Mordecai Sheftall papers

Mordecai Sheftall (1735-1797)

Mordecai Sheftall was born in the town of Savannah on December 2, 1735 in the British land trust of Georgia to Prussian-born Jews, Benjamin and Perla Sheftall. According to John McKay Sheftall in "The Sheftalls of Savannah," Mordecai's father, Benjamin, was born in Frankfurt-on-Oder in 1692, and moved from Prussia to London some time prior to marrying Perla in 1730 or 1731. Benjamin and Perla landed in July 1733, and were among a group of forty-one Jews eventually granted permission to settle in Georgia by the British resident trustee, James Oglethorpe. The Sheftalls, along with the family of Abraham Minis and Jacob Yowel, were the only Ashkenazic Jews among the Sephardic families in the Portuguese and German group hailing from the Port of London. As citizens of Georgia, the land trust Georgia, the colony, and finally the state, the Sheftalls established themselves not only as forefathers of the fledgling Jewish community in the greater community of Savannah but, ultimately, as forefathers of the United States of America itself.

The Georgia trusteeship was established by Oglethorpe in 1732 with the purpose of assisting the worthy poor of England to "better their condition by giving them land in the New World, and assisting them in its cultivation by bounties or otherwise." The "worthy poor," those released from debtor prisons in England, never quite made it to the philanthropic-minded colony, and Georgia slowly became a haven for Scots with crafts and construction ability, poor English tradesmen and artisans, and Protestant religious refugees from Switzerland, France and Germany. Jews were not necessarily included as part of the "worthy poor" or religious refugees, but Oglethorpe did not, despite hesitancy from England, turn the Jewish group away when they arrived.

At the time of Mordecai's birth, Georgia served as a buffer zone for the English against the Spanish in Spanish East Florida; the frontier settlement of Savannah was little more than an outpost along the southernmost edge of the British Empire in North America. From 1640 on, the Spanish and British clashed over territory, with the British establishing South Carolina above Georgia, and the Spanish maintaining outposts below it.

All of the Sephardic Jews who landed with Sheftall or arrived later, fled Georgia when the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1743( - which became part of the larger European War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) - broke out between the Spanish and British in their North American colonies. The Sephardim were aligned by birth to Spain rather than Britain (who were aligned with the Austrian Empire), while the Askenazic German Sheftalls stayed neutral. The British eventually won the larger war, but James Oglethorpe, who led the Georgian battles against Spain, lost control of the colony and sailed back to England in 1743. From 1741 to the late 1750s, only two Jewish families remained in Savannah, the Sheftalls and the family of Abraham Minis.

Benjamin and Perla had two children, the first of which, Sheftall Sheftall, was born on August 3, 1734, and died as a toddler. Perla was quickly pregnant again, having Mordecai a little over a year later. The birth combined with colonial living conditions weakened Perla considerably and she died eleven months after Mordecai was born, on November 2, 1736. Benjamin raised Mordecai for a few years by himself until he remarried Hannah Solomons in Savannah in 1738. Hannah hailed from Amsterdam and little is known about her life prior to arriving in Georgia. She had migrated to Philadelphia, and, in what may have been an arranged marriage for the couple, moved to Savannah on October 5, 1738. She was married to Benjamin on November 20. They had two sons: Levi, born on December 12, 1739; and Solomon, who was born in 1741 and died in 1743.

Benjamin established himself in Savannah as a farmer, merchant, shipper, and community leader. He never accumulated much real wealth, and owned five slaves at the time of his death. This said, he provided well for his family. In 1734 he translated for a group of newly-arrived, German-speaking Austrian Lutherans - the Salzburgers - who were expelled from Austria by Count Leopold. In the same year, Sheftall, with other Savannah Jews, established the first synagogue in Georgia, Congregation Mikveh Israel (Kahal Kadosh Mickva Israel). In addition, he was one of the five founders of the inter-faith organization, St. George's Society for the Education of Orphan Children, and was inducted into the Savannah Solomon's Lodge, a Masonic Temple founded by Oglethorpe. When Benjamin died in 1765, he was buried in a small family plot created by Levi Sheftall that exists today. Benjamin's son Mordecai would go on to establish a more permanent Jewish burial ground for the larger community.

