Rivertown - Warehouse District in Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Chapman Abraham / Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War
Photographed By J.T. Lambrou, May 3, 2021
1. Chapman Abraham Marker
Inscription.
Chapman Abraham, also, Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War. .
Chapman Abraham. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British took Canada from France and with it possession of French forts in the western Great Lakes region, including Detroit. The post remained an important center of trade between the British and Native Americans. British trader Chapman Abraham (c. 1723-1783) arrived in Detroit around 1762. Abraham helped to supply British soldiers during the war as a partner of Fort Michilimackinac commissaries Levi Solomons, Ezekiel Solomon, Gershon Levi, and Benjamin Lyon. In 1763 he was captured and then released by Indians at Detroit. By 1767 Abraham was a merchant engaged in the fur trade who owned property within the fortified town of Detroit. He is considered Detroit's first Jewish resident.,
Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War . Jewish settlement in Michigan began with Ezekiel Solomon's arrival at Fort Michilimackinac in 1761. The following year Chapman Abraham arrived in Detroit. During the mid-nineteenth century Jewish immigration began to rise, particularly in Detroit. Some 150 Jewish families lived in Michigan by the time the Civil War began in 1861. The small population, made up mostly of recent immigrants, contributed an unusually high number of men to the Union army. One hundred eighty-one Michigan Jews served; thirty-eight perished. By risking their lives, Jews put down roots in their adopted country and laid the foundation for the larger wave of Jewish immigration that would follow in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Chapman Abraham
During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British took Canada from France and with it possession of French forts in the western Great Lakes region, including Detroit. The post remained an important center of trade between the British and Native Americans. British trader Chapman Abraham (c. 1723-1783) arrived in Detroit around 1762. Abraham helped to supply British soldiers during the war as a partner of Fort Michilimackinac commissaries Levi Solomons, Ezekiel Solomon, Gershon Levi, and Benjamin Lyon. In 1763 he was captured and then released by Indians at Detroit. By 1767 Abraham was a merchant engaged in the fur trade who owned property within the fortified town of Detroit. He is considered Detroit's first Jewish resident.
Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War
Jewish settlement in Michigan began with Ezekiel Solomon's arrival at Fort Michilimackinac in 1761. The following year Chapman Abraham arrived in Detroit. During the mid-nineteenth century Jewish immigration began to rise, particularly in Detroit. Some 150 Jewish families lived in Michigan by the time the Civil War began in 1861. The small population, made up mostly of recent immigrants, contributed an unusually high number of men to the Union army. One hundred eighty-one Michigan Jews served; thirty-eight
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perished. By risking their lives, Jews put down roots in their adopted country and laid the foundation for the larger wave of Jewish immigration that would follow in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Erected 2007 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S687.)
Location. 42° 20.012′ N, 83° 1.432′ W. Marker is in Detroit, Michigan, in Wayne County. It is in the Rivertown - Warehouse District. Marker can be reached from Atwater Street south of St. Aubin Street. Located in the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor along the sidewalk east of the harbor. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1900 Atwater St, Detroit MI 48207, United States of America. Touch for directions.
3. Chapman Abraham / Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War Marker
The historical marker can be seen to the right of The Black Presence in Detroit monument.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,958 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on June 9, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 2, 3. submitted on July 23, 2010, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
