tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post314943637436614027..comments2023-11-03T17:20:18.270-07:00Comments on William & Mary Dyer: The Jewish settlement of Newport in 1658: Fact or Fiction?Christy K Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05988458745832012138noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-59937182842956325082016-10-14T09:23:36.737-07:002016-10-14T09:23:36.737-07:00Though the 1658 date cannot be confirmed (and the ...Though the 1658 date cannot be confirmed (and the Touro Synagogue website has been revised to reflect that uncertainty), references to Jewish businessmen in Newport, as well as the purchase of land for the Jewish cemetery, in the 1670s do document the presence of Jews well before the mid-1700s. It is the 1658 date, not the presence of Jews here in the 17th Century, that is not documented. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-13699653002443258612013-03-24T19:58:33.009-07:002013-03-24T19:58:33.009-07:00I find this entire subject very fascinating. I'...I find this entire subject very fascinating. I've been putting together a family tree, and found out that my portuguese ancestry has jewish roots! I am from southeastern massachusetts and am continuing my search in this direction. Thank you for your work on this subject. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-28280395185529989342012-06-25T12:22:59.129-07:002012-06-25T12:22:59.129-07:00Patricia, I find a similar situation with traditio...Patricia, I find a similar situation with tradition and legend surrounding Mary and William Dyer. And people who have based their own work or genealogical data on the legends or faulty research by historians of 100+ years ago are LOATHE to give up those cherished ideas. I respect your attention to detail, your questions, and your open mind.Christy K Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05988458745832012138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-49161254993727511452012-06-25T07:06:07.081-07:002012-06-25T07:06:07.081-07:00Keep reading at legendofthedead.blogspot.com for m...Keep reading at legendofthedead.blogspot.com for more information about the 1658 date. There is a tradition of a 1658 settlement date, but there is no evidence to support it. Also, this "tradition" was no tradition until quite recently. The synagogue and the Loeb Center are perhaps relying on the scholarship of historians who did not do a good job checking their sources or overlooked dubious sources in order to set the date at 1658.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16276810059497068046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-29205041830939843492012-06-24T22:44:53.544-07:002012-06-24T22:44:53.544-07:00From the Facebook page for Touro Synagogue, Newpor...From the Facebook page for Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island. They responded to the above article link via FB message inbox:<br /><br />From our history: In 1658, the small but growing colony of Newport, Rhode Island received its first Jewish residents. These fifteen families came from Barbados, where a Jewish community had existed since the 1620s. They were of Spanish and Portuguese origin; their families had migrated from Amsterdam and London to Brazil and then the islands of Suriname, Barbados, Curaçao and Jamaica. Upon their arrival they formalized a new congregation in Newport (the second oldest Jewish congregation in the United States) calling themselves 'Yeshuat Israel'. By 1677, the community realized the need to acquire land for a Jewish cemetery. Two of the original immigrants, Mordechai Campanal and Moses Israel Paeheco purchased the lot at the corner of what is now Kay and Touro Streets for this purpose.Christy K Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05988458745832012138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4582751663390398171.post-10543375225345818052012-06-18T10:18:44.815-07:002012-06-18T10:18:44.815-07:00Thank you for this post, Patti and Christy! Wheth...Thank you for this post, Patti and Christy! Whether the 1658 date is good or not, they were certainly a part of Rhode Island in the 17th century, when they would not have been welcome elsewhere in New England. America did not promise freedom of religion at that time, but at least she learns from her mistakes.Jo Ann Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14811596481690068086noreply@blogger.com