One of the more interesting families in the Knowles Collection is the family of David Davis and his wife Elizabeth Lazarus. David, originally from Leeds in Yorkshire, was the Great Grandson of Rabbi Davis, the Chief Rabbi of Pumbersfelton, Bavaria. His wife, Elizabeth Lazarus, was listed as being of Birmingham.
Sometime after their marriage in 1823, the couple moved to Glasgow, Scotland, where David worked as an Optician. Over the next 25 years they had fourteen children born to them. Of these, three married people from Birmingham, so it appears the ties back to England remained strong.
While the story of this family is not unlike that of many others of the time, the history of the children makes this family special. The oldest son, Edward became the first Jew to be circumsized in Glasgow. This took place on 18 Jul 1824.
The seventh child, a son, named Samuel Solomon Davis, was born on 3 Aug 1833. Sometime between then and and the 1860's Samuel Solomon makes his way to the United States. On 21 Jul 1861, he died in the United States Civil War. His death occured during the Battle of Bull Run, which was the first major battle of the Civil War.
The records of this family are in The Jews of the British Isles.
I am researching this family's connections to Lazarus families of England and Ireland. I would love to know where Elizabeth Lazarus is listed as being "of Birmingham" as I'm struggling to find evidence of Lazarus families there in the early 1800s.
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