Jacob Lumbrozo
MSA SC 3520-14037
Biography:
Jacob Lumbrozo, sometimes referred to as John, was a doctor, a merchant, and probably the first Jewish settler in Maryland.1 Most likely a native of Lisbon, Portugal, he arrived in Maryland in 1656, although it is not clear from where. He may have come from London, or perhaps from Holland, where his sister lived, and which he referred to as "home" in his will. Lumbrozo lived in Maryland for a turbulent decade, during which he established himself as a wealthy and prominent citizen of Maryland, but also one who was accused of adultery, rape and coercing a servant to have an illegal abortion, and was charged with blasphemy.
Maryland was founded as a colony where Roman Catholics would be able to practice openly and participate in society. The colony's founder, George Calvert, intended it to be a refuge for people who, like himself, were prohibited from practicing their religion in England. In 1649, Maryland enacted a religious toleration law that guaranteed freedom of religion to all Christians, Catholics and Protestants. Although Maryland's Act Concerning Religion offered a degree of religious freedom greater than could be found in England, it also stipulated that anyone who "shall...Blaspheme God...or deny our Saviour Jesus Christ to be the Son of God or shall deny the holy Trinity...shall be punished with death." The law was intended to ensure that Catholics were protected from the religious persecution they faced in England and to prevent religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. At the same time, the Act Concerning Religion was not a promise of full religious toleration. In fact, it was under this law that Jacob Lumbrozo was tried for blasphemy in 1658/59.
During a discussion of religion with several other colonists in the fall of 1658, Lumbrozo was asked by Josias Cole "whether the Jewes did looke for a Messias?" Lumbrozo said that yes, Jews do not believe that the Messiah has come. A witness recounted that Cole then asked Lumbrozo what he thought of "he that was Crucifyed att Jersualem?...Lumbrozo answered hee was a Man...Cole asked him how he did doe all his miracles? And the said Lumbrozo answered hee did them by the Art Magick. Then the said Cole asked him, how his Disciples did doe all the same miracles after hee was Crucifyed? And the said Lumbrozo answered hee taught them his Art." Lumbrozo was ordered to be held in jail for a trial. By chance, events in England intervened and Lumbrozo was freed before he had to stand trial. Richard Cromwell succeeded his father Oliver as the next Lord Protector of England, and in celebration Maryland's rulers proclaimed a general amnesty for anyone awaiting trial.
Lumbrozo had continuing legal problems in Maryland, largely of his own making. He was accused of having an affair with Ann Hammond, while her husband John was out of the colony for several years. When John returned to Maryland in 1661 he warned Lumbrozo away from his wife. Lumbrozo claimed that he had been slandered by Hammond for suggesting the existence of an affair; the court threw out the case and ordered Lumbrozo to pay damages to Hammond instead. Later, Lumbrozo was accused of trying to seduce a servant, offering her and her husband "half his Plantation," for which he was forced to pay her damages. In 1663, accusations surfaced that Lumbrozo had raped Elizabeth Wild, one of his servants, and then had given her medicine to induce an abortion. Lumbrozo married Wild sometime in June 1663, before a trial could be held, and as a result none ever occurred, since under the laws of the day a married woman could not testify in court, especially not against her husband.
Lumbrozo lived much of his time in Maryland working as a doctor and a merchant, and apparently had significant trading contacts in London. He was also granted permission to do business with the Indians in Maryland. Despite his religion, his legal troubles and his somewhat sullied reputation, Lumbrozo was nevertheless a well-integrated member of society. He was literate and apparently well-educated, and represented a number of people as an attorney. In 1663 he was granted letters of denization, making him a full citizen of Maryland. He settled in Charles County, near Nanjemoy.
Sometime in the fall or winter of 1665 or 1666 Jacob Lumbrozo died. His wife was pregnant, and their son John was born in June 1666 (it is possible that his name was Jacob, not John; his father seems to have been called John). In his will, Lumbrozo made provisions for a friend, a London-based merchant, and for his sister, who lived in Holland. Her name is something of a mystery; the two existing copies of Lumbrozo's will do not record it clearly, apparently because the clerks at the time had difficulty understanding it. One gives it as Riffra, while in the other copy the clerk first tried Riffisia, then simply noted that in the Lumbrozo's original will her name was "unintelligible." Her name was likely Rebecca, in reality.
After her husband's death, Elizabeth Lumbrozo remarried twice, which was not uncommon. With only a small number of women in early Maryland, widows usually remarried. Elizabeth outlived both her husbands, before dying herself in 1671, at about thirty years old.
Notes:
1. Some historians assert that Mathias
de Sousa was also Jewish. De Sousa was from Portugal and was black,
like Lumbrozo. In addition, de Sousa was a name common among Portuguese
Jews. However, there is no direct evidence that de Sousa was Jewish, and
no contemporary sources say that he was.
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