Descendants of Louis Levy
From
The Great Synagogue, Amsterdam
TO
Louis was (according to the 1881 census) born in the Netherlands, about
1837, his place of birth noted as Amsterdam. One of the largest Jewish
communities in Europe was
here, where Jews were not discriminated against and were integrated into the general community.
Ceremony in the Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam
Sephardic Jews originated from Spain (from whence they fled to escape the Inquisition), and they were often quite wealthy. They were governed by a secular rather than by a religious body, but were guided by the Jews of Venice re religious matters. They spoke Spanish and Portuguese, and then Dutch, and developed the silk and tobacco trades, as well as diamonds, trading with the East India companies.
The Ashkenazic Jews arrived in Holland from North Western Europe and were far more poor than their wealthy Sephardic counterparts. Indeed, the Sephardim passed regulations restricting marriage and other involvements with the perceived socially inferior
Ashkenazim. These poor Jews lived on the margins of the Sephardic community, relying on their charity, Synagogues etc, and also for work.
The drawing above shows a religious ceremony held in a very ornate Sephardic
home, and in the background, in contrast, the same ceremony in a far more modest
Ashkenazic home. By the 18th century the Ashkenazim were far more established, although still separate from the Sephardim.
My guess is that Louis and the Assenheims were Ashkenazic Jews, and became involved in the tobacco industries, run by the Sephardim. Around the 1850s there was a depression in Amsterdam and emigration to the UK and other countries increased.
Louis came to England about 1840 - 1860. The next few generations of the Levy family lived in the East End of London, until being evacuated to Guildford during the war. There is an interesting web site at http://www.deltatango.freeserve.co.uk/history.html, which describes the family history of Jewish Cigar makers who emigrated from Amsterdam to Englandin the mid 1800s.
Generation No. 1
1.
LOUIS1 (or LEWIS) LEVY was born Abt. 1838 in The Netherlands or Germany.
His father was Samuel, a traveller, but no more is known of him - whether he
stayed in Amsterdam or came over to England with Louis. Louis married
ESTHER
ASSENHEIM December 10, 1861 in Great Synagogue, Duke's
Place, London, She was born June
14, 1840 in Bath St, Plymouth. At the time of their marriage Louis and Esther
were living at (respectively) 12 and 25 Duke St, Old Artillery Ground,
London. Perhaps this is how they met, or maybe a marriage was arranged for
them.
The Great Synagogue
Louis was (according to the 1881 census) born in the Netherlands, about 1837. He was married in London 1861, aged about 24. Therefore, he must have come to England between 1837 and 1861.
1881 census -
Louis was a Cigar Maker, living
with his family at 198
Hanbury St, Mile End New Town. His
eldest of 9 children was then 19years. His first 3 children were born in
Spitalfieds (according to the census), and the remaining 6 in Mile End New Town,
which may have been 4 Ramon Place (cited on Isaac's birth certificate) or
Hanbury St, where they had moved to by 1881. The 1891 census reveals Louis
and Esther had at least 2 more children after 1881, both born in Whitechapel (??Hanbury
St). In 1888 this street gained notoriety by being the site of the second murder by Jack the Ripper.
This photo shows 29 Hanbury St, where the mutilated body of Annie Chapman
was found early in a September morning of 1888. It is almost
unimaginable what it must have been like to live in Whitechapel at that
time with a serial killer on the loose. Perhaps this influenced Louis to move about a mile away to Ernest
St. (An interesting 'Ripper' site
is http://www.casebook.org/.)
