Moses Benjmain Seixas

Moses Benjamin Seixas was born into one of the principal Jewishfamilies of New York. His father, Benjamin Moses, was one of RachelLevy and Isaac Mendes Seixas’ eight children, and he countedamong his siblings, Grace Mendes Seixas Nathanand Gershom Mendes Seixas, the spiritualleader of New York’s Jewish community before and after theRevolutionary War. Benjamin was deeply involved with congregationShearith Israel, over which his brother presided. He worked as asaddler from a shop on Broad Street and served briefly in theFusiliers Company of the First Batallion of the New York Militiaduring the Revolutionary War. When New York fell to the British, theSeixas family fled to Connecticut. There, in 1778, Benjamin had otherthings on his mind than the ongoing war. His father sent thefollowing letter to Hyman Levy: “It is at the Request of my SonBen: Seixas that I presume to trouble you with this, to acquaint youthat he has informed his Mother & my Self that he has a verygreat Regard for yr. daughter Miss Zipporah Levy, & shou’dthink himself very happy if he cou’d obtain your Consent, &approbation, as well as your amiable Spouses & all othersconnected with the Young Lady in permitting him Soon to be joined toher in the Sacred bonds of Matrimony”

The following yearBenjamin married Zipporah Levy. Theyreturned to New York after the war, and there Benjamin established adry goods store. The couple would have more than twenty children;their first son was Moses. As their ranks swelled, space became aproblem, and when Moses was eleven, they moved into a larger house at76 Broad Street, next door to Isaac Moses.The house later belonged to Harmon Hendricks,and later still it became the site of Delmonico’s restaurant, from1836-1845. The year after the family moved into their new home,Benjamin became one of the founders of the New York Stock Exchange.Among Moses’ many siblings were Estherand Isaac Benjamin, who would follow in his uncle Gershom’sfootsteps as hazan of Shearith Israel, serving in thatcapacity from 1828-1839.

In 1808 Mosesmarried Judith Levy, the Kingston, Jamaica born daughter of Estherand Jacob Levy, Jr. They raised their fourteen children in New York.

Moses Benjmain Seixas

1837