The Indianapolis journal., 1884-10-24
SIR MOSES MONrEF1ORE.
The Hundreth Birthday Of a Famous Man
Sketch of HIS Career.

Sketch of HIS Career.
To-day is the hundredth anniversary of
the birth of Sir Moses Montefore, and the whole
Jewish world are in a state of enthusiastic eX
citement over the celebration of the event 1t Is
said that a few years ago Queen Victoria prom
ised if Sir Moses lived to celebrate his one
hundredth birthday, that she would visit him in
person, an homer never accorded ony one. The
Montefores trace their ancestry back TO Spain.
In the sxte enth century they were driven by
persecution to Italy, where they settled and
amassed great wealth. The family took their
name faom the beautiful hillside village called
Mount of Flowers-Montefiore-a town of 2 900
inhabitants. situated on the eastern slope of the
Apennines in the province of the Papal Marches.
The family of the Montefores first made their APP
pearance in England soon after the intercesson
of the Jews with Cromwell Moses Vita
Montefore the grandfather of Sir Moses, mar
ried Hannah, a daughter of MagOod Raeah. of
Leghorn, Italy. With his young wife he settled
in London in 1852. He lived at No 10 Philpot
lane. He had seventeen children. all of whom
lived to a very old age Mr. Montefores coun-
try seat was the then suburban district of Beth
nal Green. Moses Vita Montefore did business
as merchant and amassed great wealth, leav-
ing at the time of his death, which occurred in
1889, a nice fortune to each of his seventeen
children.
The most famous of these was his son, Joshua
Vita Montefore born in 1852. at London, who
served as an ofics in the British army and
took part in the unfortunate expedition to Bu-
lama, Sierre Leone He was a lawyer of prom
inence, and wrote the Commercial Dictionary"
and many legal works. The Commercial DC
tionary" was dedicated, by permission. to Lord
Peterborough, Chief Justice of England. In 1913
Joshua Montefore, by order of King George III,
was presented by Lord Boston to his Majesty at
the court of St James, and offered to be
knighted. This high honor he refused. Another
son of Moses Vita Montefore the father of
Sir Moses Montefore. Joseph Elias Monte6ore,
abe sixth son. was born in London, on Oct. 10,
1893. He did business as merchant. and dealt
chiefly with Italy. He married Rachel, daughter
of Abraham Mocutta of the we'll l-known family
of Hspano- Moorish Jews. founders of the bullion
house of Mocutta & Goldsmd Joseph Elias
Montefore went to Italy with his young wife on
a visit.
In 1874 Mrs. Montefore gave birth at LegAorn
to Sir Moses, who the oldest child born to
them. He was raised and educated in London.
left school early and went into business. Sir
Moses was tall handsome young man, of ami
able and engaging disposition, and was u great
favorite at the Stock Exchange He entered the
Exchange and became member at the cost of
So, ,000-one of the twelve Jewish brokers
licensed in the city of London He welded an
Askenagi, Judith, daughter of Levy Cohen. IA
wealthy and benevolent London merchant. The
death of Lady Montefiore on September D, 1862,
was a great blow to her husband. He built
college at Ramsgate IN her memory. Sir Moses's
home is situated on the heights overlooking the
sea- After climbing several stone steps one
crosses field in which there is windmill to
grind the wheat raised on the place into flour.
which is then made into bread to be given to the
poor people. who come 1aily for their allowance
to Sir Mosess lodge-keeper. No goes away
hungry or empty handed, He bought of Lord
Keitah his estate of East Cliff in 1880 1t is a
gothic house, with lawns slOping to the edge of
the cliff, and with a subterranean passage in the
chalk leading down to the beach, which local
legends assert to be the work of smugglers. One
brother of Sir Moses. Abraham Monte6ore mar
ried the sister of Nsthanial NJ. de Rothschild.
He was the father of Lady Anthony de Roth
IL g 7 e. -. I.4- Al
de Rothschild aud grandfather of Leonard Mon
tefore who died at Newport in this country, a
few years ago
When the flags of the whole world were droop
ing at half mast for that simple but grand death
at Long Branch; when. on the 26th of Septem
Der, 1881, three thousand Americans were as
ssmbled in Exeter Hall. what message spoken to
them there stirred the deepest clouds of human
brotherhood The tidngs that Sir Moses Mon
tehore, then in his ninety seventh year, had
telegraphed to Palestine requesting that prayers
might be offered up for President Garfield, in
all the synagogues of the four holy cites-Je
rusalem, Hebron. Tiberias and Safed. Sir
Moses, now in his hundredth year. though suffer
ing some physical lanGuor, retains in their full
power his mental forces and all the quickness of
his human sympathles, and can find at will
among the superb stores of his memory the in
cident or scene he wants, which he relates with
eyes that sparkle as in youth He is tall man.
of majestic presence; his handsome features, un-
wontedly firm in repose. have the most at
tractive mobility when he speaks or smiles
1t is curious to note that Sir Moses is alone
among strangers" in his home at East Cliff,
Ramsgate Hebrew of the Hebrews, he has
none of his own people" about him, and, with
the exception of his personal attendants, who
have grown old in his service, East Cliff sees
few faces from years end to years end. His
nearest relations visit him occasionally. Mr..
Joseph Levey, who is Sir Moses Monte6ore's
heir. making four visits to Ramsgate regularly
in the course of twelve months. The old gen
tleman bears his hundred years bravely, and is
as well as possibly be expected. He rises
late-about or 3 o'clock in the afternoon-and,
with the assistance of his old friend and adviser
DR.. Loewe he manages to get through his cor
respOndence before his early bedtime Sir
Moses takes doctors stuff" Upon this point
the old gentleman is obstinate.