member of the Gratz family, to Miss Fanny Etting and Miss Richea Hays, and constitutes his adopted son, Simon Gratz, his residuary legatee. He died February 23, 1815, and was buried the following day from his residence, Fifth below Race street, Philadelphia. His wife, Rachel, died December 23, 1810, and was buried in the Spruce Street burying-ground.

The following error occurs in the History of Northumberland County, by Herbert C. Bell: "Daniel Levy was admitted to the bar, May term, 1791. He was the son of Aaron Levy, founder of Aaronsburg, Centre Co., Pennsylvania, and a great land speculator. It is probable that the care of his father's estate received a large share of his personal attention," etc. He was Prothonotary of Northumberland Co. from 1800 to 1809. He died in Sunbury, 1844. He was probably a Jew.

WILL OF AARON LEVY.

"In the name of the God of Israel, Amen. I Aaron Levy of the City of Philadelphia Gentleman, being of sound mind memory and understanding have thought fit to make, and hereby do make my last will and testament in manner following and which I hereby declare is done without any bias, or through any persuasion of any person, whatsoever and with the full consent of my beloved wife Rachel to wit. First I give and bequeath unto my respected friend, Charles Hale Esquire of Sunbury my walking cane with agate head and my silver snuff box which I promised to leave him.

Item-I give & bequeath unto said wife the use of all my household goods and kitchen furniture of every description, all my plate, Beds, Bedding, linens and woollens and all things purchased for family use to hold to her for and during all the time of her natural life. Moreover, I give unto her, my said wife an annuity or yearly sum of $900.00 in four like and equal amounts of $225. each, in each and every year

during term of her natural life, the 1st payment to be made three months after the day of my decease, and to be paid to her by my adopted son Simon Gratz of the City of Philadelphia, merchant and to be charged and payable on my Estate as herein after mentioned.-Item From and immediately after the decease of my wife I give to my said adopted son Simon Gratz my silver coffee pot and large Inkard, to his brother Hyman Gratz my silver tureen and silver waiter and my timepiece. To Fanny Etting my silver tea pot & caddy. To Joseph Gratz my mahogany bookcase my capt and jewelled watch and two silver half pint tankards. To Jacob Gratz all my English books except prayer books. To Benjamin Gratz all my Hebrew and English Prayer Books. To Sarah Gratz my silver sauce bowls and my silver slop bowl. To Rebecca Gratz my gilt & silver oval sugar bowl with lid and gilt & silver bowl without lid. To Rachel Gratz my silver sugar bowl with pineapple, cream jug and soup ladle. To Richea Hays my silver fruit basket, and to the said Simon Gratz, my miniature and the miniature of my wife, if she my said wife should not otherwise dispose of said miniatures. Item-I give devise and bequeath unto my said adopted son Simon Gratz all my messuages, lots of ground, lands, tenements, Hereditaments and Real Estate whatsoever, and wheresoever the same may situate and also all the rest, residue and remnant of my monies, goods and chattels, Rights or Credits and personal estate whatsoever, to hold to him the said Simon Gratz his heirs, executors administrators and assigns forever subject nevertheless to payment of $900. yearly to my wife etc. I do hereby nominate and appoint my friend Frederick Bates Executor of this my last will and testament, etc etc.

My hand & seal 28th day of June 1802.

AARON LEVY (Seal)

Andrew Leinau, Abraham Stein, Philip J. Dunn."
Admitted to probate March 1st, 1815.

DOCUMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE (LONDON).

BY DR. CHARLES GROSS, Assistant Professor of History, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

I.

MEMORIAL OF THE JEWS ABOUT THEIR TAXES, PRESENTED
TO SIR WILLIAM BEESTON, GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF OF
THE ISLAND OF JAMAICA.

[Entry Book, Jamaica, 57, ff. 80-84. Date of Entry, July 24th, 1700.]

Your Excellency has been pleased to give us a copy of the petition that the Baron de Belmont did present to his Majesty in behalf of the Jewish nation inhabiting in this Island, and at the same time your Excellency was pleased to demand of us the reasons, and what just cause we had to make our applications to obtain his Majesty's favour and protection. We have often made our applications humbly petitioning your Excellency and the assemblies praying that we may not be particularised in any taxation by ourselves, but only as the rest of the inhabitants our neighbors were rated, but we have never been so happy with our petitions to take any effect, on the contrary your Excellency will please to remember that by four successive assemblies we have been taxed as appears.

The first assembly that was after the general calamity of the earthquake was for £750.

The second tax was for one thousand pounds, both which are as appears by the printed acts of Jamaica (folio 8, 66) which makes one thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds

over and above, besides paying equally with all the inhabitants of this island as more at large appears in the said acts.

The third assembly having understood that it was not well taken in England, that the Jews should be taxed two several ways as was expressed in the last assembly, over and above and besides for which reason we humbly presume that we were taxed at a lump, £1750 and according to a true calculation made of ours, if paying as the rest of our neighbours at that time, which was upon houses, negroes, cattle and trade, did not amount to above £350, so that we were over taxed £1400.

The fourth assembly taxed us at a lump £437.10s, which is at least over and above our just due if we had been so happy to be treated as the rest of inhabitants of this island, which is above £300 extraordinary, so that summing up all the four taxes amounts to this poor nation (who not surpassing eighty persons including married men, batchelors widows and the poor maintained upon charity) amounts to £3450 over and above, and besides paying as the rest of the inhabitants. Notwithstanding always from the first design. that these assemblies did commence with these taxations, we constantly made our humble application to your Excellency and the Assembly with our patents of denization and naturalization, by virtue of which we become as natural born subjects and hoped to enjoy the same freedom and privileges without any particularization whatever.

At the meeting of the first of the four last Assemblies they to two of the Jews with threats obliged them to nominate twelve persons of the Jews to be the assessors of the Jewish nation which out of fear they gave in their names without the knowledge, intent or desire of the Jewish nation.

In the fifth Assembly they intended to tax us £5250 but being dissolved we were so happy that this tax took no effect, otherwise this would have concluded the utter ruin and destruction of all our poor nation.