TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Finding Aid to the Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records. 1726-1939.
Manuscript Collection No. 581
Introduction |
|
| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Title: | Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records |
| Dates: | 1786-1946 |
| Quantity: | 39.5 linear feet (4 Hollinger boxes and 23 oversize boxes) |
| Abstract: | The Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records consist primarily of minutes, correspondence, ketuboth, and other records kept by Jewish congregations in Suriname and Curaçao. |
| Collection Number: | MS-581 |
| Language: | Collection material in Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew. |
Historical Sketch
Jewish communities began settling in the West Indies during the early years of colonization in the seventeenth century by the English and Dutch. By the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries there were well established Jewish communities throughout the British and Dutch colonies in Suriname, Curaçao, Jamaica, and Barbados.
Jewish life in Suriname had its beginnings under the English in the 1650s and under the Dutch starting in 1667. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname, had a Jewish community with a population of about 1000.
The Jews of Curaçao have the longest continuous history in the Americas. Until 1825, it was the largest Jewish community in the Americas. The first significant settlement of Jewish families arrived in Curaçao with Isaac da Costa in 1659. The immigrants of 1659 were considered founders of the community, significantly called by the earlier settlers Mikvé Israel. The first synagogue building was purchased in 1671. The current Mikvé Israel synagogue, built in 1730 in Willemstad, Curaçao is the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
- Adapted from Marcus, Jacob R. “Foreword.” Historical essay on the colony of Surinam, 1788 and Emmanuel, Isaac S. and Suzanne A. History of the Jews of the Netherlands Antilles.
Scope and Content Note
The Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records consist primarily of minutes, correspondence, ketuboth, financial statements, and other records kept by Jewish congregations in Suriname and Curaçao. The bulk of materials are Photostat copies. Originals from Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente can be found in Series A. General, Subseries 2. Suriname.
These records from Surname and Curaçao were collected by Jacob Rader Marcus during an expedition to the West Indies and South America in 1952. The primary purpose of this expedition was to secure copies of Jewish manuscript materials up to the year 1900. Additional details about this expedition can be found in the American Archives Journal, "The West India and South American Expedition of the American Jewish Archives" by Jacob Rader Marcus.
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged in two (2) series:
- Series A. General. 1786-1946.
- Series B. Oversize material. 1726-1937.
Conditions of Access and Use
Terms of Access and Use
The Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records are open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the Barrows-Loebelson Reading Room of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
Property Rights
Property rights are held by the American Jewish Archives.
Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Related Material
Related Collections
Caribbean Jewry commercial documents. 1708-1790. SC-13552.
Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Catalog. SC-13506.
Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Merger. 6 May 1963. SC-13486.
Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Records. 1672-1817. SC-13505.
Corcos, Joseph M. A synopsis of the history of the Jews of Curaçao. 1897. Rare Documents file and SC-2564.
Curaçao consul dispatches. 1793-1906. MF-1197 to MF-1209.
Curaçao Jewry. 1825-1899. SC-13496.
List of marriages. 1717-1796. SC-7816 and MF-3002.
Loker, Zvi. Material for a General Index of Post-Exilic Iberian Jews (including conversions). Sixteenth to end of Eighteenth Century. SC-7370.
Old Curaçao Archives. List. SC-2562.
Paramaribo (Suriname). Miscellaneous correspondence and documents. 1750-1850. SC-13498 to SC-13501.
Paramaribo (Suriname) collection. X-364.
Paramaribo (Suriname) Jewish Community Collection. MS-505.
Records. Excerpts from notarial records dealing with Jews of Curaçao. SC-2560.
Surinam community records. 1754-1920. [microform]. MF-67 to MF-67n and SC-12160.
Surinam Jewish community records. 1662-1666. [microform]. MF-527 to MF-524t.
United Netherlands Portuguese Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Birthroll of female Portuguese Jews. 1743-1831. SC-13503.
United Netherlands Portuguese Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Register of births and deaths. 1722-1831. SC-13504.
United Netherlands Portuguese Congregation Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (Willemstad, Curaçao). Constitution. 1833. SC-13502.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-581. Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
Donor information for the Jewish Congregations in the West Indies Records is not available.
Processing Information
Processed by American Jewish Archives staff; re-processed by Michelle Smith, February 2016, with translations by Aviva Ben-Ur, March 2016.