Though Benjamin was respected in the non-Jewish community, he was somewhat reluctant to engage fully in the communal life with them, having grown up in European Jewish ghettoes. His native-born and outgoing son, Mordecai, growing up in Georgia, didn't experience these exclusions. Mordecai had only a few years of formal schooling and his bar mitzvah (the first recorded bar mitzvah in what would become America) was delayed as Hebraic books did not arrive in a timely fashion from England, but Mordecai was never denied the rights of citizenship denied to Benjamin. As a native-born Jewish Georgian with young Christian friends, Mordecai developed the same feelings and opinions as a growing portion of his fellow Georgians regarding concepts of freedom and independence as the colonies moved steadily toward separation from England.

Georgia became an official crown colony of Great Britain in 1752. With this, citizens were naturalized under British rule, and could petition the crown for at least fifty acres of land. While Benjamin reluctantly filed for land, Mordecai wholeheartedly applied for his first plot in 1753. This petition began a lifelong passion for acquiring land by Mordecai and Levi, both of whom ultimately bought or petitioned the colony for thousands of acres, though many of their requests were denied and most of their holdings lost after the American Revolution.

Mordecai followed his father into the merchant and trading business, establishing himself in a variety of businesses such as warehousing, tanning, ranching, and the import/export trade. In 1759, he petitioned for and received land along the Savannah River and built a dock and warehouse. With this warehouse and family ties to the mercantile industry in England, Charleston, Philadelphia, and the Caribbean Islands, Sheftall was able to grow his business, acquire more land and slaves, and, by 1776, had made numerous trips to the Caribbean and at least one trip to England. Levi initially worked in the mercantile business, but eventually settled into the work of tanning, sawmilling, and ranching. As Mordecai became financially secure, he married Frances Hart (1740-1820) of Charleston, South Carolina, on October 28, 1761 in the home of Frances' brother, Joshua Hart, a prominent Jewish merchant in Charleston and friend of Mordecai's. Together, Mordecai and Frances had five children: sons Sheftall (named after Mordecai's deceased brother), Benjamin, and Moses; and daughters Perla and Esther. A sixth son, Elias, died in infancy. Levi married Sarah De La Motta of St. Croix in 1768. Sarah was fourteen, and Levi twenty-eight. They had several children together.

By 1771 a little fewer than 2,000 residents, including Negros and "infidels" (Native Americans), lived in Chatham County with Savannah as the county seat. Notes from the files of former American Jewish Historical Society librarian Isidore Meyer (who worked on the original Works Progress Administration Guide for the Sheftall papers), report that a Chatham County ecclesiastical census by the Rev. Mr. Frink listed the residents by religion: Church of England, 1,185; Lutherans, 193; Presbyterians and Independents, 499; Jews, 49; Negros, 40; and Infidels, 30. Mordecai, as head of the Jewish community, reestablished the Congregation Mikveh Israel in 1774, long with a larger Jewish cemetery.

The Sheftalls lived in relative comfort; their businesses were thriving, they owned land and snalces, and were respected in the community. However, the American Revolution overturned their economic and domestic conditions. Mordecai was a devout Patriot, and member of the Sons of Liberty; the British referred to him as a "rabble-rouser." Like many Georgians at the beginning of the American Revolution, Levi was more cautious and reserved.

B.H. Levy notes that prior to 1763, Georgia was the southernmost and youngest frontier colony, as well as the poorest and weakest, though it was ruled well by Royal Governor James Wright. Wright, governor from 1760-1776, was generally well-liked and respected. He was Georgia's third royal governor, and the colony fared well under the English, who protected it from Indians and Spanairds on the borders. Many Georgians were not necessarily against taxation without representation, but opposed the individual taxes themselves; particular those levied by the Stamp and Sugar Acts. The Stamp Act was particularly onerous, as the tax had to be paid in gold or silver; both in short supply in Georgia. From 1764 to 1767, the passage of the Stamp, Sugar, and Townsend Acts were all used to raise revenues for the British Crown as they had depleted their coffers during Europe's Seven Years War, and that conflict's North American extension, the French and Indian Wars (1754-1763). These taxes sapped the profits of the successful Georgia colony.

