1. Jonas Koppel
John (Jonas) Salomon Koppel was born in Germany on 25th October 1818. He arrived in England by 1841, living in Manchester, as the 1841 census records him as been “from foreign parts”, and his occupation is listed as traveller. By 1861, he was residing at 13 Mornington Villas, in the subhurb of Manningham, Bradford. His occupation being given as Worsted Merchant. He was by now about 42, and was married to Mathilde who was nearly twenty years his junior at 23. They were both from German by birth, but were both by now naturalized British subjects.
A decade later in 1871, the couple had become a fully fledged family, and were now living at the large villa like residence of 1 Oak Mount, Manningham Lane. The couple had six children and five domestic servants living with them or working for them. These were:
- Helense, 9
- Gurtard, 8
- Ludwig, 6,
- Leopold, 5,
- Cacilie, 3 and
- Fanny aged 2.
The servants were:
- Lucy Ann Hudson, 35
- Mary Walker, 25
- Catherine Bloudett, 24
- Jane Hahton, 25
- Grace Rhodes, 17 and
There was also a visitor to the house on the day the census enumerator came calling. This was the merchant Emil Oberworth (Oberwart) who was aged 36, born in Berlin, Prussia, Germany.
At the time he died, Jonas was still a merchant, and still dwelling at number 1 Oak Mount a short distance from the splendid park in Manningham, Bradford.
He died on the 17th day of May 1877 at the age of 58. The informant of his death was the Reverend Dr Joseph Strauss, who had been the Reform Rabbi in Bradford at this time for approximately 4 years. Rabbi Strauss was Bradford Synagogue’s minister for nearly 50 years between 1873
and 1922.
The 1881 census shows no sign of the Koppel family minus Jonas. It may be surmised that they returned to Germany, or emigrated to America, Austrailia or South Afrcia. Nor does the 1891 census show them.
Tombstone of John Jonas Salomon Koppel 1818-1877, Reform Section, Scholemoor Cemetery, Bradford
Jonas Koppel was the first person to be buried in the newly consecrated Jewish Cemetery on Necropolis Road at Scholemoor, but not the first Jew to be buried in Bradford. The first Jewish burial to take place in the town were in Undercliffe Cemetery, which includes the graves of Sir Jacob Behrens, his wife Doris, their sons Harry , Gustav, and other members of the Behrens family.
Details of these burials can be seen through the link below, together with information on all those family members mentioned on their tombstones. There are also some headstones in Undercliffe Cemetery bearing Stars of David, but these are known not to be Jewish burials.
The Cemetery Project http://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/Bradford/Bradford_Cemeteries/Cemetery_menu.htm