Da Costa family collection
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-145
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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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Da Costa family collection
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Language of title
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eng
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Creator / accumulator
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American Jewish Historical Society
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Date(s)
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1776/1952
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Language(s)
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eng
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Extent
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4 folders
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Scope and content
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This collection comprises records of Sephardic Jews from London and Charleston whose surname was Da Costa. It consists of four items: a draft of a letter from Emanuel Mendes da Costa (1717-91) of London to Richard Hill Waring of Leeswood, Wales, and part of the letter in reply, discussing their mutual interest in conchology (1776); an invitation requesting Baruch Judah's presence at a meeting of the Sublime Grand Lodge of Perfection (Order of Freemasons) of Charleston, signed Joseph da Costa, secretary (1788); and a statement of money received and disbursed for M. da Costa Senior, presumably for the binding of books for Congregation Shearith Israel of New York (1873).
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(source: Guide to the Da Costa Family Collection, 1776-1952)
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is the oldest ethnic and cultural archive in the United States. It was established in 1892 by Cyrus Adler and other scholars’ initiative and was initially composed of about 40 members. Oscar Straus was its first president. Since its origins, the AJHS has aimed to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish heritage and history. Number one of the Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, the AJHS’s journal, was launched as soon as 1893 and lasted until today with the title American Jewish History.
Since 2000, AJHS has been one of the five member organisations of the Center for Jewish History in New York. Previously, the Society was located near Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
At present, AJHS provides access to more than 30 million documents and 50,000 books, photographs, art and artefacts that reflect the history of the Jewish presence in the United States, including some treasures, such as the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus.
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Sources:
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Center for Jewish History webpage
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Robinson, Ira. 1994. “The Invention of American Jewish History.” American Jewish History 81 (3/4): 309–20.
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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. A digital copy of folder 1 is 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