In addition to the tension that British-born Georgians and their American-born children brought to the fore, Georgia became increasingly difficult for Governor Wright to rule as the colony's legislative Assembly bodies - the upper Council and lower Commons - consistently were at odds with each other over Continental support. The upper house contained primarily loyalists to the crown, while the lower house mostly those in favor of succession. Wright dissolved the Commons more than once during this time, and refused to seat certain members voted to the Assembly. In late 1765, Wright officially declared that the Stamp Act was in effect, and closed the port of Savannah until the stamps could be affixed to export goods. This led to an increase in tensions between South Carolina and Georgia legislators and merchants, who felt that Georgia should have put up a stronger fight against the use of the Stamps. Trade was temporarily halted as Governor Wright contended with the newly-established Carolina Sons of Liberty, who destroyed two ships attempting to leave Charleston for Savannah shortly thereafter. Ten years of continual strife and incidents between 1765-1775 took their toll, and war between Britain and its American colonies eventually broke out in 1775.

All of the colonies except for Georgia were represented in the First Continental Congress that convened in Philadelphia from September to October of 1774. After the Boston Tea Party of 1773, Britain retaliated by closing Boston Harbor in May 1774 and enacted the Second Quartering Act (part of the Intolerable, or Coercive/Restraining Acts widely denounced in the colonies). These actions helped push the revolutionary call in Georgia, as members of the Liberty Parties called a meeting for July 27, later postponed to August 10, to respond to the British as a colony. Although Governor Wright issued a proclamation against the upcoming meeting, it went ahead as planned with twenty-six invited delegates attending and every parish represented. The meeting adopted eight resolutions regarding Britain's actions, but did not approve a representative to send to the first Congress; they were not yet ready to "openly oppose British rule in America," but did send provisions of rice and coin to Boston.

Governor Wright challenged the August resolutions and offered pay to residents to sign petitions against them, while Georgia's only newspaper, The Gazette, published the resolutions adopted by the First Continental Congress and announced an all-parish meeting on January 15, 1775, to be held in Savannah. This would be Georgia's First Provincial Congress, called to prepare for the Second Continental Congress scheduled for May 10. Only four parishes out of twelve sent representatives to the First Provincial Congress and the attendees voted not to send representatives to the second Congress. On the day of the Second Continental Congress, word reached Savannah of the April 19th outbreak of fighting between British and American troops at Lexington and Concord. This news pushed the Whigs of the Liberty Parties, including Noble Wymberly Jones, Joseph Habersham, Edward Telfair, and Mordecai Sheftall to break into the royal powder magazine and seize five hundred pounds of gunpowder, which they then sent to Boston.

By summer 1775, the Whigs held the Georgian majority. The Second Provincial Congress met in June 1775, passed nineteen resolutions, barred exports and imports from Great Britain, elected delegates to Congress, appropriated funds for defense, and created the Council (or Committee) of Safety to "function as the executive arm of the government when Congress was not in session." Mordecai Sheftall, a Whig and vocal patriot, was appointed Chairman of the Council of Safety, a position he held until his capture by the British in 1778. This committee enforced the ban on British goods, and demanded that ship's papers be handed over to them in order to verify the origin of said goods. In July 1775, Georgia, under Oliver Bowen, commandeered a British vessel, Philippa, and seized its cargo of gunpowder, lead bullets, shots, and guns. The firearms were stored in Savannah's powderhouse, and the ship was put into the service of Georgia and the Continental Navy.

