USA > South Carolina > The Jews of South Carolina, from the earliest times to the present day > Part 21
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of his Father Joseph Salvador, lawfully begotten, with their due Differences, according to the practice and Law of Arms, without the Let or Interruption of any person or persons Whatsoever, IN WITNESS whereof, we the said Garter and Clarenceux, have bereunto set our Hands, and Affixed the Seals of our Offices, the First day of June in the Eighteenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Sec- ond, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith &c. And in the Year of our Lord God One Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty Five.
" JOHN AusTIS Garter "S MARTIN LEAKE Clarenceux
" Principal King of Arms
"King of Arms"
APPENDIX D
THE HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.
Organized, June 25, 1784. Reorganized, October 20, 1824. Incorporated, December 13, 1830. Reorganized, October 7, 1866.
The Hebrew Benevolent Society, of Charleston, S. C., is the oldest institution of its kind in America. Till quite recently, when the author recovered and identified the orig- inal seal of the Society, its early history was absolutely
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unknown. The late Nathaniel Levin, in his sketch of the Congregation Beth Elohim, was unaware of the date when the Society was established. Nor were his predecessors better informed. In The Courier of December 5, 1825, there is a notice of the " Anniversary Celebration of the Hebra Gemilut Hassadim or Hebrew Benevolent Society." In The Courier of December 21, 1827, the third anniversary meeting is noticed. In The Courier of December 18, 1840, the meeting is described as the eleventh anniversary. In The Courier of December 22, 1843, the forty-seventh anni- versary is noted, and in The Courier of November 29, 1847, the meeting of November 24, 1847, is referred to as the fifty-sixth anniversary! The discovery of the seal in the possession of the family of one who was for many years the secretary of the Society puts the matter beyond doubt. How it came to pass that the origin of the Society was so obscure, with the seal in existence, is somewhat difficult to surmise.
In 1899 a committee was appointed for the purpose, among other things, of obtaining such data as would give the history of the Society from its organization. This Com- mittee reported " that it was unable through lack of ma- terial-part of the earlier records of the Society being lost and others destroyed by fire-to present the sketch of its life, which would have been of genuine interest to its mem- bers to-day, and an incentive to them to continue its honor- able record of over a century."
The following paragraph from the Preamble of the Re- port of the Committee on Revision (1870) tells the story of the origin of the Society :
" The object of this Society is Benevolence. In that one emphatic, grateful word, are comprehended all the tender offices of Charity. For though the original motive of the establishment of this Institution, on June 25th, 1795, was the relief of the invalid emigrant who landed on our
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shores, and who might fall a victim to a climate less hospitable than our- selves, yet that primary view was enlarged at the revival of this Society, on the 20th October, 1824, and a more expansive idea of gentle kindness was determined upon when the Society obtained an Act of Incorporation by the Legislature, on the 18th of December, 1830; and now upon the reorganization of the Society, October 7th, 1866, our energies gathering strength with time. our fond aspiration for diffusing good, increasing as season follows season, in the noiseless flight of time, we have gradually enlarged our wishes for serving our fellow beings, as year has succeeded to year, until at this day our bosoms swell so high with the ennobling desire, that we acknowledge no limit to our benevolence. save in the means of executing our charitable intents. Thus, while in our restricted ability to do good, we recognize our utter dependence on the Divine Author of our being, we testify, by our boundless ardor to serve His creatures, our grati- tude to that Merciful Father who sends down His dew alike on all flowers, and sheds His sunbeams on every people: And, to effect these ends, as far as in our power, we adopt the following-" * *
There is one very important mistake, however, in the story, and that is in the date of the foundation of the Society. It should be 1784 and not 1795. This is clearly shown by the seal. This seal is a beautiful specimen of the engraver's art, very quaint and unlike the seals we see to- day, having been made by hand. It is cut in silver and the edges are considerably worn. The picture on its face is very suggestive of the original object of the Society-the Angel of Death, with a scythe in one hand and an hour- glass in the other. The inscription reads as follows:
"BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. Founded Sth Tammuz Charity delivereth from death. [5] 544 [1784]
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APPENDIX E
THE HEBREW ORPHAN SOCIETY.
