Which of the "Chosen Ones" Am I? #2
Spoiler Alert: Clicking on the hyperlinks in the text may reveal the identity of the "Chosen One." Links are provided for background purposes.
I was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1731 and baptized under the name of Duarte. I belonged to a family of conversos – our family professed Catholicism while secretly practicing Judaism. Between 1748 and 1752, most of my family, including my older brother Moses, left Portugal for Newport, RI. In 1750 I married a woman named Anna and within two years we had a daughter named Catherine. In 1752 we moved to Newport to be with the rest of my family and my wife and daughter were now known as Abigail and Sarah.
I started out as a shopkeeper, buying and selling goods in and around Rhode Island and had dealings with agents in Boston and New York.
I also dealt in the spermaceti trade, a wax extract from whale oil used to make fine candles.
I expanded my trading beyond the coastline of North America and before 1760 had ships sailing to Europe and the Canary Islands. I launched my career as a slave merchant in 1761 and traded hundreds of black slaves until 1774. I "dominated Jewish slave trading on the American continent." (Source)
Concerning the entire commerce of the Colonies, and the later State of Rhode Island, (which included Newport) bills of lading, concessions, receipts, and port clearances carried my signature. This all took place during the years 1726 to 1774. I had therefore more than 50% of all dealings under my personal control for almost fifty years. Aside from that there were other ships which I owned, but sailed under other names.
(Source).
By the early 1770s, I had become one of the wealthiest persons in Newport; my tax assessment was twice that of any other resident.
In 1761, I applied to the Rhode Island Superior Court to become a naturalized citizen. My request was denied. I appealed to the Rhode Island General Assembly. My appeal was approved by the lower house but the upper house determined that I would have to again appeal to the Superior Court. This Court denied my application for citizenship a second time. The Court noted that under a 1669 Rhode Island law, only Christians could become citizens.
In May of 1782, while traveling from Leicester Massachusetts to Newport, I drowned in a pond in full view of my family.
Which of the "Chosen Ones" Am I?
