's misfortune, and though the surgeon in charge declared that Touro's life could not be saved, he procured a cart and lifting the wounded man into it, drove to the city and carried Touro into his house, returning to the field after seeing that his friend was properly cared for. Shepherd and Touro were ever afterward insepar- able, and both became millionaires. Judah Touro died at New Orleans, June 18, 1854. Public journals and eminent divines offered eloquent and just tributes to iiis virtues. In New Orleans his death created a profound sensation and this feeling extended to many other places. By his will one-half of his estate was distributed among various charitable insti- tutions, including $80,000 to the New Orleans Alms House, handsome endowments to all Hebrew congregations in the country, and numerous private legacies to individual friends. Rezin D. Shepherd was made the universal legatee of the residue of the estate, in recognition of having preserved his life. One of the personal legacies in Mr. Touro's will, was the sum of $3,000 to the Rev. Dr. Theodore Clapp, the eminent Universalist divine. Upon learning that Amos Lawrence, of Boston, had pledged himself to give $10,000 to complete the Bunker Hill Monument, if any other person could be found to give a like amount, Mr. Touro immediately sent a check for the amount. At a dinner given at Faneuil Hall, at the celebration of the completion of the monument, the following toast was given : Lawrence and Touro, united names, Patriarch and Prophet, press their equal claims ; Christian and Jew, they carry out one plan. For though of different faith, each heart, a man. 92 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. In accordance with his dying request and a provision in his will, Judah Touro's remains were conveyed to Newport for interment, accompanied by the Revs. J. K. Gutheim, Isaac Leeser, and S. M. Isaacs. Rev. Mr. Leeser, in the course of his remarks at the grave, said : He massed wealth by honest frugality, treasures flowed into his coffers in the pursuit of his mercantile enterprises. He had no one near him who was bound to him by the ties of blood and kindred, yet he squandered not his acquisitions in extravagance and intem- perance, in boisterous wassail or secret debauchery ; but he relieved distress when it presented itself to his benevolent eye ; when he saw the naked, he clothed them ; and those that needed food, obtained it at his hands, whether they belonged to his faith or country, or whether they worshipped at other shrines, and had just seen the light of day in foreign lands. And if you had seen him in his daily walks, you would not have suspected him to be the man of wealth, and the honored protector of the poor, as he was ; the exterior of our brother betrayed not the man within. But when he gave you his hand, when he expressed in his simple manner that you were welcome, you could not doubt his sincerity ; you felt con- vinced that he was emphatically a man of truth, of sincere benevo- lence. And thus he lived for many years, unknown to the masses, but felt within the circle where his character could display itself without ostentation and obtrusiveness, at a period when but few of his faith were residents of the same city with him.* Ezekiel Salomon, a son of Haym Salomon, of Philiadelphia, was the cashier of the branch of the United States Bank at New Orleans, in which office he died in 1822. Gershom Kursheedt, one of the sons of Israel B. Kursheedt, settled in New Orleans about 1835, and during his early years served as a clerk, and afterwards published a daily news- paper. Judah Touro appointed Mr. Kursheedt one of his executors. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 93 BALTIMORE. According to the Provincial Court Record of Maryland, there resideH in that Province, as early as 1658, one "Jacob Lumbrozo, late of Lisbone, in the Kingdom of Portugal," who was known as " Ye Jew Doctor." Lumbrozo was committed for blasphemy, in the year mentioned, and in 1663, he was granted letters of " denizacion." In 1665 he receive a commission to trade with the Indians. Jacob Hart, a Hebrew of German birth, who came to this country in 1775, was a merchant in Baltimore during the Revolu- tion. He is the person mention in the secret journals of the Revolutionary Congress, as having headed a subscription of the merchants of that city, and raised 2,000 guineas for the relief of a detachment of the American Army, under the command of Lafayette, while passing through Baltimore. Mr. Hart was the father-in-law of Haym M. Salomon, son of Haym Salomon of Philadelphia. Nathaniel Levy of Balti- more, fought under Lafayette, during the campaign of 1781. In 1758 Jacob Myers erected an inn at the southeast cor- ner of Baltimore and Gay Streets. Reuben and Solomon Etting settled in Baltimore towards the close of the Eighteenth Century and were prominent citizens as early as 1795. Reuben was captain of the Independent Blues. He removed to Philadelphia where he married, and where his descendants still reside. Solomon Etting was a native of York, Penn., where he was born in 1764. He was one of the committee of citizens appointed to forward resolutions to Washington, expressive of disapprobation of the proposed treaty with Great Britain. In 1804 he was one of the Direc- tors of the Baltimore Water Company, whose shares at one 94 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. time sold at 900 per cent, above par. In 18 16 he was ap- pointed a Street Commissioner, and in 1828 a Director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He was for many years a Director of the Union Bank of Baltimore, and was elected a member of the City Council immediately after the passage of the Enfranchisement Bill in 1825, and was made President of the First Branch. Mr. Etting's second wife was a daugh- ter of Simon Gratz, of Philadelphia. He reared a large family, and resided in Baltimore up to the time of his death, about 1847. The six sons of Israel J. Cohen arrived in Baltimore soon after the death of their father at Richmond in 1803. They were Jacob I., Jr., Philip I., Mendes I., Benjamin I., David I, and Joshua I. Jacob I., Jr., was about thirteen years of age at the time. Under the watchful care of a good and pious mother he became at an early age a successful busi- ness man. He established at Baltimore, where he removed after his father's death, the banking house of J. I. Cohen, Jr., & Brothers, which was widely and honorably known in its day. He took an active part in business affairs, and his opinions and counsel were constantly sought in matters of public importance. When the Legislature of Maryland, in 1826, removed the disabilities of the Hebrews, who had pre- viously been ineligible to public ofifice, Mr. Cohen was elected to represent his ward in the City Council. He was several times re-elected and finally chosen annually as a mem- ber of the First Branch. He was President of the Council from 1845 to 185 1. During his early connection with the Council Mr. Cohen was particularly active in the establish- ment of the Baltimore Public School system. The devel- opments of all works of internal improvement engaged his THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. ^.5 attention, and when the building of the Philadelphia. Wil- mington and Baltimore Railroad was suggested, Mr. Cohen was one of the most active projectors of the movement. He was for a long time Vice-President of the company and re- mained a Director until his death. In 1836 he was chosen a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, and in 1849 ^^ became the President of the Baltimore Fire Insur- ance Company. This office he also occupied up to the time of his death, the administration of its affairs being attended with great prosperity to the corporation. Mr. Cohen, who was a bachelor, died in 1869, in his eightieth year, attended by the loving ministrations of his two brothers and of the nieces and nephews to whom he stood a parent. He was be- loved and respected by all who knew him. Mr. Cohen's residence in Baltimore was the first private dwelling in that city to be lighted with gas. This event took place in 1820. Philip I. Cohen, the second son of Israel I. Cohen, married at Norfolk, Va., and died there in 1852. He was post- master of the city at the time of his death. In the war of 1S12-14 he was a member of Captain Nicholson's com- pany of Fencibles, and served in the defense of Fort McHenry during the bombardment. When the British menaced Baltimore in 18 14, Mendes I. Cohen volunteered in its defence, and served in Fort Mc- Henry during the memorable bombardment. After retir- ing from the banking business, in 1829, he travelled exten- sively, visiting the principal cities of Europe and the East, and ascended the Nile. While abroad he acquired numer- ousobjects of antiquarian value, including the great col- lection of Consul-General Salt, at London, which num- ber 680 objects. This collection was presented by his CjG THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. nephews to Johns Hopkins University in 1884, and is known as the " Cohen Collection of Egyptian Antiquities." While abroad Mr. Cohen was the recipient of marked attention, from numerous celebrities including the Rothschilds and Pope Gregory XVI. He also witnessed the Coronation of Queen Victoria. Mr. Cohen served a term in the Maryland Legislature, where he introduced several important bills He served for some years as Director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and was a prominent member of various commer- cial and benevolent associations. In Baltimore no man was better known than he, or more highly respected. He was ever lending a helping hand to worthy charities and always a firm upholder of the faith of his fathers. He lived to the age of eighty-three. Benjamin I. and David I. Cohen were both married, and both were actively engaged in the banking business with their brothers. The former died in Baltimore in 1845, ^"^^ the latter in 1847. Both were prominent in business and social affairs, and left large families. David I. Cohen was the father of the distinguished Civil Engineer, Mendes Cohen, now a resident of Baltimore. Joshua I., sixth son of Israel I. Cohen, was at the time of his death, in 1870, one of the leading physicians of Baltimore. He attained distinc- tion in the treatment of diseases of the ear, and was a man of scholarly and scientific attainments. He was known as a mineralogist of high rank, and for some years filled the chair of Geology and Mineralogy in the University of Mary- land. He was also a member of the American Philosophi- cal Society, and many other scientific bodies. David Nunes Carvalho resided in Baltimore in 1828. He was a brother of Rev. E. N. Carvalho. In 1814 he married THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 9/ Sarah, daughter of Rev. Benjamin Cohen D'Azevedo, of Charleston, S. C. In Bahimore he was engaged in the man- ufacture of marble paper, and on his removal to Philadelphia, was appointed one of the City Judges of the Court of Arbi- tration, occupying the office until business recalled him to Baltimore, where he died, in i860, aged seventy-six years. Among his literary remains was a tragedy in blank verse, in five acts, entitled, " Queen Esther," and a metrical translation of the Psalms of David, in English, from the original He- brew, neither of which have been published. In the State of Maryland, as early as 1649, the full rights of citizenship were denied to those not professing the Christian religion. The first movement looking for the enfranchise- ment of the Hebrews, took place in 1797, and in 18 18 the first persistent and organized effort was made in that di- rection. At that time, a citizen of Maryland, if of the He- brew faith, though eligible to appointment to any office, under the Constitution of the United States, could not, under the government of Maryland, be appointed a Justice of the Peace, and though compelled to perform military duty, he could not rise even to the rank of ensign in the militia, nor plead as an attorney at the bar ; in short, he was disqualified from holding any office under the State Government. The attempted r-emoval of these disabilities by the House of Del- egates, in the year 1818, led to heated and protracted dis- cussion. On December 9th of that year Mr. Kennedy, of Washington County, moved that a committee of three be ap- pointed "to consider the justice and expediency of extend- ing to persons professing the Jewish religion the same privi- leges that are enjoyed by Christians." Twelve days there- after, Mr. Kennedy, who with Messrs. Brackenridge and 98 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. E. S. Thomas of Baltimore, had been appointed such commit- tee, made an exhaustive report recommending the passage of an act extending such rights and privileges. Numerous attempts were made to postpone consideration of the bill, and on che question being put, "Shall the Bill pass?" Mr. Kennedy- opened the debate. In the course of his remarks, which cover thirty printed pages of the official report, and abound in eulogies of the Hebrew race, he said : Poor, hapless, unfortunate children of Israel, how are ye fallen ! once the peculiar people of God, and enjoying His favor, His pro- tection and His immediate presence ; blest with a land flowing with milk and honey, with a climate bland as the dew of heaven and a soil luxuriantly fertile ; now scattered and dispersed, oppressed and persecuted, without a country and without a home ! Ye have drank deep of adversity's bitter draught ; ye have indeed emptied " the cup of trembling even unto the dregs " — yet scattered and dispersed as ye have been ; amidst all your distresses and unparalleled suffer- ings — ye have still been faithful and true to the religion of your fore- fathers ; ye have still worshipped the God of Abraham ; and ye have lived to see your destroyers destroyed. But fear not ye sons of Jacob — faint not ye children of Israel ; though cast down, ye shall never be destroyed ; persecuted, ye shall never be utterly for- saken ; the hour of your deliverance approaches ; the day of your redemption draweth nigh ; and he who led your fathers through the wilderness, he who has hitherto preserved you as a nation — as a peculiar people, will, ere long, restore you to the promised land. I call upon you as legislators to whose hands are committed the destinies of a free and generous people, to do them justice. I call upon you, as Christians, to consider what you would expect, what you would ask, were you now in their situation, and to do them justice. I ask no more. After a three days' debate the bill was lost by a vote of twenty-four in the af^rmative and fifty in the negative. A few days thereafter, a motion was made in the Senate for permission to bring in a bill to repeal such parts of the Con- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 99 stitution and Bill of Rights as establish a religious test as a qualification to office, which was also refused. These excit- ing debates were the subject of discussion and formed the topic of newspaper comment in all parts of the country. The Natchez, Miss., '' Independent Press," said: As it was not required, when a soldier was enlisted in the armies of the. Revolution, that he should give an account of his religious tenets before he could be permitted to shed his blood in defence of liberty ; as it was not demanded of a citizen when he was called upon to give up his property to support those heroes who were fight- ing the battles of his country, to what God he prayed to prosper her arms, before he was allowed to contribute to the achievement of her independence ; little does it become us now, to say to one who has borne the heat or burthen of the combat, because he eats not of the same bread, nor drinks from the same cup as we do — *'Thou art not one of us." The following verses appeared in the " Franklin Gazette " of Philadelphia, after the rejection of " The Jew Bill." What ! still reject the fated race, Thus long, denied repose — What 1 madly striving to efface, The Rights that heaven bestows ! Say, flows not in each Jewish vein. Unchecked — without control ; A tide as pure — as free from stain — As warms the Christian's soul ! Do ye not yet the Hmes discern, That these shall cease to roam — That Shiloh, pledged for their return, Will bring his ransomed home ! Be error quick, to darkness, hurl'd ! No more with hate pursue — For He who died to save a world, IMMANUEL— was a Jew. lOO THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. After being voted down session after session, the bill was finally passed by both Houses of the Legislature in 1822. In accordance with the Constitution, its ratification was required by the next Legislature. This failed of accomplishment, but the friends of the measure were indefatigable and on Satur- day, February 26, 1825, the last day of the session, the bill passed the Assembly. It was ratified at the succeeding ses- sion and thus became a law. According to Solomon Etting, of Baltimore (of whom an account is given elsewhere in this volume) the total Hebrew population of Maryland at that time did not exceed 125, whose combined wealth was es- timated at $500,000, and at the same time he computed their total number in the United States at this period to be about 6,000, whose wealth was estimated at about $10,- 000,000. These facts were elicited in the course of an ex- amination by a committee of the Legislature during the pendency of " Tire Jew Bill." In 1832 the Hebrew citizens residing in Baltimore were J. M. Dyer, Tobias Myer, Jonas Friedenwald, Levi Benjamin, Solomon Etting, Jacob I. Cohen, Mendes I. Cohen, Joseph Simpson. Mr. Dyer was the first President of the synagogue which Avorshipped in " Old Town," Abraham Rice being the first Minister. CINCINNATI. Previous to 181 8 no Hebrews are believed to have been included in the population of the then far-off Western town of Cincinnati. In that year P. I. Johnson arrived there, and later removed to Louisville and then to St. Louis. Soon after Mr. Johnson's arrival he was joined by Joseph Jonas, who had already reached New York in 18 16, and proceeded THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. lOI to Philadelphia where he lived for some time with Samuel ■Joseph and Levi Phillips. The latter urged him to abandon his intention of taking up his abode " in the wilderness of America and entirely amongst Gentiles, and where he would forget his religion and his God." In 1818 there arrived at Cincinnati David Israel Johnson, who lived for a time at Brookville, Ind. He was a brother of P. I. Johnson, who had preceded him. They had numerous children, amongst whom were Edgar M. Johnson, for many years a prominent member of the Cincinnati bar, and at the present time a mem- ber of the law firm of Hoadly, Lauterbach & Johnson, of New York City. Lewin Cohen, of London, Barnet Levi, of Liverpool, and Jonas Levy, of Exeter, England, all reached Cincinnati in the month of June,- 18 19. Solomon Bucking- ham, Moses Nathan and Solomon Menkin came from Ger- many in 1820. The last named established the first whole- sale dry goods house in Cincinnati and was respected as a man of sterling worth. Among the arrivals in 1821, when the total population was but 14,000, were the six Moses brothers, Morris, Phineas, Solomon, Simeon, Benjamin and Elkin. Most of these were from England, Simeon coming from the Island of Barbadoes, The only survivor of these six brothers is Phineas. In 1823, Joseph, Morris, Simeon and Simon Symonds, arrived from Portsmouth, England. Joseph Jonas was joined soon after his arrival by his three brothers, Abraham, Samuel and George. A son of Abraham, Benjamin F,, is the ex-United States Senator from Louisiana. The parents of the four brothers followed them to Cincinnati, bringing with them another son, Edward. Samuel and Moses J. De Young and wife, and Joseph Abraham, were among the old-time resi- 102 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. dents of Cincinnati coming from England. Mr. Abraham was one of twenty-two brothers and sisters, and emigrated from England to Jamaica, where his uncle was established in business. Ill health caused his departure for New York where he arrived during the great fire of 1835. Major M. M. Noah gave him employment in his newspaper office. At the suggestion of his friend, Phineas Moses, Mr. Abraham re- moved to Cincinnati in the Spring of 1836, where he married Miss Sarah De Young, a daughter of one of the pioneers. Of the early residents who formed the nucleus from which has grown the present large, influential and wealthy Hebrew community, Phineas Moses and Joseph Abraham, are the sole survivors. Elias Mayer and his brother, David Mayer, emigrated from France. The former who recently died at the age of eighty-four years, married Miss Ancker of Richmond, Va., and was active in organizing the first synagogue in Cin- cinnati. The growing population, recognizing the necessity of con- certed action with respect to religious services, assembled at the residence of Morris Moses, January 4, 1824, with Mr. Moses in the Chair and Joseph Jonas acting as Secretary. Resolutions were adopted to form a congregation " for the purpose of glorifying our God and observing the fundamental principles of our faith, as developed in the laws of Moses." Those taking part in the proceedings were Morris Moses, Joseph Jonas, David I. Johnson, Jonas Levy, Solomon Moses, Simon Moses, Phineas Moses, Samuel Jonas, Solomon Buckingham and Morris Symonds. Two weeks after, on January 18th, another meeting was held, when a constitution and by-laws were adopted, Joseph Jonas being elected Par- nass, and Phineas Moses and Jonas Levy, Vestrymen. Reso- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. IO3 lutions were passed to secure a proper place for holding ser- vices in which chorus singing was for some years a feature. David I. Johnson, Morris Moses and Joseph Jonas officiated for some time as Hazan, and in 1826 Morris Moses was €i^z\.Qdi Parnass, and David I. Johnson, Gabay. Being pressed for funds, the congregation made an appeal to sustain the synagogue which was generously responded to by the con- gregations of Charleston, Philadelphia, Barbadoes and Ports- mouth, England. In 1830, the Congregation B'nai-Israel was regularly organized under a special act of incorporation by the Legislature. In the early part of 1836, a committee was appointed for the purpose of purchasing a lot of ground and erecting thereon a synagogue. Liberal contributions followed, and the first synagogue was successfully erected, the consecration taking place in September, 1836. In the same year Hart Judah was elected first Hazan of the congregation, with a salary of $100 per annum. Before the close of his term of service his salary was increased to $1,000. Members' dues were fixed at six dollars per annum. The era of peace and concord was soon disturbed by the misconduct of a member of the congregation, which led to his expulsion. The offender, together with several partisans, thereupon withdrew and organized a new congregation, whence has developed the large and influential Congregation B' nai-Jesurun, of which Rev. Isaac M. Wise has been for many years the head. The original congregation which was located on Broadway, near Sixth Street, continued to prosper despite this disaffection. The phenomenal growth of the congregation rendered a more commodious synagogue