Mordecai was eventually appointed Deputy Commissary of Issues for Georgia. A committee report from Georgia submitted to the Continental Congress in January 1778 and published on February 13, 1778 reads: "Resolved, That all Provisions for the Troops in Georgia, shall be supplied by Contract, or in such other way as shall appear to the Government of the said State, to be the surest Supply and the least prejudicial to the said State and the United States." These appointments made him a colonel in the civilian staff of the Georgia Continental Line and, as Deputy Commissary of Issues, Sheftall's job was to furnish the Georgian troops with food and supplies. He purchased rations with his own funds and billed the government. This merchant provision system was a part of the Quartermaster system during the war. Mordecai's son, Sheftall, would eventually join him as a Commissary of Issues, though unfortunately, the Sheftall family would never fully recoup the funds put forward for the troops of Georgia and South Carolina. From late 1777 to December 1778, Sheftall performed in this capacity as Deputy Commissary of Issues within the Georgia Continental Army structure and provision returns for both Army and Navy functions may be found within this collection of papers.

In 1778, Continental troops won the Battle for Georgia, defending the towns of Sunbury and Savannah from British attacks. Georgia's small navy, commissioned in 1777 - including the galleys Washington, Bulloch, Congress, and Lee - successfully captured one major British vessel, The Hinchenbrook. In September 1778, Great Britain attacked Savannah for the second time, ultimately capturing Savannah in November, 1778, and occupying Sunbury in January 1779. Many of Savannah's citizens, including Mordecai's wife, Frances, fled to the larger city of Charleston. Mordecai and Sheftall were captured in Savannah on December 29, 1778, along with "thirty-eight officers, four hundred and fifteen non-commissioned officers and privates, including the sick, wounded and the aged inhabitants of the town," according to McCall's historical account of the defeat of the city. The British occupied Savannah through the end of the war.

According to one account of Savannah's capture, Mordecai and Sheftall attempted to escape from the British who landed at Brewton Hill near Savannah earlier in the day. Around 3:00 PM, the British entered the town and took possession of Savannah. Mordecai and Sheftall tried to cross the Musgrove Creek by following Colonel Samuel Elbert and Major James Habersham's forces, but the troops came under fire from the Light Infantry of Sir James Baird while the creek was at high tide. Sheftall Sheftall could not swim, and so Mordecai stayed with him. They, along with other Continental officers and privates, were pinned down by the British, surrendered, and were transported to the prison ship Nancy in Savannah harbor. Mordecai was kept on the Nancy until February 25, and was paroled to Sunbury in April; Sheftall was detained for a longer period of time aboard the prison ship. Mordecai successfully petitioned for Sheftall's parole and in June. During this time, Mordecai made very little money to send to his family stranded in Charleston. The Sheftalls, along with other Continental troops, attempted to escape from Sunbury. The British captured them, and sent them into exile on Antigua. Mordecai requested that Continental forces conduct a prisoner exchange for those on Antigua, and eventually the British granted him parole and, on April 11, 1780, exchanged him for Jacob Jarvis on July 14. As fighting continued in Georgia, the British forbade the Sheftalls from returning to Savannah. So, the Sheftalls made their way to New York and Philadelphia, where Mordecai hoped to restart his mercantile business.

Levi Sheftall fared no better than Mordecai during this period. In 1779, the Patriots accused him of being a Tory, and vice versa. As, at this point in the war, Levi believed that the British would win, he accepted a general pardon from the British in order to return to his family in Charleston. When the Patriots regained control of Georgia in 1782, they banished him and confiscated his land under the Act of Confiscation and Amercement.

Francis Sheftall, who fled Savannah to Charleston with the four other Sheftall children, supported herself and the children through washing and ironing. In Philadelphia, Mordecai asked Congress for back pay or reimbursement for out-of-pocket funds provided for troops to bring his family to Philadelphia, but Congress would not provide enough to recoup his losses. When the Board of War asked Sheftall Sheftall to sail as a flag master on the Carolina, a "flag-of-truce" ship being sent to Charleston on a mercy mission, Sheftall requested back pay and additional money for ships' stores, which led some members of Congress to accuse him of extortion. Sheftall sailed with the ship and anchored in Charleston on February 14, 1781. The ship remained anchored there for six weeks. Despite not having funds to pay for Frances and the children, they were able to board the Carolina and head to Philadelphia with Sheftall Sheftall after Mordecai made an arrangement with the ship's owners. The family was reunited after a two-year separation.

