Re: jcr-uk digest: August 22, 2005 - SWANSEA #unitedkingdom
Hazel Dakers
Robert and the list
Sorry for the belated reply. I knew at the back of my mind I had checked out Swansea for the possibility of some of my early family coming >from there and have now found a note in my files: The Jews of South Wales:historical studies. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 1993. Ursula Henriques is the editor and wrote a number of the chapters. The first known settled community (as opposed to visiting pedlars and a few individual residents) was in the third quarter of the eighteenth century in Swansea - then a flourishing seaport. There were quite a few pawnborkers there, one of whom was Greenbone Jacobs of Swansea who was accused in the 1868 Midsummer Quarter Sessions of receiving stolen rope p.81). He was born in 1796 and Michael Jacobs (late C19th was probably descended >from him). Swansea was an older Jewish community than that of Cardiff. According to a reference (NH Saunders Swansea Hebrew Congregation 1830-1980, Centenary pamphlet 1980, 209 - apparently not in British Library collection) the lease of the first Swansea congregation dates back to 1768. I then followed up and arranged for some research to be undertaken for me by the local archives http://www.swansea.gov.uk/westglamorganarchives/ who were very helpful. Regards Hazel Dakers, London UK Researching: NORDEN (London & South Africa); HEIMANN (Luegde, Germany and South Africa); GOLD (Zgierz and Lodz, Poland), BIRNBAUM (Zgierz and Lodz, Poland) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: RE: ABRAHAMs in Wales From: "robert fraser" <robertandginafraser@...> Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:15:34 +0800 X-Message-Number: 1 Hi guys - I seems unlikely to me that a rural area such as Llangyfelach (although today it's part of Swansea) would have seen any Jewish presence in 1749, let alone any families settling in the area. Bear in mind that in rural/farming areas, much of the population would have been unable to read. But if they were literate, the Bible would have been their only literature (probably in Welsh) and they would likely have obtained surnames and given names >from this book. So a biblical name does not necessarily indicate a Jewish background. Robert W Fraser Dianella, Western Australia robertandginafraser@... (ex-Merthyr Tydfil)
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