necessary. About 1852, a new building was erected with accommodations for 500 males, and 400 females. The new I04 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. building was consecrated by the late Rev. Dr. M. J. Raphall, of New York. Up to this period the service and ritual was strictly orthodox. The Rev. Dr. Lilienthal was made Rabbi and preacher of the congregation, and at his suggestion certain changes in the ritual were adopted. A number of members opposed to the proposed innovations then with- drew and organized a new congregation under the name of Shearith-Israel, which still exists as an orthodox congrega- tion. This disaffection, however, in no wise impaired the growth of the old Congregation F nai-Israel, which now ranks among the ultra Reform Congregations. CLEVELAND. In Cleveland, Ohio, the earliest settlers were Samson Thor- man, of Unsleben, Bavaria, who arrived in 1837. Aaron Lowentrite, of Schoningen, Bavaria, reached there the same year. The first Hebrew family to settle in Cleveland was that of Samson Hoffman, in 1839, who also came from Unsleben. Isaac Hoffman, a son, is still residing at Cleve- land. During the same year Simon Thorman, also from Unsleben, arrived in Cleveland, and during the following year Simon Newmark, from Wilmersdorf, near Fuerth, Bavaria, Moses Alsbacher, from Unsleben, S. L. Coleman and Gerson Strauss, from Geroden, near Ruedenberg, Bavaria, and Kal- man Rosskopf, from Gerstfeld, settled in that city. In the year 1839, "the Israelite Society" was started and services were held in a hall on South Water Street and Winyard Lane, with Samson Thorman as President, and Isaac Hoffman as Minister. A burial ground was purchased in 184O, at a cost of $100. Two "splits" occurred in the congregation, one in 1846, when several members withdrew for the purpose of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. I05 forming a second synagogue styled Anshe-Chesed, which was soon abandoned, and again in 1848, when the Congregation Tiferith-Israel, was organized. The members of the latter, in 1852, erected a Temple on Huron Street. George Davies was the first President. CHICAGO. With a view of engaging in agricultural pursuits, a num- ber of Bavarians about the year 1841 or 1842 delegated a Mr, Meyer to proceed to Schaumburg, 111., and inquire into its advantages for Hebrew colonization. It was found inex- pedient to settle here, although Mr. Meyer had reported the section to be one " in which milk and honey is flowing, par- ticularly for the tillers of the soil." Removal to Chicago was then (decided upon, the pioneers being Jacob Fuller and Benedict Schubert, who erected the first brick building on Lake Street. Benedict Schubert was already a resident of the then insignificant town, and engaged in the business of merchant tailor, in which he became wealthy. Abraham Kohn, Levi Rosenfelt, Jacob Rosenbergh, Isaac Teigler, Isaac Conk, Meyer Klein, the Rubel brothers, Samuel Cole, M. M. Gerstley, Messrs.. Greenebaum, Fuller, Weinemann, Brunneman, Clayburgh, Weigselbaum, Zeigler and others arrived about this time. Increase in numbers and success in business enterprises enabled the purchase of ground for a cemetery, which is now within the limits of Lincoln Park, and the formation of a congregation, under the name of Kehiluth Anske MeraJi (Congregation of the Men of the West) soon followed. Worship was conducted on the upper floor of an old frame building at the southwest corner of Lake and Wells Streets, whence they removed to a small Io6 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. building on Clark, between Quincy and Jackson Streets, remaining there until 1854, when they removed to Wells and Adams Streets, Ignatz Kimreuther was the first Minister of the congregation, and was succeeded by Hazans G. Syn- dacker, G. M. Cohen, L. Lebrecht, L. Levi, M. Mensar, M. Moses and L. Adler. In 185 1 the Congregations Kehiluth and Sinai were founded. The former occupied at first a hall in a building on Clark, near Jackson Street, and the latter established themselves on Monroe Street, near La Salle. Abraham Kohn was one of the first to occupy public office. He was chosen City Clerk, and Henry Greenebaum was elected to a seat in the City Council from 1856 to 1858, E. S. Salomon was elected to a like office from 1859 ^^ 1 86 1, The advance guard at a very early period took measures for the organization of charitable associations, the result of which was the institution of a Benevolent Association, Relief Association and Ladies' Benevolent Society. ST. LOUIS. Four years previous to Missouri's admission into the Union as a State, the Territory was inhabited by Hebrews. The Bloch, or Block family, was the first and most numerous to settle west of the Mississippi River. This was in 18 16. The family consisted of several brothers and numerous cousins, and were natives of Schwiham, in Bohemia, Austria. They first settled at Cape Girardeau ; Troy, in Lincoln County ; Perryville, in Perry County, and Louisiana, in Pike County. Some of them then removed to St. Louis,which began to rise into prominence about that time (18 19) when the first steamer for New Orleans landed there. Two years later the THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. I07 population of St. Louis had increased to 5,000. Eliezer Block was at this time (1821) an attorney-at-law, while Thomas H. Benton, subsequently the distinguished United States Senator, and Edwin Bates, some years later Attorney- General of the United States, were practicing at this time in the courts of that city. The Block family were distinguished for their remarkable vigor and longevity, some of them reach- ing the age of ninety years, while one lived to the age of 100. All were respected as industrious, high-minded and successful business men. Throughout the Mississippi Valley few firms were better known or more highly esteemed than Block & McCune, owners of the Northern Mississippi Steamship Line. While the Blocks were the first to settle West of the Mississippi, Phineas Israel Johnson was the first Hebrew to settle at St. Louis. Mr. Johnson was a descendent of the famous D'Israeli family, of which Lord Beaconsfield was a member. Accompanied by his brother, D. J. Johnson, he sailed from Portsmouth, England, in 1817, and settled in Cincinnati. Here the latter remained, while his brother, Phineas, removed to Louisville. In 18 19, he established himself at St. Louis where he engaged in the auction busi- ness with the elder Patrick Walsh, then as clerk and after- wards as partner with John D. Daggett, under the firm name of Walsh, Johnson & Co. In April, 1827, Mr. Daggett was elected an Alderman of St. Louis. This was during the ad- ministration of William Carr Lane, the first Mayor of St. Louis, and, in 1841, Mr. Daggett was himself Mayor of the city. Mr. Johnson married a Christian lady, Miss Clarissa Clark, of Virginia, a grand-niece of Abraham Clark of New Jersey, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I08 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. The Hebrew settlements up to the third decade of the present century, were few and wide apart, that in St. Louis being separated from the East by a gap of several hundred miles. Louisville and Cincinnati were the nearest, hence the frequent inter-marriages between Hebrews and Christians. The prospect of going to a far-off wilderness deterred the daughters of the eastern settlers from accepting offers of marriage. As a result, the Block family also married Christians, and many of the old and most prominent fami- lies of St. Louis are connected by blood and marriage with Hebrew ancestry. The Carrs, Edgertons, Faggs, Tay- lors, Meisenburgs and others, are grandchildren of the Blocks. The Hebrew emigrants themselves, however, and most of their descendants, have always adhered to the He- brew faith, Matilda, daughter of Phineas Israel Johnson, married Captain Sol. L Levi, a zealous Hebrew, of St. Louis, who worked faithfully in establishing the first synagogue, E'liai-El, and contributed largely to the purchase of the first Hebrew cemetery. In 1839 ^^ "^^^ appointed by Governor Clark, Captain of the first Volunteer Militia Company, was a member of the City Council in 1854-55, and held the office of Notary Public from 1849 up to the time of his death in 1877. The first religious service by the Hebrews of St. Louis, was held in September, 1836, on the Hebrew New Year. In 1839, steps were taken for organizing a congregation, to be known as Achduth-hracl or United Hebrew Congregation. Abraham Weigel was elected first President and Rabbi, Sam- uel Davidson first Reader. Mr. Weigel died January, 31, 1888. The congregation up to 1859 occupied rented rooms in various localities. Dr. Illowy Avas elected Rabbi in 1854, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. IO9 and A. J. Latz served as President trom 1852 to 1861. The corner-stone of the new synagogue, the first in St. Louis, was laid March i, 1857, and the edifice was opened and dedicated in 1859, R^'^- Dr. M. J. Raphall, of New York, officiating. PITTSBURG. The pioneers of the prosperous and influential Hebrew community at Pittsburg, Penn., were David Strasburger, Emanuel Reis, Jacob Klein, Louis Stern, William Frank, L. Hirschfeld, Simon Stein, N. Gallinger and E. Wormer. In the year 1846, a congregation known as Etz-CJiayini, was organized, the place of worship being on Third Street, on a floor over the " Vigilant " Engine Plouse. Mr. Manheimer was elected first Minister. He was succeeded by Mr. Sulz- bacher. In 1851, Rev. William Armhold, was elected Minister. He continued in office until 1865, when L. Naum- burg was chosen in his place. William Frank was first President of the congregation, and Mr. Hirsfeld Secretary. The membership was soon increased by the arrival of Messrs. A. Fink, Mr. Jaroslowsky and three sons, Mr. Silverman, L. Eisner, Joseph Myers, J. Morganstern, L. Morganstern, Asher Fraunefeld, Emanuel Frauenfeld, Abraham Frauenfeld, Simon Kaufman, J. Klee, A. Guckenkeimer, Emanuel Wert- heimer, Samuel Wertheimer, Isaac Wertheimer and others. A disagreement led to the withdrawal of the German element together with their Minister, Mr. Armhold, and the formation in 1858, of the Congregation Rodef-Shalome, which secured suitable quarters in the " Irish " Building on St. Clair Street, where they remained until the erection of their own building on Eighth Street, in the year 1861, the dedication sermon being delivered by Rev. Dr. M. J. Raphall, of New York. no THE HEB-REWS IN AMERICA. W. Frank was President of the congregation at this time, and Messrs. Hirshfeld and Jaroslowsky later on. A Hebrew, German and Enghsh school was opened in connection with this synagogue, with W. Armhold and Josiah Cohen as teachers. The Presidents of the congregation, at a later period, were Joseph Morganstern, Henry Rosenbach, N. Gallinger, Louis Morganstern, Emanuel Wertheimer and S. Kaufman. The Congregation Etz-CJiayiniy meanwhile, acquired a synagogue on Ross Street, Messrs. Herzman, Weil, Crone and Bernstein, occupying the pulpit at various periods. The Hebrew Benevolent, organized in 1847, together with the Ladies Benevolent Society, accomplished much good during the Civil War, in conjunction with their Christian friends. A Sewing Society was organized in 1883, by the young ladies of Pittsburg and Alleghany, to provide clothing for the sick and needy. INDIANAPOLIS. The first settlers in Indianapolis, Ind., were Moses Woolf, Alexander and Daniel Franco. They came from London, England, in 1849. ^ Family of Hungarian Hebrews named Knefler arrived soon afterward. Adolph Rosenthal and Dr. J. M. Rosenthal reached there in 1854, and remained many years, finally removing to Louisville. Herman Bamberger reached Indianapolis in 1855, and has resided there ever since. He has always shown much public spirit and led most movements looking to the amelioration and advancement of his race. He now occupies a seat in the school board and is a leading merchant. Jacob Goldman arrived from Ger- many the same year, and in 1859 came Joseph, Morris and Henry Solomon, originally from London, but direct from THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Ill Philadelphia. Adolph Dessar, now of New York, was among the settlers in 1853. Max Glazier and Max Durn- ham reached there the same year, establishing themselves in the clothing business. The late lamented Leopold Feible- man settled in Indianapolis in i860. He was a successful lawyer for many years, and was a candidate for the State Legislature at the time of his death. Among other earlier settlers were David Newman, Henry Rosenthal, Emanuel M. Hays, Samuel Kahn, Isaac Kahn, Levi Kahn, Jacob Kahn, Solomon and Morris Greisheimer. The regular religious body called the '' Hebrew Organization " was organized in 1856. MOBILE. A number of Hebrews arrived at Mobile, Ala., early in the Forties. The most prominent among them was I. I. Jones, who came from Charleston, S. C, who organized the first congregation of which he served as President for quarter of a cerltury; B. L. Tim, who came from Hamburg, Germany, I. Goldsmith, a Barvarian, S. Lyons and D. Markstein, both Germans, Solomon Jones, brother of I. I. Jones and A. Gold- stucker, from Germany, the Frank brothers, who removed to New York, H. Marks, M. Marks ; Isidore Newman, now residing at Starkville, Miss., Messrs. Kyler, Elkus and Wal- dauer. The Congregation Shaaray-Shamayim is the oldest in Alabama, and was organized in 1844. Service was first held in the residence of B. L. Tim, Mr. Tim and other lay mem- bers officiating. The first synagogue was dedicated Decem- ber 27, 1846, with Israel J. Jones as President, and Rev. Mr. De Silva, Minister. Mr. Jones remained in office for thirty 112 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. years. Mr. De Silva died in New Orleans, in 1848, and was succeeded by Baruch M. Emanuel, who served five years. The building now in use was purchased in 1853, from the Mobile Musical Association, and dedicated March 11, 1853, by the Rev. Dr. J. K. Gutheim, Rev. J. Ekman, being the Minister. The year following Rev. J. Epstein, now of St. Louis, arrived from Germany, and was chosen Minister of the congregation which then numbered forty families. He remained in office ten years. In the fall of 1865, the con- gregation established an English and Hebrew day-school with Lawrence Moor as Superintendent, and Rev. Dr. L. Wintner, now of Brooklyn, as Superintendent of the Hebrew department. The school was open to all sects, and was for many years one of the leading educational institu- tions in the South. With the introduction of the Public School system it yielded to these, and is now open only in the Hebrew department, and forms the regular religious school of the congregation. Dr. Wintner was succeeded by Dr. M. Fleugel, as Rabbi, and Rev. A. Laser as Assistant Minister and Teacher. During the yellow fever epidemic in 1870, Dr. Laser died at his post, though admonished by his constituents to leave. The community being disorgan- ized, a certain commercial traveler was appointed to occupy the pulpit, but not proving satisfactory and the congregation being unwilling to elect him permanently, he withdrew and joined the Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Adolph Moses, then stationed at Montgomery, and now at Louisville, Ky., was chosen as his successor. He remained in Mobile ten years. Rev. Dr. Emanuel Schreiber, of Bonn, Germany, was the next incumbent, occupying the pulpit for two years. He was succeeded by the present Rabbi, H. Berkowitz, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. II3 AUGUSTA. At Augusta, Ga., there arrived about 1825 a Mr. Florence, a Hollander, bringing his wife. Isaac Hendricks arrived with his family in 1826, coming from Charleston, S. C, and it is believed that Isaac and Jacob Moise, also Charleston- ians, reached Augesta about the same period. In 1820 or thereabouts, Isaac Henry came from Newport, R. I. Charlestonians came in large numbers from this time on ; Isaac and Lewis Levy arrived about 1840, and John J. Cohen 1840. Samue-l Levy arrived from Germany in 1844, and Abraham Levy from Germany in 1847. Isaac Levy was for many years City Sheriff and Samuel Levy for two years Judge of the Superior Court and ten years Judge of the Court of Ordinary. The Congregation B'nai-Israel was organized in 1846. WILMINGTON, N. C. Aaron Lazarus and Aaron Riviera were the first settlers in Wilmington, N. C. Aaron Lazarus, born in Charleston, S. C, August 26, 1777, was one of the earliest Hebrews to reach Wilmington, coming there in early manhood, and dying at Petersburg, Va., October 2, 1841. He was one of the first directors in the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad Company, to which he was a large subscriber. In 1803 he was married to Esther Cohen, who died November 21, 1 8 16, leaving nine children, and March 28, 1821, he mar- ried Rachel Mordecai, by whom he had four children. Aaron Riviera was also an early settler in Wilmington. He was Cashier of the Bank of Fear. In 1849 ^^e number of Hebrews in the town did not exceed twenty. An organiza- 114 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. tion was formed for buri?l purposes in 1852, under the name of " True Brothers' Society." Previous to that time no Hebrew burial place existed in the State. In 1861 the Hebrew population numbered but seven families, all of whom removed to Charlotte with the exception of one. In 1867 a congregation was formed and Rev. E. C. Myers elected Minister. In the fall of 1872 the Temple of Israel was permanently organized, with Solomon Baer, President ; Abraham Weill, Vice-President ; N. Jacoby, Treasurer, and J. I. Macks, Secretary. The corner-stone of the building being laid with Masonic ceremonies, July 15, 1875, Rev. S. Mendelsohn was elected Minister, and the Temple was dedi- cated by him Mav 12, 1876. SAN FRANCISCO. The heavy tide of travel towards the Pacific Coast on the announcement of the discovery of gold was the occasion of an influx of Hebrews, who went there in large numbers and were among the first to foresee the opportunities offered by a residence in that section. The population was of a heterogeneous and shifting character. While some settled permanently in San Francisco, others ventured in the direction of the gold fields, and others again took up their residence at various interior points. Of those in San Fran- cisco many returned to the Eastern States after a few months' stay, while of others remaining many subsequently ranked among the leading citizens of the State. The numerous changes occurring in the numbers and character of the population during the period named renders it dififi- cult to secure reliable data concerning the first Hebrew set tiers in the State. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA, II 5 Two congregations were organized in the year 1851, named respectively, Emanu-El zxvA ShcaritJi-Israel. Rudolph Wyman had brought with him from New York the first Scrolls of the Law seen in San Francisco. These were used in one of the temporary synagogues during divine worship, which was first conducted by Albert Priest, a wealthy resi- dent of Long Island, who had reached the Pacific Coast in the wake of Fremont's expedition. These Scrolls of the Law proved a bone of contention and led to curious complica- tions at one time. It appears that the Rothschilds, of Lon- don, on learning of the heavy emigration to San Francisco, generously donated and transmitted a ScpJiar Torah for the use of the synagogue, which, however, failed to reach its destination until a second house of worship had been formed. Both congregations claimed possession of the Scrolls, and the title to ownership was not adjusted until much unpleasant feeling had been engendered. PORTLAND. The prosperity of the Hebrew colony at Portland, Oregon, is attested by their wealth, which, in proportion to their num- bers, is more widely distributed than in any other section of the Union, and by their prominence in public affairs. The influx to that State commenced as early as 1850. The first to arrive were Messrs. May and Goldsmith, A. Kaufman, David Abrahams, S. Blumauer, D. Simon, J. Cohn, Gus. El- feld, Edward Kahn, Moses Kahn, H. F. Bloch, A. Kahn, J. Seller, H. Seller, the Weinshenks and Mansfields. Most of these were Bavarians by birth. About 1855, the first He- brew Benevolent Society was organized. A burial-ground was purchased by this organization, which now holds a fund Il6 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. of $30,000 in its treasury, as the nucleus for a Home to be es- tablished at an early day. The Congregation Beth-Israel was founded in 1857 with Rev. H. Bories as first Hazan and Rev. Dr. Eckman first Rabbi and Preacher. Rev. Dr. Schwab, now of St. Joseph, Mo., next occupied the pulpit. During his ministrations reform was introduced in the synagogue. The present Ritual is the Miiihag-America, and Rabbi J. Bloch, M.A., a native of Bohemia, occupies the pulpit. A quarter of a century ago Rev. Dr. Elkan Cohn, of San PVan- cisco, assisted in the dedication ceremonies. The increase in the Hebrew population in recent years has necessitated the erection of a more commodious building, which will soon be completed at a cost of $70,000. The Sunday-school is attended by 150 scholars and is conducted by Rabbi Bloch and seven assistant teachers. ALBANY. The year 1837 witnessed the arrival of the first Hebrew settlers in Albany, N. Y. These numbered but nine, and were : Mayer Rice, Simeon Schwartz, Bernhard Schmidt, Louis Sporburg, Julius Gershon, Mayer Isaac, Anshel Lind, Samuel Lindenstein and Morris Herrman. Two years later came Philip Altman, Michael Hydeman, Gotlieb Schmidt, Myer Stern, Moses Simpson, Myer Stein, Cushman Stern, Veit Traut, Ferdinand Schuetz, Isaac Cohn, Joseph Erich, Jacob Erich, Nathan, Moses and Simon Kastamenbaum, Sampson Rosendale, Joseph Sparburg, Isaac Smith, Myer Friend, Henry Blatner, Judah Bettman, Moses Schloss, Philip Schloss. Most of these were Bavarians. In 1840, the He- brew population of Albany numbered thirty families. To- day it numbers five hundred families. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. II 7 The Congregation Beth-El vfSiS organized in 1838, the Con- gregation Beth-Jacob, in 1845 ^"^^ the Congregation Anshe- Emeth in 1850. Nathan Nathanson, a merchant, who ar- rived at an early period from Portland, Maine, was a talented man, and the mouthpiece of the Hebrews for many years. He officiated in the pulpit of the (^on^xQ.^-A.