"The Sephardim of England"

The Sephardim of England - conversos
The Sephardim of England - conversos

In the 18th century, my De Costa ancestors were living in Portugal as conversos-- people who had converted to Christianity under the Spanish Inquisition but practiced Judaism secretly, or at the very least still considered themselves to be Jewish. In 1728, my ancestors Abraham and Abigail De Costa immigrated to Bath, England where Abraham was circumcised at age 21 and they were remarried in a Jewish ceremony at the Bevis Marks Synagogue. Recently, a family member found evidence of their marriage in the book "Sephardim of England" and included it in our family tree. After about 100-150 years in England, members of the family immigrated to Albany, New York. Their names were Aaron and Caroline and they arrived in America in 1853 from which the sons volunteered for the Union Army in the Civil War. They went to Chicago where my ancestor was the first Jewish woman to ever get married in the city of Chicago. 

– Sonia Chajet Wides

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more