Old Jewish Cemeteries at Charleston, S.C.
1762 - 1903
By Dr. Barnett A. Elzas, Rabbi of K.K. Beth Elohim, 1903
Charleston, South Carolina
Transcribed by D. Whitesell for South Carolina Genealogy Trails


The Cemetery at Hanover Street.

This private Jewish cemetery, whose origin antedates the nineteenth century, was practically unknown in Charleston till I called attention to it. How I came to find it I have told elsewhere. (See my Pamphlet Reprints "Old Jewish Cemeteries.") It is strange that this cemetery is not mentioned in the Constitution of Beth Elohim of 1820.

This ground was conveyed in 1798 by Betzje Henrickson to Henry Moses, Solomon Moses, Meyer Derkheim, Samuel Hyatns, Benjamin Tores and Solomon Harby in trust "as a burying ground and place of interment for the said ? and their descendants, and also such other person and persons professing Judaism, as the Trustees for the time being or a majority of them shall for that purpose approve of." A further clause is added "that the Trustees above named and the survivors of them and their successors shall for ever be incapable of selling, disposing of, alienating, transferring, exchanging, dividing or giving up the premises aforesaid from the Issue, descendants and families of the original trustees aforesaid, so as to exclude them from Interment therein, to any person or persons, sectary or sectaries, society or societies, congregation or congregations of whatever description or denomination."

This deed is recorded in the office of Mesne Conveyance Vol W6, p. 397 sq. The following are the inscriptions on the tombstones:

In Memory of SAMUEL LEVY,
Of Camden, who departed this life June 20th, 1799, aged 18 years

In Memory of Abraham S. Abraham, son of Samuel Abraham, who departed this life on Edisto Island, September the 26th, 1809, aged 20 years, 1 month and 15 days

To the Memory of MR. HENRY MOSES,
Who departed this life on Monday the 11th February, 1814, in the 68th year of his age.

Sacred to the Memory of MRS. ELIZABETH MOSES
Who departed this life on the 19th day of January, 1819, in the 75th year of her age.

Sacred to the Memory of MRS MIRIAM HYAMS,
Wife of Samuel Hyams, and daughter of Eleazer and Judith Levy.  Born in Charleston, So. Ca., in the year 1780 and a resident there until her death on the 19th of January, 1821 ---

In Memory of ELIZA HENRIETTA  LEVY,
The infant daughter of Chapman and Flora Levy,who departed this life the 7th day of March, 1822, aged 1 year and 17 days.

ROSALIE LAMBERT.
Third daughter of William and Rachel Lambert. Died August 30th, 1835 (child.)

MARION J. TOBIAS.
Died July 19th, 1836 (child.)

Sacred to the Memory of HENRY J. HARBY SEN.
Born 12th October, 1799. Died 14th September, 1841. (?)

CHARLES FERDINAND SMITH,
Son of Thomas and Everleen Smith (infant) Died July 1849.

HENRY J. HARBY Junr.
Born 1843. Died 1852.

Sacred to the Memory of My Mother, REBECCA HARBY,
Born 2nd October, 1768, died 31st December, 1854, aged 87 years, 2 months, 29 days.

Sacred to the Memory of CATHERINE FRANCES,
Wife of C. F. Whippey. Died 5th November, 1858.

ISAAC TOBIAS,
Born February 10th, 1796. Died January 28th, 1860

TOBIAS HARBY.
Born September 22nd, 1836. Died April 17th, 1860.

SOPHIE TOBIAS,
Died February 13, 1866 (Child.)

Sacred to the Memory of MISS CAROLINE  D'L  HARBY,
Born May 4th, 1801. Died January 6th, 1876.

NOTE - Here and there in the foregoing pages, the order of the inscriptions has had to be changed to meet the exigencies of the printer. It should also be noted that there are about half a dozen tombstones with Hebrew inscriptions in the Coming Street cemetery which have been omitted owing to the fact that they cannot be identified

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