Abraham Cohen Labatt (1802,

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

- August 16, 1899,

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

) was an American

Sephardic Jew Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

who was a prominent pioneer of

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

in the United States in the 19th century, founding several early congregations in the South and in San Francisco after the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

. A merchant, in the 1830s he helped pioneer trade between United States interests in Charleston and those in Texas and Mexico.

Early life and education

Abraham Labatt was a

born in

. His parents were David C. Labatt and Catherine Cohen (1773-1846), who came to Charleston by the time of the 1800 census having emigrated from Spain and Portugal, via Germany, France, the Netherlands and England.

Career

As a young man, Labatt was one of the founders and first settlers of

Cheraw, South Carolina Cheraw ( , ) is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2020 census. The greater Cheraw area in the zip code 29520 has a populatio ...

, where he joined a

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

in 1823. In 1825, Labatt helped organize the Reform congregation in Charleston, the first in the United States.Diana J. Kleiner, "LABATT, ABRAHAM COHEN"
''Handbook of Texas Online,'' Published by the Texas State Historical Association, accessed 2 November 2012 A few years later, he moved with his young family to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, where he worked as a merchant and trader. He was appointed post master of a small town in what was then Mecklenburg County and is now believed to be

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 United States census, 2010 to 34,551 in 2020 United States census, 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlot ...

by US President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, which he named Jacksonville (not to be confused with

Jacksonville, North Carolina Jacksonville is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 72,723, which makes Jacksonville the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 14th-most populous city in North Caroli ...

). In 1827 he purchased large plots of land there and in 1830 and 1832 he was granted powers of attorney by his father-in-law Samuel Hyams to sell more land in Mecklenburg and two slaves named Sandy and Gabriel that Hyams owned. On 3 November 1829 he placed an advertisement in the ''Western Carolinian'' for a "House of Accommodation", believed to be same place as Labatt's Crossroads, where Union County's first court sat.Thomas, George, "The Making of Monroe", rockyrivernc.co

accessed 7 September 2020 In 1831 he moved to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. In that city, he was one of the founders of the first Jewish congregations in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, which became known as the Portuguese Jewish Nefutzot Yehudah congregation (or Portuguese Synagogue). (In 1870, its rabbi visited Galveston to dedicate the cornerstone of the first synagogue of Congregation B'nai Israel.) Labatt was also a

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

and was the secretary and a founder of the Firemen's Charitable Association of New Orleans, which was established in 1832. In 1831, Labatt visited Velasco, Texas, then part of Mexico, which had achieved independence in 1821, to explore opportunities for international trade. A settlement had just been started based on a trading post. He visited again in 1837 as supercargo of the

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

''Columbia.'' This was the first

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

to trade between the U.S., via Charleston, and Texas (by then an independent republic) and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Following the

of 1849, Labatt went to California (arriving in the August 1849) as a merchant, along with hundreds of thousands of other migrants. He also served as the first president of Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco) in April 1851.http://www.jmaw.org/labatt-jewish-san-francisco/#:~:text=Labatt%2C%20one%20of%20Abraham's%20sons,district%20courts%20in%20the%20State. , "Henry J. Labatt: Influential Early Pioneer Jewish Attorney of San Francisco", ''Jewish Museum of the American West'', March 1, 2013, accessed 7 September 2020 One of the founders of the San Francisco synagogue Shearith Israel, he laid its foundation-stone in 1856. Labatt became the Worshipful Master or Postmaster General of the Davy Crockett Lodge, the West's first Masonic Lodge, named after an American pioneer of the Southeast, a name which he helped choose. He had been a friend of Crockett's, as well as Texas president

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

. Active politically, Labatt was elected as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

of San Francisco.

Marriage and family

Labatt's granddaughter Cora was the Queen of Mardi Gras in New Orleans in the Rex parade in 1877. In Charleston, South Carolina, Labatt married Caroline Hyams (born 1802), a sister of Louisiana Lieutenant-Governor Henry M. Hyams and Samuel M. Hyams, Jr. (Asst. Adjutant General & Lieut. Colonel, 3rd Infantry Regt., LA,

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

)."Door to Dor", '' Greater Houston Jewish Genealogical Society'', Houston, TX (Fall 2016) p.

accessed 7 September 2020 They had sixteen children together. One of his grandsons, Leon L. Labatt (1854-1928), was a Judiciary of Louisiana, Louisiana judge and

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

player who won the Louisiana Chess Championship in 1917, and in his lifetime played against fellow Louisianans Paul Morphy and Armand Blackmar, as well as worldwide greats

Emanuel Lasker Emanuel Lasker (; December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher. He was the second World Chess Champion, holding the title for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially ...

, Carlos Torre Repetto,

Wilhelm Steinitz William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a Bohemian-Austrian, and later American, chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and c ...

, Johannes Zukertort, Adolf Albin and

José Raúl Capablanca José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was the third World Chess Championship, world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. A chess prodigy, he was widely renowned for his exceptional Chess ...

. Another of his sons, Henry Jacob Labatt (1832-1900), became an influential attorney in San Francisco, where he was editor of the ''Voice of Israel'', the first Jewish newspaper in the US West in 1856, along with Rabbi Herman Bien. He had moved to

by 1869, when he was elected to the Galveston Board of Aldermen and served as the City Treasurer. He was a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

1881-1883, became president of the Zacharias Frankel B’nai B’rith Lodge #242 and had a small town named after him called Labatt, Texas, situated in western Wilson County on the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, which was abandoned in the 1930s. He, his wife Eleanor, their children Ellie and Joseph, and Joseph's wife and four children, all died in the

1900 Galveston hurricane The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, was a deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane which became the List of di ...

. Other Labatt children include David Cohen Labatt (Captain & Quartermaster, 5th Infantry Regt., LA, Confederate Army; Judge), Samuel Kosciusko Labatt (Commander, Ringgold Lite Artillery, California Militia, 1853-1855), Theodore, Eliza E. Labatt (never married), Louise C. Labatt (never married), Jackson E. Labatt (Private, Co. G, 26th Infantry Regt., LA, Confederate Army), Joseph Isaac Labatt and Miriam Hyams Labatt Smith (Mrs.John B., Brigadier General; Louisiana Confederate Widow's Pension).

Return to the Gulf Coast

In the 1859-1860, some of the Labatt family returned to

. Labatt was a sutler in Col. Hunt's 2nd Louisiana Infantry Volunteers and was captured bu the uNion Army in May 1862 and was paroled on February 27, 1863. The elder Labatts and daughters moved to

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

by 1872. After his wife died in the fall of 1878, Labatt and his daughters moved to Galveston and lived with his son, Henry J. Labatt, until his death in 1899. Labatt joined the Congregation B'nai Israel, which was also Reform. He continued to be active in temple activities.

Death

Labatt died of old age and gastritis at his son Henry's house in Galveston on August 16, 1899, aged 97 or 98. He was the second oldest Mason in the United States at the time of death."Telegraph Ticks", ''The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York)'' 17 Aug 1899, Thu, p. 12'' Dallas (TX) Morning News'', 17 August 1899, p.

/ref>

References

External links

Diana J. Kleiner, "LABATT, ABRAHAM COHEN"
''Handbook of Texas Online,'' Published by the Texas State Historical Association
"Telegraph Ticks", ''The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York)'' 17 Aug 1899, Thu · Page 12
link to newspapers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Labatt, Abraham Cohen 1802 births 1899 deaths Religious leaders from Texas Confederate Jews 19th-century American Sephardic Jews People from Charleston, South Carolina People from Cheraw, South Carolina