THE ISRAELITE AND YOUR FREEDOM
THE LIFE OF HAYM SALOMON THE PATRIOTIC BROKER
Published by Smashwords and written at Smashwords By Bob Cornell Copyright by Bob Cornell, 2010 Due to the sometimes speculative nature of this writing neither the author nor publisher may be held liable for the book’s content.
“What others are saying about this book. This book is rich in American History during the revolutionary period and the plight of the Jewish Faith seems emphatically incredible”. Audrey Fellows-Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
“I can tell that the author has spent a lot of time researching. It is good writing combined with a great deal of general information and American history.” Bob Cowart-New York City, New York
“The theme of this book portrays a dedicated servant of America and the obstacles he had to overcome to become very successful.” Kim Henry-Champagne, Illinois
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THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO TWO FINE GENTLEMEN
DR. MARCUS BARCCANI (PhD) WITHOUT WHOSE GUIDANCE THESE THOUGHTS PROBABLY NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN INKED
AND DR. JOSEPH L. ANDREWS JR., M.D.OF BOSTON, MASS. DESCENDANT OF HAYM SALOMON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One a) was America his heart b) America, the promised-land c) did not make a loan d) peacetime demanded as much if not more
Chapter Two a) Haym M. did not fully understand father's (Haym Sr.) business b) short of stature c) for several reasons never had portrait done d) frugality and generosity
Chapter Three a) devotion to faith b) applied to Continental Congress for any work c) then applied to French for position d) dead broke once again!
Chapter Four a) Haym who? b) team effort c) worthless dollar d) Ben Franklin's contribution e) financial ruin f) guaranteed bills of exchange g) peacetime was demanding as the war h) who gave their money i)joined forces w/ Morris in June of 1781, six months prior to an American victory at Yorktown j) 78 deals k) negotiated settlement w/ Britian not reached until 1783 l) Army had to be maintained m) Holland cool at first n) how were bills of exchange used? o) Army sought back pay from Congress in demonstration p) Lord Cornwalis could have had easy victory q) Haym from Poland r) arrival date of 1772 completely illogical
Chapter Five a) how long was French and Indian War? b) although victors the war, very costly to Britain c) King George had to tax someone d) Earl of Bute chief motivator of Revolution? e) American colonies fiercely independent f) Bute and Princess Augusta g) Stamp Act h) America great source of British exports i) many Englishmen opposed Stamp Act j) Stamp Act repealed shortly after it became law k) colonist felt most repugnant of all laws- Quartering Act l) 3 schools of thought regarding colonies association w/ Britain m) 1st confrontation between America and Britain n) contest between America and Britain thought to be improbable
Chapter Six a) Jews originated in Middle East b) choice between sailing w/ Christopher or renouncing religion c) expulsion from Spain d) migrated to Poland at invitation of King e) 80% of all Jews f) Jewish governing body to collect taxes g) plight of the Jew after the Chmelnicki Massacure h) Jews highly in debt for opposition to Cossicks
Chapter Seven a) Jews settled in Lissa in 1606 b) Jews a jovial lot, like to dance c) ghetto gates locked at night! d) identity badges g) original synagogue Mikveh Israel very small h) Jewish families in Philly from 12 to over 200 during revolution i) monetary strain on synagogue j) members solicited donations k) are we spoiled? l) communicated in Yiddish m) what does Reb mean ?