\AOX\. Anshe-Emeth pending a vacancy. Rev. Isaac M. Wise took charge of the Congregation Beth-El, in 1846, and four years later was called to the Synagogue Anshe-Emeth, where he remained until 1854. Rev. Dr. Elkan Cohn, now of San Francisco, succeeded him, and later on came Dr. Maurice Mayer whose stay was a brief one. The late Rev. Samson Falk, of Buffalo, settled in Buffalo as a teacher, and was finally chosen Minis- ter of the Congregation Beth-El. In 1886, the Congregations Anshe-Emeth d.VL^ Beth-El, were consolidated, a consumma- tion due in a great measure to the untiring zeal of Rev. Dr. Max Schlessinger, for twenty-two years the incumbent at Beth-Eineth. Jacob Labushiner was for a period of thirty years, prior to 1880, a prominent teacher of the Hebrew youth. ROCHESTER. The city of Rochester, with its present Hebrew population of 2,500 souls, contained but a few individuals of that faith previous to 1848, although some were found there as early as 1840. As in all new communities, the organization of a religious association engrossed the attention of the first settlers at a very early period after their arrival, with the result of the organization of a congregation in the year 1848. This event took place in a house at the corner of Clinton Street and Clinton Place, the following gentlemen taking Il8 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. part in the proceedings: Messrs. M. Rothschild, Joseph Wile, Samuel Marks, Joseph Katz, Gabriel Wile, Henry Levi, Jacob Altman, Joseph Altman, A. Adler, Elias Wolff, A. Weinberg and J. Ganz. After six months a permanent organization was effected under the name of Berith-Kodesh, more desirable quarters having been meanwhile secured at the corner of Main and Front Streets ; and on May 23, 1848, a burial ground was purchased at Mount Hope. Mayer Rothschild was chosen first President of the Congregation, which was incorporated October 8, 1854. The purchase of a site for a Temple took place 1856 (the ground being acquired from Louis Deane) and a building previously occupied as a Baptist Church, was remodelled and occupied until 1876, when the synagogue now occupied was erected at a cost of $25,000, the dedication taking place on September 15, 1876. Hitherto several ministers had occupied the pulpit, the first incumbent being a Mr. Tusky. From 1856 to 1859, Rev. Dr. Isaac Mayer acted as spiritual head. Upon his retirement the Rev. Dr. Sarner officiated for nine months. For a period of three years, i860 to 1863, a vacancy occurred when Rev. Dr. Ginsberg was chosen to the pulpit, which he occupied until 1868. Another vacancy occurred at this time, when, after a lapse of two years and six months, the Rev. Dr. Max Landsberg, the present incumbent, was appointed Rabbi of the congregation and entered upon his duties in the spring of 1871. The congregation, up to 1862, was classed as orthodox, but in that year a tendency to Reform manifested itself. The movement spread slowly but surely, and the year following witnessed some changes in the ritual, an organ having been already introduced some months before. Further innovations took place from time to THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. II9 time, culminating in the introduction of family pews in 1870, and the almost total abolishment in the year 1883, of the use of Hebrew in the service, a new ritual being agreed upon in which the Vernacular is almost wholly employed. In the year 1884, the Rev. Dr. Landsberg officiated for seven consecutive weeks, in the pulpit of the Unitarian Church of Rochester, whose pastor was confined to his home by illness. The incident produced a profound impression in Central New York at the time, and gave rise to unfavorable criticism in some quarters, which, however, was soon silenced when it appeared that Dr. Landsberg's " new departure " met with the approval of the mass of Hebrew and Christian citizens. BUFFALO. The growing city of Buffalo, N. Y., attracted Hebrew emigrants as early as 1835, when a Mr. Flersheim, a teacher of the German language and a native of Frankfort-on-the- Main, took up his abode there. Bernard Lichtenstein arrived in Buffalo in 1838, and continued to reside there for over forty years until his removal to Waupun, Wisconsin. From this time on the colonists rapidly increased in num- bers, Solomon Phillip, Elias Bernheimer, Joseph E. Strass, Mark Moritz, Samuel Altman and Michael W. Noah being among the earlier arrivals. All were Germans with the ex- ception of the latter, who came from England. The organi- zation of the Synagogue Beth-El took place in 1847, with Mark Moritz as President and Rev. Isaac M. Slatky as Minister. The congregation worshipped in the Hoyt build- ing on the northeast corner of Main and Eagle Streets. Here 120 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. they remained for over two years. The late Rev. Dr. Samson Falk relates the following amusing incident, which occurred at this place : It was on a Day of Atonement that Rev. Mr. Slatky stood in the synagogue the whole day, as the custom was, in his white linen robe and white cap, with a white girdle about his loins. Towards dusk he again began to officiate. The congregation could no longer read without lights ; but it being strictly forbidden to the Hebrews of the orthodox school to kindle a light or touch a candle- stick on such a day, they sent for some non-Israelite to light their hall. They happened to procure a tall negro. He, on entering the synagogue, seeing Mr. Slatky with his pallid face and his long white beard, in keeping with his white attire and scarf, with the fringes prescribed in the Bible, was seized with terror, ran out as quickly as he could, and, reaching the stairs, fell head- long down the whole flight causing a sensation by his precipitate exit. This congregation in 1850 purchased an old school house on Pearl Street, near Eagle, which was remodelled and dedi- cated on July 22d of that year. Rev. Dr. Isaacs, of New York, delivered the dedication sermon, the first in the Eng- lish language ever delivered in Buffalo. This building was abandoned in 1873, when a more spacious and handsome edifice was erected on Elm Street, between Eagle and North Division, the dedication taking place August 14, 1874. The use of the Polish liturgy caused the withdrawal of several members in November, 1850. These formed a congregation (according to the German liturgy) which they named Beth- Zion, with Rev. Mr. Slatky as Minister. For his services he received five dollars per month the first five months, and $100 per annum thereafter, his duties being confined to read- ing the prayers and the Torah. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 121 NEW HAVEN. The permanent settlement of Hebrews in New Haven, Conn., dates from the year 1840, and was hastene-d by prox- imity to the city of New York. Trading with the farmers of the surrounding country engaged the attention of many of them, and by honesty and frugality they soon won the respect of their Christian neighbors. The early pioneers came principally from Bavaria, and among them were the Lehmans, Ullmans, Bretzfelders, Rothschilds, KaufTmans, Watermans, Milanders, Williamses, Kerns, Lauterbachs, and others. The growing colony received rapid accessions, Messrs. Heller, Frankall, Zunder, Mailhouse, Asher, Strouse, Shoninger, Coleman, Kreitzer, Rosenberg, Mandelbaum, reaching New Haven soon thereafter. In 1842 the ac- quisition of a burial ground was determined upon, and a plot of ground was purchased for the purpose in the adjoin- ing town of Westville, the first interment being that of Mr. Lehman. The Congregation Mishkan-Israel had already been organized at this time and worship was held in various halls dedicated for the purpose until 1856, when with the aid of $5,000, a bequest from Judah Touro, an edifice formerly occupied by the Third Congregational Church in Court Street, was purchased and dedicated. In this building the congregation has worshipped ever since. In 1857 ^ division was caused in the congregation by the prog- ress of the Reform movement which is believed to have been the direct result of the leading members of a lodge of E'nai-Bcrith which had been formed the year before. The founders of the lodge, it is alleged, were imbued with the principles of the order, and declared that " light and truth 122 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. should take the place of darkness and superstition." The result was the withdrawal of the orthodox members and the formation of the Congregation B'nai-Shalome, of which Solomon Cahn has been an earnest and indefatigable worker. The Congregation Mishkan-Israel to-day ranks as one of the liberal congregations of the country. In recent years the Russian Hebrew exiles, a considerable number of whom were attracted to New Haven have formed several congregations. NEWARK, N. J. The first synagogue in the State of New Jersey was dedi- cated June 29, 1857, in Washington Street, Newark, by the Congregation E'nai-Jesurun which had been organized nine years prior to that time. They started with fifty members, Bernard Hauser being President, Jacob Rothschild, Aaron Trier and B'erthold Weil, Trustees, and Rev. Mr. Schwartz, Minister. The synagogue had a seating capacity for 200 persons, and cost $3,500. MEMPHIS. One of the best known of the old-time residents of Mem- phis, Tenn., was Joseph I. Andrews, who reached that city about 1850, his family joining him seven years later. After conducting a general store he became a cotton factor. He took a deep interest in the welfare of his co-religionists, and donated the ground for a Hebrew cemetery, in which the first interment was his brother. His wife was Miriam, daugh- ter of the late Joseph B. Nones, of New York City. Their daughter, Sally, married N. D. Menken. Mr. Andrews built the first brick house in Memphis, and also the first large brick hotel, known as " The Commercial." David Kauffman THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 1 23 was another of the settlers arriving between 1850 and 1865, as were the brothers, John Walker, Jacob Walker, William Walker and Louis Walker. These were dry-goods and clothing merchants. A. E. Frankland, M, Simon, E. Bar- inds and M. Bloom, were all useful and prosperous citizens about the same period. Hart Judah was the first regular Minister of the first synagogue, Mr. Stanheimer, a layman, having ofificiated previous to his installation. Dr. Simon Tuska was the third Minister. DETROIT. The Congregation Beth-El, the first at Detroit, Mich., was organized in 1850 and re-organized in 1853. Rev. L. Marcus was the first Rabbi. His successors were Rev. Drs. L. Marcus, L. Adler, L. Laser, L Kalisch, K. Kohler, L. Wint- ner, H. Zirndorf and L. Grossmann. The membership at the start was twelve. In 1887 the number had increased to 130. A Sabbath-school was formed in 1863 with seventy pupils. In 1888, the membership was 200. The Presidents of the Congregation from 1859 ^^ 1888, were, Emanuel Schloss, Simon Freedman, David J. Workum, Simon Heaven- rich, Martin Butzel, Seligman Schloss and Julius Robinson. On September 27, i86i,a second congregation was organized with seventeen members, under the name of Shaaray-Zedek, of which the following gentlemen were the Ministers, from 1865 to 1887: Kontrowitsch, A. Goldschmidt, B. Mos- kowitz, J. Rappaport, R. Kaplan. GALVESTON. Prior to 1857, the following Hebrews settled in Galveston, Tex.: J. Osterman, I. Dyer, Samuel Mass, Jacob Harman, 124 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. R. M. Elkes, I. Jalonick, A. Prochovonick, Michael Seelig- son, Joel Adler, Simon Ruff, Henry Gros, Louis Gros, I. C. Levy. Later on came M. Kopperl, J. W. Frank, L. C. Harby, A. Blum, Jacob Block, A. Lippmann, J. Pos- ner, Louis Block and Samson Heidenheimer. On the Day of Atonement, in 1856 the first religious service was held. The Congregation B" nai-Israel, organized July 12th, was the first in the city. J. W. Frank was the first President, and the first Board of Trustees were Leon Blum, S. E. Loeb and L Dyer. M. Kopperl, was the first President, F. Halff, the second, and Leo N. Levy, the third. The present synagogue was erected at a cost of $30,000 for the ground and building, and was dedicated on Shebuoth, 1871, Rev. A. Blum being the first Minister. He continued in office until 1885, and was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. J. Silverman, who occupied the pulpit until February 20, il WASHINGTON, D. C. In the District of Columbia, the first Hebrew resident, as far as known, was Morris Fisher, who reached Washington in 1847. A. Fisher, his son, was the first child of Hebrew parentage born in that city. Between 1847 ^"^^ ^^S^ Hirsh Lissberger, Abraham Strasburger, Jonas Glueck, Leopold Oppenheimer, Captain Jonas P. Levy and Captain M. Lulley arrived there. Religious service was held for some time at the* residence of Mr. Strasburger, on Pennsylvania Avenue, with Rev. Mr. Jacoby as Minister. In 1855, the Washing- ton Hebrew Congregation was chartered by Congress. The instrument provided that the congregation should be allowed from time to time by a vote of two thirds to elect their own trustees, the same to be displaced by a like vote at pleasure. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. I25 The charter was approved and signed by Frankhn Pierce, President of the United States, on December 3, 1855. A Methodist Church was purchased on Eighth Street, near H. and fitted up for synagogue purposes. The introduction of pews and an organ in 1866, caused the withdrawal of several members who organized the Congregation Adath- IsraeL 126 IN THE ARMY AND NAVY. OWING to the destruction of valuable records in the War Office at Washington, in 1800, and in the Southern States during the Civil War, reliable data concern- ing the part taken by the Hebrews in the various wars is not obtainable. Solomon Etting, of Baltimore, wrote in 1824, that there were many Hebrews in the army during the Revo- lution " who were always at their post and always foremost in all hazardous enterprises." One of these was Colonel Solo- mon Bush. In 1769 a corps of volunteer infantry was raised in Charleston, S. C, composed chiefly of Hebrews residing on King Street. They were commanded by Captain Lushing- ton, and aferwards served under General Moultrie, at the battle of Beaufort. Major Benjamin Nones, of Philadelphia, and Captains Jacob De Lamotta and Jacob De Leon, of Charleston, served as aids on De Kalb's staff, and when their chief fell mortally wounded at the battle of Camden, S. C, the three carried him from the field. Major Nones was a native of Bordeaux, France, and came to this country in 1777, set- tling in Philadelphia. Early in the war he formed the acquaintance of Lafayette and Washington, and subsequently served on the staffs of both. His first service was under Pulaski, as a private, and what he accomplished under the gallant Pole is shown in a testimonial, now in possession of the Nones family, of New York, and signed by Captain Verdier, of Pulask's staff. The following is a translation of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 12/ the document, which is written in French, and dated at Charleston, December 15, 1779: It is but just that I should render an account of the conduct of those who have most distinguished themselves for bravery in the Legion. I take advantage of the occasion, and with much pleasure in my capacity of captain of volunteers attached to the suite of General Pulaski to certify that Benjamin Nones has served as a volunteer in my company during the campaign of this year and at the seige of Savannah in Georgia, and his behavior under fire in all the bloody actions we fought have been marked by the bravery and courage which a military man is expected to show for the liberties of his country, and which acts of said Nones gained in his favor the es- teem of General Pulaski, as well as that of all the officers who wit- nessed his daring conduct. For which reason I have delivered to him this certificate, having been an eye witness to his bravery and good conduct on the field of battle, and which I make it a duty to certify to with truth, satisfaction and pleasure. On his retirement from the army, Major Nones was ap- pointed sworn interpreter for the United States government at Philadelphia. Captains De Lamotta and De Leon re- turned to Charleston after the war, where they were for many years engaged in the auction business. During the second war with Great Britain Myer Moses, of Charleston, father of the Chief Justice of South Carolina, was commissioned as Captain. Abraham Mitchell, who died in Philadelphia in 1857, ^^^ who for many years was Parnass of the Congregation B'nai-Jesurun, of New York, was also a defender of his adopted country in the war of 1812. Another Hebrew taking part in the war was Mordecai Myers, who was born at Newport in 1776 and lived to the ripe age of ninety-five. He held the rank of Captain in the 30th United States Infantry, and at the battle of Chryslersfield was wounded in the arm. He was at one time a merchant at 128 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Richmond, Va., and then removed to New York, where he was prominent in financial affairs. He resided at Schenectady, N. Y., where he was twice elected Mayor of the city, served with distinction in the State Senate and was honored with the office of Grand Master of Free Masons and Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons of the State of New York. Two sons of Joshua Moses, a prominent New York mer- chant engaged in the China trade, and who died in 1837, have held commissions in the United States Army. These are Israel and Isaac Moses. The former was appointed Assistant-Surgeon of the United States Army in 1847, ^^^ served with the army of occupation at Vera Cruz and Toluca, Mexico, at Fort Crawford, Fort Leavenworth, in Oregon, Washington Territory and Texas, until his resignation in 1855. In the Civil War he was appointed Lieutenant- Colonel of a regiment attached to Sickle's Brigade, but owing to ill-health he resigned. He was appointed Surgeon of the United States Volunteers, and was placed in charge of camp hospitals in the Army of the Potomac, and subsequently served with General Gordon Granger in the West. He was mustered out of service in 1865, after receiving the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel for faithful and meritorious services. Isaac Moses was Adjutant-General of the Third Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac, commanded by General Heintzleman, during the Civil War, and participated in all the battles of the Peninsular Campaign. Subsequently he served in General Banks' army. Previous to the war he was engaged in the East India trade, with a branch house at Canton, and then he settled in Galveston, Texas, and lived there several years, remaining during the yellow fever epidemic of 1868. General Charles Griffin died of the THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 129 fever at Mr. Moses' house during the epidemic. Another brother, Joseph Moses, at the age of twenty-four, fought a desperate duel in Texas with Colonel Hickey, of Mississippi, with double shot-guns at twenty paces. He killed Hickey at the first fire. The late Major Alfred Mordecai ranked second to none in the military world, in the field of scientific research and accomplishments and in practical application of mechanical deduction to war uses. He was born at Warrenton, N. C, in 1804, and graduated at the head of his class at the United States Military Academy, in 1823. He rendered valuable service in the Mexican War, as Major of Ordnance, and in company with Captain George B. McCIellan and Major Delafield, was sent by the Government to witness and report upon the operations in the Crimea. Major Mordecai was the author of " Experiments on Gun-powder," and other works. He died at Philadelphia, towards the close of 1887. President Lincoln's call for troops in 1861, was promptly responded to by Louis M. Emanuel, of Philadelphia, who was appointed Surgeon, and rose to the rank of Brigade Surgeon, before the close of the war. Lyon L. Emanuel, a brother, was a Lieutenant in Shaler's brigade of the Army of the Potomac, and rose to the rank of Major. Both died of disease contracted while in the service. Leopold C.Newman was mustered in service as Captain of the 31st Regiment New York Volunteers. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel, his term of service expiring a few days prior to the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, in 1863. In view of the pending battle, he expressed a desire to remain at the front, and during that terrible struggle his foot was shattered by a 130 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. cannon ball. He was carried to Washington where he died of his wounds. David Ezekiel, of Cincinnati, was severely wounded while serving in an Ohio regiment, his life being saved by the loving attention of his mother, who hastened to the battle-field on learning of his injuries. The death of Elias Leon, of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry, at Anderson- ville prison, was the result of a gallant soldier's solicitude for a comrade in his command. His regiment being surrounded by the enemy and threatened with annihilation, young Leon, in the midst of a terrific onslaught, dismounted to assist a fellow-soldier who, like himself, was attempting to escape. His companion being restored to the saddle, eluded the enemy, but the delay resulted in Leon's capture and his con- finement in Andersonville prison, where he died. Among the Hebrew officers in the Federal Army, were : Lieutenant Sulchman, 44th New York Volunteers ; Captain Gremitz, 626. Pennsylvania ; Lieutenant Colonel E. S. Salo- mon, 82d Illinois ; Sergeant Cohen, 626. Pennsylvania ; Corporal Gisner, I42d Pennsylvania ; Sergeant Myers, 62d Pennsylvania; Lieutenant E. Davis, 115th Pennsylvania; Captain A. Goldman, 17th Maine; Lieutenant A. Rhine- hardt, 148th Pennsylvania ; Lieutenant Nieman, 103d New York ; M. Stergean Asher, 103d New York ; Lieutenant Leo Derdinger, 39th New York ; Lieutenant Philip Truff- inger, 57th New York ; Lieutenant Hermann Mussehel, 68th New York ; Lieutenant Herman Krauth, 103d New York: Lieutenant Julius Franck, 103d New York ; Captain Henry R. Schwerin, 1 19th New York ; Lieutenants Max Von Bosh, Julius Niebergall, Levi Keuhne and Henry Lauterman, all of 3d Battery Artillery, New York. Lehman Israels, a brother of Josef Israels, the famous Dutch painter, was a THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 131 Lieutenant in the 55th Regiment, New York Volunteers, and served in the Army of the Potomac. Frederick Knefler, of Indiana, attained the highest rank reached by any Hebrew during the Civil War. He enlisted as a private in the 79th Indiana Volunteers of Infantry, and rose, step by step, until he became Colonel of his regiment, soon rising to the rank of Brigadier-General and then Brevet- Major-General, for meritorious services at the battle of Chick- amauga. He participated in all the principal battles of the Army of the Cumberland, under Generals Rosecrans, Thomas, Sherman and Grant, and took part in all the engagements under Sherman in his march to the sea. General Knefler has the reputation of having been one of the most gallant soldiers in the Army of the Cumberland. After the War he was appointed Pension Agent at Indianapolis, where he now resides. He is a native of Hungary, and was born in 1833. Leopold Blumenberg, of Baltimore, on the breaking out of the Civil War, abandoned his mercantile pursuits, entered the army and gained honorable distinction. He was a native of Frankfort-on-the-Oder, and was born in 1828. In the Prussian-Danish war of 1848 he rendered meritorious service in the Prussian Army, for which he was decorated. On re- turning home at the close of hostilities, the strong anti- Semitic feeling prevailing at the time in some portions of Germany caused a number of fanatics to strip him of his decoration, which so incensed him that he at once deter- mined to sail for America. Arriving in Baltimore in 1854, he embarked in business, in which he continued up to the attack on Fort Sumter, when he helped organize the 5th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, of which he was appointed Major, His first service was near Hampton Roads, and he 132 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. was soon