Historical Background
Arrival and Early Settlement
The capture of Jamaica in 1655 provided the English with a base for contraband trade with Spanish America. Jews are reported to have arrived on the island in 1663, although claims that ‘secret’ Jews greeted the English when they landed is likely a fantasy.
Key Events
- 1692: On 7th June, Port Royal, including its synagogue, was destroyed by a great earthquake.
- 1704: Neveh Shalom synagogue was consecrated.
- 1734-1737: James Houston, an employee of the South Sea Company, claimed that Jews from Kingston handled the contraband trade for the company, in conjunction with the company’s agents and New Christian contacts in Spanish America.
Jewish Life and Slavery in Jamaica
Jamaica was a slave society where most enslaved people lived and worked on large plantations. There were a few Sephardim who owned large estates, such as the Lindos, but most Jews lived more modestly. Relationships between Jewish slave owners and their slaves were often personal and sometimes intimate.
Post-Abolition
When slavery was abolished, it was the slaveowners rather than the enslaved people who received compensation. The Ancestry.com database “Former British Colonial Dependencies, Slave Registers, 1813-1834” is a valuable resource for genealogical research.
Genealogy and Ancestry
Complex Relationships
Reviewing relationships between slave-owning men and their enslaved women and children reveals a complex dynamic. Historical records sometimes show bequests left for women and children.
Men with suspected patrilineal Jewish ancestry may consider taking a yDNA test and consulting the Avotaynu DNA project. Women should test their father, brother, patrilineal uncle, etc.
Surnames and Descent
Freed slaves might adopt the surname of their former slaveholders, akin to Jews baptized in Spain who might take the surname of a godparent.
Research Resources
Primary Sources
- The Register General’s Department: Issues Birth, Marriage, and Death certificates and can assist with genealogy.
- Jamaican Jewish Cemeteries Preservation Fund – JJCPF
- FamilySearch: Offers Jamaican civil and Church of England records.
- Jamaican Family Search: Includes records for the Jewish community.
- Jamaica Archives and Records Department: Likely contains valuable court records.
- National Library of Jamaica: Offers a digital collection.
Scholarly Resources
Books useful for Jamaican Jewish genealogy include:
- “The Jews of Eighteenth-Century Jamaica – A Testamentary History of a Diaspora in Transition“ by Stanley Mirvis.
- “The Jews of Jamaica: Tombstone Inscriptions, 1663-1880“ by Richard David Barnett, Philip Wright, and Oron Yoffe.
- “The Knell of Parting Day: A History of the Jews of Port Royal and the Hunt’s Bay Cemetery“ by Marilyn Delevante.
- “Links in the Chain: The Colonial Experience of an Anglo-Jewish Family (HART of Jamaica)” by Muriel Chesler.
- “The Island of One People: An Account of the History of the Jews of Jamaica“ by Marilyn and Anthony Alberga Delevante.
- “The Jewish Nation of the Caribbean: The Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Settlements in the Caribbean and the Guianas“ by Mordehay Arbell.
- “Jamaican Records: A Research Manual“ by Stephen Porter.
Archives
- The Gleaner: Jamaica’s newspaper of record, founded in 1834 by Sephardic Jewish brothers Jacob and Joshua de Cordova.
- British Newspaper Archives: Useful for wealthy ancestors.
- London Metropolitan Archives: Holds the Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ Congregation of London archives, some digitized by the National Library of Israel.
- British National Archives: Contains endenizened records of Jews from Jamaica.
Videos on Sephardic Genealogy in Jamaica
- The Jews of Eighteenth Century Jamaica – Stanley Mirvis
- From Portugal to Jamaica – The Delgado Story – Steve Delgado Porter
- The Jews of Jamaica, an Interview with Ainsley Cohen Henriques
- Jewish Cemeteries in Jamaica – Rachel Frankel and Joseph de Leon
- Finding Jews in Jamaican Archives – Toni Pitock and Marina Delfos Harris
- Untangling Jamaican Jewish Genealogy – Stephen Delgado Porter
- Chasing Shadows – Bringing the Gomes da Costa Family to Life – Ali Erginsoy
Additional Resources
- International Jewish Cemetery Project: Reports on up to twenty-one Jewish burial grounds in Jamaica.
- Jewish Jamaican Journeys: A Facebook page managed by Marina Delfos, a valuable resource for information.
- Jewish Atlantic World Website: Includes gravestones from Jamaica.
- ISJM Reports and Photos: Articles by Rachel Frankel and her website.
- United Congregation of Israelites (Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom) in Kingston: Local expertise from Mr. Ainsley Henriques.
- Jamaica Jewish Genealogy Group on Facebook.
Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
“Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean” by Edward Kritzler is an entertaining book aimed at boosting Jamaican tourism. However, it is not a reliable historical source and should be viewed as fiction.
Genealogy Services
Do you need a professional genealogist to work on your Sephardic genealogy? Click here.
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