Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Name Game

The Genealogue asks Is Cherry Garcia Jewish linking to an article that suggests Spanish surnames may indicate Jewish roots

I have heard it said that in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, he left the day after it was decreed that all Muslims and Jews had to be gone from Spain, and several slept that night on board. A quick check on Wikipedia suggests this is extremely close. The Alhambra Decree set the begone date at July 31, 1492. Columbus set sail August 3. So it's possible a few of his crew spent a couple days and nights on board.

Longfellow's Jewish Cemetery at Newport

The very names recorded here are strange,
Of foreign accent, and of different climes;
Alvares and Rivera interchange
With Abraham and Jacob of old times.

Of course, playing 'the name game' isn't very scientific. Those who left Spain in 1492 had Spanish surnames, but so did those who remained!

Regarding the question of Cherry Garcia...
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield - yes
Jerry Garcia - no
Cherry Garcia - Yes

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