This Society was founded in 1801. Its object is explained in the following preamble to its constitution :
" Whereas, at a meeting of Israelites held in Charleston on the 15th day of July, 1801, it was resolved that a Hebrew Society should be formed, for the purpose of relieving widows, educating, clothing and maintaining orphans and children of indigent parents; making it a particular care to inculcate strict principles of piety, morality and industry; and designing at the same time to cultivate any indications of genius they may evince for any of the arts or sciences, that they may thereby become qualified for the enjoyment of those blessings and advantages to which they are entitled -kind Heaven having cast their lot in the United States of America, where freedom and equal rights, religious, civil and political, are liberally extended to them, in common with every other class of citizens; and where, no longer oppressed by the contracted policy and intolerant spirit which, . before the happy dawn of liberty and philanthropy had circumscribed those natural rights granted by Almighty God to the great family of man- kind, they can and may freely assume an equal station in this favored land with the cheering conviction that their virtues and acquirements may lead them to every honor and advantage their fellow citizens can attain."
In pursuance of such design an act of incorporation was asked for and passed by the General Assembly of this State in 1802 in the following words : " An Act to incorporate the Abi Yetomin Ubne Ebyonim, or Society for the Relief of Orphans and Children of Indigent Parents." On June 4, 1833, René Godard conveyed to the corporation "All that lot, piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being at the corner of Broad street and State House square, in Charles- ton, forming, as is believed, a parallelogram, of forty-five feet fronting on Broad street, by one hundred and seven feet deep, fronting on the State House square aforesaid." Upon this square the Court-House now stands. It would appear that this property was devised by John Laurens to
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his son, Henry Laurens. In the deed from Henry Laurens and Eliza, his wife, to Edward Trescot, an intermediate owner, of date February 28, 1804, the following words are part of the description: "And now occupied by the direct- ors of the Bank of the United States of America." It was well adapted for such use; it was built in the olden days when safety and solidity were deemed important. Its in- terior with its wainscoting and colonial mantlepieces de- clare its age. It is unknown what inner safeguards the bank provided for the security of its treasury, the massive doors and ancient locks, with keys of proportionate size, proclaim what was its outer defence. It was in all prob- ability a residence before the bank occupied it. It ceased to be used by the bank before 1838. This is clearly seen from the fact that, after the burning of the Hasell Street Synagogue in the fire of that year, which destroyed many valuable public and private buildings, the Hebrew Orphan Society tendered to the Congregation its building as a tem- porary place of worship. This offer was accepted, and until the Synagogue was rebuilt the hall was used for that purpose.
From the date of its purchase to January 8, 1860, its bounty was administered by specific annual appropriations for the children under its care; they were not housed within its walls, but were domiciled with worthy persons, known to the committee charged with the disbursement to whom the donation was paid. In this way, in addition to the pecuniary assistance given, the misfortune of orphanage was softened and the little ones were permitted to live in a healthful family atmosphere. At the date above men- tioned it was determined to try the experiment of an orphan house by a residence within its walls. With appropriate ceremony it was so dedicated.
A hymn was written for the occasion, the closing stanza being :
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" Assist us, Great Spirit of Truth, to enlighten The beings, whose lot our bounty shall brighten; In godly endeavor their lives to engage,
'Till from childhood they pass to maturity's stage, Prepared in all stations temptation to brave,
And their names on the breastplate of virtue engrave."
After the war the original and more parental execution of its trust was resumed and is still continued.1
APPENDIX F
THE CONGREGATION BETH ELOHIM. 1800-1824.
The broad sketch of the Congregation Beth Elohim which we have given in Chapter VIII should be supplemented by further details gathered from the recently discovered archives, that throw an interesting side-light upon the early history of Judaism in America. The discovery of the rec- ords of Beth Elohim was an important one in many ways. These records not only tell us what Jews lived in South Carolina during the period they cover, but they enable us to identify names that could often otherwise not be identi- fied. In studying the records, the reader is often bewildered. He meets on every hand such names as Abrahams, Barnett, Hart, Henry, Isaacs, Jacobs, Myers, Phillips, Wise-which names are not specifically Jewish, and in many instances cannot be traced to Jewish origin. Those who leave wills are comparatively few and other sources of information are often wanting. Without the assistance of the Synagogue records identification would be absolutely impossible. The early directories are very imperfect nor are they available. There are a few in Charleston and a few scattered in
1 The above account is taken from The Interlude, Charleston, S. C., 1901, p. 6.
4
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private libraries through the State. Everybody does not advertise in the newspapers, nor has he a tombstone in the cemetery. The Health Office returns are very incomplete and only begin in 1821. The Synagogue archives, there- fore, fill in an important gap.
