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Subject: Jews -- United States -- History -- 18th century

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Autograph Letter Signed from Moses Michael Hays to Myer Polock on behalf of Michael Gratz, December 18, 1770Autograph Letter Signed from Moses Michael Hays to Myer Polock on behalf of Michael Gratz, December 18, 1770

Autograph letter signed by Moses Michael Hays written to Myer Polock on behalf of Michael Gratz. Dated December 18, 1770. Hays urges Polock to fulfill a promise to Gratz, offering incentives and suggesting assistance in "any matter Honorable & Just." The letter includes an autograph address panel on the verso. Written in New York and concerns matters related to Newport, Rhode Island.

Ink Sketch of Moses LevyInk Sketch of Moses Levy

Ink sketch of Moses Levy (1704-1792), a prominent merchant and trader in Newport, Rhode Island and New York, New York. The sketch, possibly a preparatory work for a miniature painting, is signed by Robert Smith and dated circa 1760-1800. Levy was involved in the African slave trade and was a benefactor of Touro Synagogue.

Shipping Insurance Policy for the "Live Oak", Philadelphia to Kingston, Jamaica, 1761Shipping Insurance Policy for the "Live Oak", Philadelphia to Kingston, Jamaica, 1761

Insurance policy document for the ship "Live Oak" sailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kingston, Jamaica in 1761. The policy, dated June 6 and June 17, 1761, lists Abraham Judah as the insurer, and Benjamin Mifflin, Samuel Massey, and John Ashmead as the insureds. The cargo is not specified. This document is considered possibly the earliest extant American Jewish document where a Jew acted as the insurer.