Judah Hays

From The Peopling of New York City

City Council Minutes documenting Hays' naturalization

1 Introduction
- 1.1 The Search
  - 1.1.1 Conflicting Burial Information
2 Birth
3 Immigration and Marriage
4 Family
5 Business
6 Community Activity
- 6.1 Constable of Montgomery Ward
- 6.2 Congregation Shearith Israel
7 Slaves
8 Closing Shop/ Departure to Europe
9 Death
- 9.1 Will
10 References

Introduction

Judah Hays (1703-1764) was a Dutch Jewish merchant who emigrated to the American Colony in or around the year 1729. His connection to the 1741 slave conspiracy is tangential: his slave, Jack, was interrogated but discharged without punishment.

Judah Hays is my Sistine Chapel: he has left the largest paper trail, and I have been able to piece together a pretty decent life-story for him and his family.

The Search

So far, Judah Hays (also spelled Hayes) has turned up more information than any of my other immigrants.

A Dutch Jew, Hays moved to New York in 1729. His son, Moses M. Hays was an important figure in Boston, a close friend of Paul Revere's, and a founder of Massachusetts Bank (now Fleet Bank).^[1]

Using America's Historical Newspapers database, I searched for Judah Hays, and came up with about 180 advertisements he posted in the New York Gazette and the New York Mercury. Most pertained to various shipments he had received and was anxious to sell, while some were requests to pay debts or return fugitive slaves and servants. Other sources of information include an entry in the Historical Magazine, 1;6 (June 1873) which describes the Jewish community of colonial New York, as well as various minutes of City Council meetings located on Ancestry.com.

Additionally, I located Judah Hays' naturalization records in a book entitled "Denizations, Naturalization and Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New York" which I found at the New York Public Library. Confirmation of this is located in the City Council Minutes ^[2]. I was able to find other records of Hays' naturalization on Eighteenth Century Collections Online, in a book called "Laws of New-York, from the year 1691, to 1751" ^[3].

Using NYU's Library, I searched for Judah Hays on Eighteenth Century Journals and came up with nothing. I did manage to find record of his naturalization on Eighteenth Century Collections Online.

Conflicting Burial Information

It is worth noting that conflicting information exists regarding his burial. Ancestry.com lists his resting place as 6th avenue and 22nd street(the 3rd cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel), however it is unlikely he was interred there, as it had not been used as a cemetery at the time of his death. It is more likely that he is buried in the first cemetery of the synagogue, located near Chatham square.

Birth

According to various family trees posted on ancestry.com, Judah Hays was born in Holland in the year 1703. His father is listed as Michael "Jechiel" Hays.

Immigration and Marriage

He immigrated to the American Colony in or around 1729 (he was Naturalized on the 12th of July, and took his Oath of Allegiance on the 9th of September)^[4], and was married in 1735 to Rebecca Michaels, an immigrant from Halberstadt, Germany.^[5]

Family

His son, Moses Michael Hays, was born on March 9th, 1739 in New York City. Moses Hays, who later moved to Boston, was elected the Grand Master of the New England Masonic Lodge, and befriended Paul Revere, who served as his deputy. Moses Hays also helped found the Massachusetts Bank (now Fleetbank). Moses was Judah's most influential descendant, and is mentioned in great detail by the American Jewish Historical Society in "Chapters in American Jewish History".

According to most entries on Ancestry.com, Judah had 10 children.

Business

Judah Hays was declared a "freeman" and was registered as a merchant in New York City as of December 2nd, 1935. He was predominantly a retailer: he purchased imported goods and sold them at his store, located first opposite King Street between the Fly and the Meal markets in the house of the late Major Van Horne, esq., and later on the corner of Stone and Broad streets.

Community Activity

In addition to his business, Hays kept himself occupied by participating in city politics as well as by taking an active role in the Jewish community's only synagogue.

Constable of Montgomery Ward

Judah Hays was active in the political doings of the young city, as he had become acquainted with city councilman Major Van Horne (whose house he later bought). On September 29th 1736, Hays was sworn in as constable of Montgomerie Ward along with Andrew Hunter

Congregation Shearith Israel

Hays is listed on the first Minutes of Congregational affairs of the synagogue as an Elder of the Congregation. His name was added in 1739, although the document itself was drafted in 1729. It is likely, therefore, that Hays took an active role in the synagogue when he was in his twenties and thirties.

Slaves

Judah Hays likely owned numerous slaves, one of which (a Woman named Sarah, age 30 years) ran away in 1751, according to an ad Hays took out in the New York Gazette. Hays also had a German servant-woman named Dorothy who ran away a few years earlier. He likely used slaves to help him out in his house and in his shop.

Closing Shop/ Departure to Europe

Hays, as per numerous newspaper advertisements, had intended to leave the colony for Europe with his family in 1763, possibly due to declining business or health. However, it is clear that he never left the colony, as he died in 1764 and is buried in Manhattan. He continued to postpone his trip until early 1764, at which point he closed his shop on Broad Street and posted advertisements seeking tenants to rent it.

Death

Shearith Israel Cemetery

Judah Hays died on August 19th, 1764, after a "long and tedious illness". He left his son Moses and his wife Rebecca in charge of his estate, and was buried in the Shearith Israel cemetary. Conflicting information exists about the exact location of his burial, and the conclusion I've reached is that it's likely he is buried in the First Cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel, located near Chatham Square in lower manhattan.