Their financial situation eased slightly when Mordecai was appointed as Georgia's agent for purchasing troops clothing in 1781, allowing the Sheftalls to invest in a Philadelphia-based sloop called the Hetty. This investment began a short-lived and ill-fated investment adventure in the business of 18th century privateering; captured and successfully sold the confiscated goods of only one British vessel, the sloop Swift. Mordecai eventually sold his interest in the ship.

The Sheftalls returned to Savannah after the war. Though Mordecai resumed his position as a merchant and community leader, much of his property and assets were gone. He was able to somewhat rebuild the business, but financial woes plagued him as the Continental government could not reimburse him for all of his expenses accrued during the war as tht body owed millions in war debt. Even though he suffered from cash flow issues, Mordecai continued to buy land on credit or mortgage, and had to relinquish properties as a result of suits brought against him for lack of payment to debts on several occasions. Despite this, he retained his standing in the community, and he served on numerous committees and positions until his death.

In 1789, he successfully obtained an incorporation charter from the Georgia government for the re-established Congregation Mikveh Israel after the state passed legislation allowing for the incorporation of religious societies other than the Episcopal Church. He was elected synagogue president, and served from 1791-1796. As a slave owner, Mordecai was appointed as a Commissioner to Supervise, Regulate, and License Slaves; Commissioner for the Streets and Commons; and held the only approved tobacco-inspection warehouse in Savannah. He also served on the board of the Union Society for Orphans established by his father, was a Chairman on the Board of Wardens, and served as a lumber inspector, among various positions. Mordecai Sheftall died on July 6, 1797.

Mordecai worked steadfastly on behalf of Levi Sheftall's return to Savannah, writing to the Assembly, and encouraging friends to do the same. In August 1783, the Assembly relented and allowed Levi to return to Savannah, and by 1787, reinstated all of his rights as a citizen, including the right to vote and hold office. However, a rift developed between Mordecai and Levy over finances loaned to Frances during the war, which shattered the brothers' relationship.

Levi died in 1809 and his wife, Sarah, passed away in 1811.

Frances Hart lived with her unmarried daughters, Perla and Esther, after her husband's death, and died in 1820. Little is known about Perla, but Esther operated a successful millinery shop out of their home. Benjamin Sheftall perished at sea on a French privateer ship, the Industry, in 1794.

Moses Sheftall went to Philadelphia to study medicine under Benjamin Rush at the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1790. He returned to Savannah to practice medicine, and became an expert in infectious diseases. He also served in the state legislature and married a Gentile woman named Nellie Bush. Moses died in 1835.

Sheftall Sheftall lived the longest of his siblings, dying in 1849. Sheftall was somewhat of a wandering spirit after the war, drifting off to Philadelphia and New York where he petitioned many an official, including Alexander Hamilton, to reimburse his father monies owed him during the war. He eventually moved back to Savannah, and, in 1819 was an honored guest at a dinner for President James Monroe. He was active in Congregation Mikveh Israel. As he aged, he became reclusive and eccentric and wore revolutionary-era clothing and three-cornered hats. Sheftall died at the age of 90.

July 11, 1733

Forty-one Jews are granted permission to settle in Georgia, including Benjamin and Perla Sheftall, Ashkenazic Jews. Thirty-three of the Jewish settlers were Sephardic while eight were Ashkenazi. Benjamin begins private diary/record of births, deaths, marriages, and arrivals in the Savannah Jewish community. This record is updated by his son Levi until 1808.

August 3, 1734

Sheftall, first son of Benjamin and Perla, is born. His death sometime thereafter is ascribed to a "nurse feeding him acorns."

July 1735

Congregation Mikveh Israel established by the Jews in Savannah, including the parents of Mordecai Sheftall who would become President of the Congregation in 1791 until his death in 1796.

