Jewish family in rural Suffolk?

[Lola5]

Thanks,

[Bookbox]

Hi, newbee here, I am interested in this thread as my ancestors are Smith's which I have traced back to the mid-1600s in the Layham area of Suffolk. My paternal DNA, which are the Smith's, suggests that I have Jewish DNA, however, the rest of the DNA is all central Suffolk. Any information about the Smith family in this area would be gratefully received.

Welcome to RootsChat.

I’m afraid it is most unlikely that there would be Jewish ancestors in central Suffolk in the mid-1600s. The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and were not readmitted until 1655/56, under Cromwell’s authority. After that they tended to congregate in major towns and cities - rural families are quite uncommon.

If you are seeking help with your Smith ancestors in Suffolk, you will need to post names, dates, and say where you have got to and where you are stuck. It would probably be best to start a new thread on this Suffolk board.

[bearkat]

There is a history of Suffolk Jews here:

http://www.jtrails.org.uk/trails/bury-st.-edmunds/history?page=1

[sandiep]

one for Norfolk  https://www.norwichsynagogue.org.uk/worship/history-of-worship-in-norwich/
Jewishgen .org have information on Jews in Suffolk
there has always been synagogues and cemeteries in East Anglia 

[Bookbox]

there has always been synagogues and cemeteries in East Anglia

While it is well known that small crypto-communities persisted in some towns and cities, it is extremely unlikely in rural Suffolk in the mid-1600s, e.g. in Layham, which is the subject of Suffolkmole's enquiry.

[Marmalady]

Although I have no actual confirmation, I strongly suspect that I have Jewish ancestors in the late 1700s in Diss Norfolk.

The first mention is in the Diss Parish Register in 1778 when "Mary wife of Moses Levi" is buried.
Moses then marries again in 1785 to local girl Frances Fuller -- whose ancestry i have traced back a few generations
Moses & Frances have 8 children -- all with Old Testament names -- Moses, Isaac, Samuel, Benjamin, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Judith.
Whilst these names do appear in non-Jewish families too, it is the whole group together and the fact there are no Thomases, Johns or other common names of the time amongst them that leads me to suspect a Jewish connection.

[sandiep]

there has always been synagogues and cemeteries in East Anglia

While it is well known that small crypto-communities persisted in some towns and cities, it is extremely unlikely in rural Suffolk in the mid-1600s, e.g. in Layham, which is the subject of Suffolkmole's enquiry.

I can see that but Layham is only 9 miles from Ipswich
 There was a community in the Middle Ages but Edward I [1239-1307] expelled the Jews from England in 1290. At Cromwell's invitation Jews returned in 1656 and settled in London. By 1750 Ipswich had an established Jewish population, worshipping in a rented room.
my feeling is never say never

[simon calvert]

Hi, I have become newly aware that I have 15% Jewish Ashkenazi DNA based on an Ancestry test.
That was unknown to me. The rest of my DNA profile was pretty much as expected.

The DNA matches within Ancestry pretty much rules out my father's side of my family as being the source. As it also does on my Mother's Father's side. No traces of Jewish Ashkenazi DNA anywhere in the many matches.

So my search takes me back up my mother's mother's line and to three people of interest, all of whom were born in and lived all of their lives in rural Suffolk: Great Bradley / Little Bradley.
1. My great grandmother Ethel Lousia Marsh born 1883 in Great Bradley, Suffolk.
2. My grandmother Florence Marsh (Ethel's daughter) born in Little Bradley in 1903/4/5.
3. George Arthur Mills born in Great Bradley, Suffolk in 1883. He married Ethel Marsh after Florence Marsh was born. They had a child subsequently - Reginald Mills in 1906.

For Ethel Marsh and Florence Marsh and their subsequent family lines the DNA matches also produce no Jewish Ashkenazi DNA anywhere. There are no DNA matches at all with any of the George Arthur Mills side of the family. All of which suggests that the only real source is Florence Marsh's biological father.

So, unless I'm really missing something, there must have been some Jewish Ashkenazi DNA in Great Bradley / Little Bradley around 1901/2/3/4.

Please, can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[brigidmac]

Simon .
my cousin's and  I have 10-13 percent European Jewish
We know it is from our great grandfather 1870-1925
He was a travelling salesman
We don't have any matches thru him but if we did would not be surprised to find them anywhere in UK he arrived on Manchester in1891 lived several years in Birkenhead
 In 1906 he was in Scotland
He lived from 1911 in Wales .

We do have matches thru his siblings who mostly settled in USA

If you have tested with ancestry  look at the ethnicity of your matches that do not match any matches on any other side .

I think you are correct that the most likely candidate would be Florence's birth father.

Try doing a location  search:  Russia Poland Lithuania are good  starting places examples

Then look for shared matches of shared matches looking at their ethnicities each time
You can do that even if they have closed or unlinked trees 

.