Box Folder Listing
| Series B. Oversize material. 1726-1937. [23 oversize boxes] | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note: This series consists of oversize Photostat copies of notulen (minutes), brieven (letters), Ketuboth, and other congregational records. | |||||||||||
| Arrangement Note: Arranged in two (2) subseries: | |||||||||||
| Subseries 1. Curaçao. 1748-1898. [2.5 oversize boxes] | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note: This series consists of minute books (libro de minutas), correspondence, and other records from Mikvé Israel Congregation in Willemstad, Curaçao. These records are in Spanish. | |||||||||||
| Arrangement Note: Material is arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-199 | 1 | Correspondence and financial records. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1809-1874. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 2 | Correspondence and financial records. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 10 August 1852-10 May 1855. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 3 | Correspondence and financial records. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 15 May 1855-4 August 1855. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 4 | Correspondence and financial records. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 28 August 1855-4 April 1856, 8 June 1898. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 5 | Correspondence and financial records. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 10 October 1865-15 January 1868. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 6 | Documentos archivados [Minutes from meetings of the Council of Elders along with other documents]. 1748-1875. | |||||||||
| X-199 | 7 | Juntas de Mahamad [Meetings of the Mahamad]. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1858-1861. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-200 | 1 | Libro de minutas [Minutes of the meetings of the Mahamad]. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1856-1858. | |||||||||
| X-200 | 2 | Libro de minutas, Cuerpo de Parnassim [Minutes of the meetings of the Mahamad and Parnassim]. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1862-1863. | |||||||||
| X-200 | 3 | Libro de minutas [Minutes of the meetings of the Mahamad]. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1863-1864. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-201 | 1 | Register [Number 2 since the new regulations of 1875]. Mikvé Israel Congregation. 1879-1881. | |||||||||
| X-201 | 2 | Ultimas reuniones del colegio administrativo. 11 August 1862-21 January 1864. | |||||||||
| Subseries 2. Suriname. 1726-1937. [20.5 oversize boxes] | |||||||||||
| Scope and Content Note: This series consists of minutes (notulen), correspondence (brieven), Ketuboth, and other records from congregations of the Dutch Jewish community in Suriname, referred to as Nederlandsche Israelitische Gemeente. These records are primarily in Dutch, with several files of ketuboth written in Hebrew. | |||||||||||
| Arrangement Note: Material is arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-201 | 3 | Afkondigingen [Announcements]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1838-1897. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-202 | 1 | Archief Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente voornaamste stukken [Most important documents from the archive of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische community]. to 1870. | |||||||||
| X-202 | 2 | Archief Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente voornaamste stukken [Most important documents from the archive of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische community]. 1871-1912. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-413 | 1 | Bevolkingsregister [Population register of Ashkenazi community]. 1888-1889. | |||||||||
| X-413 | 2 | Brand [Great fire of 1821, Paramaribo]. 1821. | |||||||||
| X-413 | 3 | Brieven [Letters]. 1786-1835. | |||||||||
| X-413 | 4 | Brieven [Letters]. February 1856-November 1883. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-414 | 1 | Brieven [Letters]. 1883-1898. | |||||||||
| X-414 | 2 | Brieven [Letters]. 1898-1912. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-415 | 1 | Brievenboek [Letters]. December 1838-December 1855. | |||||||||
| X-415 | 2 | Brievenboek [Letters]. Armb. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1851-1871. | |||||||||
| X-415 | 3 | Brievenboek [Letters]. 1871-1888. | |||||||||
| X-415 | 4 | Brievenboek opper-rabbijn M. Lewenstein [Letters of chief rabbi M. Lewenstein]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1858-1863. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-416 | 1 | Contribuanten Armenfonds [Contributors to the poor fund]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1888-1906. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 2 | Financial records and printed matter. 1816-1896. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 3 | Financial statements. undated. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 4 | Haskamoth [Communal ordinances]. Paramaribo. 1734-1821. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 5 | Haskamoth [Communal ordinances]. Paramaribo. 1754. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 6 | Instructie [Instructions for synagogue officials]. 1781-1837. | |||||||||
| X-416 | 7 | Instructie [Instructions for synagogue officials]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1838-1896. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-417 | 1 | Inventaris book [Inventory book of the Ashkenazi community]. 4 September 1820. | |||||||||
