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[RipleyAnne]

Thank-you!!

Hi,

I am looking for any information on the COHEN and/or MENDEZ families who lived in Woolwich in the mid 1800s.

This is what I know:

Joseph Abraham MENDEZ (born approx 1815 - 1820) married Sarah Esther COHEN (born approx 1826). The couple had at least 5 children: Charlotte (1856), Samuel (1864), David (1866), Rachel (1868) and Joseph (1870).

According to the 1881 census the family was living in Union St and Joseph was a clothier/tailor.

In the 1891 census the family are living in the Union Buildings and Joseph is a wardrobe dealer employing 18 people.

Joseph died at 23 Union Buildings in July 1891 and Sarah at the same place in October 1892.

I am descended from their daughter, Charlotte, who by 1882 had migrated to Australia.

If anyone has any information on this family I would be very grateful to hear it.

Thanks

[boggabarrett]

This might not be of any interest to you, but about forty years ago (I have been in Australia 38 years) I worked with a Joe Mendez, who lived in a small street in Woolwich Common, I remember him telling me that his grandfather owned all the houses in this small street. It's a pretty rare name in that area, so is probably the same family. He had a round face and swarthy complexion and we called him Spanish Joe, but he reckoned he was pure English.

Bogga

[RipleyAnne]

Thanks for that information Bogga. I will have to do some more investigation into Joseph and Sarah's other children as I believe they all remained in England - only my g-g-g-grandmother came to Australia. It is quite likely that one of these other children could be the person you are talking about. It is always interesting to have another angle to look at.
Thanks again.

[jorose]

1871 (everyone b. Woolwich unless otherwise stated).
RG10/732 33/59
17 Nelson Street, Woolwich
Joseph Mendez, tailor, 56, b. London
Sarah, wife, 48, b. London
Jacob, son, 18, b. London
Charlotte, dau, 14, b. London
Abraham, son, 9
Samuel, son, 7
Rachel, dau, 3
Joseph, son, 15Mo

and then at RG10/732 32/58
15 Nelson Street, Woolwich
Peter Fish, 22, Tailor (one leg)
Rebecca Fish, wife, 25
Hannah Mendez, sister, 11
David Mendez, brother, 5
Solomon Mendez, brother, 3

(freebmd shows Peter Fish m. Rebecca "Mender" in 1870).
By 1881 Solomon Fish is shown as a son to Peter and Rebecca, possibly he was Rebecca's son, before her marriage to Peter.  Jacob is married and living in Woolwich with his wife and daughter. Hannah possibly married Henry Major in 1880 and is with him in Plumstead in 1881.

An Old Bailey hits relating to Joseph, mentions daughter Rebecca (in 1865):
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18650410-name-599&div=t18650410-479#highlight

[RipleyAnne]

This is fantastic, Jorose. Thank-you very much! I will have to spend this afternoon checking out all this information.

Again, thank-you!

[JustinL]

Hello Anne (?),

Do you have their cvil marriage certificate?

Joseph was clearly a Sephardic Jew (or at least the son of such parents), and sure enough he married in the Bevis Marks (Spanish & Portuguese) synagogue in 1844. Interestingly, Sarah's surname was recorded as Israel.

Justin

[RipleyAnne]

Wow! Thank-you very much Justin. I had been told that Sarah's surname was Cohen... but since just reading your reply I realise this info was incorrect and have checked the civil marriage registrations and found the record you are talking about.

I live in Australia so will need to apply for a copy of the marriage record and wait approx 2 weeks for it to arrive but I will be doing that straight away.

I have been give a copy of one of their daughters' Jewish birth certificates and you are right about the connection with the Bevis Marks synagogue. Do you know how you go about checking out any further records at the synagogue?

Sandra (Ripley Anne is the cat!!)

[JustinL]

Hello Sandra,

I was just about to investigate what you can do next.

Was the daughter's birth cert in English, Hebrew or both? Does it state her parent's full Hebrew names?

I can probably read any Hebrew bits, if you post a scan here.

Justin

[JustinL]

Sandra,

Here's the website:

http://www.sandp.org/archives.htm

You should contact the archivist, Miss Miriam Rodrigues-Pereira.

The reference for the marriage is 1844, Part III, page 36.

Justin