Children of LOUIS LEVY and ESTHER ASSENHEIM are:
i. MARTHA2 LEVY, b. 1862, Spitalfields. Martha was blind
ii. SAMUEL LEVY, b. 1865Spitalfields. 1881 - Boot riveter
iii. HARRIET LEVY, b. 1867, Spitalfields. 1881 - Tailoress
2. iv. ISAAC CHARLES LEVY, b. April 16, 1869, 4, Ramon Place, Mile End New Town; d. July 22, 1938, 6 Aberavon Rd.
v. REUBEN LEVY, b. 1871, Spitalfields. According to the 1891 census, Reuben was an 'imbecile'.
vi. AARON LEVY, b. 1873, Spitalfields. Aaron was a bootmaker, according to the 1891 census.
vii. HENRY LEVY, b. 1876, Bethnal Green, In 1891 Henry was a Shop boy.
viii. JACOB LEVY, b. 1878, Bethnal Green. Jacob was also a Shop boy.
ix. ROSENA LEVY, b. 1880. The 1891 census gives another Rosenna, although it is difficult to read, Possibly the first Rosena died; she does not appear on the 1891 census.
x. HANNAH LEVY b.1882 Whitechapel
xi. ROSENNA LEVY b. 1887. Rosenna was born in Whitechapel (presumably Hanbury St) about a year before the Ripper murders.
Generation No. 2
2.
ISAAC CHARLES2 LEVY (LOUIS1) was born April 16,
1869 in 4, Ramon Place, Mile 
End New Town1, and died July 22, 1938 in
6 Aberavon Rd2. He married ALICE LEAH WARD (photo left,
taken about 1920). She was born Abt.
1870, and died of aortic stenosis January 19, 1941 in Mile End Hospital. Just
before her death she had continued to live at 6 Aberavon Rd, Stepney. Her death
was notified by her son, Samuel. (I remember going to see Aunt Esther who
was still at Aberavon Road. She had the basement flat and we ate bagels).
On his death cert Isaac was noted to have been a
Dock Labourer, but on his wife's death cert his occupation is given as Cigar Maker. Also
noted as Dock Labourer on son's marriage cert. It is likely that the cigar
industry slumped in the early 1900s as cigarettes became more popular, and he
had to take on unskilled employment. In his photo, taken about 1920, he
seems to be smoking a cigar. I wonder if that is one of his daughters
(Esther or Alice Leah - it looks like Alice) with him? Isaac died of diabetes and
myocardial degeneration, aged 69. His death was notifed by his son, Charles.
Isaac and Alice are buried in East Ham Cemetery
Children of ISAAC LEVY and ALICE WARD are:
3. i. CHARLES3 LEVY, b. March 26, 1906; d. December 13, 1981, Guildford.
ii. CHARLOTTE LEVY.
iii. LOUIS LEVY.
iv. REUBEN LEVY.
v. SAMUEL LEVY, b. 1893; d. 1978; m. VICTORIA DINAH BENJAMIN; b. 1893; d. 1958. On his mother's death cert Samuel was noted to be living at 24 Rowney Gardens, Dagenham.
4. vi. ESTHER LEVY, b. 1902, died in the late 1970s (I think). m. (1), Mr Besser M. (2). ALFRED WATTS who had lost a leg as a child when he was run over in the Mile End Road. At one time Esther was a wrestler. She and her husband lived in Aberavon Road all their life.
vii. VICTORIA LEVY, b. 1905; d. 1963; m. ISAAC JOSEPH HOYLES.
viii. ALICE LEAH LEVY, b. 1909; d. 1966;
m. (1) SIDNEY JOHN VARNEY; b. 1910; d. 1945; m. (2) FREDERICK EDGAR BARNES; b. 1917; d. 1994.
Alice, age 20
IX..MARIE LEVY b 1912 m SIDNEY BELLINGHAM
ix. SYLVIA LEVY, b. 1914 d 1989
Generation No. 3
3. CHARLES3 LEVY (ISAAC CHARLES2, LOUIS1) was born March 26, 1906, and died December 13, 1981 in Guildford. He married ROSE EVA TAUNTON October 26, 1931 in Register Office, Poplar3, daughter of Frederick TAUNTON and VICTORIA JANE STATHAM. She was born October 25, 1913, and died July 13, 1987 in Guildford.
Charles, Rose, Sylvia and Jimmy at Golden Wedding party, 1981.
Notes for CHARLES LEVY:
1938, on father's death cert, was noted to be living at 5 Ireton St, Bow.
