Gradis, maison de commerce
Item
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Country
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FR
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Name of institution (English)
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National Archives of the World of Work
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Language of name of institution
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fra
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Contact information: postal address
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78 boulevard du Général Leclerc, 59100 Roubaix
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Contact information: phone number
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0033 0320653800 (General)
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0033 0320653832 (Reading room)
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Reference number
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1997 79 M1 to M29
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Type of reference number
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Archival reference number
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Title (English)
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Gradis, trading house
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Title (official language of the state)
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Gradis, maison de commerce
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Language of title
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fra
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Creator / accumulator
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Gradis family
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Date(s)
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1724/1979
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Language(s)
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fra
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Extent
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29 microfilms
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Scope and content
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The Gradis, maison de commerce fonds comprises microfilmed copies of documentation related to this Sephardic family and its relatives from the 16th century, whose originals are currently part of the Archives Nationales collection. The Gradis were a family of Portuguese origin who settled in Bordeaux in the late 17th century. The fonds includes letters, memories, and miscellaneous records, as well as documentation from commercial companies founded or managed by the Gradis family and agents, among others.
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Archival history
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In 1983, the Gradis family had part of the archives of the former Maison de commerce Gradis (Gradis trading house) microfilmed by the Archives départementales de la Gironde (Gironde Departmental Archives) and the National Archives of Canada. A duplicate of the microfilms was then kept in the National Archives, in Paris. In 2005, the original collection was finally entrusted to the National Archives.
The microfilms that were initially kept by the National Archives were transferred in 1997 to the Centre des archives du monde du travail.
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(source: Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail)
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The Gradis were a Sephardic family of Portuguese origin who moved to Bordeaux in the late 17th century. In 1685, David Gradis (1665? -1751) founded a trading company in Bordeaux, which, in 1728, took the name of "David Gradis et fils" (David Gradis and Sons). The company had trading relations with Holland and England and created trading posts in Saint-Domingue and Martinique. In 1731, David Gradis was made a citizen of Bordeaux.
The longevity of the Gradis house is based on the succession of its heads of family, among them, Moïse Gradis (1737-1825), Benjamin Gradis (1789-1858), Henri Gradis (1823-1905), Raoul Gradis (1861-1943), Gaston Gradis (1889-1968), Jean Schwob d'Héricourt (1900-80), and Henri II Gradis (born in 1920), succeeded by his son Diégo II Gradis (born in 1955).
In 1921, Maison Gradis (Gradis company) took the name of Société française pour le commerce avec les colonies et l’étranger (French Society for Trade with the Colonies and Abroad) (SFCCE) and later, in 1957, of Société française pour le commerce avec l’outre-mer (French Society for Trade with Overseas). The Company had commercial relations with Canada, Saint-Domingue, and, above all, Martinique, where the Gradis family was engaged in the production and commerce of sugar.
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Sources:
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Henokiens association website
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Archives Nationales: Salle des inventaires virtuelles
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Author of the description
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Kevin Soares, 2023
