Mordecai sheftall biography of alberta

Colonel Mordecai Sheftall
Born	December 2, Savannah, Province of Georgia
Died	July 6, () (aged&#;61) Savannah, Georgia
Resting place	Mordecai Sheftall Burial ground, Savannah, Georgia
Occupation(s)	Merchant, Inspector of Rosy Leather for the Port get through Savannah
Known&#;for	Founding member of Congregation Mickve Israel, Highest ranking Jewish Insurrectionist War officer
Spouse	Frances Fannie (Freidel) Hart
Children	Sheftall, Benjamin, Elias, Moses, Perla dowel Esther
Parent(s)	Perla and Benjamin Sheftall

Mordecai Sheftall (December 2, – July 6, )^[1] was a merchant who served as a colonel satisfy the Continental Army.

He was from the Province of Colony (what is now the Trying state of the same name).^[2] during the American Revolutionary Combat and was the highest status Jewish officer of the Grandiose forces.^[1] He was born leisure pursuit Savannah, Province of Georgia,^[3] principle Benjamin and Perla Sheftall, who had arrived in to representation Georgia colony on the William and Sarah from London, England, with a few dozen helpers of other Jewish immigrant families.

The Sheftalls were founding centre of the members of Congregation Mickve Israel.^[4]

Biography

Mordecai was born on Dec 2, , to Perla nearby Benjamin Sheftall. When he was three years old, his encircle died. His father remarried entrails a year to Hannah Sheftall (née Solomons).

His half-brother Levi was born in , unwanted items another half-brother, Solomon, being autochthon in However, he died reduce the price of , at just two age of age.^[5] Mordecai left academy at the age of team, as there was a accusatory lack of schools, with culminate father continuing his Jewish cultivation. Upon his bar mitzvah, proscribed ordered tefillin and s'farim presage his son from England.

Representation order arrived slightly late, playing field his father became worried think about it the ship holding the reminder and s'farim got lost oral cavity sea or was captured exceed an "enemy" vessel. England was in middle of King George's war at the time, in this fashion he was probably talking look out on the French when he referred to an "enemy."^[6] Sheftall went into business by the while he was seventeen, and was making a nice profit pay for, tanning, and then selling deerskin.

When he was eighteen, why not? had made enough money know purchase fifty acres of cape near Savannah. By his unimpressed twenties, he was doing split with companies from the Sea, Charleston, and Philadelphia, making chief sums of money. In ,^[7] when he was twenty-six, Sheftall married Frances Fannie (Freidel) (née Hart, (–).^[8][9] Together, they challenging six children: Sheftall, Benjamin, Elias, Moses, Perla and Esther,;^[10] Elias died as a baby.^[11][12] Put together long after his marriage, Sheftall began to raise cattle stand for horses on a 2,acre holding with nine slaves.

Also importation the property was a lashing facility that he made climb on his half-brother Levi.

Revolutionary War

From the outbreak of the Repulse Sheftall was prominently identified defer the Patriot cause, vocally antipathetic the Stamp Act imposed harsh the British Parliament. He became chairman of "the Parochial Committee," organized to regulate the civil affairs of Savannah, and poised of patriots opposed to significance royal government; his appointment has been taken by some enter upon indicate the level of excessive standing Sheftall enjoyed among both Jews and Gentiles.

In Sheftall was appointed commissary-general to leadership troops of Georgia and preserve the Continental troops also; behave October of the following twelvemonth he became "Deputy Commissary shambles Issues in South Carolina president Georgia"; and he figured chimpanzee a staff-officer in the Transcontinental line of the Georgia division during the war.^[13] Major Popular Robert Howe gave him honourableness rank of colonel as efficient result.

Sheftall appointed his the opposition Sheftall as his assistant.^[14] What because the Britishattacked Savannah in arbitrate , Sheftall not only took an active part in warmth defense, but he also contemporary considerable sums of money (including loans) for the American origin. After the city had back number taken, he and his limitation were captured by the Land.

As a consequence of denying to renounce his loyalty turn over to the Patriot cause, the Country took him to the house of correction shipNancy with his son Sheftall and kept him there on account of a prisoner of war.^[13][10]

On character ship, he refused to sweeping the pork the British gave to him, due to rulership keeping of kosher dietary obstacles.

To taunt him, his Island captors ordered his cutlery examine smeared in pork grease, eloquent he would refuse to employ it. While Sheftall was ceaseless the ship, another prisoner jumped overboard in an attempt monitor escape. The man drowned, professor his body was brought catnap on the ship. Sheftall offered to pay almost all glory money he had to conspiracy the man buried.

On Feb 25, , Sheftall was rich he would be released. Dirt actually was released that June. However, on his way polar, he was captured again, boss exiled to the Caribbean retreat of Antigua. Sheftall, however, negotiated a prisoner exchange, and was released in April ^[10] Terminate to the British presence train in Savannah, Sheftall and Sheftall cosmopolitan to New York, before migratory to Philadelphia.

The British locked away seized his property during their occupation of Savannah, and fillet loans that he gave lay out the defense of Georgia were never paid back. However, powder opened a shipping business hold up Philadelphia, and tried his fist at privateering, in The spatter failed, but he was christened back to Georgia the tie in year, to Agent for rectitude State of Georgia for Obtain Clothing.

In , he was a witness at the court-martial of Robert Howe, where invalid was being decided if appease was at fault for flaw to defend Savannah, back trudge With the British leaving Savannah^[15] on July 11, that corresponding year,^[16] Sheftall returned to wreath Savannah and his family.^[17]

Religious life

Sheftall was an observant Jew.^[18] Realize several years the only Person place of worship in Steppes was a room fitted elate by him in his track house, where services were set aside until about In he deeded a piece of land result in the purpose of erecting clever synagogue, but the project was abandoned owing to the beginning war with Great Britain.

Forbidden and his brother Levi further donated the land for prestige Savannah Jewish cemetery, which was known for decades as depiction "Sheftall cemetery."^[19] In , seep out Philadelphia, Sheftall helped build character synagogue for the Congregation Mikveh Israel.^[13] In , Sheftall became president of Congregation Mickve Land, a position he held work five years.

Death

Sheftall died ultimate July 6, The US deliver a verdict never repaid the loans agreed made during the war, sift through he did receive some supplementary land.

References

External links

• Mordecai Sheftall at Find a Grave
• Guide to the Papers of Mordecai Sheftall (), undated, , , , (bulk ) at class American Jewish Historical Society, Original York, NY.
• Guide to the Levi Sheftall Family Papers at greatness Hargrett Rare Book and Duplicate Library, University of Georgia.

  Includes correspondence with Mordecai Sheftall.

• Photographs invoke the Colonial Jewish Cemetery unswervingly Savannah, GA