December 2, 1735

Mordecai Sheftall born to Perla and Benjamin Sheftall

November 2, 1736

Perla Sheftall dies.

October 5, 1738

Hannah Solomons, second wife to Benjamin, arrives from Amsterdam to Savannah. Benjamin and Hannah are married within two months, possibly an arranged marriage.

1739

War of Jenkins' Ear begins, and is later subsumed by the larger War of Austrian Succession

December 12, 1739

Levi Sheftall, son of Benjamin and Hannah and half-brother to Mordecai, is born

December 16, 1740

War of Austrian Succession breaks out in Europe

1741

Sephardic Jews flee Savannah during the year; two Askenazic families, the Sheftalls and the Minises are only Jewish families in Savannah until late 1750s

August 8, 1741

Benjamin and Hannah have a third son, Solomon, who dies in 1743.

Mid-year 1743

War of Jenkins' Ear ends, though War of Austrian Succession rages on in Europe.

Mid-year 1743

Oglethorpe returns to England.

October 8, 1748

War of Austrian Succession ends in Europe

1750

Savannah's St. George's Union Society, a charitable society for the education of orphans, is founded by three men, a Protestant, a Catholic, and a Jew, Benjamin Sheftall.

October 7, 1750

Benjamin becomes a naturalized citizen of Georgia²⁵

June 23, 1752

Last meeting of Georgia Trusteeship occurs and Georgia becomes a royal colony of Great Britain

April 1, 1755

Mordecai is denied a land grant from the Georgia colony

May 15, 1756

Benjamin petitions for a "Lot in Savannah with Garden and farm lots." He requests an additional 350 acres in 1757 and is granted 200 acres.

July 29, 1756

Reynolds recalled as Governor; replaced by Henry Ellis on February 16, 1757

December 8, 1756

Mordecai is granted his first share of land from Georgia of fifty acres.

May 30, 1760

Governor Ellis resigns due to health issues; replaced by James Wright

October 28, 1761

Mordecai marries Frances Hart of Charleston in the home of her merchant brother, Joshua

September 8, 1762

Eldest son of Mordecai and Frances born. He is named Sheftall after Mordecai's brother who died as a toddler.

September 29, 1764

Sugar Act passed in Parliament and modified in 1766

July 1, 1765

Benjamin Franklin becomes Georgia's provincial agent in London, thereby settling two years of legislative and gubernatorial bickering regarding the appointment of an agent

October 3, 1765

Benjamin Sheftall, father of Mordecai and Levi, dies (b. 1692)

October 19, 1765

Stamp Act Congress called by Massachusetts General Assembly to protest taxes; due to circumstances Georgia representatives could not attend

October 31, 1765

Stamp Act Congress documents published in the Georgia Gazette; effigy of stamp officer hanged and burned in Savannah

November 1, 1765

Stamp Act commences, but no stamps or stamp officer is present in Georgia

November 5, 1765

Savannah citizens press British sailor into playing a Stamp officer and mock hang him on Guy Fawkes Day

November 6, 1765

Sons of Liberty, aka "Liberty Boys" publicly meet for the first time in Savannah

December 4, 1765

Governor Wright closes the port of Savannah and all ships are held until the Stamp Act can be enacted

December 16, 1765

Governor Wright takes the oath of the Stamp Act, which becomes enforced in Georgia

December 17, 1765

Stamps arrive in Savannah though the English Stamp Master had not arrived in Georgia.

January 3, 1766

Stamp Master George Angus arrives in Savannah; Wright has stamps put on goods and ships are allowed to leave Savannah

March 17, 1766

Stamp Act repealed

July 1766

Georgia Assembly meets; Wright presents official repeal of Stamp Act

June 29, 1767

Townsend Acts, a series of five acts, including one to raise duties on the colonies, passed by Parliament