Chapter Eight a) Haym born in Lissa 1740 b) Ashkenazic Jew embraces change (particularly young)c) Lissa ghetto 140 yrs. old d) father took Solomon and no first name e) father merchant and rabbi f) assisted Rabbi Zevi g) chief rabbi in Warsaw h) 10% of earnings to poor i) known worldwide as "philanthropic Jew" j) spoke 7 languages k) exposure to all 7, how did he learn
Chapter Nine a) plight of the Jew in Poland b)cousin and brother in America c) spelling not exact in 18th century d) name in receipt book in 1764-in USA as early as 1762-3 e) cried for freedom when born f) John Adam's thoughts g) contact w/ Pulaski and Koscuisko in Poland doubtful
Chapter Ten a) hap, hap , happy childhood b) moody c) retract from society and introverted d) borrowed book from synagogue e) applied genius
Chapter Eleven a) Poland at odds w/ several countries b) countries had superior forces c) Pulaski and Polish army d) Haym left home-what career path? e) formal education? f) went to Netherlands then England g) countries oppressive
Chapter Twelve a) Peter Stuyvesant governor of New Amsterdam or New York City b) Peter-little use for Jews c) denied Jews right to guard city against Indian attack d) as was true with all governments, substituted special tax for Jews e) tax protested and ultimately denied by Dutch West Indies Trading Co. f)British fought Dutch for control of NYC g) Upon victory English renamed city New York in honor of king's brother-Duke of York
Chapter Thirteen a) Sons of Liberty b) doubtful Haym active member c) Alexander McDougall and Sons of Liberty d) McDougall introduced Haym to Washington e) jailed by British in 1776 f) due to expertice in languages Haym was in demand g) 100 acres promised foe for desertion h) Provost prison and mean Cunningham i) Haym contracted TB in prison j) married Rachel Franks in 1777
Chapter Fourteen a) motivation for marriage to Rachel based on L&K. ( love and kids ) b) second incarceration c)Provost same prison Nathan Hale gave his life d) bribery and escape e) America agriculturally based f) slept in barns and haystacks g) through British lines to Philadelphia h) fortune gone forever
Chapter Fifteen a) Is this the right thing to do? b) Jews despised by British and tolerated by Americans c) Washington received many good ideas from Salomon d) Salomon never mentioned e)Washington only human f) Less ripples in the sea of authority
Chapter Sixteen a) American soldiers a "rag-tag" bunch b) did not resemble anything close to victors c) soldiers mustered uniformity by display of twigs d) to transport family to Philadelphia would cost many $$ e) French Foreign Office obliged with low paying position f) ultimately became chief broker for the American Office of Finance (pre-constitutional name for the Dept of the Treasury) g) expense of obtaining Rachel lay in the covert nature of her voyage
Chapter Seventeen a) Philadelphia respected the minority b) Philadelphia founded by Wm. Penn who was a Quaker
Chapter Eighteen a) devout Jew b) original founder of synagogue
Chapter Nineteen a) poor time for Robert Morris to accept responsibility b) Morris / Fairmont Park in Philadelphia c) Morris' estate Lemon Hill d) Lemon Hill's current value e) with a cough and a sneeze f) good wife behind Morris
Chapter Twenty a) "not one red cent for tribute"- Chas. Pickney b) we pull for the underdog but love the winner c) raised million for defense so that we could achieve victory d) 1st contact to plead case on the behalf of the estate of Haym Sr. was James Madison e) would be justifiable to proclaim a Morris/Salomon day f) Salomon proclaimed all laws that were unjust toward the Jew oppressive g) stereotyping a poor method of judgment h) although America deeply indebted to the Jew we must request credibility in all Israeli/American actions
Chapter Twenty-one a) applied a true pioneering spirit to both his business and his life b) the hot air balloon from France c) it's success gave us air superiority?
Chapter Twenty-two a) application to Congress for a job got him noticed b) Declaration of Independence very controversial legislation at the time c) Haym's talents would not be successful in the middle of a corn field-needed enterprise to prosper d) extraordinary mason
Chapter Twenty-three a) Haym deceased 1785 b) 370 gravesites at Spruce St. and we don't know exactly where c)tombstones for target practice d) very inventive and formed gatherings of co-workers e) utilized alcohol for medicinal purposes which perhaps interfered with normal lifestyle
Chapter Twenty-four a) a year after Haym's death Rachel ,his widow married b) had tremendous disagreement. c) Rachel returned to parents and David went back to the Netherlands
Chapter Twenty-five a) many colonists opposed the Declaration of Independence? b) main concern was "taxation without representation" c) without the Jewish segment of our society, would there have been independence for America?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Let me first share with you the many acknowledgments that must accompany this work. Its composition was both enjoyable and fun in its formatting. I have been blessed with a family foundation upon which I can easily build a magnificent structure. Also, without the original concept and encouragement of Marcus Barccani this project would have never been pursued.
