According to the records I have, the 1821 marriage was between
Nachman son of Baruch son of Shlomo and Miryam daughter of Ya'acov (not Yitschak, i.e. Isaac)
Benjamin (Nachman) appears to have had two brothers, Abraham and Henry, who married a few years later.
Some Jewish men did have multiple given names, i.e. unrelated given names. Examples from the Great Synagogue marriage register are Benyamin-Chayim or Benyamin-Issachar or Ya'acov-Benyamin-Ezekiel. However, none of the Myers has a Benyamin/Ya'acov combination.
Matilda was the daughter of the cap maker Levy Bosman (b. 1820-24 Rotterdam), who married Elizabeth Phillips in the Great Synagogue on 14 May 1846. Their Hebrew names were Yehuda (known as Leyb) son of Shimshon and Brynah daughter of Pinchas (known as Zelig) the Levite. Levy/Levi was the common secular form of Yehuda-Leyb, such as in Levi Strauss.
Sandie - what does your book say about Julia Myers' father?
More questions ....
Justin
Hi Justin,
Thanks very much for this information as there are lots of new leads to try.
Shame there is no Benjamin Isaac combinations that you could find as that would have tied things together!
I don't know whether to give up on the Isaac 1829 living with Catherine as although this is the most likely fit and I have been working on that theory for a very long time I can't seem to tie Benjamin and Catherine together at all, unless Miryam daughter of Ya'acov was also known as Catherine?
I can't find a Benjamin and Miryam in the census records for 1841/51/61. There is a family in Yorkshire who could fit the bill but in 1841 they were born in the County and in 1851 and 1861 they say they were born in a Yorkshire village so unlikely and in this case this Benjamin's wife was Mary.
I decided to look into Benjamin's brothers Abraham and Henry. It looks like Henry could have been a trader and moved between the UK and US. There is a Henry son of Benjamin (Shlomo I guess?) who got the freedom of the city in 1836). So was Shlomo known as Benjamin I wonder?
The interesting one is Abraham. At the moment it looks like he lived in Ebenezer Sq, a stones throw from Frying Pan Alley and he was a carver and gilder. He had children including Benjamin and Julia. In a later census he says he was a picture dealer and an Abraham son of Benjamin, a picture dealer, was given the freedom of the city in 1835. Maybe he carved and gilded picture frames. There is no freedom of the city for a Benjamin son of Benjamin though.
This is the interesting bit, I have found a Bethlem admission for a Catherine Mayers 17 March 1831, a Jewish lady who was suffering from a mental illness after eating in public when she should have been fasting after having her 5th child (likely Henry if it is the 1841 Catherine). Standing surity was Abraham Mayers of 20 Ebenezer Sq, Gravel Lane, Houndsditch a carver and guilder - could this be Benjamin's brother Abraham son of Baruch son of Shlomo?
The only fly in the ointment is that the other surity was Emmanuel Mayers of Lowe or Love court, Middlesex St, whitechapel, a carver and guilder NOT Benjamin! In the document it says the husband was from 41 Middlesex St a carver and guilder, was 41 Lowe/Love Court?
If the husband was Emmanuel is it possible that Benjamin was also known as Emmanuel?? Is Emmanuel a common Jewish name? Also Isaac says his father was a sealing wax maker at 3 of his weddings (he gives his father as Benjamin and then Isaac twice but the father's job never changed). Is sealing wax part of the guiding process?
I guess I need to try and find out if the Benjamin and Miryam who married in 1821 went by any other name (like Emmanuel and Catherine!!). I can find Benjamin's brothers in 1841 and 1851 (and even Emmanuel who was not living with a Catherine by this stage maybe she died or they seperated) but I can't find Benjamin and Miryam.
The plot thickens!! Thank you very much for the additional leads, I will continue to look into them.
Best wishes
Emma
