Touro family (Newport, R.I.) Papers
Item
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Country
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US
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Language of name of institution
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eng
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Contact information: postal address
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15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
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Contact information: phone number
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001 212 294 8301
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Contact information: email
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RCMiller@cjh.org (archive and library services)
Inquiries@cjh.org (research inquiries)
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Reference number
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P-195
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Type of reference number
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Archival reference number
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Title (official language of the state)
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Touro family (Newport, R.I.) Papers
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Language of title
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eng
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Creator / accumulator
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Touro family
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Date note
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late 1700s/1849
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Language(s)
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eng
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Extent
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3 folders
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Physical condition
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Good
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Scope and content
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This collection contains letters and papers of the Touro family of Newport, namely of three children of Hazzan Isaac Touro (1737-83), namely Judah Touro (1775-1854), Abraham Touro (1777/78-1822) and Rebecca Hays Touro Lopez (1779-1833).
Box 1, folder 1: documents of Judah Touro, including a letter to Mary Anne Gomez Lopez acknowledging the receipt of a painting and silverware (1846), a deed of trust executed with Aaron L. Gomez for the benefit of Edwin Lopez (1849), and a photocopy of Touro's will (1854).
Box 1, folder 2: documents belonging to Rebecca Hays Touro Lopez, namely a petition to the Rhode Island House of Representatives regarding payment for the caretaker of the Newport synagogue and cemetery, and the legislature's answer (1823), and an unsigned copy of her will, specifying Joshua Lopez and Aaron Gomez as her trustees (1833). Among her intended legatees were the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society of New York and the Congregation Shearith Israel, New York, as well as friends and relations in the Lopez and Myers families.
Box 1, folder 3: documents of Abraham Touro, including an insurance policy for a ship owned by Nathaniel Cushing, for which Touro was one of the underwriters (1812), and a letter written to Solomon Jacobs of Richmond, Virginia, regarding a contribution to the Richmond synagogue (1822).
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(source: Sklar, Yakov Illich. 2009. Guide to the Touro Family (Newport, R.I.) Papers, late 1700s-1849 P-214)
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Archival history
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This collection results from donations by Charles Seixas Nathan in 1916, Theodore H. Joseph in 1927, Mark Bortman, and the Elsie O. and Philip D. Sang Foundation in 1979.
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The Touro family was a Sephardic family of wealthy merchants, famous philanthropists, and prominent Jewish community leaders. Its origins in North America date back to Hazzan Isaac Touro (1737-83), who moved from Amsterdam to Newport to become the spiritual leader of the local Jewish community. Hazzan Touro was in charge of building and overseeing the Sephardic synagogue of Newport (later named Touro Synagogue). However, as a British Loyalist, he fled with his family to New York at the beginning of the American Revolution. Shortly afterwards, he went to Jamaica with his family, where he died in 1783. His wife, Rebecca Hays Touro (1743-87), and children returned to New England, settling in Boston with Rebecca's brother, Moses Michael Hays (1739-1805). Rebecca died in 1787, and her brother subsequently raised the children.
Abraham and Judah Touro became businessmen and philanthropists. They donated to many public works, monuments, hospitals and colleges and funded the upkeep of the synagogue, which was renamed after Abraham Touro. Judah Touro moved to New Orleans in 1801 and opened a store where he prospered. Rebecca Touro Lopez married Joshua Lopez, the son of Newport merchant Aaron Lopez.
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(source: Sklar, Yakov Illich. 2009. Guide to the Touro Family (Newport, R.I.) Papers, late 1700s-1849 P-214)
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System of arrangement
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The collection comprises three folders, each related to a family member.
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Access, restrictions
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The collection is open to all researchers except items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy. Digital copies of some records are available online:
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Center for Jewish History Digital Archive
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Author of the description
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Carla Vieira, 2022