We have done a great amount of research and those very precious pieces of wisdom and knowledge were patiently furnished to me by The Forsyth County Library and others. Sources of information about Haym Salomon and his background are 1)"The Story of the Monument" dedicated to Washington, Morris and Salomon as written by the Patriotic Foundation of Chicago 2) "Jews of the American Revolution" by Laurens R. Swartz 3) Microsoft Encarta Encylopedia 4) Compuserve 5) The Folklure of Jewish Dance by Alfred Sendry 6) Rabbi Waldman 7) Ancestor.com 8) Charles Pinckney 9) Seymour Brody 10) "The History of Jews in Philadelphia" by Wolf and Whiteman 11) Ms. Ruth Hoffman of the Mikveh Israel Congregation in Philadelphia, PA. 12) "The Jews of Poland" by Rev. Myer S. Lew 13) "European Jewry" 14) the Virginia Historical Society 15) The Eastern European Jew 16) The American Revolution,chapter VII by John Fiske, 16) Dr. John McGruder, 17) The New York City Public Library, 18) The Polish Consulate, Washington, D.C. 18) Mr. Darius Czwojdrak in Leszno,Poland 19) Ms. Barbara Bulat of the Jagiellonian Library 20) Dr. Edward Luft 21) Polishinternet.com 22) Encylopedia Judaica 23) Jews in the Province of Posen by Michael M. Zarchin 1939 24) The American Jewish Historical Society and Ms. Julie Koven of same 25)The National Archives (USA) 26)"A Haym Salomon Letter to Rabbi David Tevele Schiff, London,1784" by Hyman B. Grinstein, American Jewish Historical Quarterly. Vol 34,1937 pp.107-116 27) The papers of Haym Salomon and the Oppenheim report on the financial and personal aspects of Haym Salomon 29)The Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion- Mr. Kevin Proffitt, 30) "Eminent American Jews" by Chas. A. Madison 31) "Creating American Jews" published by the National Museum of American Jewish History, edited by Karen S. Mittelman 32) the City of Philadelphia web site 33) The Free Library of Pennsylvania 34) The Philadelphia City Archives 35) Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild 36) Pennsylvania State Archives 37) Pennsylvania Historical and Muse Commission 38) The Fulton County Library 39) Jewish Records Indexing (JRI)40) Shephardic Genealogy Sources 41) Polish State Archives 42) The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd 43) The Independence NHP -Ms. Karie Diethorn-National Park Service 44) Library of Michigan 45) University of Michigan- The Clements Library 46) the Grand Masonic Lodge of Pennsylvania- Dr. Glenys Waldman and 47) The Library of Congress.
Foreword
This book is about a dedicated steward of America, Haym Salomon, who some consider to be one of our country’s founding fathers. He was a common man in appearance and yet if we were to peel away the layers of his outer tissue we would discover beneath, a core of brilliance. Coupled with that brilliance was an internal network of true sagacity and benevolence. Of the many assets that he possessed, most were primarily displayed in the field of finance as a broker/merchant. Also his negotiating skills were par excellence. Other than his mental acuity and knowledge, he had the ingredients of a true American patriot. Both in the war, and more significantly in the time of peace, he, acting as a broker, and Robert Morris, his boss, the Superintendent of Finance, contributed greatly toward this country being victorious in the revolutionary contest with Great Britain. I can’t emphasize this fact too much-there was an equal amount of stress to raise money placed upon Robert Morris and Haym Salomon in the time of peace as there was in war.
