Levi Sheftall

Levi Sheftall
BornDecember 12, 1739
Savannah, Province of Georgia
DiedJanuary 20, 1809(1809-01-20) (aged 69)
Savannah, Georgia
Resting place
Levi Sheftall Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
SpouseSarah de la Motta (m. 1768–1809; his death)
RelativesMordecai Sheftall (half brother)

Levi Sheftall (December 12, 1739 – January 20, 1809) was a Jewish merchant in colonial Savannah, Georgia. He also served in the American Revolutionary War.

Early life

Sheftall was born in 1739 in Savannah, Province of Georgia, to Benjamin Sheftall and Hannah Solomons. He was their first of two children; a brother, Solomon, followed two years later. He had a half brother, Mordecai, from his father's first marriage, to Perla, who died in 1736.

Career

In 1790, Sheftall gave the first congratulations from the Jewish community to George Washington after his election as the first U.S. president. Washington replied to Sheftall's letter.

Sheftall served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and also as advisor to Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing, on the 1779 attack on Savannah by British troops.

Personal life

In 1768, Sheftall married a 14-year-old Sarah de la Motta, with whom he had six known children between 1769 and 1796: Sarah, Benjamin, Perla, Solomon, Abraham and Abigail. The family lived in a "spacious two-story house" in Savannah's St James Square.

Death

Sheftall died in 1809, aged 69. He was interred in the Levi Sheftall Cemetery. His widow survived him by two years and was buried beside him.

References

  1. ↑ Rosenbloom, Joseph R. (2021-03-17). A Biographical Dictionary of Early American Jews. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-8215-5.
  2. 1 2 "Collection of Sheftall family papers". Georgia Historical Society | ArchivEra (Final). Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  3. ↑ "Washington, George, & Levi Sheftall | The first address by a Jewish". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  4. ↑ "Gazette of the United States, George Washington letter to Hebrew Congregation of Savannah". archives.cjh.org. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  5. ↑ "Sheftall, Levi-Military agent papers - Digital Library of Georgia". dlg.usg.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  6. ↑ Ferris, Marcie Cohen; Greenberg, Mark I. (2006). Jewish Roots in Southern Soil: A New History. UPNE. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-58465-589-3.
  7. ↑ "ISJL - Georgia Savannah Encyclopedia". Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  8. ↑ Proctor, Samuel; Schmier, Louis; Stern, Malcolm H. (1984). Jews of the South: Selected Essays from the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Mercer University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-86554-102-3.
  9. ↑ Markens, Isaac (1888). The Hebrews in America. Author. p. 50.
  10. ↑ Payne, Benjamin (2024-09-16). "Historic Jewish cemeteries in Savannah give OK for new hotel nearby, after concessions from builder | Georgia Public Broadcasting". www.gpb.org. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  11. ↑ "De Lyon - De La Motta Cemetery Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2026-05-06.