Sephardic Jews of Dax, France
Dax is an inland village, a little over 50km north-east of Bayonne. Continuing up the same road, Tartas is a further 25km.
Dax is a market town and today has a spa. A British trade directory from the mid-18th Century says that wine was shipped down the river Adour from Saint-Sever to Bayonne and Dax, and was presumably then exported or transported to other regions of France. Maybe Jews were in Dax in connection with the wine trade. Another source reports local businesses in the 18th Century to include wheat, wines, eau-de-vie (a clear fruit brandy), tar, breeches, resin and cork. There used to be a Royal leather factory in the town.
In 1633 there are reported to have been ten Portuguese families in Dax. The community was expelled in 1684. Family names mentioned are: Fernandez, Fernandes Villareal and Flores.
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