Yet few of us know of this man's existence, let alone his accomplishments. The "burning question" seems to be WHY? There appear to be several reasons: First he was a member of an very insignificant American minority at that time, in that he was Jewish. (less than 1/10 of 1% of the population of the United States ) Second, he was a very unassuming individual and quite variable in his assertiveness. Third, many noted historians have given him discrediting reviews. And finally researchers and authors, such as myself, have not given him the proper amount of attention and research he rightfully deserves. Although he more than met his occupational objective, Haym Salomon appears also to have had a varying desire "to have been in the right place at the right time”, both on a personal and professional level. In other words, today he might possess a strong and earnest desire to be noticed, yet tomorrow he would be dedicated to an introverted way and would want to be as inconspicuous as possible. It is also true that he yearned for the camaraderie of his peers. Yet, it was also his wish that they not become “too close”. His personality represented a true enigma and therefore he has become a magnetic attraction for psycho-analysts. His variable personality matched the personalities of other leaders in past, and the present.
The subject of this book now reverts to the questionable “art” of spelling during those earlier times in which most of the population was illiterate. This has the potential of causing you confusion when reading this book. If I were to ask you how to spell word, your reply would be W-O-R-D. Yet, in the18th century the differences as to how a word was spelled were commonplace. Before 1820 spelling was a very non-specific science- NOTHING like it is today- People would spell a word as they felt within themselves as it should be spelled and many times, by today’s standards, they were wrong! To give you an example, Rachel Salomon was one of the administrators of Haym's estate after he had passed away. In the settlement of Haym's estate his name is listed with the perfect spelling of Salomon, whereas she signed hers as Rachel Salymon. Rachel was an attractive, empathetic and wholesome woman, but also this clearly raises the question as to whether or not she was of the illiterate class. This possibility is further strengthened by the fact that she was only fifteen when she married Haym. At that time education for women was of secondary importance, so at the sweet age of sixteen Rachel began having children.
Haym Salomon should be thought of as one of our founding fathers as he performed many patriotic acts on behalf of America, which was a country just emerging as a totally independent, self-governing nation. Several such sacrifices that he made were: Serving as a broker in the Superintendent of Finance’s office, changing bills of exchange into the much needed spend-able cash. True, this is not a tremendous sacrifice, however using his personal guarantee to cash those bills-was. And finally, pledging his net worth as collateral so that America could maintain her credit rating thus avoiding bankruptcy. Haym Salomon made many more contributions on behalf of America. He was very active in the Son’s of Liberty, upon making America his home. He made it a point to fully conform to most any wish they made of him. After he had become financially secure in Philadelphia, he gave his money to instrumental government officials, who without his financial assistance, would have been unable to continue serving this country. Individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
We truly hope that this book will take you much closer to the actual life of Haym Salomon and bring out facts that heretofore you were unaware of.
CHAPTER ONE
FREEDOM
The complex word freedom that has created so much turbulence in this world. What does that word mean to you? Does it mean waking with alacrity to a new day knowing that your every movement will not be monitored throughout the day. And does your confidence increase by your knowledge that you can journey anywhere in America that you wish without obtaining permission? Does it also mean that after you have gone to your chosen occupation that you do not have to report to any government official on that day. And after you have concluded your daily responsibilities of that occupation you can go home, or anywhere your heart desires? Finally, does it mean that as the day comes to an end you have no curfew to abide by and can stay up as late as you wish? ( This of course is assuming you are an adult, and not under parental supervision!)
Reflecting upon those freedoms with which we have been blessed, an iconic leader of the twentieth century is quoted as saying “ No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable a force as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”
Ronald Reagan -
The many freedoms that we in America take for granted have been gained by many men and women at a tremendous cost. Initially, when we severed our dependence upon Britain there were only a handful of leaders. Without Haym Salomon, we would be unable to enjoy many of those freedoms we have the tendency to assume have always been there for the Americans to savor. A question that you are probably now asking is “since you have devoted this entire book to the man, just who was this man Haym Salomon? Specifically, what did he do for me and/or this young country ?” After establishing an alliance with France, that country sent through Ben Franklin loans, in the form of bills of exchange. A limited number of loans came from Holland and Spain which were channeled through John Adams. These bills of exchange in turn had to be converted into cash that were so crucial in financing the American Revolution.