The reader who studies attentively the directory on pages 132-140, which has been compiled, after infinite labor, from every available source, will at once be struck by the fact that practically every Jew who lived in South Carolina is to be found on the Synagogue books. This is accounted for by the fact that under the autocratic regime of the early Synagogue every Jew was compelled to subscribe to its maintenance.1 Many names are met with in the records of the Congregation and nowhere else. These, at least, the records will save from oblivion.
Let us now look at a few facts gathered from the archives, some of which now tell their tale after slumbering undis- turbed for well nigh a century.
In 1800 there were one hundred and seven names of mem- bers and contributors on the books. The income of the Congregation was £802.12.1. Rev. Abraham Azuby was Minister, and his salary £100. Israel Davis was Shochet (killer of cattle for the use of Jews), who received £60. Hart Levy was sexton, at a salary of £45. He was also "Shomar to the children,"-whatever that may be,-for which he received £12. Lyon Levy was secretary, at a salary of £20. Hyam Jacob was Shomar (inspector of meat) of the market, for which he received £20.
Among the items of Congregational expense were: Pen- sions, £23; expenses of Kabano (tabernacle), £30.10.5; wax and making candles, £57.9.10; charity to the poor coming and going, £10; sick persons and doctor's bills, £33.17.10; allowances and donations to sundry poor, £82.7.7.
1 See pp. 152-3.
APPENDICES 289
A large portion of the income of the Congregation was derived from voluntary offerings. The members contrib- uted generously. Daniel Hart's contributions for the year 1800 amounted to £50.5.6. The members were assessed ac- cording to their means. Then there were legacies to the Congregation. There were few, indeed, who did not re- member the Synagogue in their wills.
A study of the treasurer's books bears out the picture of the Synagogue as a severely autocratic institution. The Vestry was absolute and promptly disciplined the rebel- lious. The number of fines is indeed remarkable, but they seem to have been paid without protest. There is not a single instance on record of withdrawal from the Congre- gation in consequence of imposed penalties. The fines seem to have been proportioned to the means of the individual fined, and varied in amount from a few shillings to many pounds. Abraham Isaacks was fined £20 in 1802 and Solo- mon Harby a similar amount in 1803. In 1805, out of one hundred and fifty-six accounts on the books, which include the contributions of women and strangers, there are sixty- seven fines. These fines were inflicted for various offences : "For not attending general meeting," "fine in private adjunta," "for not accepting adjunta," "for not serving in adjunta," "for not serving in the selection," "for re- signing seat as a member of the private adjunta," "for not attending meeting, " "for not accepting Hatan Beres- hit," "for non-acceptance Taxator of Seats." It is remark- able that people were willing to submit to such a régime, but they did. They had been brought up under the same discipline in England and it was quite natural to them.
A study of the items of expense irresistibly puts us back to the time when Judaism was a religion that was lived rather than talked about. It had not yet been evaporated in the crucible of rationalism. Here are items in 1805: "Fund in the Charity Box, 14/ -; " "Collected on the day of Mr.
-
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Harby's funeral, £1.6.0." In 1808 we have: "Mikva 2 and Dwelling painted, £5.16.8," and in 1509, "Entire Comple- tion of Mikva, £34.3.2." In 1810 "For erecting an oven,3 £4.8.8." In 1818 we read among the items of expense, "For Liqour, $10," * and " For Tikum, $6.50." " Cash to Goy [non-Jew], $11.75." Such items mean nothing to the pres- ent generation, but are vividly real to those of a generation ago. We find, too, contributions of wine and oil for the use of the Synagogue. In the old Jewish ritual, a blessing is asked every Sabbath upon "those who give the lamps for lighting and wine for Kiddush and Habdalah,5 bread to the wayfarers and charity to the poor." The author of that prayer literally pictured the Jews of Charleston at the be- ginning of the nineteenth century. Scientific charity was not yet in vogue, but the cry of distress was never heard unanswered. The travelling beggar found no difficulty in touring the country. In 1818 we read: "A Marks for De- parture, $15;" "Little Englishman, $5;" "Little Dutch- woman, $5;" "Departure for Polander -
The Congregation was often without a regular Minister. Ministers were not as abundant in those days as they are to-day, and the Congregation could not always find the man it wanted, and if the truth be told, it did not always know exactly what it did want. Abraham Azuby was Minister till 1805, having served the Congregation for twenty years.
" Ritual bath-an appurtenance now found only in the most orthodox congregations.
