Papers of Seixas Family
Item
Nota de estado
Finalizado
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
Contact information: phone number
001 2122948301
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
RCMiller@cjh.org (archive and library services)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
Reference number
P-60
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (official language of the state)
Papers of Seixas Family
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Seixas family
Date(s)
1746/1939
Language(s)
eng
fra
heb
Extent
1 box and 2 oversized folders
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
This collection contains materials related to the Mendes Seixas family members, particularly the descendants of Isaac Mendes Seixas and Rachel Levy. It is composed of four series.
The first series comprises miscellaneous records related to the Seixas family, namely documents related to the family's genealogy and coat of arms; assorted family papers, including a property evaluation (1829), a letter from Joshua Seixas to Elizabeth (February 22, 1834), account records (c. 1839), a contract signed by Jacob B. Seixas (1846), and papers on the estate and death of H. M. Seixas (April-June 1867); and the marriage settlement between Abigail Judah and Ashur Kursheedt (November 7, 1839).
The other three series contain materials related to three sons of Isaac Mendes Seixas and Rachel Levy: Moses Mendes Seixas (1744-1809), Gershom Mendes Seixas (1746-1816) and Benjamin Mendes Seixas (1748-1817), and their respective descendants.
The Moses Seixas series includes:
Folder 4: A drawing book from 1755.
Folder 5: A letter from Mohel Abraham I. Abrahams detailing circumcision instructions and a register of Moses Seixas listing the circumcisions he performed between 1775-1796.
Folder 6: Shipping records for voyages based out of New York and Newport from 1797 to 1809 (some are oversized materials; therefore, they are arranged in a folder apart)
Folder 7: A letter Moses wrote to an unidentified individual on February 28, 1803, requesting assistance regarding a petition to absolve a debt.
Folder 8: A New York State mortgage document dated May 2, 1809.
Folder 9: A charter and bye-laws of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of Free and Accepted Masons in Newport.
The Gershom Mendes Seixas series includes:
Folder 10: Material concerning Seixas' position as Hazzan for the Congregation Shearith Israel and as trustee for Columbia College, namely typescripts of correspondence held by the Shearith Israel Congregation (1783-1787, 1789).
Folder 11: Gershom's letter to Moses Seixas on September 1, 1790.
Folders 12 and 13: Gershom's letters to daughter Sarah Seixas Kursheedt (1813-1815).
Folder 14: A sermon delivered by Seixas on February 2, 1814.
Folder 15: Material related to research conducted in 1911 on the life of David G. Seixas, son of Gershom Mendes Seixas.
The Benjamin Mendes Seixas series contains:
Folder 16: Records related to the Revolutionary War, including two petitions that Benjamin sent to the Committee of Safety for the Province of New York in 1775, calling members of the community to prepare to fight in case hostilities with England were to escalate into war.
Folder 17: Legal documents related to Benjamin Mendes Seixas, including records on his imprisonment in 1792, a 1799 arrest warrant, a transaction receipt dated 1791, and a document discussing promissory notes dated 1792.
Folder 18: A shipping document on April 8, 1809, regarding transactions with the ship Comet, of which Benjamin Mendes Seixas was one of the owners.
Folder 19: Records related to Rabbi Isaac Benjamin Seixas, son of Benjamin Mendes Seixas, including a eulogy for Isaac Hillel Judah delivered in Richmond, VA, circa 1828.
Folder 20: An undated petition written by Isaac Gomez Seixas, grandson of Benjamin Mendes Seixas, to the customs appraiser, recommending Henry McDermott.
Oversized material from the above series is arranged in a folder apart. The entire collection is available in digital format.
The first series comprises miscellaneous records related to the Seixas family, namely documents related to the family's genealogy and coat of arms; assorted family papers, including a property evaluation (1829), a letter from Joshua Seixas to Elizabeth (February 22, 1834), account records (c. 1839), a contract signed by Jacob B. Seixas (1846), and papers on the estate and death of H. M. Seixas (April-June 1867); and the marriage settlement between Abigail Judah and Ashur Kursheedt (November 7, 1839).
The other three series contain materials related to three sons of Isaac Mendes Seixas and Rachel Levy: Moses Mendes Seixas (1744-1809), Gershom Mendes Seixas (1746-1816) and Benjamin Mendes Seixas (1748-1817), and their respective descendants.
The Moses Seixas series includes:
Folder 4: A drawing book from 1755.
Folder 5: A letter from Mohel Abraham I. Abrahams detailing circumcision instructions and a register of Moses Seixas listing the circumcisions he performed between 1775-1796.
Folder 6: Shipping records for voyages based out of New York and Newport from 1797 to 1809 (some are oversized materials; therefore, they are arranged in a folder apart)
Folder 7: A letter Moses wrote to an unidentified individual on February 28, 1803, requesting assistance regarding a petition to absolve a debt.
Folder 8: A New York State mortgage document dated May 2, 1809.
Folder 9: A charter and bye-laws of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of Free and Accepted Masons in Newport.
The Gershom Mendes Seixas series includes:
Folder 10: Material concerning Seixas' position as Hazzan for the Congregation Shearith Israel and as trustee for Columbia College, namely typescripts of correspondence held by the Shearith Israel Congregation (1783-1787, 1789).
Folder 11: Gershom's letter to Moses Seixas on September 1, 1790.
Folders 12 and 13: Gershom's letters to daughter Sarah Seixas Kursheedt (1813-1815).
Folder 14: A sermon delivered by Seixas on February 2, 1814.
Folder 15: Material related to research conducted in 1911 on the life of David G. Seixas, son of Gershom Mendes Seixas.
