Thread: Jewish Ancestors

Jewish Ancestors
Hi, I have been researching my ancestors for about 5 years or so and I have been at the brickwall stage on this particular branch for the last 6 months or so. The person I am stuck on is Benjamin da Costa D'Andrade who was born in Guarda Portugal in 1649. He went from Portugal to Brazil (Recife Possibly) and from there to Martinique and Curacao where he had a sugar plantation and was instrumental in introducing chocolate to Europe via France. My main aim is to trace back to Spain pre Inquisition as I was always told when I was younger that our ancestors were Spanish Jews. I currently live in Spain and have visited various places but to no avail. I have even visited the Municipal Archives in Guarda but the microfilm is not in surname order but in christian name order which made it very difficult and also the birth records only listed Catholics. The name sometimes might be 'Andrada or Antrada which is more Portuguese'. I would be grateful for any help or suggestions on where to go for more information.
Kind regards
Richard South.

Hello

HAve a look at this site wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_da_Costa_d'Andrade there is menetion that he was a merchant and president of the small community of Sephardic Jews

elsabels

Hi Elsabels
Yes I have seen this site and I think all of the sites currently available on line, this is why I am at a brickwall. But thanks for your suggestion.
Richard.

Hello

I have been on books.google.co.uk, typed in your ancestors name and there is quite a bit written about him over the years. A couple of snippetts:


American Jewish Archives, Hebrew Union College, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jacob Rader Marcus Center - 1954
In 1696 Benjamin Da Costa D'Andrade returned to Holland. Not until then did he have the opportunity to pay the then treasurer of the Amsterdam Jewish Community , David Franco Da Costa, for the Holy Scroll and its ornaments which

Death in the New World 1492 - 1800 Eric R SEEMAN 2010
In Curaçao, Benjamin Da Costa de Andrade lost three sons named after his father: Yosseph died in 1716; “Do segundo Yosseph,” the second Yosseph, died in 1719; and little “Yosseph Haim de Benjamin,” who was not granted a long life, ...


elsabels

Hi Bandit, thanks for your suggestion I will check it out.
Kind regards
Floyd.

Thanks elsabels, I have some of these books in my library and have read parts of others which are available on line.
Richard.