This particular gentleman has caused several family tree tracing relatives so many headaches over the last decade or so that we are wondering whether we either to give up or throw ourselves on the mercy of others to try and find him!
He was born, according to the census in Amsterdam around 1818 - give or take a couple of years either way- and was said to be Jewish. There is a family story that they were Cohanim and he had one brother who was a Rabbi and the brother and he came to England (or Scotland- Aberdeen particularly) as late teenagers. The brother was supposed to have ended up in London)
On 1 October 1839 he married Margaret Evans at Holy Trinity Church Liverpool, giving his father as Solomon Hart, an optician. We do know he changed his name but from what we don't know, save that his youngest son Herbert was nicknamed Hertzie supposedly in deference to the original family name. Margaret was not Jewish and he was said to have been disowned by his brother/family on marriage and anglicized himself.
He died on 25 January 1877 in Liverpool.
I have all of his 11 children and have been able to follow them forward but its his birth/family backwards that is stumping us and years later we are still going round in circles.
I can't find any naturalisation records for him (even though it says on one census he was naturalised) and none of his documentation that exists in the UK helps.
There is one Salomon Hartog, born right place and right time, that we have found is definitely not him as that one marries in the Netherlands and dies there.
Fresh eyes (or patience!) is needed and if anyone has any thoughts, they would be very gratefully received
Thanks
Ruth