thereafter attached to Mansfield's corps, and took part in the Peninsular Campaign, and subsequently in Mary- land, where his regiment was engaged in the battle of Antietam, under his command as Colonel. Here he was shot in the thigh by a sharpshooter and compelled to return home, where he was confined to his bed for many months. President Lincoln appointed him Provost-Marshal of the Third Maryland District, with headquarters at Balti- more, and the stringency with which he executed the con- scription laws while holding this office incurred him the animosity of many citizens. On the death of President Lin- coln Colonel Blumenberg was appointed by President John- son to the rank of Brevet-Brigadier-General, United States Volunteers. During his long residence in Baltimore he was immensely popular, especially with the German and Hebrew element. Prior to his death, which occurred in 1876 and was the result of the terrible wound received at Antietam, General Blumenberg was elected President of the National Schuetzen Verein of America, and was a prominent and active member of the Congregation Haar-Sinai and Hebrew Orphan Asylum. During President Grant's administration the member of Congress from Nevada decided to appoint as a cadet at West Point such scholars from the public schools of that State as should pass the best competitive examination. Albert A. Michelson, a native of Poland, was one of the competitors, and at the close of the examination, it was found that he and another boy stood equal, the result being a tie. Three subsequent examinations were held with like results, a tie at each. It was then decided that as young Michelson was a native of California, and had been educated THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 1 33 in the public schools of that State, where the opportunities were better, and his competitor had been educated in Nevada, where the opportunities were less favorable, that the Nevada boy should be awarded the appointment. Presi- dent Grant, upon recommendation of the examining com- mittee, then appointed young Michelson to a cadetship in the Annapolis Naval Academy, in 1869. He graduated in 1873, served on board the Steamers " Roanoke " and " Wor- cester," was promoted an ensign in 1874, was on duty at the Naval Academy two years, and served on board the practice ship " Constellation." In 1879 ^^^ ^^^^ promoted to Master, and resigned from the service in 1881. David M. Cohen, a native of Norfolk, was for fourteen years an ofificer in the Marine Corps of the United States Navy, receiving his appointment as Lieutenant in 1855. He was First-Lieutenant in 1861, and Captain the same year. In 1867 he was appointed Major, and in 1869 was trans- ferred to the Retired List on account of physical disability. Edward David Taussig, of St. Louis, Mo., was appointed a Midshipman in the Navy in 1863, when sixteen years of age. He rose to the rank of Ensign, Master and Lieutenant, and has performed fourteen years sea service and seven years shore duty. Major A. Mordecai, an engineer of high repute, and son of the late Major Alfred Mordecai, is.now Chief of the Ordnance service on Governor's Island, N. Y. Major Massias was a paymaster in the Regular Army in 1820. In the Ordnance Department, Capt. Otho E. Michaelis, of the Regular Army, rendered valuable service during the Civil War. During the last twenty-five years a number of Hebrews have graduated from West Point, including Lieutenant J. E. Bloom, who re- 134 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. signed shortly after his graduation, and Lieutenant Ostheim, of Philadelphia, who is still in the service. Jonathan M. Eman- uel, Passed Assistant-Engineer, United States Navy, has been in the service since 1861. He took an active part in the Civil War, serving under Commodore Mead and was twice ship- wrecked. Solomon Harby, son of Isaac Harby, was a Lieuten- ant in the Navy and died at an early age while in the service. One of the best known American naval officers of former days was Commodore Uriah P. Levy, the highest ranking ofificer in the United States Navy at the time of his death in 1862. He served in the war of 18 12, being then Master .of the brig-of-war " Argus," and in the contest with the " Peli- can," in the British channel, was captured and confined in Dartmoor prison. While Lieutenant he became involved in a dispute with Lieutenant Potter, at a ball in Philadelphia, which was followed by a duel in which Potter lost his life. The young Hebrew demanded a court-martial and was hon- orably acquitted. In recognition. of his valuable services to the nation the Common Council of New York honored him with the freedom of the city. His intimacy with Thomas Jefferson and affectionate regard for the author of the Declar- ation of Independence led to the purchase of Monticello, which upon his death was bequeathed to his nephew, Jeffer- son M. Levy, the well-known lawyer of New York. Com- modore Levy vigorously opposed the application of the lash to seamen, and upon his tombstone at Cypress Hills is recorded the fact that '' he was the father of the law for the abolition of the barbarous practice of corporal punishment in the Navy of the United States." When Henry Clay, Gallatin, John Quincy Adams and Bayard sailed for Europe on the Ghent mission, on board THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 1 35 the frigate " John Adams," in 18 14, they were accompanied by Joseph B. Nones, who was Mr. Clay's private secretary. Mr. Nones was but seventeen years of age at the time. Two years previous he had entered the United States Navy as Midshipman, and upon Mr. Clay's return home was assigned to the frigate " Guerriere," commanded by Commodore Decatur. He was attached to the staff of that famous naval officer two years, during which time he took part in the engagement with the Algerian battle ship " Mesusa," on the coast of Algeria. Several wounds received in this contest caused Mr. Nones' retirement from the naval service in 1822. Most of the prominent men of the nation w^re numbered among his friends. Mr. Nones died in the city of New York shortly after entering upon his ninety-first year, in the spring of 1887. It was his proud boast that while in swaddling clothes he had been frequently dandled on the knee of the Father of His Country. Mr. Nones was, for forty-five years prior to his death, a Commissioner of Deeds for every State in the Union. Five other members of the Nones family have served in the Navy, Henry B., who was a Captain in the Revenue Service at the time of his death, and Henry B., Jr., at present Chief Engineer. Captain J. P. Levy, a brother of the Commodore and father of Jefferson M. Levy, was Com- mander of the United States ship " America." During the Mexican War he assisted in the landing of the United States troops at Vera Cruz, and was by General Scott appointed Captain of that port. Emanuel J. Phillips, of Philadelphia, and Jonas Barnett, of the same city, were both Paymasters in the Navy, many years ago. Barnett was attached to the frigate " Essex," and lost his life by falling from the rigging of his vessel while at sea. 136 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Levi Myers Harby, a prominent naval officer, known as Captain " Livi Charles Harby," and also as Captain " Charles Levi Harby," was a brother of Isaac Harby. He was born in Georgetown, S. C, September 21, 1793, and died in Galves- ton, Texas, December 3, 1870. At the age of fourteen, he was a Midshipman in the United States Navy. During the war of 1 8 12-14 he was taken prisoner by the British and confined for over two years in Dartmoor prison, from which he escaped by swimming. In December, 1823, he served as Sailing Master on the United States vessel " Beagle." He served for fifty-two years. under the United States flag, and rose to the rank of Captain. He was on leave of absence at the time of the Texan War and went to Texas, where he participated in its fight for independence. For thus serving under a " foreign " government, he was cashiered, but when that State was admitted into the Union, he was restored to the service. He afterwards took part in the Mexican War and also served in the Seminole War of Florida, and had command of a vessel in the expedition against the pirates of Algiers and Tripoli. He also fought in the Bolivian War of Independence. When South Carolina seceded, he resigned his commission and entered the Confederate service, with the rank of Commodore in the navy, and afterwards distinguished himself, under General Magruder, in the defence of Galves- ton, where he commanded the " Neptune " at the capture of the " Harriet Lane," and, later on, when in command of a fleet of gun boats on the Sabine River. Though his real name was Levi Myers Harby, he was, early in life, nick- named " Charley," but was best known as " Captain Livi Charles Harby." He made a romantic love match. When about forty-six years of age he eloped with Miss Leonora, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 1 37 the accomplished and talented daughter of Judge De Lyon, of Savannah, Ga., the bride being but sixteen years old. By her he had three children, all of whom (with his widow) sur- vived him. One of the heroes of the Civil War was Dr. Marx E. Cohen, of Charleston, only son of the l-ate Marx. E. Cohen, of that City. He studied surgery and dentistry at the Med- ical College in Baltimore, and had just been graduated, at the age of twenty-one, when the Civil War broke out. He immediately enlisted in the Confederate Army, serving with distinction in various States. Towards the close of the last battle of the war, at Bentonville, N. C, some shells contain- ing explosive materials were thrown into the Confederate ranks from the guns of the Union forces. The Captain of Hart's Battery, in which Dr. Cohen was a soldier, called for volunteers to hurl them aside before they should burst and cause destruction to the company. But three men had the courage to undertake so dangerous a task. Dr. Cohen being one of them. He and his companions were successful, but, while returning to their own ranks, all of the three were shot dead by Federal bullets and buried on the field where they had fallen. The body of the brave young man, was subsequently removed from the battle-field, and carried to his native city, where it was interred, with military and civic honors, in a plot in the Hebrew Cemetery, donated by the Congregation for that express purpose. Louis P. Levy, of Richmond, entered the Confederate Navy as Midshipman in 1863, when fifteen years old. His appointment was secured through the influence of ex-Presi- dent Tyler, and Governor Brown, of Mississippi. He was assigned to duty on the gun-boat " Chicora " which was 138 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. stationed at Richmond and Charleston, and accompanied Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet in their flight from Rich- mond, as far as Georgia. Adolph Proskauer, a prominent citizen of Mobile, Ala- bama, entered the Confederate Army as a private and was appointed Color Sergeant of the 12th Alabama Infantry. He rose to the rank of Captain, and was four times wounded. He also served as a member of the Alabama Legislature, has been Honorary Secretary of the Board of Trade, was for ten years President of the Hebrew Congregation and was the first President of the first lodge of the order of B'nai- Berith formed south of Memphis. A. T. Moses, of Shefifield, Alabama, was attached to the United States Survey, and during the Civil War served on the staff of the Confederate General Richard Taylor. Edwin I. Kursheedt was Adju- tant of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, and Alexander Hart was Major of the 5th Louisiana Regiment frorri the same city. In another Louisiana regiment was found N. Kraus, now of Alabama, who served as Lieuten- ant, and subsequently on detached service as Adjutant to General Miller in the Department of Florida. From 1871 to 1872 Mr. Kraus was a member of the Alabama Legislature. Jacob J. Jacobus, Lieutenant of the Washing- ton Artillery of Georgia, lost his life at the battle of Shiloh. George W. Rush, a Georgia Captain, was killed while in command of his regiment. W. E. Levy, Lieutenant in a Georgia regiment, was killed while in action. Jacob Levy was Lieutenant in a Georgia regiment. Leon Jastremski, of Baton Rouge, La., enlisted in the Confederate Army, and rose to the rank of Captain in the loth Louisiana Infantry, In 1876 he was elected Mayor of Baton Rouge. 139 IN COMMERCIAL LIFE. WITHIN the past twenty-five years the American Hebrews have been making such strides in the commercial world as to attract attention in every depart- ment in which they are engaged. A review of the career of those who have attained a commanding position in this field shows that most of them started in life in a modest way, the majority being penniless and friendless on landing on these shores. Patient labor and application have brought them to the top round of the ladder, and to-day the Hebrews are foremost in nearly every department of commercial activ- ity in the United States. On all New York commercial exchanges they are now recognized as among the most influential members. In banking alone the Hebrews of New York City repre- sent a capital of $100,000,000. As early as 1792 the finan- cial operations of the city were in part controlled by Hebrews. In that year twenty-five brokers, in anticipation of the growth of the metropolis and foreseeing the necessity of some joint action for the conduct of their business, held a meeting and solemnly promised and pledged themselves " not to buy or sell for any person whatsoever any kind of Public Stock at a less rate than one-quarter of one per cent, commission on the specie value, and that we will give a preference to each other in our own negotiations." Among the Hebrews who attached their signatures to this agree- 140 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. ment were Isaac M. Gomez, Bernhard Hess, Benjamin Seixas and Ephraim Hart. Since that period the "Hebrews have been among the most active and leading members of the Stock Exchange, the outgrowth of the organization so quietly formed in 1792. In 1824 Jacob Isaacs was elected Secretarry of the Exchange, and continued in office until 1830. He was succeeded by Bernard Hart in 1831 and Benjamin Hart in 1853. In 1851 the latter was elected Vice-President. Bernard Hart had been a partner of Leonard Lispenard, with whom he engaged in business in 1 8 12 under the firm name of Lispenard & Hart. In 1806 he married Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin Seixas, a promi- nent merchant of Hanover Square as far back as 1780. Mr. Hart was also Quartermaster of a brigade of State troops and a prominent Freemason. During the yellow fever scourge, in 1795, he earned the admiration and gratitude of his fellow-citizens by his attention and devotion to the sufferers. Among the members of the Exchange from 1820 to 1830 were Joseph L. Joseph, S. I. Joseph and M. Henriques (who constituted the firm of J. L. and S. I. Joseph & Co., agents of the Rothschilds), M. J. Cohen, Seixas Nathan and Joseph Leon. These were followed some time after by Joseph Brandon, whose son, Edward Brandon, has been a promi- nent member of the Board of Governors for many years and Chairman of the Committee on Securities. The Open Board of Stock Brokers, which was formed in 1861, and con- solidated with the New York Stock Exchange in 1869, had among its charter members George Henriques, Emanuel B. Hart, Charles C. Allen, S. M. Schafer and Simon Schafer. In the New York Stock Exchange D. C. Hays, son of the THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 14I famous High Constable, was for many years Treasurer, and Jacob and Edward Hays, grandsons of the High Constable, have been members. Among the more prominent Hebrew members of the present Stock Exchange are Alexander Henriques, Harmon, Frederick and Julian Nathan, A. Wolff, of Kuhn, Loeb & Co.; Theodore W. Myers, James Seligman, Julien L. Myers, Henry Budge, S. Neustadt, B. Mainzer, of Hallgarten & Co.; Charles Minzesheimer, Leo- pold Cahn, S. Cantoni, Noah Content, H. H. Hart, Alfred De Cordova, E. L. Frank, W. B. Bonn, Richard Limburger, of Ladenburg, Thalmann & Co.; P. J. Goodheart, Albert Goodheart, B. Neumogen, H. P. Goldschmidt, Simon Worm- ser, Isidor Wormser and Leo Speyer. Alexander Henriques has been for many years Vice-Chairman of the Exchange, and is one of the most efificient and popular officers who has ever presided over that body. He was born in 18 18, in the Island of Jamaica, and is the son of an Englishman who came to the United States when Alexander was a lad. He was educated at Columbia College and went to Texas at the age of eighteen, where he was made private secretary to Presi- dent Houston. Mr. Henriques has been a conspicuous figure in Wall Street for over forty years. The first of the eight Seligman Brothers to reach this country, was Joseph, the eldest, who came to the United States in 1838, after graduating at the University of Erlang- en. He soon found employment as cashier in the bank of Asa Packer, of Philadelphia. Joseph Seligman remained in Mr. Packer's bank several years, meanwhile economizing, in order to accumulate a fund wherewith to bring his brothers to this country. Before long he was enabled to send for his brother Jesse, who secured employment in New York. At 142 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. the end of three years his savings amounted to $i,ooo. Joseph had meanwhile removed to Greensburg, Alabama, where he had successfully carried on a clothing store. Re- turning to New York, he established himself in a similar business on Church Street. Among the first to arrive in San Francisco, during the gold fever of 1848, was Jesse Selig- man, who opened a store and conducted a thriving business. When the city was visited by a conflagration, every business house in the town was destroyed excepting his. The thriving business which followed contributed to his earnings, which, during his seven years' sojourn in that city, were swollen to considerable proportions. Returning to New York he formed a co-partnership with his brothers, Joseph, James and Wil- liam, as wholesale clothiers and importers of dry goods, in which the other brothers, Leopold, Isaac, Abraham and Henry, were later on interested. In this business they were engaged on the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, and having met with great success, they determined to embark in the banking business. In a short while they opened branches in London, Paris, Frankfort, San Francisco and New Orleans. Mainly through their instrumentality the government was enabled, at the beginning of the war, to place large amounts of bonds in the German markets. They were subsequently appointed fiscal agents of the government in Europe, and are to-day recognized as among the great bankers of the world. They rank with the most public spirited of our Hebrew citizens, are enterprising and charitable, and identi- fied with all the great questions which enlist the sympathy and support of the best people in the community. Joseph Seligman, the eldest brother, died at New Orleans, April 25 1880. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. I43 The late Philip Heidelbach, of Heidelbach, Ickelheimer & Co., presents another illustration of what can be accomplished by perseverence and industry. He was a native of Bavaria, and was born in 18 14, coming to this country a poor lad and engaging for some time in trading as a peddler. In the course of time he embarked in the clothing trade at Cincin- nati and eventually controlled the largest manufactory in the Mississippi Valley. As founder of the firm of Seasongood & Co., he was well known throughout the country and is re- membered as one of the promoters of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, a director of the Little Miami Railroad, and a member of the firm of Espy, Heidelbach & Co., of the Queen City. Lazarus Hallgarten, founder of the firm of Hallgarten & Hertzfeld, now known as Hallgarten & Co., had very little means when he reached this country in 1849. ^^^ ^^^^ oc- cupation was note and exchange broker,, This yielded a moderate income and enabled him to start as a banker. He and two sons associated in the business have passed away within a brief period. One of them, Julius Hallgarten, who died in Germany, bequeathed $100,000 to various charitable iustitutions in New York and elsewhere, aside from liberal bequests to Hebrew societies. The Wormser brothers started in Sacramento, Cal. Like many others, they also were en- gaged in the clothing business in their early days. In Sac- ramento they were large purchasers of city scrip, which in- creased their already handsome capital, and resulted in their removal to the East. Lewis Seasongood, the Cincinnati merchant and banker, and one of the most progressive, influential and respected citizens of the West, was born in Bavaria, August 3, 1836. He received a public school education in Germany. At the 144 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. age of fifteen he reached this country, proceeding to Cincin- nati, where his uncle, Jacob Seasongood, was engaged in the cloth-jobbing and clothing business. He spent two years at St. Xavier's College, Cincinnati, and on the completion of his studies, was offered an opportunity of entering the firm of Heidelbach, Seasongood & Co. His usefulness was ap- preciated, and in 1858 he was given an interest in the firm, and, in i860, he was admitted as a general partner. In 1869 he formed a co-partnership with his uncle, Jacob Seasongood, his brother, Alfred Seasongood and Elias Moch. The year following, he established a banking house, which is regarded as one of the strongest financial institutions in Cincinnati. Few enterprises looking to the advancement of that city have been undertaken without Mr. Seasongood's active support. He suggested the first Textile Fabric Exposition, in 1869, and was treasurer of the Cincinnati Exposition of 1872. He was appointed by President Grant a Commissioner to the Vienna Exposition in 1873, and took a leading part in pro- moting the building of the Cincinnati Southern Railway. He was twice elected a Director of the University of Cincinnati, was one of the Sinking Fund Commissioners of the city, and has occupied the office of President and Director in numerous financial corporations. Mr. Seasongood has served for twenty years as Financial Secretary and Director of the United Jewish Cemetery Association of Cincinnati ; has been an active member of the Young Mens' Mercantile Library Association ; w-as one of the projectors of the great Ameri- can Saengerfest, held at Cincinnati in 1870 and 1875, and has been prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity, the Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce, Union of Amer- ican Hebrew Congregations, the Alliance Israel, of London, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 145 etc. He is also a Director of the Union Bank of New York, In politics Mr. Seasongood is a Republican and has been for several terms a member of the State Executive Committee. He twice declined a nomination for State Senate, and in 1879 and 1 88 1, came within a very few votes of receiving the nom- ination of Lieutenant-Governor. Lazard Freres, the bankers, of New York, San Francisco and Paris, laid the foundation of their fortune in California. They came from Alsace, and started as merchants, finally establishing extensive woolen mills. They now rank among the leading bankers of Paris and New York. The Scholle Brothers came from Germany with no means whatsoever. Settling in San Francisco soon after the discovery of gold, they met with success as store-keepers and then came to New York. Nathan Bloom was for years one of the leading mer- chants of Louisville. When twenty-one years of age he came from Hesse-Darmstadt. Landing in New York in 1848, with a few dollars, he equipped himself with a stock of goods which he proceeded to peddle in New York, Pennsylvania and the West. In two years his few dollars had increased, and he invested in a general store in a Kentucky village. The dollars rapidly multiplied and he removed to Louisville in 1852, where he embarked in the wholsale dry goods business, in which he was very success- ful. The trade of his firm, Bamberger, Bloom & Co., which extends throughout nearly all of the Southwestern States and aggregated at the time of his death, in 1886, $5,000,000 annually. Not only as a wealthy and respected merchant, but as a philanthropic and enterprising citizen, who was prominently identified in all public measures, will his namo be remembered by the people of Louisville. 