October 14, 1767

Benjamin, son of Mordecai and Frances, born

May 1768

Boston's unrest over the Townsend Acts leads to British military occupying city

May 25, 1768

Levi Sheftall, Mordecai's half-brother, marries Sarah de la Motta of St. Croix

June 10, 1768

John Hancock's ship, Liberty seized in Boston due to charges of smuggling

October 1, 1768

British send four regiments of troops to Boston

October 12, 1769

Moses Sheftall, son of Mordecai and Frances, born

March 5, 1770

Boston Massacre occurs in Massachusetts; Townsend Act is partially repealed, leaving the Tea Act in placed

March 16, 1770

Mordecai mortgages St. Catherine's Island from Button Gwinnett²⁶

1772

Mordecai donates 1.5 acres to cemetery known for many years as the Sheftall Cemetery, opened to all Jews of good standing with the community

February 21, 1772

Hannah Sheftall dies

May 10, 1773

Tea Act is passed by Parliament.

December 3, 1773

Boston Tea Party erupts in Massachusetts.

May 14, 1774

Britain closes the Port of Boston and enacts Second Quartering Act, leading to additional unrest in the colonies

June 16, 1774

Magna Charta merchant ship is forced to destroy its tea shipment by the Charleston General Committee; tea is later found not destroyed but sequesteredl by customs collector, angering the local Patriots. The ship's captain barely escapes from an angry mob.

July 14, 1774

Georgia Liberty Parties issue call for residents to attend a meeting on the actions of British closing the port of Boston

August 10, 1774

Georgia delegates meet at Tondee's Tavern despite meeting ban by Wright; fail to elect delegates to Continental Congress but pass resolutions and elect a general committee

September 4, 1774

Worship services resume for Congregation Mikveh Israel in the home of Mordecai Sheftall

September 5 to October 26, 1774

First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia; adopts Declaration of Resolves and Continental Association; sets May date to meet again depending on response from London; Georgia does not send a representative

September 9, 1774

Suffolk Resolves published denouncing the Intolerable Acts (Boston Port Act; Massachusetts Government Act; Administration of Justice Act; Quartering Act)

November 30, 1774

King George III opens Parliament with a condemnation of Massachusetts and the Suffolk Resolves

January 18, 1775

Georgia Provincial Congress in Savannah meets to consider joining Continental Association meeting set for May and ban trade with England; votes to send three delegates; Wright dissolves Provincial Congress

April 19, 1775

Battle of Lexington and Concord

April 20, 1775

Gunpowder Incident, Virginia. Lord Dunmore attempts to stem unrest in the colonies by taking away the means for colonists to protect themselves. Patrick Henry demands payment for the munitions.

May 10, 1775

Second Continental Congress is scheduled to meet; news of Lexington and Concord reaches Savannah

May 11, 1775

Georgia patriots including Sheftall break into royal arsenal in Savannah and seize 500 pounds of gunpowder; munitions are sent to Boston

June 1775

Savannah Council of Safety appointed

June 17, 1775

Battle of Bunker Hill; Savannah munitions are used in battle

July 1775

Ship Philippa arrives from London and docks near Tybee Island. It is eventually seized by Georgia

July 4, 1775

Second Georgia Provincial Congress meets

November 1775

Lord Dunmore issues emancipation proclamation, promising freedom to slaves who join to fight with the British Crown

March 1, 1776

Charles Lee becomes Commander of the Southern Department

March 4, 1776

Yamacrow Bluff Battle (Battle of the Rice Boats) on the Savannah River

March 7, 1776

Hutchinson's Island Battle. Savannah

May 1776

British expedition lands in North Carolina but decides to continue to Charleston

May 1776

Mordecai is elected Chairman of the Savannah Parochial Committee of Savannah

June 28, 1776

First Siege of Charleston at Fort Sullivan. British, defeated, withdraw to New York

July 4, 1776

Declaration of Independence signed in Philadephia

August 10, 1776

Beaufort Battle. Beaufort, SC

September 9, 1776

Charles Lee relieved of Command of the Southern Department

September 25, 1776

Robert Howe appointed Commander of the Southern Department

January 29, 1777

Augusta Battle. Georgia.

February 2-4, 1777

Fort McIntosh Battle. Georgia

June 14, 1777

Battle of Saratoga, New York begins; ends October 17th with the defeat of the British; France joins the colonies against Britain.

