From Barbados to Jamaica and the 3 Aarons who died in 1768

In exploring the genealogy of the modern English Baruh Lousadas, who obviously were Jamaican, we struggled with the theory that the Jamaican Baruh Lousadas first came from Barbados though we accepted the economic imperative of such a move (see note 5 below). The reason for our struggle was the notion (see note 4 below) that they were in Jamaica before the English took the island from Spain in 1655, but this was almost certainly a myth for the only evidence we have of Jamaican ancestors from that era relates to the Curiel in-laws of the Lamegos. Our analysis can be found here, and thus it is now beyond doubt that the Baruh Lousadas did move to Jamaica from Barbados.

 Emanuel #41 was the ancestor of most of the English Baruh Lousadas but was not the ancestor of those few Lousadas descending from Jacob #380 from whom the Lousada name disappeared after 1 generation. The brothers reached Jamaica no sooner than 1704, since they were in Barbados when their mother died in late 1703. Esther Lamego had produced 5 children by the time of her death in Jamaica in 1720 while Jacob #380 produced 5 children before his death in Jamaica in 1722. The brothers clearly reached Jamaica by 1720. Aaron Lamego preceded them to Jamaica, since he had left for London by 1714 (see note 1 below). Perhaps marrying off his daughters Abigail and Esther and thereby gaining business partners allowed this retreat to London, so Jacob and Emanuel must have reached Jamaica by 1714 and probably spent much of the preceding decade in Jamaica with their father-in-law. The children of Emanuel #41 and Jacob #380 were probably born in Jamaica (see note 3 below) and we propose 1704-5 for their translocation to Jamaica. We have prepared a chart showing the Baruch Lousadas of Jamaica.

It was an amazing coincidence that there were 3 Aaron Baruh Lousadas who died in 1768 - one in Bridgetown, one in London and one in Jamaica (on the latter see notes 1, 3 and 4 below). The chart shows them as 3 grandsons of Aaron Baruh Lousada, the Barbados magnate who arrived in Barbados around 1659. The Barbados Baruh Lousada brothers going to Jamaica were the 2 youngest sons - Jacob (see note 6 below) and Emanuel - but their younger sister Esther led the way (see note 2 below), with Hannah perhaps accompanying them with a suitable marriage in mind. The 3 Aarons were each first grandsons of Aaron #376 (see also note 8 below) and they carried his name (see also note 7 below).

Notes:

1. 1714 was the year Aaron Lamego appeared in England (see note 6 on Lamego marriages page). However, it seems likely that Aaron Lamego was in Jamaica for a decade or more - for this is the most likely source of the wealth that he built up to become an early Bank of England stockholder - suggesting his arrival in Jamaica a decade or so before 1714. The Jamaican wealth built up by Aaron Lamego, supported by his sons (Isaac, Moses and Abraham) and his sons-in-law (Emanuel #41 and Jacob #380), later manifested itself in the Jamaican business endeavours of his grandson Aaron #125 who became a major plantation financier. Aaron #125 did not appear in the will of his grandfather, but effectively inheriting the business he did not need to! Aaron Lamego's son Isaac in his will left money for the Synagogue in Jamaica and not Barbados suggesting he spent none of his adult life in Barbados. Isaac Lamego was born in 1685, possibly before his father reached Jamaica. It is likely that Isaac was born in a French colony eg Martinique or Guadeloupe around the time of the expulsion of Jews from French colonies, though it is possible that he was born in the unofficial Jewish settlement in the French colony of Saint Domingue which later became Haiti.

2.  Esther had married and seems to have left Barbados but Hannah aged 15 was yet to be married in 1703. Esther's husband was Abraham Touro, who died in Jamaica in 1710. There were Touro links to both Barbados and Jamaica - a 1648 To(u)ro shipment of 25 rolls of Barbados tobacco from Amsterdam to Genoa is noted in ref 123 p397, and there was an Amsterdam/Jamaica Touro connection involving Newport RI in the 1758-82 period.

3. Ref 88 gives the death of Hannah Abigail Almeida aged 33 on 12 Jan 1745 meaning she was born in 1712. She was not the first child - Rachel would have preceded her having the same name as the paternal grandmother. Aaron #125 was born in 1706.

4. It should be noted that it was only grandson Aaron #125 who was in the ancestry of the 5 Lousada Dukes (Aaron #714 nor Aaron #1174 were not involved). In our documentation of the 5 Lousada Dukes can be found a reference in Burke's Peerage to pre-1655 Jamaican ancestors. The handwritten original (by the 2nd Duke Emanuel #93) may also be found by following the link just given. We do not doubt that there were pre-1655 Jamaican ancestors, but suggest they were Lamego relatives, and consider that the truth was embroidered to enhance a claim to venerable Spanish noble ancestry (and to distract attention from the fact that the title of the Duque de Losada was newly created in 1741!).

5. Such a move of course reflected the growing relative economic attractiveness of Jamaica compared with Barbados around 1700. Influential sugar people came to Jamaica from Barbados (ref 129). Ref 117 gives a vivid picture of the reason why Jamaica grew so strongly - it was not just a matter of overtaking Barbados in sugar acreage and production which it did in 1720; Jamaica was very well placed to conduct the immensely profitable contraband trade with the Spanish colonies from which bullion and other valuable items were derived. In addition, the trade ancillary to sugar was also important - plantation supply and financing, shipping, insurance and sales. Population estimates summarised in ref 117(pp47-9) illustrate the comparative fortunes of Barbados and Jamaica - the Barbados Jewish population peaked at 400-490 in 1750, but about 900 in Jamaica by 1770. The Barbados peak represented some 3% of a declining white population; the Jamaican peak about 6% of a rising white population. The greatest period of Jewish migration to Jamaica was 1710-30.

6. The first wife of Jacob #380 - Leah who died in Bridgetown in early 1702 - he probably married in Barbados around 1701 as no children appear in his mother's will. In Jamaica Abigail Lamego became his (probable) second wife.

7. Aaron Lamego was the maternal grandfather and was thus unable to give his name to the 2nd son of Emanuel #41! 

8. Aaron Alvin of Jamaica was a 4th grandson named Aaron and he is shown here - he would have been a 2nd son being named after the maternal grandfather Aaron #376. His death does not appear in ref 88, but he probably outlived his 3 cousins named Aaron as he appears in the will of one of them namely Aaron #1174. The other 2 siblings appear not to have produced a son - David #612 is only known to have produced a daughter Rachel named of course after his mother, while Esther Touro appears to have had just one child Rachel Abialhor who appears as a widow in the will of Jacob #36.