146 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Samuel N. Pike, who was of humble origin, became one of the greatest merchants of Cincinnati, and amassed several millions in the whiskey trade. No man was more respected or contributed more to the prosperity and prestige of that city, especially in matters pertaining to art. The opera house bearing his name was erected by him. He also built the magnificent building on Eighth Avenue in New York, now known as the Grand Opera House. The late Joseph and Max Weil, of St.. Louis, were natives of Pirmasens, Bavaria, and came to this country in 1836. With a combined fortune of twenty dollars, they purchased goods in New York, and peddled through Pennsylvania. In 1845 they settled in Hopkinsvile, Ky., and opened a general store. After four years they removed to St. Louis where under the firm name of J. Weil & Bro., they established a wholesale dry goods and clothing business. While enjoy, ing a degree of remarkable prosperity, the great fire of 1853 swept away the earnings accumulated by years of patient industry. Securing a fresh stock of goods they started anew, and by i860 their annual transactions had increased to $3,00,000. Isaac Friedlander, the late grain king of California, was one of the many of his race who rose from obscurity to afifluence. He left Charleston for the Pacific Coast in 1849, and for a time "rocked the cradle of the gold-seeker on the sand-bars of the Yuba." He was one of the first to perceive that California was destined to be a great wheat-producing section, and in 1856 he projected the first exportation of o4ts to Australia. For eighteen years he absolutely con- trolled the grain market of the State, his exports in a single year requiring a fleet of 270 large ships. He is said to have THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 147 handled more money in his time than any of the bonanza giants of the Pacific Coast, owned one tract of 100,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley, and served two terms as President of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He died in 1878. A New York paper commenting upon his death observed : " Not California alone, but the whole world has cause to regret the loss of such a man." Morris Ranger was one of the largest cotton operators in the world previous to his death in 1887. He came from Germany in 1855, settled in Kentucky, and in 1866 estabHshed himself in the cotton business at Galveston, Tex. He opened a house in Liverpool, where he for several years held the key to the cotton trade of the world. In 1881 he engineered a "deal" which resulted in a profit estimated in the millions. In 1883 he attempted to "bear" the market but his calculations proved erroneous, and he was forced to suspend with liabilities of $5,000,000. In 1885 he re- turned to New York where he resumed business on a smaller scale. Emanuel and Mayer Lehman, of New York, are among the leading houses in the cotton trade in this country, and are natives of Wurtzburg, Germany, They started at Mont- gomery, Ala., as store-keepers. Few merchants have shown greater enterprise, or contributed more to the prosperity of Alabama. They have been connected with numerous rail- way projects and manufacturing enterprises in that section and are, at the present time, the principal owners of a cotton mill on the Tallapoosa River, one of the largest in the South, and whose annual output is $1,000,000. When the credit of the State of Alabama was seriously impaired, after the panic of 1873, ^^^ it was found difficult to negotiate the bonds 148 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. of the State, Messrs. Lehman promptly subscribed to the amount of $100,000, after numerous unsuccessful efforts in other quarters. Emanuel Lehman is a Director of the Rich- mond and Danville ; Richmond, Terminal and Virgina Mid- land Railways, and of the Mercantile National Bank and Commercial Insurance Company of New York, Mayer Lehman is a Director of the Hamilton Bank of New York, and a most influential member and Director of the New York Cotton Exchange. Adolph Scheftel, one of the largest leather dealers in New York, started business with a capital of 300 francs twenty years ago. Solomon Loeb, of the banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., of New York, was a poor boy when he left the Old World. He is now one of the leading bankers in America. His son-in-law, Jacob H. Schiff, a member of the same firm, has attracted much attention for some years past, by his philanthropy, which has earned him the title of " the Montefiore of New York." Mr. Schiff was born in 1847, ^.t Frankfort-on-the-Main, where, after a common school educa- tion, he was apprenticed for three years in the dry goods business, and for two years thereafter served a clerkship in a small banking establishment in the same city. Reaching this country in 1865, he found employment with the banking firm of Frank & Gans, of New York, predecessors of the house of Heidelbach, Ickelheimer & Co., with whom he con- tinued for nine months. At the end of this time he formed a co-partnership with Henry Budge, now of the New York firm of Hallgarten & Co., as bankers and brokers. Towards the close of 1872, he retired from business and sailed for Europe, where he remained for some time. He returned to New York in 1875 and entered the firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 149 of which he has since been an active member. In 1881, Mr. Schiff was appointed by Mayor Grace, a Commissioner of Education, holding the office for three years. He has also served as Director of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway. He now occupies the chair of President of the Montefiore Home for Incurables, is a Trustee of the Aural and Ophthalmic Institute of New York, a Trustee of the New York Free Library, and one of the managers of the Hospital Saturday and Sunday Association. The late Edward Cohen, of Richmond, Va., son of Ben- jamin I. Cohen, of Baltimore, founded the City Bank of Rich- mond, Va., and was its President at the time of his death on January 18, 1888. He served in the Confederate Arm)- and settled in Richmond at the close of the war. Though pen- niless and unknown to the business community, his cheerful industry, unswerving integrity, and remarkable business sagacity, together with great modesty, soon secured a place for him. Beginning business on a small scale as a stock- broker, he soon established the Richmond Savings Bank, and finally became President of the City Bank. Mr. Cohen led a life of great public usefulness and won for himself a name second to none in the city of his adoption. Joseph Fox, another bank President and self-made man, was born in 1843. ^^ was for many years a member of the wholesale clothing firm of Fox, Mendel & Co., of New York, and towards the close of the year 1887 was elected Presdent of the Columbia Bank, in which position he has shown high capacity as a financier. In 1881-82 he was President of District Lodge No. I, I. O. B. B., and was for four years President of the Home for Aged and Infirm at Yonkers. He is an active member of most of the eleemosynary and charit- I50 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. able institutions of New York, in all of which he has exer- cised considerable influence. M. Thalmessinger, President of the Mechanics' and Traders' Bank, of New York, is one of the best known Hebrews of this country, and one who, like many of his co-re- ligionists, has advanced from the lowest round of the ladder by his own inherent force of character. He is a native of Wiirtemberg. At the school of a neighboring town he dis- tinguished himself by his scholarship in all the branches, and after leaving college was engaged in various business establishments in responsible positions. The year 1848 found him in Paris, and the revolution which convulsed Europe at that time induced his departure for the United States. He first secured employment with a drug firm in Boston, and soon afterward was offered an engagement as chief of the financial department of a prominent New York firm. He then determined to engage in business on his own account. He opened a book and stationery store in a small way, and by his energy and perseverance it soon assumed large dimensions and became one of the best known concerns of the kind among merchants and bankers. In January, 1885, he was elected President of the Mechanics' and Traders' Bank. In this position Mr. Thalmessinger adopted the same methods of industry and energy which marked his mercantile career, and as a result the business of the bank has nearly quadrupled since his advent. He has occupied numerous offices of honor and trust in banks and financial institutions, but, with the exception of a school trusteeship for five years, has held no public office. As Honorary Secretary of the Executive Committee of the order E'nai-BcritJi, Mr. Thalmessinger's services are greatly THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 151 appreciated throughout the brotherhood, especially his labors in extending the sphere of its operations to Germany and the Orient. Equally conspicuous have been his services as one of the founders of the Maimonides Library and in the creation of the fund for building the Home for Aged and Infirm at Yonkers. He is also one of the Directors of the Hebrew Technical Institute. The most striking evidence of Hebrew progress may be witnessed on Broadway, New York, which, within the past fifteen years, has undergone a complete transformation by the transfer of the retail trade to the uptown thoroughfares, and the invasion by Hebrew firms. Of the 400 buildings on Broadway, from Canal Street to Union Square, the occupants of almost all are Hebrews, over 1,000 wholesale firms out of a total of 1,200 being of that persuasion. Hebrew firms also predom- inate in the streets contiguous to Broadway within the terri- tory named. Most remarkable has been the growth of the clothing trade, of which there are 241 manufacturers in the city of New York. Of these, 234 are Hebrew firms, some of which employ as many as 2,000 hands, while the great majority of the 30,000 people engaged in the clothing trade throughout the United States are also Hebrews. The New York He- brew firms alone transact a business of $55,000,000 annually in the manufacture of clothing. Fifteen years back the num- ber engaged in this business was insignificant compared with the present day ; now as many firms are found on a single block in New York as then existed in the entire city. In the city of New York the leading manufacturers are : Alfred Benjamin & Co., August Brothers, Banner Brothers, Bern- heim, Bauer & Co., Bierman, Heidelberg & Co., H. & B. 152 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Brown, Fechheimer, Goodkind & Co., Hammerslough Brothers, Heavenrich, Hirschberg & Co., Hornthal, White- head & Co., Jerkowski & Ernst, Kaufman, Isidor & Co., Korn & Holzman, A. Levy & Brother, Levy Brothers & Co., L. Lippman & Sons, Mamlock & Green, A. W. Mann & Co., Marks, David & Sons, Mendel Brothers & Co., Myres&, Wallach, Naumburg, Kraus, Lauer & Co., Peck & Hauch- haus, Rindskopf & Barbier, M. Sampter, Sons & Co., Mark Samter, N. S. Schloss & Co., Seligman, May & Co., Sins- heimer, Levenson & Co., Stark, Isidor & Brothers, Stein. Bloch & Co., Stern, Falk & Co., B. Sturman & Son, Swartz & Jerkowski, S. Sykes & Co. Less than ten years back the manufacture of cloaks in this country was upon a very small scale, the entire business in New York being confined to less than one dozen firms all told. The Hebrews were not slow to recognize the import- ance of this industry. They were among the first to perceive that it was destined to expand to an extent far beyond its proportions at that time, and many plunged into the busi- ness, the result being that there are now in New York a large number of manufacturers, the great majority of whom are Hebrews whose annual production is$i5,ooo,cxx). In the manufacture of shirts the Hebrews have secured a monopoly, it being estimated that 25,000 men and women are directly and indirectly employed in New York City by Hebrew firms alone. The wealthiest concerns in the trade, which include several millionaires, were all in moderate cir- cumstances when they embarked in the business. In the manufacture of undergarments the Hebrews of New York control the greater part of the trade. Those in the business carry the names of 10,000 employees THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 153 on their pay-rolls, and their annual transactions are $5,000,000. It is estimated that the Hebrew capital engaged in the importation, manufacture and jobbing of diamonds, watches and jewelry in this country, will not fall short of $25,000,000. Of the 400 jobbers in New York, the Hebrews constitute the bulk. The leading New York firms sharing in the annual trade of this department are : L. Adler & Co., A. Bernhard & Co., D. & M, Bruhl, Solomon Davidson, Henry Dreyfus & Co., Samuel Eichberg, Falkenau, Oppen- heimer & Co., Max Freund & Co., Adolph Goldsmith, Goodman Brothers, L. Hammel & Co., Louis Herzog Sc Co., L. M. Kahn & Co., Keller & Untermeyer, Krohn, Clovis & Co., Levy, Dreyfus & Co., Lissauer & Sondheim, Albert Lorsch & Co., Marx & Weis, Henry May, S. F. Myers & Co., Oppenheimer Brothers & Veith, Pforzheimer, Keller & Co., Adolphe Schwob, Stern & Stern, Stern, Brothers & Co., Louis Strasburger & Co., Sussfeld, Lorsch & Co., Traitel Brothers, D, L. Van Moppes, Leopold, Weil & Co. David Keller, of Pforzheimer, Keller & Co., came to Amer- ica a poor lad. He worked for years at the bench as a cigar maker, and is to-day a member of the above jewelry firm. He is also Grand Treasurer of the Order of Free Sons of Israel. Seligman Oppenheimer, senior member of the firm of Oppenheimer Brothers & Veith, was a school-master in Germany. He came to this country some years ago, and by industry and shrewdness has amassed a considerable fortune. In the wholesale jeweliy trade the house of S. F. Myers & Co., of New York, stands in the front rank. From the 154 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. smallest beginning, some fifteen years ago, it is to-day the i875> he was invited to officiate and produced such a favorable impression that he was soon afterwards elected as Rabbi of that congregation. Dr. Wise is a member of the Deutsche Morgenlaendische Gelehrten-Gesellschaft of Leipzig and Halle, and of the Board of Ministers' Association of New York. Together with the celebrated Orientalist, Dr. Bernard Fisher, Dr. Wise revised " Buxtorf's Lexicon ■of Leipzig.'' He edited the "Jewish Herald" and wrote the religious school book Beth-Ahron, now used in his con- gregation. Dr. Wise is one of the founders and at present a member of the Advisory Board of the Jewish Theological Seminary. He has now in course of preparation a work in 306 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. the English language entitled " Palm Leaves, or Women in the Bible." Dr. Wise is very popular with the Hungarian colony in New York, and is favorably known for his chari- table work, especially among the emigrants, both Christians and Hebrews being the recipients of his bounty. Isaac M.Wise, of Cincinnati, was born in 1819. He arrived at New York in 1846, and the same year took charge of the Congregation Beth-El, at Albany, N. Y. In 1850 he was appointed to the pulpit of the Congregation Anshe-Emeth, remaining with them four years and establishing during his stay there the first Hebrew-English day-school and various literarj^ and benevolent societies and introducing choir, organ and family pews. In the meanwhile he received a call from the Reform Congregation of Charleston, S. C, which he declined, and in 1854 was appointed Minister of the Congre- gation E'nai-Jesiirim, at Cincinnati. Dr. Wise carried the Reform idea to that city, and preached and lectured in all the larger cities of the country. In Cincinnati he has been connected with many societies, lodges and scholastic institu- tions, and from 1872 to 1882, was examiner in the public schools. He was also a member of the University Board and took a prominent part in founding the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and Hebrew Union College of which he is now President, and Professor of Theology and Philoso- phy. In 1854, Dr. Wise published a " History of the Israelitish Nation," and established the "American Israelite," and the year following "Die Deborah." In 1856 appeared his " Minhag America," to which was added one year later, " Hymns, Psalms and Prayers in English and German." Another work, " Essence of Judaism," was published in 1857 and rewritten in 1872, under the title of " Judaism its Doc- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 307 trines and Duties." Then followed " Christianity," " The Origin of Christianity," " Jesus Himself," " The Martyrdom of Jesus," and " Lectures on the Origin of Christianity." In 1876 appeared " The Cosmic God," a fundamental philoso- phy, and four years later " History of the Hebrews' Second Commonwealth." His last publication in book form was "Judaism and Christianity, their Agreements and Disagree- ments," which appeared in 1883, and he is now engaged on a work entitled, " The Theology of Judaism." Dr. Wise is the author of numerous novels and poems in English and Ger- man, and has delivered a large number of lectures, sermons and addresses in many portions of the country. In reviewing his career, he thus tersely estimates his public services : " I have written much, worked much and been more lauded and more abused than any other man of my age." Rev. James K. Gutheim was born in Prussia in 18 17, and at the age of twenty-eight reached this country, and was chosen minister of the Congregation E'nai-Jesurun of Cin- cinnati, where he continued in office for three years, and utilized his spare moments in studying law and teaching. From Cincinnati he went to New Orleans, where he served in the pulpit of three congregations. He officiated for a brief period at Montgomery, Ala., and from 1866 to 1868 was assistant Rabbi of the Temple Emanu-El at New York. After vacating this position he returned to New Orleans, where he remained until his death in 1886. Dr. Gutheim's philanthropy, integrity and amiability had endeared him not only to the Hebrew population but to all classes of citizens, and his death was the occasion of such manifestations of profound sorrow as are seldom witnessed. State and municipal authorities uniting, with persons of all rank and creeds, in tes- 308 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. tifying their appreciation of the loss sustained by his removal, while the State Senate adjourned as a mark of respect on the day of his funeral. Dr. Gutheim was the author of numerous essays and addresses. He translated into English the fourth volume of Graetz's " History of the Jews," and contributed to the " Sabbath Visitor," a metric translation of psalms. He showed deep interest in all charitable and educational affairs, and was at one time President of the New Orleans Board of Education. INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS. THE efforts made to elevate the moral, intellectual and physical condition of the American Hebrews is at- tested by the generosity with which charitable and philan- thropic institutions have been founded, by the race, in all por- tions of the United States. With the increase in popula- tion and wealth, Orphan Asylums, Hospitals, Homes for the Aged and Infirm, Free Schools and similar institu- tions have sprung up in all parts of the country. The extent and unsectarian character of the Hebrew charities is illustrated by their work in connection with the Hospital Saturday and Sunday Association of New York. Though the patrons of this association are permitted to des- ignate their gifts in the general collection in accordance with their denominational associations or preferences, the Hebrews persistently abstain from availing themselves of this privilege. Leo N. Levi, of Galveston, Texas, estimates that the Hebrews of the United States expend annually $1,300,000 in strictly Hebrew charities and half as much again in general charities, making a grand total outlay of nearly $2,000,000 per annum. Proportionate expenditures for charitable purposes by the people at large would foot up $400,000,000 per annum. Jacob S. Solis, of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, N. Y,, first conceived the idea of establishing in this country an asylum for the reception and education of the Jewish youth 3IO THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. of both sexes, to be located near the Hudson River in West- chester County. With that object in view he prepared and issued a circular in 1829, soliciting members and contribu- tions. His sudden demise on December 29th of that year put a stop to the fruition of his hopes for the establishment of an asylum. Mr. Solis was born in the city of London, England, on August 4, 1780, and at an early age came to this country. Having occasion to proceed to New Orleans on business, and finding, on inquiry, that there was no Hebrew place of worship in that city, he sought out his co-religionists and suggested the propriety and necessity of combining and building a synagogue. A meeting was held and it was resolved that funds should be collected for build- ing an appropriate place of worship. Mr. Solis took charge as chairman of the building committee, a proper site was purchased, and the structure was commenced and completed. The Congregation Shaaray-Chesed (Gates of Mercy), was incorporated March 25, 1828, by Morris Jacobs, Aaron Daniels, Isaac Philips, Souza, Senr., Plotz, J. S. Solis and Bernard Lejeune, and others The best energies of the life of Mr. Solis were occupied in practical usefulness for the amelioration of the condition of the poor and in contribu- ting to the elevation of the Jewish character. The opening of the first Hebrew Orphan Asylum in the United States was not accomplished until thirty years after Mr. Solis had first agitated the subject, when the institution was brought into existence under the following circumstances : The Hebrew Benevolent Society of New York was organized on April 8, 1822, with a fund amounting to about $300, the un- expended balance of a collection which had been obtained for the benefit of a Hebrew, a former soldier in the Revolution- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 3II ary War, who had been brought to the New York City Hos- pital in a critical condition in the year 1820. He was a stran- ger in the city. John I. Hart and Joseph Davies undertook to solicit subscriptions for the unfortunate man who died soon after. With the $300 remaining on hand, the following gentlemen determined to organize the society : Daniel Jack- son, Charles D. Hart, Joseph Jackson, Joseph Davies, John H. Hart, Abraham Collins, Rowland Davies, Simon Meyers, Abraham Mitchell, Charles I. Hart, Joseph Samuel. Mr. Jackson was elected President and Mr. Hart, Secretary. The society was incorporated in 1832, and in 1859 a consolida- tion was effected with the German Hebrew Benevolent Society. Measures were at once instituted to establish an Orphan Asylum, the funds of both associations at this time being $25,000. In i860 an asylum was opened in Lamartlne Place, on West Twenty-ninth Street, and in 1862 a building was erected at Third Avenue and Seventy-seventh Street, at a cost of $45,000, the ground being leased to the society by the city for a term of ninety-nine years. In 1883 the present magnificent and commodious structure overlooking the Hudson was erected at a cost of $750,000. The Asylum covers two blocks on Tenth Avenue, from 136th to 138th Street. The building is unsurpassed in its sanitary arrange- ments, solidity and comfort. Specially noteworthy are the dormitories and dining-rooms, and little chapel with colored glass windows and lamps, fashioned after those in use in places of worship during the Middle Ages. Over 2,000 members contribute to the suppport of the institution with its 500 inmates. The annual expenses for the last fiscal year were $85,000, and receipts $138,000. The assets of the society are, $170,000 exclusive of the grounds and building. 