Nunes-Ribeiro family (Savannah, New York, Philadelphia) 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-468
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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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Nunes-Ribeiro family (Savannah, New York, Philadelphia) papers
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Language of title
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eng
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Creator / accumulator
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Nunes Ribeiro family
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Date(s)
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1784/1820
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Language(s)
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eng
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Extent
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1 folder
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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 small collection comprises documents relating to the Portuguese Jewish family Nunes Ribeiro. It includes legal documents pertaining to the suit of Samuel Nunes Ribeiro against Mordecai Sheftall for recovery of a slave, namely the original petition, a deposition from Moses Nunes, and a subpoena for Mordecai Sheftall. Another document of this collection is the 1820 will of Rachel Jacobs Polock Cohen (1754-1821), which was witnessed and signed by, among others, Robert Phillips and N. Phillips. Heirs mentioned in the will include Joseph Phillips, David M. Moses, and Mordecai Manuel Noah.
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(source: Guide to the Nunes-Ribeiro family (Savannah, New York, Philadalphia) papers, 1784-1820 P-468)
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Archival history
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The documents in this collection were donated to the American Jewish Historical Society by the Elsie O. and Philip D. Sang Foundation in 1979 and Yosef Goldman in 1984.
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The history of the Nunes Ribeiro family goes back to Diogo Nunes Ribeiro, a Portuguese converso who fled from Lisbon to London in 1726. Diogo, who was renamed Samuel Nunes Ribeiro after formally adhering to Judaism, served as a physician of the Hebra of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation of London. In 1733, he and his family took part in the first group of Jewish settlers to the new colony of Georgia. Upon his arrival to Savannah, Samuel Nunes Ribeiro stood out in the fight against an outbreak of yellow fever that hit the settlement. As a sign of gratitude, Governor James Edward Oglethorpe recommended him as a colony physician and later permitted him and other Jewish families to acquire land. When news of the War of Jenkins' Ear reached Georgia, the Sephardim felt the threat of a potential Spanish occupation, and most decided to leave the colony. In August 1740, Nunes Ribeiro and part of his family moved to Charleston. Soon after, he moved to New York, where his daughter Zipporah Nunes Ribeiro lived. They died in that city in 1741. His sons Daniel and Moses returned to Savannah. Moses Nunes dedicated himself to trade, while his brother Daniel served the governor as an interpreter and later became a port inspector. His daughter Zipporah married David Mendes Machado, hazzan of the Shearith Israel Congregation in New York. She gave rise to a family of illustrious figures, among them her daughter Rebecca Phillips Machado and her grandson Mordecai Manuel Noah.
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Access, restrictions
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The collection is available for consultation, except for items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy. Digital copies 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