Marriage Notes for CHARLES LEVY and ROSE TAUNTON:
Charles and Rose were married from 5 Ireton St, Bromley. Charles was a Showman's Mechanic. Witnesses were M. Alexander and H. Levy. According to Brian, Charles' father Isaac strongly disapproved of his marrying outside of the Jewish faith and the two men did not communicate any more. (Rose was R/Catholic).
Charles worked in the market, including Burdett St Market (below), During the war he was a firewatcher and went out on a small boat to rescue survivors at Dunkirk.
Charles died of a heart attack on a very cold day in December, shortly after his Golden Wedding. Rose came downstairs in the early morning to find him dead on the kitchen floor. He was a lovely man - always ready for a 'political' argument - just like Alf Garnett - even looked a bit like him!
Children of CHARLES LEVY and ROSE TAUNTON are:
i. SAMUEL4 LEVY, b. 1931; d. 1931.
5. ii. JAMES LEVY, b. April 04, 1932.
6. iii. SYLVIA LEVY, b. 1933; d. 1990, Guildford.
iv. BRIAN PETER LEVY, b. September 02, 1939, 5
Ireton St, Bow; m. VALERIE ANNE WILKINS, March 30, 1968, Wallington, Surrey; b. June 30, 1946, Chelmsford Essex. (Photo taken abt 1992 with Val, Caliph, Tess and Pickles)
7. v. ROSEMARY LEVY, b. June 23, 1946.
vi. DOREEN LEVY, b. April 11, 1956; m. JEFF DENYER.
4. ESTHER3 LEVY (ISAAC CHARLES2, LOUIS1) was born 1902. She married MR BESSER.
Child of ESTHER LEVY and MR BESSER is:
i. MILLIE BESSER
5. VICTORIA LEVY was born 1905, DIED 1963 She married JOSEPH HOYLES.
Children of VICTORIA LEVY and JOSEPH HOYLES are
i. STELLA HOYLES
ii. ALICE HOYLES
iii. MARIE HOYLES
8. ALICE LEAH LEVY was born 1909, died 1966. She married (1) SIDNEY JOHN VARNEY
married (2) FREDERICK E BARNES.
Children of ALICE LEAH LEVY and FREDERICK E BARNES are
(anonymous)
Generation 4
5. JAMES4 LEVY (CHARLES3, ISAAC CHARLES2, LOUIS1) was born April 04, 1932. He married VERA SILVER 1952.
Children of JAMES LEVY and VERA SILVER are:
i. ALLEN5 LEVY.
ii. TONY LEVY.
iii. KEITH LEVY.
6. SYLVIA4 LEVY (CHARLES3, ISAAC CHARLES2, LOUIS1) was born 1933, and died 1990 in Guildford. She married JOHN GOWING 1954.
Children of SYLVIA LEVY and JOHN GOWING are:
i. SUSAN5 GOWING.
ii. IAN GOWING.
iii. JAMIE GOWING.
7. ROSEMARY4 LEVY (CHARLES3, ISAAC CHARLES2, LOUIS1) was born June 23, 1946. She married RICHARD BURTON 1966.
Children of ROSEMARY LEVY and RICHARD BURTON are:
i. RICHARD5 BURTON.
ii. JASON BURTON.
iii. JUSTIN BURTON.
Endnotes
1. birth cert.
2. death cert.
3. marriage cert.
Places of residence:
Louis Levy
before 1861 12 Duke St, Old Artillery Ground
1861 - 1868 Spitalfields
1869 4 Ramon Place, MENT
1881 198 Hanbury St, MENT
1891 43 Ernest St, MEOT
Isaac Levy
1869 4 Ramon Place (birth cert)
1881 198 Hanbury St, MENT (census)
1891 - 1894 43 Ernest St (married) (census/marriage cert)
1901 -1905 110 Duckett St ME (electoral register)
1906-1910 115 Duckett St (electoral register)
1911 & 1912 ??
1913 6 Frederick Place (name changed to Aberavon Rd in 1938)