312 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. and the society has outstanding bonds to the amount of $334,000 on the ground and building, at three per cent. The entire expense of clothing the orphan children is defray- ed by the Ladies' Sewing Society, an independent organi- zation attached to the Asylum and numbering 1,200 mem^ bers. Jesse Seligman has been for fifteen years President of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society, and contributed liberally to its support. Myer Stern, his prede- cessor, has been for many years the Secretary. The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, was incorporated in 1852 by Sampson Simson, Samuel M. Isaacs, John I. Hart, Benjamin Nathan, John M. Davies, Henry Hendricks, Theodore I. Seixas, Isaac Phillips and John D. Phillips. Sampson Simson was chosen first President, John I. Hart, Vice-President ; Benjamin Nathan, Secretary, and Henry Hendricks, Treasurer. Previous to 1871 the corporation was known as the Jews' Hospital. The first hospital build- ing was located in West Twenty-eighth Street upon a lot donated by the late Sampson Simson, and the Trustees also received from Judah Touro a bequest of $20,000. The locality of the first hospital was admirably adapted to its uses, but yielding to the changes which occur in all our large cities, succumbed to the demands of trade and the necessities of an increasing population. The Twenty-eighth Street building proving inadequate to meet the demands, the city authorities, with characteristic liberality, granted a lease for ninety-nine years of twelve lots situated on the east side of Lexington Avenue, bounded by Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Streets, upon which the present building was erected at a cost of $300,000. While the hospital was origi- nated by Hebrews and supported by people of that persuasion, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 313 yet the benefits of the institution are freely extended to all of every religion or nationality. The total number of patients treated since the opening of the hospital is 31,000. According to the last annual report over ninety-one per cent, of patients were treated gratuitously. The hospital is supported by 3,564 patrons and members. The bonds and mortgages held by the Hospital for the permanent fund aggregate $201,000. Among the numerous legacies and bequests to this institution since its organization are the fol- lowing: Miss Sarah Burr, $30,000 ; Michael Reese, $25,000; Judah Touro, $20,000 ; Benjamin Nathan, Joseph Fatman, Simeon Abrahams, D. S. Abrahams and Julius Hallgarten, $10,000 each. The present officers and directors are: Hyman Blum, President ; Isaac Wallach, Vice-President ; Samuel M. Schafer, Treasurer ; De Witt J. Seligman, Hon- orary Secretary ; Henry Gitterman, Solomon Sommerich, Isaac Blumenthal, Louis Stix, Mayer Lehman, L. M. Horn- thai, Louis Gans, Simon Rothschild, Solomon Loeb, S. L. Fatman, William Vogel, Elias Asiel, Adolph Herrmann, Anthony Wallach, Henry Goldman, Joseph L. ,Scherer, Assistant Secretary ; Theodore Hadel, Superintendent. The Montefiore Home for Chronic Invalids in the city of New York, was founded by representatives of different lodges and congregations who in the spring of 1884, held a meeting for the purpose of agreeing upon some method for perpetuating the centennial anniversary of the birth of the distinguished philanthropist whose name it bears. At this meeting it was determined to build a home for the relief of such Hebrews who by reason of the nature of their disease are unable to procure medical treatment in the hospitals. On March 29, 1884, a benefit performance of " lolanthe," at 314 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. the Academy of Music netted $1,400. With this nucleus steps were then taken to raise an additional sum, Messrs. Jacob H. Schiff and Jesse Seligman being elected as trustees of the fund. At a meeting of the patrons held on June 2, 1884, Messrs. Jacob H. Schiff, Henry S. Allen, Adolphus S. Solomons, Isaac Eppinger, Myer S. Isaacs, Marcus Ber- liner, Louis Gans, Adolph L. Sanger, Judah H. Solomon, Isaac N. S.eligman, Henry Strasburger and Siegmund N. Leh- man, were elected a temporary Board of Directors. Subse- quently Henry S. Allen, was elected President, Louis Gans, First Vice-President ; Adolphus S. Solomons, Second Vice- President ; Jacob H. Schiff, Treasurer; and Adolph L. Sanger, Secretary. Soon afterwards Mr. Schiff tendered his resignation as Treasurer and Trustee, accompanying his letter of resig- nation by a donation of $2,500. On October 26, 1884, the Home at Eighty-fourth Street and Avenue A was formally dedicated. At the first annual meeting held immediately after the ceremonies the following Officers and Board of Trus- tees was chosen : Henry S. Allen, President ; Louis Gans, First Vice-President ; Adolphus S. Solomons, Second Vice-Pres- ident; Louis S. Wolf, Treasurer; Frank Russak, Secretary; Levi Bamberger, Marcus Berliner, Samuel H. Eckman, Isaac Eppinger, Myer S. Isaacs, Siegmund N. Lehman, Julius J. Lyons, M. Mendel, Adolph L. Sanger, Henry Solomon, Judah H. Solomon, Isaac Stern, Louis Strasburger, Isidor Straus, Joseph Waxelbaum. The membership at this time was 350, and the accommodation of the building was con- fined to thirty persons. In the spring of 1887, a fair was held for the purpose of securing funds with which to erect a more commodious home, by which means $158,090.11 was secured, with which sum a building to accommodate ICO THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 315 patients is now being erected on the Boulevard between 138th and 139th Streets. The present Officers and Direc- tors are : President, Jacob H. Schiff ; Vice-Presidents, Louis Gans and Adolphus S. Solomons ; Treasurer, Isidor Straus ; Secretary, Julius J. Lyons; Directors, Henry S. Allen, Jacob H. Lowenstine, Isaac Eppinger, Adolph L. Sanger, Judah H. Solomon, Louis Strasburger, Sigmund M. Leh- man, Lewis S. Wolff, Joseph Waxelbaum, Levi Bamberger, Samuel H. Eckman, M. W. Mendel, Henry Solomon, Lyman G. Bloomingdale, Siegmund Neustadt, Marcus Kohner. The Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society, of New York, was founded by Mrs. Priscilla J. Joachimsen, wife of the Hon. Philip J. Joachimsen, on September 6, 1879. Since its organization about 1,150 destitute children have been fed, clothed, lodged and educated. It has an average of about 550 children constantly under its care. The asylum is located on Washington Heights and occupies ten full city lots. The building, formerly the " Union Home and School for Children of Our Volunteers," is a soHd brick structure, four stories in height and varying in width, averaging eighty-five feet front and no feet deep. The branch of this Institution, for girls, is located on the corner of Avenue A and Eighty-seventh Street. Hon. Elbridge T. Gerry, President of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, in speaking of this Institution has said that it is " a credit alike to those con- cerned in its management, and to the great religious denom- ination whose children it so faithfully and effectually cares for." As soon as the ages of the boys permit, employment in trades and honorable occupations by which they can earn their support is found for them. The girls are taught all 3l6 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. branches of needlework, cooking and housekeeping. Speci- mens of their work will challenge comparison with the ac- complishments taught in private institutions or industrial schools. The amount expended annually for the mainten- ance and support of its inmates is about $65,000. The Home for Aged and Infirm at Yonkers, N. Y., was projected about five years after the organization of the Order of Enai-Berith by members of that order, who formed the B' nai-Berith Benevolent Society. Nine acres of ground were then purchased in Yonkers, on an elegant site overlook- ing the Hudson, at a cost of about $35,000, and steps were taken for the erection of a building, which was completed at a cost of $125,000. The sum of $15,000 was also expended for furniture and other fixtures. Joseph Fox was Chairman of the Building Committee, and amongst the first Board of Governors were Joseph Loth, Dr. S. Waterman, M. S. Hy- man, David Wile, H. S. Herrman, S. Latz, M. Minzesheimer, Julius Bien and S. Hamburger. Joseph Fox was the first President of the Board and remained in ofifice four years. He was succeeded by Dr. S. Waterman. Moses S. Hyman, the youngest member of the Board, was elected President in 1888. The number of inmates at the present time (1888) are fifty-six. Only members of the Order, their wives or widows, are admitted. These must have attained the age of sixty years, or be suffering from infirmity. The entire support of the institution, the cost of which is about $15,000 annually, is derived from the annual dues of the members, no donations being accepted. Kitchen utensils, linen and all household articles are provided by a Ladies' Auxiliary Society, composed of about 1,200 members, of which Mrs. M. Heyman is President. The society is composed only of THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. • 317 the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of members of the order. The Hebrew Technical Institute of New York City, was founded in 1884, its object being the fitting of the Hebrew youth for industrial callings, many of the Hebrew emigrants at that time being unable to earn an honorable livelihood. Liberal contributions were made by the Hebrew Orphan Asylum Society, the United Hebrew Charities and Hebrew Free School Association, as well as by private individuals. Two floors were fixed up in a building in Crosby Street with appliances for instruction in wood-working, mechanical drawing, modelling in clay and the English branches. The school took at once a favorable hold upon the public, and the number of scholars rapidly increased. At the close of the year 1886 the first class of twenty, of the average age of fifteen, were ready to enter active life, and were given em- ployment in various lines of work. At an exhibition of in- dustrial work, held in April, 1886, at which a large number of schools was represented, the pupils of this institute were awarded fourteen prizes, being the largest number awarded any school, and the stimulus thus aroused led to a public meeting, which was held in the Temple Emanu-El, by which general interest was awakened and a membership society was started. By means of liberal subscriptions the buildings Nos. 34 and 36 Stuyvesant Street were purchased at a cost of $45,000, and $10,000 additional was expended for altera- tions, the premises being occupied March i, 1887. The course of instruction includes metal-working, wood-work- ing, wood-carving, modelling in clay, free hand draw- ing, mechanical drawing, physics and the. English branches. The school is a technical school and gives in- 3l8 • THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. struction in the principles which underlie the leading trades. Pupils are taught the use of tools and are not confined to any particular branch until they acquire this general know- ledge. The number of pupils at date (February, 1888) is ninety, and the number of teachers, seven. The manage- ment of the school is vested in a Board of Directors, com- posed of the most prominent Hebrews of the city. J. H. Hoffman has been the President since its organization. The expenses are defrayed by 132 patrons and 350 members. The formation of the Aguilar Free Library, of New Yorlc City, was suggested in 1886 by a number of gentlemen promi- nently connected with the Young Men's Hebrew Association and Hebrew Free School Association who wished to organize a free circulating library in order to enable the good work, for- merly accomplished by the Young Men's Hebrew Association among the Russian emigrants, to be vigorously pushed. The former owned a library of upwards of 8,000 volumes, and the latter 3,000 volumes. The plan was suggested to Jacob K. Schiff, Esq., the founder of the Hebrew Free School Library, who became so satisfied with the feasibility of the proposed plan, that he agreed to contribute $10,000 towards the new library if the plan were carried into effect. The Aguilar Free Library Society was then fully incorporated under the laws of the State of New York, with Samuel Greenbaum, Presi- dent ; V. Henry Rothschild, Vice-President ; Nathan Herr- mann, Treasurer ; and Louis B. Schram, Secretary. Before the close of the year 1887, the circulation of the library had reached fully 90,000 for the year then closing, and the sum of $23,000 had been raised by private subscription toward the real estate fund. In November, 1887, the society pur- chased No. 206 East Broadway for the sum of $27,500, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 319 with a clear equity of $20,000 in the real estate. The library has three branches, one in the rooms of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, corner Fifty-eighth Street and Lexington Avenue, one at No. 206 East Broadway, where the Hebrew Free School has also a branch, and one at No. 625 Fifth Street. The library is absolutely non -sectarian. The erection of a large building in the neighborhood of East Broadway, at a cost of about $125,000, is at present contemplated. The first practical step towards the organization of the Maimonides Library Association was taken in October, 1850, when a ball was given by the members of various New York lodges of the order B'nai-Berith, for the benefit of the pro- jected institution. During the succeeding twelve months the various lodges took active measures for furthering the project and on October 22, 185 1, the Library was opened. The Association was maintained as an independent organization although membership was limited to such members of the order who contributed annual subscriptions. In 1879 the Association was merged with the District Grand Lodge, No. I, as an integral part of the district, each member being taxed a small amount for its maintenance, and entitled to a reader's card for the home use of books. At that time there were 5,200 volumes in the library and 580 readers. The volumes now number 30,000 and the annual circulation is nearly 50,000 volumes. Ever since the first organiza- tion of the Intellectual Advancement Committee, William A. Gans has been an active member of it and the leading spirit in developing the welfare of the Library. In 1883, Max Cohen was appointed Librarian, and he still continues in charge. He is an active member of the New York 320 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Library Club, whose discussions are usually enlivened by his participation. He frequently lectures on subjects relating to Hebrew or general literature, and is the leading editorial writer for the " American Hebrew." The Hebrew Free School Association of New York was founded in June, 1864, and originated with gentlemen who found that on the east side of the city Christian missionaries were seeking to convert Hebrew children. Accordingly Rev. S. M. Isaacs, Hezekiah Kohn, Barnet L. Solomon, Moses S. Cohen, Nathan Sonnenberg, David Davies, Simon Rossman, Solomon Hyman and others, organized the He- brew Free School Association, and the modest beginning of an important movement took shape in the building pur- chased on Avenue C, near Fourth Street. Barnet L. Solo- mon was the first President of the Society, followed by Moses S. Cohen and Abraham Oettinger. M. S. Isaacs, the present President, has held the position seven years. In 1879 the pupils numbered 1,129, and the first industrial school for girls was established with fifty pupils in sewing. In 1 88 1, the first of the present administration, two indus- trial classes and the kindergarten were opened and also a class for teaching the Russian emigrants the English language. The school-house, No. 624 Fifth Street, was purchased and adapted to its new purpose. The Society cordially co- operated with the Young Men's Hebrew Association in the new sphere of activity among the emigrants, and is now recognized as a factor in Jewish communal work. Already the work of the Society suggested the creation of an indus- trial school for boys, and when the Hebrew Technical Insti- tute was founded, the contribution and the delegates of the Hebrew Free School Association were of signal service. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 321 The pupils now (1888) number 2,700. There are thirty-one teachers, of whom twelve were formerly pupils. The Society has $70,000 of assets, two good school buildings, Nos. 206 East Broadway, 195 Division Street and 624 Fifth Street, and its management is successful in all respects. The branches of instruction are the Bible, religion, Hebrew, reading, spelling and grammar, translation of the Pentateuch, Psalms and prayers. The kindergarten is directed by a Ladies' Committee, and is admirably conducted. The Industrial Schools for girls (opened by a committee of ladies) train nearly 400 in plain and fancy sewing, needle- work and the beginnings of dress-making. A normal class for Hebrew and religious teachers has been recently established. Six Rabbis act as an Advisory Board. Serv- ing as directors and on the committees are ladies and gentlemen well known in the community. Besides the East Broadway and Fifth Street schools, there are daily classes in School No. 3, located in East Fifty-second Street. The Hebrew Mutual Benefit Society, of New York, was chartered in 1846. It has accumulated a capital of nearly $40,000 and gives to a member free burial and all funeral expenses for himself and family ; weekly benefits in case of sickness and free medical attendance, and an annuity to the widows of its deceased members, as also support during the first week of mourning. It has about 300 members, and it numbers amongst them some of the best Hebrews in the city. The late Aaron Van Praag held the office of Pres- ident for over twenty-five years. It has what is called an indigent fund, which was started many years ago, the first contribution to it being $5,000, bequeathed by Judah Touro. 322 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Since its organization the Society has paid out in benefits to its members over a quarter of a million dollars. Its mem- bers adhere strictly to the funeral rites of the orthodox Hebrews. It has its own burial ground at Washington Cemetery, in Kings County. The Jewish Theological Seminary, of New York, was established in 1887. The officers are: Joseph Blumenthal, of New York, President ; Dr. A. Friedenwald, of Baltimore, Vice-President ; Newman Cowen, of New York, Treasurer ; Joseph E. Newburger, of New York, Secretary ; Trustee?, Dr. S. Solis Cohen and S. M. Hyneman, of Philadelphia, Tucker David, J. M. Emanuel, Isaac Fles, Sender Jerma- lowski, Nathan Levin, J. Edgar Philips, D. M. Piza, and Isidor Rosenthal, of New York. The Advisory Board of Ministers consists of Rev. S. Morals, of Philadelphia, Presi- dent ; Rev. Drs. A. Kohut, H. S. Jacobs, F. de Sola Mendes, A. Wise, H. P. Mendes and B. Drachman, of New York, M. Jastrow, of Philadelphia, A. P. Mendes, of Newport, R. I., and H. W. Schneeberger, of Baltimore. Dr. S. Morals is President of the Faculty, and Dr. B. Drachman, Preceptor of the Preparatory Class. The object of the Association is declared to be the endowment and mainten- ance in the city of New York of an institution of Jewish learning, where youths desirous of becoming teachers in Israel may be fully and thoroughly educated under such auspicies as will inspire a love for the language and literature of their race, and a spirit of fidelity and devotion to the laws of their religion : that the mission of the Jew as a teacher of highest morality, and an exemplar of brotherly love to all the children of the One Universal Father, may by their influence be furthered and perpetuated. There are at pres- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 323 ent twelve pupils in attendance in the preparatory class, and six in the junior class. Among other New York charitable institutions and asso- ciations are the following: United Hebrew Charities; Insti- tution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf Mutes; Hebrew Benevolent Fuel Association ; Sanitary Aid Association ; Ladies' Deborah Nursery and Child's Protectory ; Ladies' Lying-in Relief Society ; Bikur Cholim Society ; Home for Aged and Infirm ; Young Ladies' Charitable Aid Society ; Louis Downtown School ; Young Men's Hebrew Associa- tion. The Purim Association was organized in 1861 by the following gentlemen : Myer S. Isaacs, Adolph L. Sanger, Moses H. Moses, Herman Stettheimer, Bernard Lemann, Lionel Davies, Louis G. Schiffer, A. Henry Schutz and Sol. Weil. The association, though one of the smallest in the city, is one of the most influential. Its annual Charity Balls, for the benefit of the Hebrew institutions, yields about $20,000. The Jewish Widows and Orphans Home of New Orleans was organized in 1855 with M. M. Simpson as President. The membership of the Home Association is 600. The He- brew Orphan Asylum, of Baltimore, cares for seventy in- mates. The membership is about 600. The Home for Aged and Indigent Israelites, at Albany, N. Y., the Michael Reese Hospital, at Chicago, Montefiore Home and Aid So- ciety, at Boston, and Orphan Asylum and Hospitals, at At- lanta, Ga. and Newark, N. J., and other cities, bear witness to the philanthropic work in progress in all directions. The Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia was char- tered April 7, 1849, ^0^ th^ purpose of opening schools where might be taught the elementary branches of education. 