Charleston, South Carolina is one of the oldest Jewish communities in North America, dating to the very late 1600's. The early members of the Jewish community were the Sephardic Jews from London and the Netherlands who had made those cities home since being driven out during the expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492.
By the mid-1700's, Charleston was the destination of choice for the Jews leaving London. These Sephardic Jews were for the most part the families of wealthy merchant families. Once in Charleston they used their experience in business as they established their own holdings in Charleston. In the year 1800, so many Jews had made their homes in Charleston that it had the largest Jewish population of any state in the United States.
FamilySearch has been adding many records to its Historical Collections section that will be of help to researchers looking for their Jewish roots in Charleston. The list as of 17 December 2019 is shown below.
These records are constantly updated and should be checked often as the databases continue to grow.
By the mid-1700's, Charleston was the destination of choice for the Jews leaving London. These Sephardic Jews were for the most part the families of wealthy merchant families. Once in Charleston they used their experience in business as they established their own holdings in Charleston. In the year 1800, so many Jews had made their homes in Charleston that it had the largest Jewish population of any state in the United States.
FamilySearch has been adding many records to its Historical Collections section that will be of help to researchers looking for their Jewish roots in Charleston. The list as of 17 December 2019 is shown below.
These records are constantly updated and should be checked often as the databases continue to grow.
