Tobias Tobias was born around 1785 in Liverpool. Little is known about his early years apart from the name of his father, Isaac, and a brother, Moses. He married Rebecca Levy, also of Liverpool, and they had their first child, Francis, in 1809. Four children followed, before Tobias set off to New York around 1816. Four years later his wife and five children joined him there, with two more children to follow, including Isaac Alfred. Tobias worked as a wholesale merchant, originally dealing in general merchandise. He later specialized in importing and selling liquor and wine. He served as officer of the Society for the Education of Poor Children and Relief of Indigent Persons of the Jewish Persuasion, one of the earliest American Jewish charities.