The City of Galveston, sitting on the Southeastern tip of Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico, has been home to Jewish people for over 200 years. In 1816, the brothers Joa and Mora de la Porte, who were of Portuguese birth, provided the funds to build the first settlememnt of Europeans in Galveston.
This act was the first of many milestones that marked the history of the Jews in Galveston. Amongst these were the following;
- In 1852, the residents of Galveston established the first Jewish Cemetery in Texas.
- The first organized Jewish services were held in 1856.
- During the time of the Civil War, most residents of Galveston left the area, however one Jewish woman, Rosanna Osterman stayed behind. She was a pioneer of Galveston and also a Civil war nurse. She helped created the first Jewish cemetery in Galveston. In 1862, she turned her home into a hospital to treat Union soldiers. Then as it became needed, she also opened it to confererate soldiers.
- In 1868, Congregation B'nai Israel (photo at right) was opened as the first Jewish Reform congregation chartered in Texas, and the was only the second Jewish congregation in the state of Texas. Later in 1875, the congregation became one of the charter members of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
- Henry Cohen, a rabbi at B'nai Israel, was one of the founders of the Galveston Movement in the early part of the 1900's. Between 1907 and 1914, the Galveston Movement worked to bring Jews who were fleeing Russia and other places in eastern Europe to Galveston. Over 10,000 Jews arrived during this time.
There are a lot of genealogical records for the State of Texas,which include Galveston island, available at FamilySearch. The best way to access these records is through the FamilySearch wiki.