3 For baking the Passover bread. This congregational oven was kept up for many years after 1S10.
* Pious orthodox Jews still observe the custom of sitting up twice a year and participating in an all-night devotional service. It was customary to serve refreshments at these meetings. The service was called " Tikkun." It was later abandoned in Charleston. The incongruity of such "aids to devotion" had doubtless much to do with its abandonment.
' The services greeting and speeding Sabbath and festivals.
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He was much esteemed and his widow received his salary, together with the free rent of the house he occupied, until another Minister could be procured-then a pension of $300 a year for life. She gratefully refers to the generosity of the Congregation in her will.
After the death of Abraham Azuby the Vestry, with a view of obtaining a desirable Minister, addressed a letter to the Board of Elders of the Spanish and Portuguese community in London. It reads in part as follows :
"In a free and independent country like America, where civil and religious freedom go hand in hand, where no distinctions exist between the clergy of different denominations, where we are incorporated and known in law; freely tolerated; where, in short, we enjoy all the blessings of freedom in common with our fellow-citizens, you may readily conceive we pride ourselves under the happy situation which makes us feel that we are men, susceptible of that dignity which belongs to human nature, by participating in all the rights and blessings of this happy country; to which nothing could add more than having a Hazan of merit and classical education, who would reflect honour on himself and stamp an additional degree of dignity and respectability upon our congregation." "
The authorities at Bevis Marks were empowered to select a suitable person for the vacant position. They elected and in 1807 sent out Mr. Benjamin Cohen D'Azevedo, a son of the Portuguese Haham, of London, who, after arriving in Charleston, did not please the Congregation. He was re- munerated for his trouble and expense and returned to Europe. This lack of courtesy to the nominee of the parent Synagogue in London gave great offence. " The conduct of the Charleston community stung to the quick the Portu- guese pride of the rulers of Bevis Marks, who resented it in no measured words, and took the returned Minister into their service as teacher." 8 The Congregation had no regu-
" Probate Court Records, Will Book D, pp. 586-7.
" The Occident, Vol. 1, p. 390.
3 Picciotto : Sketches of Anglo-Jewish History, pp. 271-2.
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lar Minister till 1811. Jacob Suares officiated as Hazan from 1806 till that time and was assisted by Moses C. Levy and Emanuel De La Motta. From 1811 to 1814 Rev. E. N. Carvalho was Hazan, when he resigned, and for four years the Congregation had to rely on volunteer lay readers. In 1818 Rev. Hartwig Cohen was elected and officiated till 1823, when he was succeeded by Rev. S. C. Peixotto.
APPENDIX G
MINISTERS OF BETH ELOHIM. 1750-1905.
Moses Cohen, 1750-1762.
Isaac Da Costa, 1750-1764 .*
Abraham Alexander, 1764-1784 .*
Abraham Azuby, 1785-1805.
Jacob Suares, 1807-1811. E. N. Carvalho, 1811-1814.
Hartwig Cohen, 1818-1923.
S. C. Peixotto, 1823-1835.
Gustavus Poznanski, 1836-1850.
Julius Eckman, 1850-1851.
Maurice Mayer, 1852-1859.
Abraham Harris, 1860-186 -.
M. H. Myers, 1866-1868.
J. H. M. Chumaceiro, 1868-1874.
Falk Vidaver, 1875 (four months).
David Levy, 1875-1893. Lewis, 1893- Barnett A. Elzas, 1894-1905.
* The dates of Isaac Da Costa and Abraham Alexander are somewhat uncertain. The list of Ministers and Presidents in the Year Book for 1883, pp. 315-316, is absurdly incorrect. There is hardly an item in this list that is accurate.
293 -294
APPENDICES
APPENDIX H
OLD JEWISH CEMETERIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
The inscriptions on the tombstones in the three old Jew- ish cemeteries in Charleston, antedating in their origin the nineteenth century, have been collected and published by the author. This volume contains complete historical in- troductions, giving the full histories of these burial grounds. Georgetown has the next oldest Jewish cemetery in South Carolina, which likewise antedates the nineteenth cen- tury in origin. Several of its inscriptions are histori- cally interesting. The cemeteries in Columbia are more modern. One of these, now abandoned, contains many in- teresting tombstones. The cemeteries in Camden and Sum- ter are of recent date. In the early days the Jews of the rest of the State were buried in Columbia, Charleston, or Savannah. The inscriptions on the tombstones outside of Charleston, that are of historical interest, will be published by the author in the near future.
. ...
1
BIBLIOGRAPHY*
I
MANUSCRIPT SOURCES.
Archives of the Congregation Beth Elohim, of Charleston, S. C. Re- covered by the author.