April ?, 1778

South Carolina appoints nine State Commissioners of the Navy; continues to organize naval forces for the South.

April 6, 1778

Mordecai is appointed Assistant Deputy Commissary of Issues for Georgia

May-July 1778

General Howe marches through South Carolina and Georgia (known as the Florida Expedition) and ultimately captures Fort Tonyn for the Continental Army.

June 22, 1778

Captain James Moore with members of the Florida militia are ambushed and captured by the British

June 28, 1778

Battle of Monmouth

July 28, 1778

Mordecai is promoted to Commissary of Issues for Georgia

July 29, 1778

Mordecai re-appoints Sheftall Sheftall as Assistant Deputy Commissary of Issues

September 25, 1778

Robert Howe loses Command of Southern Department after the Battle of St. Augustine though he is not relieved from duty until after Christmas and Savannah falls to the British. Benjamin Lincoln appointed Southern Department Commander.

November 24, 1778

Midway Church Battle. Georgia

November 29, 1778

Savannah falls to the British while under the command of General Howe and General Huger

December 29, 1778

Savannah is occupied by British troops until July 11, 1782. Mordecai and his son Sheftall are taken prisoner by the British.

January 6-9, 1779

Sunbury Battle. Georgia

February 3, 1779

Beaufort Battle. South Carolina

February 25, 1779

Mordecai is released from British prison ship, Nancy while Sheftall remains incarcerated.

March 20, 1779

The Congress and Lee galleys clash with the HMS Greenwich in Abercorn Creek, GA and are abandoned. Earlier in the year, the Washington and Bulloch galleys are burned by their Continental crews to avoid capture by the British.

May 11-13, 1779

Charleston Siege. South Carolina

June 26, 1779

Sheftall Sheftall paroled from the Nancy to Sunbury

September 23 - October 18, 1779

Savannah Siege. Georgia. Mordecai and Sheftall attempt to escape from hostilities and are recaptured by the British and sent to Antigua.

March 29-May 12, 1780

Charleston Siege. South Carolina; Command structure of the Southern Department is destroyed.

April 11, 1780

Mordecai released in a prisoner exchange.

June 13, 1780

Benjamin Lincoln leaves Command of Southern Department; Horatio Gates becomes Commander of the Southern Department

July 6, 1780

Disqualifying Act is passed by Royal leadership barring disloyal colonists from holding office. Mordecai Sheftall of the "rebel Parochial Committee" is listed.

July 14, 1780

Sheftall is paroled in a prisoner exchange. The Sheftalls cannot return to Georgia, and go North to New York and Philadelphia

August 16, 1780

Southern Department command structure destroyed for second time at Battle of Camden (South Carolina).²⁷

September 14-18, 1780

Augusta Battle. Georgia

October 17, 1780

Gates is replaced as the final Commander of the Southern Department through the end of the war.

March 1, 1781

Articles of Confederation go into effect

April 16-June 5, 1781

Augusta Battle. Georgia

May 21, 1781

Fort Galphin. Georgia

September 6, 1781

The Hetty is registered under Captain Henry Darnall with eight guns and thirty crew and as owned by Mordecai Sheftall, though it was purchased by Sheftall earlier.²⁸

January 11, 1782

Mordecai Sheftall is called to testify for General Howe regarding Howe's defense of Savannah.

January 12-April 12, 1782

Final Siege of Savannah

March 14, 1782

Captainship of the Hetty transferred to Thomas Deburk

May 21, 1782

Ogeechee Road Battle. Georgia

June 23, 1782

Ebenezer Battle. Georgia

August 8, 1794

Benjamin Sheftall dies at sea

July 6, 1797

Mordecai Sheftall dies

November 6, 1811

Sarah de la Motta, born in St. Croix and married to Levi Sheftall at the age of 14, dies.

October 25, 1820

Frances Hart dies in Beaufort, SC

June 10, 1835

Moses Sheftall dies in Philadelphia

August 15, 1849

Sheftall Sheftall dies in Savannah