THE SECOND BOOK OF the Hebrew Bible (Exodus) begins with the words V'Eleh Shemot—And These Are the Names. Having co-authored a book called Australian Genesis it seemed appropriate for the second book about the first Jews in Australia to echo the name of the second book of the Torah. I hasten to add that this is not a book of revelation. It is an attempt to include the names and memories of more than 1600 pioneers. These Are the Names is an alphabetical list. It will be seen that family relationships often override the distinction between those who were transported and those who came as free settlers. There were many who were known by their nicknames and there were some who changed their names. These extra names, aliases and maiden names appear in brackets after the ‘official’ names at the head of each entry.
Where the person was born, and the years of birth and death are also recorded at the beginning of each entry. The early indents did not give the age of those transported, but later indents described the age and religion of each individual. However, both age and religion were recorded differently at time of marriage, death or subsequent trial. The degree of literacy of the transported convicts was often noted and, in the latter years of the transportation system an attempt was made to record English family relationships.
Whenever possible the name of the transport or passenger ship is listed, followed by its year of arrival. The method of designating which ship was used and which voyage it may have been follows the system used by Charles Bateson in his book The Convict Ships 1787–1868 (1969). Following the name of the ship the number in brackets indicates the ship, its voyage, and notes the use of the same name for a new ship.
The status of each individual, ‘Convict’ or ‘Free’, is listed, and for convicts, the place of trial and the sentence handed down are also noted. It was important for the authorities to know the marital status of the convict and the settler at the time of arrival. This is followed by the number of children the individual is known to have had in the course of their lifetime. Jews were anxious to affirm the Jewish status of their children and the synagogue (and cemetery) lists kept track of the Jewish children. However, the children of ‘mixed’ marriages cannot be traced with the same degree of accuracy. Finally, the trade or occupation of the settlers and convicts is recorded.
This dictionary of biography of colonial Jewry is a picture of an entire community. The convicts are included together with the free settlers. Wherever possible, the names of the children introduce us to the second generation of Jewish Australians. The ‘little people’ have been treated with as much care as the famous and the wealthy.
Once again, I need to add that I know that there must be errors and significant omissions. I am certain that this text will generate further research. I therefore begin with an apology to those who, for family reasons, know more about these early Australians than I do.
Colonial documents are often fragmentary and obstinately contradictory. There are cases where a number of people bear the same names. There are entries, for example, for five different Samuel Jacobs, seven individuals called Abraham Levy, twelve called Samuel Levy, and seven named Abraham Cohen. There are many instances where the spelling of a person's name varied between official documents. In the text of the entries these different spellings are maintained.
These Are the Names is written for the layman to pick up and read. I hope the references will lead investigators to do their own research. I have tried to provide the clues.