[Treasurers' Cash Books for the years 1800-1815. 1818, 1819, 1832. Minute Books, 1838-1843, 1846-1832, 1857-1866. Births, Marriages, and Deaths Book, 1830-1845. One volume covering twelve years of the Minutes of the Hebrew Orphan Society.]
[These books throw an interesting side-light on the development of Judaism In America. The publication of the Minute Books will correct many historical errors and perversions of history which have come down to us. ]
Colonial Records of South Carolina. Copied from the State Paper Office,
London. Secretary of State's Office, Columbia, S. C. Thirty-six volumes.
Confederate Records of Camps Burnet Rhett, Palmetto Guard, Sumter, and Washington Artillery. Charleston, S. C.
Derkhiem, Myer. Record of Circumcisions at Charleston. A MS. of the end of the eighteenth century. In the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Orderly Book, Charlestown Regiment of Militia, in the New York Public Library. [Uncalendared MSS.]
Private letters and documents in the possession of the author.
Records in the offices of the Register of Mesne Conveyances and Judge of Probate, Charleston, Camden. Columbia. Savannah, and Sumter.
Revolutionary Records in the Collections of the South Carolina Historical Society, the Secretary of State's Office, Columbia, S. C., the Library of Congress, the Record and Pension Office, Washington, D. C., the New York Public Library, and the Wisconsin State Historical Society.
* Completeness is not claimed for this attempt at a bibliography. Exact refer- ences to volumes and pages can be found by means of the index. Of articles in periodicals only a few are given.
295
296
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Josiah, Jr. Diary of Josiah Smith, Jr., one of the exiles from Charles Town to St. Augustine, during the British Occupation, 1780- 1781. Unpublished MSS. (Copy.) Collections of the South Caro- lina Historical Society.
Tombstone Inscriptions in the Jewish Cemeteries in Charleston, Columbia, Georgetown, and Savannah.
Winyah Indigo Society. MSS. Collections.
[ See also under Masonic Works in Section II.]
II
GENERAL WORKS CONTAINING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE JEWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
Adams, Hannah, History of the Jews. Boston, 1818.
Adams, H. B. Life and Writings of Jared Sparks. Boston, 1893.
American Jewish Historical Society Publications. Nos. 3, 4, 6, 9, 12. American Jewish Year Book, 5661.
American Jews' Annual. Cincinnati, 1885-1889.
Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography. New York, 1895-6.
Archdale. A New Description of that Fertile and Pleasant Province of
Carolina. London, 1707. Charleston reprint, 1822.
Berlin, N. Z. J. Meshib Dabar. [Responsa.] Warsaw, 1894.
Blogg. ZEdificium Salomonis. Hanover, 1831.
Boogher. Gleanings of Virginia History. Washington, D. C., 1903.
Capers. Life and Times of C. G. Memminger. Richmond, Va., 1993.
Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services. Washing- ton, 1841. Charleston, S. C.,
ALMANACS: 1756-1797, 1821-1860, 1876-1892.
CITY DIRECTORIES: 1802, 1803, 1806, 1807, 1809, 1813, 1831, 1837, 1838, 1840-1, 1849, 1855, 1859.
NEWSPAPERS :
The South-Carolina Gazette and its successors, 1732-1801.
The South-Carolina Gazette; And Country Journal, 1765-1775.
The South-Carolina and American General Gazette, 1766-1781.
The Royal South-Carolina Gazette, 1780-1781.
The Royal Gazette, 17S1-82.
The South-Carolina State Gazette and General Advertiser, 1783- 1785. The Evening Gazette, 1785-1786.
The Columbian Herald, 1784-6, 1794-6,
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
CHARLESTON NEWSPAPERS ( Continued).
The Morning Post and Daily Advertiser, 1786-1787. The Investigator, 1812. The Southern Patriot. 1819-1818. The Mercury, 1823-1868. The Courier, 1503-1873. The News and Courier, 1873-1905. YEAR-BOOKS, 1SS0-1904.
Charleston Book, The. A Miscellany in Prose and Verse. Charleston, 1345. Published by Samuel Hart, Sr.
[Contains poems by Penina Moïse and Lewis C. Levin.]
Confederate Military History, Vol. 5, 1899. Atlanta, 1899. Congressional Globe, The. First Session Twenty-sixth Congress. [Decem- ber, 1839-July, 1840.]
Cyclopedia of Eminent and Representative Men of the Carolinas of the Nineteenth Century. Vol. 1. Madison, Wis., 1892.
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