| X-417 | 2 | Inventaris [Inventory book]. Neveh Shalom. 1 August 1854. | |||||||||
| X-417 | 3 | Journal [Tax list and free will offerings]. 14 October 1837-15 September 1841. | |||||||||
| X-417 | 4 | Journal [Account book of the synagogue]. Paramaribo. 1924-1937. | |||||||||
| X-417 | 5 | Ketuboth. 1733-1781. | |||||||||
| X-417 | 6 | Ketuboth. Neveh Shalom. 17 April 1780-1 September 1784. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-418 | 1 | Ketuboth. 1804-1824. | |||||||||
| X-418 | 2 | Ketuboth. Neveh Shalom. 16 January 1805-13 November 1814. | |||||||||
| X-418 | 3 | Ketuboth and Shtar Chalizoth. Neveh Shalom. 1815-1825. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-419 | 1 | Ketuboth. 16 August 1826-6 February 1849. | |||||||||
| X-419 | 2 | Ketuboth. 16 August 1826-2 November 1831. | |||||||||
| X-419 | 3 | Ketuboth. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1832-1836. | |||||||||
| X-419 | 4 | Ketuboth. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1837-1854. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-420 | 1 | Ketuboth [original]. 1854-1883. | |||||||||
| X-420 | 2 | Ketuboth [photostat]. 1854-1883. | |||||||||
| X-420 | 3 | Miscellaneous [regarding synagogue finances]. 1849-1866. | |||||||||
| X-420 | 4 | Miscellaneous [regarding synagogue finances and regulation of the poor fund]. 1835-1869. | |||||||||
| X-420 | 5 | Notulen. Alphabetisch register op de notulen der kerkeraads vergaderingen van de jaren [Alphabetical index of minutes of synagogue council meetings]. 1867-1880. | |||||||||
| X-420 | 6 | Notulen. Armenfonds [Minutes of the poor fund administration]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 20 November 1834-1 September 1855. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-421 | 1 | Notulen. Armenfonds [Minutes of the poor fund administration]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 23 January 1856-18 June 1867. | |||||||||
| X-421 | 2 | Notulen. Armenfonds [Minutes of the poor fund administration]. Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente. 1876-1886. | |||||||||
| X-421 | 3 | Notulen [Trial pieces]. 1740-1749. | |||||||||
| X-421 | 4 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1745-1749. | |||||||||
| X-421 | 5 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1747-1763. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-422 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1763-1771. | |||||||||
| X-422 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1772-1778. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-423 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1778-1787. | |||||||||
| X-423 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1787-1795. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-424 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1795-1805. | |||||||||
| X-424 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1806-1815. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-424a | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1816-1820. | |||||||||
| X-424a | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1820-1827. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-425 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1827-1831. | |||||||||
| X-425 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1831-1835. | |||||||||
| X-425 | 3 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1835-1837. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-426 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1837-1843. | |||||||||
| X-426 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1843-1851. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-427 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1851-1866. | |||||||||
| X-427 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1851-1856. | |||||||||
| X-427 | 3 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. November 1856-December 1866. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-428 | 1 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1866-1888. | |||||||||
| X-428 | 2 | Notulen [Minutes of the meetings of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente Mahamad]. 1888-1895. | |||||||||
| X-428 | 3 | Notulen. Kerkeraads vergadering [Minutes of synagogue council meetings]. 1880-1893. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-429 | 1 | Notulen. Kerkeraads vergadering [Minutes of synagogue council meetings]. 20 December 1893-28 April 1895. | |||||||||
| X-429 | 2 | Register [Birth and death register]. 1773-1837. | |||||||||
| X-429 | 3 | Register der leden van de Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente [Register of the members of the Nederlandsche Israëlitische community]. 1805. | |||||||||
| X-429 | 4 | Register van gekochte begraafplaatsen, gehouden by de Nederlandsche Israëlitische Gemeente te Suriname [Register of purchased graves]. 1838- 1908. | |||||||||
| X-429 | 5 | Repertorium [Ashkenanzi regents to Portuguese regents, general register (financial records) of Neveh Shalom]. 1763, 1838-1841. | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| X-430 | 1 | Repertorium off generael register [General register of ordinances and resolutions]. 1734-1823. | |||||||||
| X-430 | 2 | Sefer kesuvos me Kahal Kadosh Nuach Shalom [Book of marriage contracts]. 1783-1804. | |||||||||
| X-430 | 3 | Talmud Torah [Talmud Torah Society for the knowledge of the Israelite religion among youth]. Paramaribo. 1861-1863. | |||||||||
| X-430 | 4 | Verkiezingsboek [Votes taken for election of synagogue leaders]. 1726-1810. | |||||||||
| X-430 | 5 | Verkiezingsboek [Votes taken for election of synagogue leaders]. 1810-1907. | |||||||||
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA's online catalog.