The Benjamin Mendes Seixas series contains:
Folder 16: Records related to the Revolutionary War, including two petitions that Benjamin sent to the Committee of Safety for the Province of New York in 1775, calling members of the community to prepare to fight in case hostilities with England were to escalate into war.
Folder 17: Legal documents related to Benjamin Mendes Seixas, including records on his imprisonment in 1792, a 1799 arrest warrant, a transaction receipt dated 1791, and a document discussing promissory notes dated 1792.
Folder 18: A shipping document on April 8, 1809, regarding transactions with the ship Comet, of which Benjamin Mendes Seixas was one of the owners.
Folder 19: Records related to Rabbi Isaac Benjamin Seixas, son of Benjamin Mendes Seixas, including a eulogy for Isaac Hillel Judah delivered in Richmond, VA, circa 1828.
Folder 20: An undated petition written by Isaac Gomez Seixas, grandson of Benjamin Mendes Seixas, to the customs appraiser, recommending Henry McDermott.
Oversized material from the above series is arranged in a folder apart. The entire collection is available in digital format.
Administrative / Biographical history
Isaac Mendes Seixas (1709-1781/2) was a Portuguese Jew who immigrated from London to New York in 1738 after the death of his father, Abraham Mendes Seixas. In New York City, he married Rachel Levy. Isaac gave rise to a generation of individuals who played influential roles in the Jewish communities of New York, Philadelphia, Newport, and Richmond.
His son, Moses Mendes Seixas (1744-1809), was one of the founders of the Bank of Rhode Island. During the Revolutionary War, he remained in Newport and was one of the signatories of a document pledging loyalty to the Patriot cause. Later, he welcomed George Washington in a historic letter. In 1790, he served as President of the Congregation Jeshuat Israel in Newport. In 1802, he became the first grandmaster of St. John's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Newport.
Gershom Mendes Seixas (1746-1816) was the first native-born minister in North America. During the Revolutionary War, he fled to Stratford, Connecticut, and resided in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 1780, he moved with his family to Philadelphia, where he served as minister and helped to establish the Congregation Mikveh Israel. He returned to New York in 1784, where he may have been present at the 1789 inauguration of George Washington. As Hazzan (prayer leader) of the Congregation Shearith Israel, he also served as the community's mohel (circumciser), teacher, and shochet (ritual slaughterer). He founded the oldest existing Jewish philanthropic organisation in New York, the funeral society Hebra Hased Va-Amet. He also initiated the establishment of the charity society Kalfe Sedaka Mattan Basether and was a trustee of Columbia College between 1784 and 1814.
Benjamin Mendes Seixas (1747-1817) was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and moved to New York as a young man, where he became a freeman and owned a saddler shop on Broad Street. He served as third lieutenant in the Fusiliers Company of the First Battalion of the New York Militia. Benjamin joined his parents in Stratford, Connecticut, when the British occupied New York. During the American Revolution, Benjamin moved to Philadelphia, where he engaged in privateering with Isaac Moses and joined the masons. Benjamin also served as a trustee for the Philadelphia congregation Mikveh Israel. He returned to New York in 1784, where he opened a dry goods store, and later was one of the signatories of the Buttonwood Agreement, the founding document of the New York Stock Exchange. There, Benjamin was active in the Congregation Shearith Israel and served on its board as a trustee and its President. Later in his life, he took work as an auctioneer.
His son, Moses Mendes Seixas (1744-1809), was one of the founders of the Bank of Rhode Island. During the Revolutionary War, he remained in Newport and was one of the signatories of a document pledging loyalty to the Patriot cause. Later, he welcomed George Washington in a historic letter. In 1790, he served as President of the Congregation Jeshuat Israel in Newport. In 1802, he became the first grandmaster of St. John's Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Newport.
Gershom Mendes Seixas (1746-1816) was the first native-born minister in North America. During the Revolutionary War, he fled to Stratford, Connecticut, and resided in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 1780, he moved with his family to Philadelphia, where he served as minister and helped to establish the Congregation Mikveh Israel. He returned to New York in 1784, where he may have been present at the 1789 inauguration of George Washington. As Hazzan (prayer leader) of the Congregation Shearith Israel, he also served as the community's mohel (circumciser), teacher, and shochet (ritual slaughterer). He founded the oldest existing Jewish philanthropic organisation in New York, the funeral society Hebra Hased Va-Amet. He also initiated the establishment of the charity society Kalfe Sedaka Mattan Basether and was a trustee of Columbia College between 1784 and 1814.
Benjamin Mendes Seixas (1747-1817) was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and moved to New York as a young man, where he became a freeman and owned a saddler shop on Broad Street. He served as third lieutenant in the Fusiliers Company of the First Battalion of the New York Militia. Benjamin joined his parents in Stratford, Connecticut, when the British occupied New York. During the American Revolution, Benjamin moved to Philadelphia, where he engaged in privateering with Isaac Moses and joined the masons. Benjamin also served as a trustee for the Philadelphia congregation Mikveh Israel. He returned to New York in 1784, where he opened a dry goods store, and later was one of the signatories of the Buttonwood Agreement, the founding document of the New York Stock Exchange. There, Benjamin was active in the Congregation Shearith Israel and served on its board as a trustee and its President. Later in his life, he took work as an auctioneer.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series and one oversized material series. Records are organised chronologically.
Access, restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers except for items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy. It was digitised by Adam Matthew Digital in 2010, except for Folder 3, which was added to the Seixas family papers in 2015.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| American Jewish Historical Society (Center for Jewish History) | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Gershom Mendes Seixas Papers | Existence and location of originals |