324 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. together with the sciences and modern and ancient languages, always in combination with instruction in Hebrew language, literature and religion, also to establish a superior seminary of learning, the faculty to be empowered to furnish to gradu- ates and others the usual degree of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Doctor of Law and Divinity as the same is ex- ercised by other colleges established in Pennsylvania. The first meeting, looking to the organization, was held on March 7, 1847, ^^^ ^he organization was effected on July 16, 1848, Solomon Solis being elected President ; Simon Elfelt, Vice- President ; Abraham Hart, Treasurer ; Z. A. Davis, Secre- tary, and Simon M. Klasser, Assistant Secretary. Maimon- ides College was opened October, 1867, the faculty being composed of Rev. Isaac Leeser, Provost ; Rev. Dr. Sabato Morals, Rev. Dr. Jastrow and Rev. Dr. Bettelheim and re- mained in existence until about January i, 1874. The school of the Education Society, giving instruction in He- brew and secular branches, was opened in the hall of the Phcenix Hose Company on Zane Street on Monday, April 7, 185 1. The first teachers employed were Mr. Michael M. Allen and Miss Evaline Bomeisler. The Society removed to its present building October 3, 1854. The instruction in Hebrew and secular branches was continued until 1878, when instruction was confined to Hebrew alone. Schools were opened in various sections of the city. In September, 1883, an Industrial School was started in Lark Street, where cigar making and carpentering were taught, and in 1886 a second Industrial School was opened in the Society's hall on Seventh Street. The Society is the custodian of the Leeser Library, the greater portion of which was bequeathed to Maimonides College by the late Rev. Isaac Leeser. The THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 325 officers of the Society are : Isaac Rosskam, President ; Isi- dore Coons, Vice-President ; Levi Mayer, Treasurer ; David Sulzberger, Secretary. Board of Officers: Simon B. Fleisher, Louis E. Levy, Aaron Lichten, Philip Lewin, Joseph Pels, Louis Eschner, Jacob Muhr, George Wiener, E. L. Roths- child, Mark Schwartz, Isaac Sailer, Simon Fleisher. Solomon Solis, one of the founders and first President of the Education Society, was born at Wilmington, Del., on March 13, 18 19. He passed the greater part of his life in the city of Philadelphia. Truly pious, without ostentation, he was distinguished for his philanthropy and greatly esteemed in all the relations of son, husband, father and brother. He was a valued and sincere friend, whom to know was to love and revere. His contributions to the religious press were ahvays anticipated with pleasure by the public, and their well chosen and high literary character thoroughly appreciated. An essay on " Education " devel- oped the efforts of a ripe scholar, and his selection as a friend and adviser by the Rev. Isaac Leeser not only reflected good judgment, but was fully appreciated on both sides. Mr. Solis was deservedly complimented as the best qualified of the large membership to occupy the important and most responsible position of President, which he occupied at the time of his death on June 22, 1854. To Miss Rebecca Gratz, of Philadelphia, belongs the honor of founding the first Hebrew Sunday-school in the United States in 1838. It was at first conducted under the auspices of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society. Miss Gratz served as Superintendent until 1864. Her successor was Miss Louisa B. Hart. The Sunday-school started with fifty pupils. In 1888 the number exceeded 1,000. 326 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. The Jewish Foster Home and Orphan Asylum of Phila- delphia, was also projected by that noble daughter of Israel, Miss Rebecca Gratz, and was called into existence on Sun- day, February 4, 1855, at a public meeting held at the synagogue of the Congregation Mickve-Israel, when the fol- lowing Board of Managers were elected. Mrs. Anna Allen, Mrs. William Florance, Mrs. D. Samuels, Miss Louisa Gratz, Miss. E. Bomeisler, Miss Rebecca Gratz, Mrs. Abraham Hart, Mrs. I. L. Florance, Miss Emily Phillips, Mrs. E. J. Eytinge, Miss Rachel Pisoa, Mrs. I. L. Moss, Mrs. Leon Berg, Mrs. G. D. Rosengarten, Mrs. Henry Cohen, Mrs. A. Finzi, Mrs. B. Leiber, Mrs. Henry Newhouse, Mrs. L Frankel, Mrs. Sol. Gans, Mrs. L Binswanger, Mrs. S. M. Ash, Mrs. H. Simpson, Mrs. S. Morais, Mrs. B. Blum, Mrs. Joseph Rosenbaum, Mrs. L. J. Leberman and Mrs. Louisa B. Hart Mrs. Anna Allen was elected President, Mrs. D. Samuel, Vice-President, Mrs. Louisa Gratz, Treasurer, and Mrs. E. Bomeisler, Secretary. The society was duly incorporated May 1,1855. ^ home for the reception of children was opened the same month at No. 799 North Eleventh Street, and after- wards in North Seventh and North Fifteenth Streets. Mrs. Allen held the office as President, until her resignation in 1867. In June, 1881, the removal of the Home took place to Mill Street, Germantown, the dedication of the new building taking place the same month. The number of children in the Home at the present time is sixty-two. Rev. S. M. Fleishman and his wife are the Superintendent and Matron. After attaining their thirteenth year the children are either indentured or otherwise placed to learn a trade or follow other useful pursuits. The present officers of the Home are : Isidor Binswanger, President ; Mason Hirsch, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 327 Vice-President; Philip Lewin, Treasurer and Benjamin F. Teller, Secretary. The institution is a credit to the Hebrews of Philadelphia, and nothing is spared which can add to the comfort and advancement of the inmates. The history of the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia pre- sents a striking evidence of the alacrity with which the He- brews of that city are prepared to alleviate the sufferings of their co-religionists. The late Abraham Sulzberger, at a meeting of Grand Lodge, District No. 3, of the order of E nai-Berith, held in August, 1864, suggested the necessity for founding a hospital in Philadelphia, and offered a resolu- tion " to take immediate steps to procure the co-operation of all Jewish societies and individuals" to that end. The order proving not numerically strong enough to complete the work, a public meeting of the Hebrews of the city was held on Feb- ruary 19, 1865, at which the Jewish Hospital Association was organized, with Alfred T. Jones as first President. The Hos- pital was opened on Haverford Road and Fisher Avenue, the opening taking place August 6, 1866, and the dedica- tion in May, 1867. The accommodations proving inadequate, the erection of a new hospital building was commenced on Olney Road, near Old York Road, where a commodious and handsome structure was erected, the dedication taking place September 14, 1873. Attached to the Hospital is the Mathilde Adler Loeb Dispensary, the building having been presented to the Hospital Association in 1878 by the late Abraham Adler and by Hannah Adler, parents of the lady to whose memory it is dedicated, in conjunction with August B. Loeb, her husband. Provision has been for its proper maintenance by the donors. The Hospital and Dispensary are open " for the relief of the sick and wounded, without 328 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. regard to creed, color or nationality," a declaration that is literally fulfilled, it being a well-known fact that the Hospital has frequently opened its doors to non-Hebrews who were refused treatment by other institutions. Three hundred and eighty-three patients were treated in the Hospital during the year 1887, and over 1,100 in the dispensary. During the same year there were thirty inmates of the home. The ex- penses of the institution during the last fiscal year were $88,256.60 and the cost of maintenance over $15,000. The Hospital and Home are model institutions, carefully and ably managed, and with the projected additions will make this already admirable charity as complete and well equipped as any in Philadelphia. The ofificers of the Hospital Asso- ciation are : Wm. B. Hackenburg, President ; Abraham Goldsmith, Vice-President ; August B. Loeb, Treasurer ; Simon A. Stern, Recording Secretary and Simon Pfaelzer, Corresponding Secretary, who with twelve Directors consti- tute the Board of Ofificers. The Young Men's Hebrew Association of Philadelphia, was called into existence to meet the recognized demands for a society which should, apart from congregational influ- ence " promote a higher culture among the Jewish young men and unite them in a liberal organization which shall tend to their moral, intellectual and social improvement." The asso- ciation was permanently organized. May 12, 1875. It has founded a well selected library of over 1,600 volumes, and has in its reading-rooms the best collection of Jewish jour- nals to be found in any one place in America. The associa- tion maintains annually a lecture course for the benefit of its members, and the social feature of its declared purposes is carried out by the formal and informal entertainments given THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 329 under its auspices. The associate organization is made up of those members of the association who are under twenty- one years of age, and at its meetings debates and Hterary exercises are carried on by the members. The association has now in all its branches about 600 members. Mayer Sulz- berger is the present President of the association. The Sir Moses Montefiore Home for Aged and Infirm Israelites, at Cleveland, Ohio, had its inception about eighteen years ago when District Grand Lodge No. 2 of the Order Kesher Shel Barzel enacted a law taxing each of its members fifty cents per annum. In 1881 a building was purchased for $25,000, and in February, 1882, the Aged and Infirm Israelites' Home of District No. 4, as it was then called, was duly dedicated. In the year 1884, at a meeting of the Supreme Lodge of the Order Kesher Shel Barzel, it was resolved that the Home be endowed by the Order with a donation of $10,000, provided District Grand Lodge N0.4 assent to changing the name of the institution to that of " The Sir Moses Montefiore Home for Aged and Infirm Israelites," and provided further, that District Grand Lodges Nos. I and 3 have the right to admit a limited number of its members or widows of members under certain conditions. This proposition was accepted. The institution has been signally successful in the dispensation of charity as well as in finaticial management. The inmates consist of thirty-five persons, whose ages range from sixty-five to ninety years. The Jewish Orphan Asylum at Cleveland, Ohio, was founded under the auspices of the Order Enai-Berith. In the year 1863 District Grand Lodge No. 2 of the Order re- solved that a fund should be secured with which to initiate some project of usefulness outside the Order to be determ- 330 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. ined later on, for which purpose the members in the jurisdic- tion should pay an annual contribution of one dollar. This suggestion was approved by the subordinate lodges in the jurisdiction, and in 1867 the sum of $10,000 had been secured. At the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge held at Milwaukee in that year, the establishing of an Orphan Asylum was decided upon, and Cleveland was selected as the most desirable city. On July 14, 1868, the inauguration of the Asylum building took place by the Grand Lodge officers. The membership of the Lodges in the district at this time numbered 2,500. The Orphan Asylum is now managed by twelve Trustees from the Grand Lodge districts in connection with thirty Directors annually chosen from the various lodges, societies and yearly subscribers. The number of orphans at the Asylum on July i, 1887, was 310. The Jewish Orphan Asylum at Rochester, New York, owes its existence to the Rev. Dr. M. Landsberg, of Roches- ter, and the late Rev. Dr. S. Falk, of Buffalo, who were the leaders in the organization of the Jewish Orphan Asylum Association of Western New York, by whom the institution is maintained. In November, 1877, an Orphan Asylum Society was started at Rochester, and later on similar organizations were effected at Syracuse and Buffalo, the object being the accumulation of a fund for the erection of an Orphan Asylum. The movement in these cities received the hearty support and encouragement of the majority of co-religionists in that section, and on February 23, 1879, ^ convention was held at Rochester, of delegates from the three cities who organized the Asylum Association with Moses Hays as first President. In the month of November following it was resolved to accept orphans under the charge THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 331 of the Association, and in February, 1880, the first three children were adopted and placed in the care of a private family. In the year 1884, a suitable building was purchased and twenty-one orphans are now cared for therein. The expenses are defrayed by the Association with a membership of 500. The sinking fund of the Association consists of about $60,000 derived from donations from the three cities. The Pacific Hebrew Orphan Asylum and Home Society of San Francisco, was founded in 1871, when a number of gentlemen held a preliminary meeting with a view of organ- izing a society to care for such orphan children as might become a charge on the public and private benevolent institutions. The Society was incorporated on July 25th, of that year with twenty-six members and the following Board of Trustees : A. Block, P. Berwin, I. F. Bloch, Joseph Brandenstein, E. Cohen, Alfred P. Elfelt, H. Greenberg, C. Meyer, M. Morgenthau, L. Sachs, WilHam Steinhardt, S. Sweet, E. Wertheimer, Isaac Wormser and S. W. Levy. S. W. Levy has been President of the Society since 1873. The Society has a capital of over $200,000 bearing interest, grounds and buildings thereon valued at $100,000, and cares for 100 children. It contributes $300 per month to the Eureka Benevolent Association for the benefit of the aged people who are incapable of earning a livelihood. Of the numerous influential Hebrew orders special mention must be made of the B'nai-Berith, Kesher Shel Barzel, Sons of Benjamin and Free Sons of Israel. The Order of B'nai-Berith, the foremost, and in fact the parent of the Jewish fraternal organizations in America, was founded in 1843, ^^^ Henry Jones is considered its chief founder. Its chief aim was and is the union of Israelites for 332 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. the purpose of furthering education and elevating the morals and aspirations of the race. It combines therewith material benefits which are made possible by the union of great num- bers, and it was the first society of its kind which introduced the payment of a fixed sum of money to the families of de- ceased members. From the parent lodge have sprung nearly 400 lodges, of which twenty are situated in Germany, to which the order was extended in the year 1880. It is governed by an Executive Committee composed of one member from each of its eight District Grand Lodges, and at its head are placed a President and Secretary, who wield the supreme executive power during the recesses between the regular sessions. Julius Bien has for the last eighteen years been placed, by the unanimous vote of the brotherhood, again and again in the distinguished position of Chief Exec- utive officer, and he is ably seconded and supported by the Secretary, M. Thalmessinger. To their efforts is due the ex- tension of the order to Europe and to Cairo, Egypt, where a lodge has been established as an entering wedge to the Orient. In the beginning the introduction to lodges was accom- panied by an elaborate ceremonial, which has been abolished. The ritual in use is a simple statement, couched in lofty, poetic language, of the aims which the brotherhood pursues, and its proceedings are regulated by a well-digested consti- tution, which has ever since served to all kindred organiza- tions. Its annual expenditures for endowments, sick bene- fits and assistance to the needy, reach nearly a million dollars, and it counts amongst its members some of the most repre- sentative Israelites of the country. The total membership of the order is about 25,000. The Kesher Shcl Barzelilron Band) was founded in 1868, THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 333 by J. S. Blackman, a teacher of Hebrew, who at present resides in California. Its field of operations was principally confined to the Polish element and among the lower working classes, and up to the year 1871, numbered about eight lodges in New York City, and four in California with a membership of not over 1,000. After the election of J. P. Solomon, of New York, as Grand President, the membership rose to 103 lodges and 5,800 members. As constituted at present the Kesher Shel Barzel consists of a Supreme Lodge, of which Hon. Simon Wolf, of Washington, is the Grand President and Alfred T. Jones, of Philadelphia, Grand Secretary, and five District Grand Lodges, with a member- ship of 12,000. During its existence the order has paid to widows and orphans, alone, $700,000. The Order Sons of Benjamin was instituted May i, 1878, the founder being William Heller, a New York mer- chant. The present membership, which extends throughout all sections of the country, is 10,000 males, and 4,000 females, with 123 lodges. The Order provides an endowment of $1,000 on the death of each male member, and $500 on the death of each female. The Order owns a burial plot and has paid out since its organization the sum of $450,000 to heirs of de- ceased members. Mr. Heller, the founder was for eight years Grand Master of the Order. The Independent Order Free Sons of Israel with a member- ship of 13,000, is located in every State in the Union and was organized in the city of New York, in 1848. The United States Supreme Lodge is the highest authority of the order. Under the endowment system of the order, the sum of $1,000 is paid to the heirs of deceased members. During the forty years of its existence, the Order has paid out to such benefi- 334 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Claries the sum of $1,391,000 and has, in addition, contri- buted for charitable purposes, including sick benefits and relief to indigent members, the sum of $1,160,000. At this time (1888) the Order is composed of in lodges and boasts of a reserve fund of $173,000. Of the 13,000 members of the order, 9,000 are members of lodges located in District No. i, whose headquarters are at New York City. Of the in lodges in the order eighty-three work in the English language and twenty-eight in German. There are besides eleven ladies' lodges. ADDENDA. HISTORICAL. THE oldest Hebrew Congregation in Brooklyn is the Temple Beth-Elohim, in the " Eastern District," which was organized about 1854 with fifteen members, who worshipped in a small room in a building on the north side. The initiation fee was $3.00 and the monthly dues fifty cents. Mr.^ Barnard was the first Hazan. Having increased in membership, the congregation bought a building at the corner of Eighth and South First Streets, which was recon- structed and occupied as a synagogue until 1876, when it was sold. The present Temple on Keap Street, near Broad- way, which is one of the finest religious edifices in the City of Churches, was dedicated in 1876, and is the largest syna- gogue in the city. The ministers in former years were : J. Eisemans, Revs. Gotthold and Rubin, Rev. Dr. Gross- man, Rev. Dr. I. Schwab. Rev. Dr. L. Wintner is the present Rabbi. NORWALK, CONN. Toward the close of the Seventeenth Century Ralph Isaacs settled at Norwalk, Conn. In 1725 he married Mary Rumsey. At this time he was a Christian, but tradition 336 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. says he was in early life a Hebrew. He is believed to have been connected with the Church of England, and was made the first Warden of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in 1736. His descendants, with scarcely an exception, have been active members of that Society. The sixth generation from Ralph Isaacs are still living upon the grounds he purchased for his son Benjamin at Norwalk. SAN FRANCISCO. The following were among the first arrivals of Hebrews at San Francisco from 1849 to 1852 : Jacob Scholle, William Scholle, Michael Reese, Isaac Friedlander, Louis Schloss, Louis Gerstle, Isidor Wormser, Simon Wormser, Henry Newhouser, M. Bauerfreud, Siegmund T. Meyer, Louis Cohen, B. Jacobs, L. Jacobs, Simon W. Glazier, Isaac Glazier, A. Hollub, Michael Castle, Frederick Castle, Henry Neustadter, Louis Sachs, Martin Sachs, Martin Heller, Moses Heller, Henry Seligman, Jesse Seligman, Abraham Seligman, Rudolph Wyman, William Steinhardt, Augustus S. Tobias, Alfred I. Tobias, Henry Greenburger, Leopold, Greenburger, David Bachman, Leopold Bachman, Albert Priest, Nathan Bachman, Henry Cohn, Herman Greenebaum, Jacob Greenebaum, Philip Schloss, Frederick Schloss, Simon Lazar, Ely Lazar, Alex. Lazar, Ulrich Simon, Alex. Wiel, H. Tichner, Jacob Meyer, M. Morganthau, David Stern, Levi Straus, William Meyer, J. Triest, M. Livingston, M. Hydenfelt, Benjamin Triest, L. Goldstein, Joseph Heller, Leopold Cohn, Moses Rosenbaum, Joseph Brandenstein, Samuel Marks, Charles Pohlman, C. Mayer, Louis Klein, L. Elkus, Jonas Adler, B. Dinkelspiel, E. Oppenheim, John Alexander, Charles Schmidt, Max Morgenthal, Louis Rein- THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 337 stein, Nathan Rhine, A. Fleishaker, Sigmund Herman, Samuel Meyer, Jonas Meyer, David Kohn, Marcus Kohn, Abraham Block, Simon Fuerth, Jacob Hecht, Samuel W. Rosenstock, Simon Hecht, Joseph Hoffman, Samuel Hoff- man, Haas Brothers, Adelsdorfer Brothers, Moses Weil, David Weil, L. White, H. Selig, Joseph Godchaux, L. Rich, Joseph Aaron, J. Uhlfelder, L. Kronthal, Hellman Brothers, L. Lyon, B. Davidson, Julius May, L. Stein, Simons Brothers, N. Koshland, Nathan Asiel. PHILADELPHIA. Members of the Congregation Mickve-hrael, of Philadel- phia, in 1782 : Isaiah Bush, Abraham Barrias, Abraham Von Etting, Mayer Solomon, Mayer M. Cohen, Solomon Cohen, Isaac Da Costa, Samuel Da Costa, Mayer Darkliam, Samuel De Lucena, Bernard Gratz, Michael Gratz, Moses Gomez, Daniel Gomez, Philip Moses, Samuel Hays, Jacob Hart, Manuel Josephson, Barnubel S. Judah, Isaac Judah, Israel Jacobs, Abraham Levy, Hagima Levy, Isaac H. Levy, Solomon Levy, Ezekiel Levy, Jacob Levy, Henry Marks, Isaac Moses, Solomon Marache, Moses H. Myers, Abraham Henriquez, Joseph Solomon, Haym Solomon, Isaac Da Costa, Jr., Isaac Madeira, Joseph Madeira, Solomon Marks, Eleaz;ar Sey, Isaac Moses, Sr., Zodak Dornistad, Simon Nathan, Lyon Nathan, Moses Nathan, Moses Judah, Joseph Abandanon, Andrew Levy, Jonas Phillips, Coshman Polock, Gershom M. Seixas, Benjamin Seixas, Mordecai Sheftal, Sheftal Sheftal, Benjamin Nones, Naphtali Phillips, Levy Solomons, Isaac Abrahams, Myer Hart and son, Judah Aaron, Solomon Aaron, Isaac Cardoza, Manuel Myers, David Bush, Reuben Etting, Solomon Etting, Moses