New Hampshire

One of the New England states of the United States of America, and one of the thirteen original states. Record is found as early as 1693 of one Aaron Moses of New Castle; and a local historian refers to the Moses and Abrams families of Sanbornton as "Jewish descendants." Reference occurs, in a list (dated 1770) of grants to settlers, to one Joseph Levy; and in 1777 there is mentioned a William Levi who was a private in the 2d New Hampshire Continental Regiment. Beyond the references to these as "Jewish descendants" there is no proof of their Jewish origin. Abraham Isaac, who settled at Portsmouth about the close of the Revolution, was, however, known as a Jew, being, according to Brewster ("Rambles About Portsmouth," p. 230), the first Jew in that place. He is reported to have acquired considerable property and to have built himself a house. He died Feb. 15, 1803; and his gravestone is still to be seen at Portsmouth.

At present (1904) the following towns of New Hampshire have organized Jewish communities: Manchester, with the Congregation Anshe Sfard Russia (Russian) and the Queen City Hebrew Synagogue and Cemetery; Portsmouth and Nashua, each with a congregation. The Jewish inhabitants of the state are estimated at from 1,000 to 1,200 in a total population of 411,588.

Bibliography:

  * American Jewish Year Book, 5661-62 (= 1901-2);
  * Leon Hühner, in Publ. Am. Jew. Hist. Soc. No. 11, pp. 97-99.



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