S03EP04 - 'The Defiant' with David Mendoza

The Family Histories Podcast

In this fourth episode of Series Three - THE DEFIANT, host Andrew meets with the President of the Sephardic Genealogical Society, David Mendoza to find out how he got into tracing his family's history, and what it's like to trace Sephardic roots.
Life Story - Miguel de Mendonça Valladolid
David has chosen his ancestor's nephew Miguel de Mendonça Valladolid as the life story to share, and this is a remarkable story about a man's defiance against religious persecution, and his strength of mind and principles to not convert from Sephardim to 'New Christian', something that he would hold until his execution in Lisbon in 1731.
The Brick Wall - Aaron Mendoza
It's David's ancestor, Aaron Mendoza that is giving him a headache, and this brick wall is seemingly endless. Aside from a marriage at Bevis Marks Synagogue in London in 1730 to his wife Benvenida, his work in 1733 to translate the first Jewish book to be published in England, and an appearance in London in 1744, he completely vanishes.
There is an Ireland connection somewhere (where there were some small Portuguese Jewish communities), and Benvenida appears receiving charitable payments in 1749, but what becomes of Aaron? When and where did he go, and when and where did he die? It really could be a pin-in-a-map scenario!

• Did he die between 1744 and 1749?
• Was his death in Ireland?

If you think you can help David with a clue or a research idea, then head to our contact form at familyhistoriespodcast.com and we'll pass your message on to him.
In the meantime, David is initially unsure whether to accept Andrew's offer of help, but then things don't always quite go to plan...

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Episode Credits
Series Three, Episode Four

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
• David Mendoza - Guest

Show notes and more: familyhistoriespodcast.com

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Chapter

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Interview - David Mendoza (00:01:16)

3. Life Story - Miguel de Mendonça Valladolid (00:12:08)

4. The Brick Wall - Aaron Mendoza (00:34:59)

5. The Departure (00:45:03)