Jacobs, Moses 338 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Nathan, Jacob Cohen, Solomon M. Myers, Ephraim Hart, Henry Noah, Levy Phillips, Abraham Seixas, Samuel Alex- ander, Barendt Spitzer, Moses B. Franks, Joseph Simons, Michael Marks, Jacob Mordecai, Mordecai M. Mordecai, Jacob Myers, Asher Myers, Moses A. Myers, Abraham Saspartes, Judah Myers, Joseph A. Myers, Mordecai Levy, Michael Hart, Naim Van Ishac, Naphtali Hart, Lazarus Barnet, 'Joseph Henry, Colonoms Van Shelemoh, Samuel Israel, Joseph Carpelies, Moses Homberg, Marcus Elkin, Samuel Lazarus, Philip Russell. • NEW ORLEANS. Officers and Members of the Congregation Shaaray-Chesed, of New Orleans in 1828: Morris Jacobs, President; Aaron Daniels, Vice-President ; A. Plotz, Junior Warden ; A. Green, Junior Warden ; A. Philips, Junior Warden ; Isaac Philips, Treasurer ; A. Audler, Secretary ; Jacob S. Solis, Bernard Lejeune, Jacob Myers, L. S. Levy, David Lewis, Moses J. Hart, Ralph Jacobs, A. P. Levy, Myers J. Ellis, J. La Salle, Solomon Hunt, L. H. Jones, Joseph Solomon, E. Stern, Abs. Goldsmith, Nathan Hart, A. H. De Jong, A. S. Emmony, Samuel Jacobs, Marx Myers, Levy Prince, Solomon Ferth, Lewis Kokernot, Marton P. Levy, Charles Myers, Aaron Kirkham, Abr. Block, Doct. Z. Florance. BALTIMORE. In 1856 Mrs. S. N. Carvalho, then residing in the city of Baltimore, consulted with several of her personal friends, who consented to join her in an effort to establish a Sunday- school where all children of Hebrew parents should receive instruction in the principles of conservative Judaism. Mrs. THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 339 Carvalho had been in former years a teacher in the Sunday- school of Miss Rebecca Gratz at Philadelphia. A meeting was held at the residence of Mrs. Carvalho, where an association was formed, a constitution and by-laws adopted and officers elected. Committees were appointed to provide the necessary funds for the purchase of books, and a large hall was leased as a school-room. The following were the officers for the first year : Mrs. S. N. Carvalho, President ; Mrs. Josephine Etting, First Vice-President ; Mrs, Gutman, Second Vice-President ; Directresses, Mrs. Israel I. Cohen, Mrs. Catharine Cohen, Mrs. Stern, Mrs. Margaret Cohen, Miss Julia Carvalho, Treasurer ; Miss Rachel Cohen, Secre- rary ; Edward Cohen, Corresponding Secretary. A large volunteer corps of capable teachers presented themselves on the day of opening. The pupils numbered about fifty girls and boys. Within three months the number had increased to several hundred. IN THE ARMY AND NAVY. Albert, the second son of Major Raphael Moses, of Geor- gia, changed his surname to Luria to preserve the family name, which had been transmitted from the time when his ancestors left Spain on account of the Inquisition, and when nineteen years old was appointed Lieutenant in a North Carolina regiment. He was killed at Seven Pines in June, 1862, while rallying his company, having seized the colors falling from the hands of the dying color-bearer. An inci- dent of this officer's bravery is worth recording. At the en- gagement at Sewell's Point, near Norfolk, in May, 1861, an eight-inch shell, with fuse still burning, fell into the com- 340 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. pany's gun-pit, and young Albert, without a moment's hesi- tation, seized it in his arms and put it in a tub of water, quenched the fuse and saved his own and comrades' Hves. The company, in recognition of his heroism, had the shell engraved with a history of the incident and sent it to his parents. It now stands upon a pillar over his grave at the " Esquiline," near Columbus, Ga., as a fitting monu- ment. The Confederate soldiers' plot in the Hebrew Cemetery at Richmond, Va., is surrounded by an iron fence representing stacks of muskets, swords, military caps and implements of war, the whole forming a design at once unique and sub- stantial. Within the enclosure and close by rest the remains of the following soldiers, who fell in battle at Richmond and Petersburg and surrounding country: Captain M. Marcus, 1 5th Georgia ; A. Robinson, 1 5th Georgia ; S. Oury, i6th Mis- sissippi ; M. Bachrach, Lynchburg, Va.; Corporal G. Eisman, I2th Mississippi; E. B. Miller; H. Jacobs, South Carolina; S. Weiss, Georgia ; Isaac Seldner, 6th Virginia Infantry ; Lieutenant L. S. Lipman, 5th Louisiana ; Lieutenant W. M. Wolf, Hagood's South Carolina Brigade ; A. Heyman, Georgia ; Julius Zark, 7th Louisiana ; A. Lehman, South Carolina ; M. Aaron, North Carolina ; Jacob A. Cohen, loth Louisiana ; Henry Cohen, South Carolina ; I. Frank, Georgia; S. Bachrach, Lynchburg, Va.; Jonathan Sheur, Louisiana; Samuel Bear, Georgia; I. Cohen, Hampton's South Carolina Legion ; T. Foltz, i6th Mississippi; Henry Gersberg, Salem, Va.; M. Levy, Mississippi ; I. Rosenberg, Georgia; Henry Adler, 46th Virginia; E. J. Sampson, 4th Texas; J. Wolf, North CaroHna; J. Hessberg, Caroline THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 34I County, Va.; Isaac J. Levy, Richmond Light Infantry Blues. Marx Myers, Richmond Grays ; Gustavus Kann, i6th Mis- sissippi; Henry Smith, killed in battle near Fayette C. H., Va. BIOGRAPHICAL. Felix Adler, one of the most eloquent orators in America, and the founder of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, is the son of Rabbi Samuel Adler, pastor emeritus of the Temple Emanu-El. He graduated from Columbia College in 1870, and was then sent to Europe with a view of prepar- ing for the ministry. For this purpose he entered Berhn and Heidelberg Universities, where he obtained the degree of Ph. D. After his return to the United States he received the appointment of Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Liter- ature at Cornell University, and upon his retirement from the position in 1876, he established the Society for Ethical Culture. In 1877 he published a series of discourses delivered before this Society under the name of " Creed and Deed." He has manifested interest in the welfare of the workingmen, tenement house reform and the kindergarten system. He is also an advocate of cremation and is an officer of some of the associations having in view the introduction of that method of disposing of the dead. Leon Hyneman, a distinguished Free Mason, was the publisher of " Ancient York and London Grand Lodges," " Hyneman's Review," " The Masonic Library," " World's Masonic Register," and the weekly " Masonic Mirror and Keystone." He died at New York City in 1880, aged seventy- four years. His sister, Rebecca, was a well-known contributor to periodical literature. 342 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. Isaac Frank, of New York, was one of the founders of the railroad ticket-brokerage business, which has grown to very- large proportions throughout the United States. He is the son of Marcus Frank, who settled at Syracuse, N. Y., and in 1870 moved to Tififin, Ohio, where in 1874 the son inaugur- ated his present business. Mr. Frank has branch offices in all the large cities of the Union, and is assisted in his work by his brothers, Jacob and Moses, and other relatives. ASSOCIATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS. The Board of Delegates of American Israelites, organized in 1859, "^^^s for nineteen years an influential organization, and had for its object co-operation in directing government aid to the rescue of oppressed co-religionists from danger and persecution, and the elevation of the social condition of Hebrews in countries where the laws discriminated against them. The Board was organized soon after the abduction of Edgar Mortaro, by the Papal authorities. Co-operation with the Alliance Israelite Universelle, and correspondence with various Jewish organizations in Europe was maintained during the nineteen years existence of the Board, whereby the rights of Hebrews abroad were secured by means of liberal contributions at home, and suffering and destitution in various countries was alleviated. The persecution of Hebrews in the Danubian Principalities from 1866 to 1878, received the earnest attention of the Board. The State Department at Washington was asked in 1867 to institute inquiries regarding the cruel and inhuman laws and practices directed against the Hebrews of Servia, and in 1870 the Board sug- gested to the Department the appointment at Bucharest of a THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 343 "capable consul imbued with American sympathies, and willing to co-operate with the European Consuls in measures for the relief of the unhappy Israelites," in that country. In accordance with this suggestion Hon. Benjamin F. Peixotto, was designated by President Grant as Consul at Bucharest. His presence proved the means of checking the excesses in that country. The representation of Jewish organizations at Berlin for the purpose of submitting a statement of the Jewish question to the Congress of the Great Powers in 1878 was suggested by the Board of Delegates. The care of poor emigrants from Russia and Roumania, and the regu- lation of the movement whereby objectionable persons should be excluded was the subject of discussion by the Board, and resulted in the adoption of wholesome regulations. At home the usefulness of the Board has been attested on numerous occasions. In 1861, the Board of Delegates ad- dressed a memorial to Congress, protesting against the act passed by that body providing that chaplains appointed in the Volunteer Service must be " a regular ordained minister of some Christian denomination," on the grounds of its un- constitutionality. The result was the passage of an amend- atory act substituting the word " Religious " for " Christian." In 1862, the Board secured a revocation of General Grant's order expelling " Jews as a class " from within the Depart- ment of Tennessee. In 1864, the Board memorialized the United States Senate in protest of the action of the Presby- terian Conference at Pittsburg, Penn., praying for an amend- ment to the Constitution of the United States recognizing Christianity as the religion of the land. In North Carolina, in 1866, a proposition to embody in the new Constitution a a provision denying the right to hold office to any person 344 THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. who should question the " divine authority of the Old and New Testament," called forth a vigorous protest from the Board which resulted in the rejection of the objectionable clause. A similar fate was shared by the bill offered in Con- gress the same year requiring citizens qualifying as members of the Constitutional Convention to be sworn on the " Holy Evangelists." The formation of the Union of American He- brew Congregations in 1878, was followed by the dissolution of the Board of Delegates whose functions have since been delegated to a standing committee of the Union designated as "The Board of Delegates on Civil and Religious Rights." The first officers of the Board were : Henry I. Hart, of New York, President ; Rev. Isaac Leeser, of Philadelphia, Vice- President ; Gerson N. Hermann, of New Vork, Treasurer; Myer S. Isaacs, of New York, Secretary. With the large arrival of Russian refugees commencing a few years since, there arose a demand for a new public place of amusement in the city of New York. Accordingly, in 1884, a Russian-Hebrew Opera Company, with Moses Silberman as manager and Joseph Lateiner as composer, opened an establishment in Turner Halle on East Fourth Street. In the course of a few months they removed to Nos. 113 and 113^ Bowery, where they secured a ten years' lease. Here they have been presenting for the past three years a number of musical plays by exclusively Hebrew- Russian artists of repute from Odessa, St. Petersburg, Mos- cow and Roumania. The stars comprising a portion of the troupe are Messrs. Abraham Schengold, M. Spiva-Kovski, Mo Heine, Mrs. Moses Silberman and Mrs. S. Borodkin. The most successful plays thus far produced are " Orpheus," THE HEBREWS IN AMERICA. 345 which constituted the initiatory performance on May 23, 1884, " David Ben Jesse," " Bar Cochba," and " Joseph and His Brothers." In this establishment the Hebrew-German dialect is employed. The entire cast, as well as various staffs of employees, artistic, business and mechanical, are of the Hebrew persuasion. The " Oriental," by which name this theatre is known, has accommodation for 1,000 patrons. The price of admission ranges from 25 cents to $1.00. Pagre 22d line, ERRATA. read 24, for Hyam, Haym. 27, 24th " " Ludwig, Leo. 124, nth " " Levy, Levi. 171, 1 2th " " $750,000, $250,000 201, 1 2th " " 1882, 1822. 255, 13th " " 1822, 1882. 258, 26th " " Jossefy, Joseffy. 284, nth Isaac, Isaacs. Any other typographical errors as to dates will be corrected in second edition if sent to author. INDEX. Abraham, Victor, 183. Abraham, Joseph, 101-102. Actors and Dramatists, 262-265. Adler, Dankman, 258. Adler, Felix, 341. Adler, Max, 165 Adler, Samuel, 278. Albany, N. Y., 116. Allen, Mrs. Anna, 77. Altman, Benj., 158. Aronson, the Brothers, 262. Arnold, Abraham B., 196. Associations. 309. Aub, Joseph, 197. Augusta, Ga,, 113. B Berkowitz, H., 291. Bien, Julius, 199. Binswanger, Isidore, 200. Bloom, Adam E., 184. Bloom, Nathan, 145. Bloomingdale Bros., 158. Blum, Leon & Hyman, 169, Blumenberg, Leopold, 131, Blumenburg, M. A.. 268. Blumenthal, Jos., 1S9. Blumenthal, Mark, 201. Blumenstiel, Alex., 227. B'nai-Berith, Order of, 331. Board of Delegates, 342. Brentano, August, 262. Brooklyn, First Synagogue, 335. Buffalo, N. Y., 119. Bush, Col. Solomon, 126. Bush, Isidor, 201. Baar, Herman, 197. Baer, Bernhard M., 184. Baltimore, " Early Settlers, 93. " First Sunday-school, 338. " Later Settlers, 100. " Merchants, 168. Bamberger, Bloom & Co., 145. Banco, Miriam, Del, 208. Bandman, Dan'l E., 263. Barnert, Nathan, 164. Barnett, Jonas, 135. Baruch, Simon, 197. Bauer, M., 183. Bendall, Dr. Herman, 182. Benjamin, Judah P., 177-178. Bettman, David, 161, Bettman, Jefferson, 198. Bettman, Bernhard, 170. Cahn, Mayer, 183. Cantor, Jacob A., 189. Cardoza, Michael H., 203. Carvalho, E. N., 266-279. Carvalho, David Nunes, 96. Carvalho, Solomon N., 203. Carvalho, Mrs. S. N,, 338. Chicago, 105. Charleston, 53. " Ministers, 57. Cincinnati, 100. " Synagogue, 102. Cleveland, 104. " Institutions, 329, Cohen, David M., 133. Cohen, Edward, 149. Cohen, Emanuel, 204. 348 INDEX. Cohen, Israel J.,94- Cohen, Jacob Da S. S., 205. Cohen, Jacob I., 85, Cohn, Joseph, 267. Cohen, Josiah, 205. Cohen, Marx E., 60. Cohen, Dr. Marx E., 137. Cohen, Mendes, 258. Cohen, Mordecai, 61. Cohen, Nina Morais, 207. Cohen, the family of, Balto., 94-96. College Professors, 257. Confederate Army, Officers in, 138. Floersheim, O., 268. Fox, Joseph, 149. Frank, Isaac, 342. Franks, Rebecca, 71. Franks, David, 71-72. Franks, family, 73. Free Sons of Israel, Order of, 333. Friedenwald, Aaron, 213, Friedlander, Isaac, 146. Frohman, Dan'l, 213. Furth, Emanuel, 183. D De Cordova, Alfred, 207. De Cordova, Rafael J., 261. Davis, Joseph, 269. De LaMotte, Capt. Jacob, 126. De Leon, Capt. Jacob, 126. Dessar, LeoC., 190. Dessau, S. Henry, 209. Detroit, Mich. 123. Dittenhoefer, A. J., 209, Dzialinsky, Morris, 184. Galveston, Tex., 123. " " merchants, 159-169. Goldfogle, Henry M., 191. Goldsmith, B., 183. Goodhart, Morris, 214. GotthieJ, Gustav, 282. Gotthold, J. Newton. 265. Gratz, Michael, and family, 75. Gratz, Rebecca, 76-325. Grau, Maurice, 264. Greenebaum, Henry, 166. Gutheim, James K., 307-308* E Easton, Pa., 82. Ehrich, J. S., 159, Ehrich, S. W., 159. Ehrlich, Simon M., 191. Eidlitz, Leopold, 258. Einhorn, David, 280. ElHnger, Moritz, 268. Elsberg, Louis, 257. Eisner, Henry L., 212. Emanuel, Louis M., 129. Etting, Reuben, 93. Etting, Solomon, 93. Eytinge, Rose, 264. Ezekiel, David, 130. Ezekiel, Moses J. 212. Federal Army, Officers in, 130. Feibleman, C. B., 182. Feldman, Louis, 182. Felsenthal, B., 281. Fleischner, Col. Louis, 183. H Haberman, Frederick, 162. Hackenburg, Wm. B., 215. Hallgarten, Lazarus, and sons, 143 Harby, Isaac, 58. Harby, Leah Cohen, 215. Harby, Levi Myers, 136. Harby, Samuel, 268. Harby, Washington, 263. Hart, Abraham, of Phil'da., 77. Hart, Abraham, of Chicago, 167. Hart, Bernard, 140. Hart, Emanuel, B., 180. Hart, Jacob, 93. Hart, Miss Louisa B., 78. Hart, Meyer, 82. Hart Brothers, 167. Hebrew Union College, 276. Horwitz, Otto, 217. Hayman, M. & B., 268. Hays, Dan'l P., 216. Hays, Jacob, 28-29. Hays, the family, 29-33. Heidelbach, Phillip, 143. Heilprin, Angelo, 217. INDEX. 349 Heilprin, Louis, 217. Heilprin, Michael, 217. Hendriclcs, Uriah and descendants, 16. Henriques, Alexander, 141. Herschel, Clemens, 258. Hess, Jacob, 192. Hirsch, Samuel, 302-303. Hirsch, Edward, 184. Hirsch, E. G. 281. Hirsch, Solomon, 183, Hirsh, Mason, 165. Huebsch, Adolphus, 282, Huff, Jacob A., 184. Hunt, Emanuel, 88. Hyams, Henry M., 177. Hyneman, Herman, N., 218, Hyneman, Leon, 341. Kalisch, Leonard, 224. KaHsch, Samuel, 225. Kanter, Edward, 184. Keller, David, 153. Kempner, I., 169. Kesher Shel Barzel, Order of, 332. Keyser, Ephraim, 225. Kleiner, Chas., 183. Knefler, Frederick, 131. Koch, Joseph, 192. Kohler, Kaufman, 288. Kohut, Alex., 289. Krackowizer, Ernest, 264. Krauskopf, Joseph, 291. Krohn, Louis, 170. Kursheedt, Asher, 161. Kursheedt, Gershom, 92. Kursheedt M'f'g Co.., 161. Indianapolis, no. Institutions, 309. Isaacs, Abram S., 219. Isaacs, Myer S. 219. Isaacs, Samson M., 174. Isaacs, Samuel M., 284. Isaacs, Ralph, 335. Isaacks, Moses, 77. Israels, Israel, 73. Jacob, Ephraim A., 221. Jacobi, Abraham, 221, Jacobs, George, 284. Jacobs, Henry S. , 285. Jacobson, Sigisimund D., 222. Jastrow, Marcus M., 286. Jew Bill, the, 97. Jewellers, 153. Jewish Ministers' Association, 277. Joachimsen, Caroline C, 222. Joachimsen, Phillip J., 223. Jonas, Benj. F., 188. Jossefy,. Raphael, 258. Journalists, 265-274. K Kalisch, Abner, 224. Kalisch, Isidor, 286. Lachman, Samson, 193. Lagowitz, & Co., 162, Lancaster, Pa., 78-82. " Merchants last century, 80. ' ' Synagogue and Cemetery, 82 Lasker, M., 169. Lauterbach, Edward, 225. Lazarus, Emma, 260. Lazarus, E. S., 25. Lazard Freres, 145. Lehman, Emanuel, 147. Lehman, Mayer, 147. Leon, Elias, 130. Leeser, Isaac, 291. Leipziger, Henry, M., 226. Levin, Louis, C, 176-177. Levy, Louis P., 137. Levy, Jefferson M., 134. Levy, Capt. J. P., 135. Levy, Uriah P., 134. Levi, Jos. C, 227. Levy, Ferdinand, 193. Levy, Hayman, 14-15. Lilienthal, Jesse W,. 227. Lilienthal, Max., 294. Lilienthal, Samuel, 228. Loeb, Moritz, 266. Loeb, Solomon, 148. Lopez, Aaron, 35, Lovenstein, Wm , 180. Lowenstein, B. and brother, 170-171. Luria (Moses), Albert, 339. Lyons, Jacques J., 295. 350 INDEX. M Mack, M. J., 170. Marshall, Louis, 229. Marx, Henry C-, 25. Mayer, Constant, 229. Mayer, Marcus R., 250. Mayer, S. I., 165. Mayer, Strouse & Co., 165. Memphis, Tenn., 122. Mendes, F. de Sola, 296. Mendes, Henry P., 298. Mendes, Isaac P., 296. Menken, N. D., 172. Menken & Co., 171. Messing, Mayer, 300. Michelson, Albert A., 132. Minis, the family of, 49. Mitchell, Abraham, 127. Mobile, III. Moise, Penima, 59. Moore, J. S,, 232. Morals, Henry S., 231. Morais, Sabato, 230. Morange, Benj. and family, 26. Morange, Henry M., 26. Mordecai, Major A., 129-133. Morris, Nelson, 166. Morse, Godfrey, 233. Morse, Leopold, 188. Moses, Adolph, 233. Moses, Franklin J., 179-180. Moses, Joshua, 128. Moses, Israel, 128. Moses, Isaac, 70, 71-128. Moses, Joseph, 129. Moses, M. L., 182. Moses, Myer, 127. Moses, Raphael J., 180. Mosler, Henry, 234. Muck, Henr}% 183. Muhr, H. and sons, 154. Musicians, 258-260. Myers, Mordecai, 127. Myers, Nathan, 234. Myers, S. F., 153. Myers, Tbeo. W., 194, Nones, Solomon B., 174. Nones, family of, 135. Newark, N. J., 122. " merchants, 163. New Haven, Conn., 121. Newman, Leopold C., 129. New Orleans, 89. Institutions, 323. Congrega'n, 1828, 338. 33-34- Newport New York, Aguilar Free Library, 318. Bankers, 139-140. Butchers, 156-157. Capital leading lines, 157. Cemetery, 43. Cigar manufacturers, 156. Clothing Trade, 151. Early Settlers, 3. First Congregation, i8. Hebrew Free School, 320. Hebrew Theatre, 344. Home for Aged, 316. Institutions, 323. Jewish Theol. Sem., 322. Jewelry merchants, 153. Maimonides Library ,319. Merchants, last century, 17. Montefiore Home, 313-314. Mt. Sinai Hospital, 312. Mutual Benefit Society, 321. Orphan Asylum, 310-312. Real Estate Holders, 157. Sheltering G'rd'n Sc, 315. Stock Ex., members, 140. Technical Institute, 317. Temple Emanu-El, 27. Tobacco merchants, 154. Various trades, 152. O Office holders, 184-185. Oppenheimer, Seligman, 153. Otterbourg, Marcus, 185. N Naar, David, 265. Noah, Mordecai, M., 26-174. Nones, Abraham B., 174. Nones, Major Benj., 126. Nones, Joseph B., 135. Peixotto, Benj. F., 235-269. Peixotto, Dr. D. L. M.,22. Peixotto, Geo. D. M., 239. Philadelphia. ■• Congrega'n in 1782, 337. INDEX. 351 Philadelphia, Early Settlers, 62. " Former Merchants, 75. " Institutions, 323-329, Phillips, Emanuel J., 135. Phillips, Henry M., 175. Phillips, Isaac, 180. Phillips, Morris, 241. Phillips, the family, 75. Pike, Samuel N., 146. Pittsburg, 109 Plant, L. S. &Co., 163. Platzek, Warley, 242. Portland, Oregon, 115, Press, the Hebrew, 269-274. Proskauer, Adolph, 138. Pulitzer, Joseph and Albert, 267. R. Ranger, Morris, 147. Raphall, Morris J., 300-301. Rayner, Isidore, 188. Reinstine, Alex, 183. Richmond, Va., 83-86. Former citizens, 87-88. '* Ministers at, 84. " Theatre Fire, 86. Rochester, N. Y., 117. " " Institutions, 330. Riviera, Jacob R., 36. Rosendale, S. W., 243. Rosenthal, Julius, 244. Rosenthal, Lewis, 244. Rosenthal, Toby, 245. Rosnosky, Isaac, 183. S. Schloss, Philip, 182. Scholle Bros., 145. Schwab Chas., 167. Schwabe, L. B., 247. Schweitzer, Bernhard, 182. Seasongood, Lewis, 143-145. Seixas, Rev. G. M., 16-19, Seligman Brothers, 141. Seligman. DeWitt J., 247. Seligman, Edwin R. A., 248. Seligman, Joseph, 174. Selz, Schwab & Co., 166. Sheftall, the family, 49-50, Shoninger, Bernard, 164. Shroder, Jacob, 195. Simon, Edward & Co., 162. Simon, Joseph, 184. Simon, Joseph and family, 78-82. Soils, Jacob S., 309. Soils, Solomon, 325. Sons of Benjamin, Order of, 333. Sonneschein, Solomon H., 301-302. Soldiers' Cemetery, 340. Solomons, A. S., 248. Sommer, H. B., 264. Steckler, Alfred, 195. Sterne, Simon, 249. Stern Brothers, 160. Stern, Simon H., 249. Stettheimer, Joseph, 161. Strasburg, Sallie, 258. Strasburger, Louis, 154. Straus, L., & Sons, 160. Straus, Oscar S., 186-187. Strouse, Abr., 165. Sulzberger, Mayer, 252. Sutro, Adolph, 257. Szold, Benjamin, 303. St. Louis, 106, 108. Salomon, Ezekiel, 92. Salomon, Haym M., 24. Salomon, Haym, 66-70. Salomon. R. G., 162-3. San Francisco, 114. " " Early Settlers, 336. *' " Merchants, 168, " " Institutions, 331. Sanger, Adolph L., 245. Savannah, 45. " Synagogue, 48, 50, 51-52. " Merchants, 167. Scheftel, Adolph, 148. Schiff, Jacob H., 148. Thalmessinger, M., 150. Tim, Wallerstein & Co., 168. Touro, Rev. Isaac, and family, 39. Touro, Judah, 90-92. W. Waldstein, Charles, 257. Waldstein, Martin E., 252. Walter, Philip, 184. Walter, Miss Josephine, 258. 352 INDEX. Washington, D. C, 124. Wasserman, Philip, 183. Weil, Joseph, 146. Weil, Max, 146. Weil, Paul, 182. Weil, Samuel, 182, Weill, Solomon C, 252. West Point graduates, 133. Wilmington, N. C, 113. Wintner, Leopold, 304. Wolf, Simon, 253, Wolff, Alfred R., 258. Woolf, M. A. 262. Wolffe, Frederick, 256. Woolf, Benj. E., 262. Wise, Aaron, 305. Wise, Isaac M., 270, 306-307. Wormser Brothers, 143. Yulee, David L., 180. Zeisler, Joseph, 256. Zunder, Maier, 183. ^ ° ^ °^ '^ e ts » "^^ G^ ^