Samuel Isaacs (Shmuel ben Benjamin) and his wife Pauline (Schreiber) were married in Dutoitspan in Kimberley in 1873. Samuel is listed as living at the time in Bultfontein and working as a diamond buyer. Pauline was living in Dutoitspan at the time of their marriage. Pauline is registered as German and Samuel English. Samuel was the son of Benjamin Isaacs and Hannah Samuels and born in London in 1852. His siblings were: Aaron (born 1851), Morris (born 1858), Alexander (born 1863), Elizabeth (born 1864) and Emanuel (born 1859. Pauline was born in Oppenheim Germany and related to the Sonnenberg family. The Sonnenberg’s mother was a Schreiber.

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The couple had four children, Hannah (born 1875), Louis/ Lewis (born 1876), Benjamin (born 1878) and Albert Edward (1880). Samuel was one of the firsts Jew in town. It is not certain when the Isaacs family moved to Vryburg. Mike Smith (se below) claims that Albert was born in Vryburg. This is unlikely. He was circumcised in Kimberley. It seems more probable that Samuel Isaacs joined Charles Sonnenberg after 1884. We also have the death certificate for an Archibald Isaacs, who died a bachelor in 1898. Samuel and Archibald could be related, possibly cousins. Pauline died on 19 January 1881, aged 30. From her death certificate we glean that she was living in Dutoitspan at the time. Samuel married soon thereafter. We do not know the identity of his second wife, who was Jewish. Samuel passed away in Johannesburg in 1924 and is buried in Brixton cemetery.

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I have only found information on Benjamin and Albert. The former died in Windhoek and 1940 and he and his wife Gete (nee Liwinowski) did not have children. Albert Edward’s personal story is fascinating and tragic.

 

Mike Smith, who researched Albert notes: “Albert was a rather studious young man and went on to become a member of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, eventually becoming the chief bookkeeper of the Exchange at a relatively young age.” Having been raised in a German speaking home, Albert (who also fought in the Boer War) served in the campaign to capture German South West Africa with great distinction “as a translator, having been assigned to work with the Intelligence Staff to translate captured German documents and interrogate German officers." Following this campaign Albert was shipped to England. He was attached to the Middlesex Regiment as a Lieutenant. Albert became increasingly frustrated “because he felt his talents and usefulness were being ignored.” The issue he faced was that “anyone with suspected or real German links was treated with great suspicion.” He committed suicide and was buried in the local Chatham Jewish cemetery. According to Find a Grave, "a burial register for the Jewish cemetery states that his burial, attended by his relatives, members of the Middlesex Regiment and several South African officers took place on the 6 September, Rabbi Fenton officiating."

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