This is where Haym enters the picture. Someone had to do a balancing act and convert those bills of exchange into spend able cash. As a broker for the Superintendent of Finance's Office he transformed these bills into cash for America to continue its Revolutionary efforts. If the investor (from whom the cash came) was hesitant in purchasing a bill. Haym went so far as to personally guarantee that bill. This meant that if the country upon whom the bill was drawn would not honor (cash) the bill of exchange, the corresponding amount of money came from Haym’s pocket. This personal guarantee was not a necessary act for a broker to offer, but Haym did this as an act of patriotism. A conversion of a bill of exchange into cash resembled walking the wire in a “high wire act.” It definitely was a skill that was difficult and that the average man could not even attempt to perform. Haym had to entice the investor with the proper margin of potential profit for the investor to purchase the bill, and at the same time exit the room with the proper amount of profit for our country. Our nation was desperately in need of that spend able cash to finance the Revolutionary Movement and operate our emerging government.
A vast amount of money was required during that tenuous time of peace, after we had won the war with Great Britain, yet before we had reached a settlement agreement. Haym also needed to avoid the much dreaded bankruptcy. Had the United States failed in any of these financial areas the American colonies would have once again been subjugated to British rule. As Haym Salomon was at the center of all of these events, we owe him a deep debt of gratitude.
By working in the Finance Office Haym quickly discovered America was extremely short of money. His discovery and publication of this fact greatly startled Congress. So much so that they quickly dispatched emissaries to raise funds in foreign countries.
Haym did unfortunately, possess one trait that apparently at that time was offensive to many. A trait over which he had absolutely no control. Haym Salomon was born into an ethnic order that many hated. He was Jewish at a time when it was not good to be Jewish-This writing is neither motivated by the fact that I am Jewish. I am not, as I wished to have a topic, which I could share with you and yet be totally objective. Nor am I a descendant of Haym Salomon as once again I did not wish heredity standing in the way of objectivity. Really, the main thing that Haym, you, and I share in common is that we are Americans!
Haym would deliver to his Jewish friends the following message."For thousands of years we Jews have been searching for the promised land. Well, we have finally found it in the land called America."
Both he and I truly believe that America is a promised land. We hope that you do too. This book attempts to further dispel the misinformation concerning many aspects of Haym's life including the fact that he made a direct loans of his personal fortune to the
Continental Army so that they could win the Revolutionary War. This, he most certainly did not do!
This is not common knowledge, but the initial funding for the war effort came from several sources, one of which was George Washington. This act of patriotism depleted his vast fortune, to the extent that when he returned to Mt. Vernon after the war he found it in disrepair. He did not have the funds to fix it up! And other than Martha, Mt. Vernon was the love of his life. The British were not in a hurry to consummate a peace treaty possibly because they had reserved notions of continuing revolutionary combat. Although, they had surrendered in 1781, it was two long years before a settlement agreement was signed, and the American Army needed to be maintained until then.
You may ask a question that is totally justifiable, “If the cost of maintenance was so astronomical, why did we simply not disband the Army?” The answer to your question is simply -MILITARY PREPAREDNESS!-
In that the settlement agreement had not yet been reached, we wanted America to be ready in case England should change her mind and resume combat. We can expand our initial answer by saying that all segments of our government that had a direct bearing on our military outcome, required some form of financial assistance. This meant that America must have an almost constant supply of money from October of 1781, when we won the battle of Yorktown to June of 1783, when England signed the peace agreement and the British army disbanded and went home, as some would say, "with their tails between their legs".
This fact is also not common knowledge, but the boat trip home was just as risky for a British soldier as being in battle. Several British troops died on board ship before they could reach their homeland.( Because sanitation and sterilization were basically an unknown science at the outbreak of the Revolutionary Contest, better than 90% of those wounded in a particular battle, were fatalities of that battle.)