Eleazer David, son of Charlotte and Moses and the last direct descendant of Moses David, died on October 1, 1892, at his residence at 704 Sherbrooke Street in Montreal.133 The following is the death notice for Moses Eleazer as it appeared in the registry book of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue:
Moses Eleazer David, of the city of Montreal died on the first day of October, one thousand eight hundred and ninety two, and was buried by me on the third day of October, one thousand eight hundred ninety two, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses J. L. Samuel, A. Hirschberg.
[signed] D. Mendola de Sola, Minister.134
With Moses Eleazer’s death, the Moses David family line came to an end.
An Epilogue for Windsor’s First Jewish Citizen
On June 25, 1880, Moses David’s tombstone became the subject of an article published in the Amherstburg Echo. Although the given date of his death is incorrect, the description of that particular memorial is of interest:
Sandwich has an old relic in the shape of a tombstone which was erected to the memory of Moses David by his wife, Charlotte David. The stone fence is 6 feet wide by 5 1/2 feet long. On the tombstone are engraved the following words: “in memory of Moses David, who departed this life August 21st, 1815 aged 46.” Those wishing to see, can do so by asking Mr. Dentz, of the Dominion House, or James McKee.135
As a consequence of this study of Moses David’s life, as well as an assessment of the contributions he had made to Windsor’s Jewry, interest in him was regenerated and the question of desecration of his gravesite entered discussions. From the time he purchased parcels of land, which he may have designated as his burial ground, ownership had changed many times. Yet, in most of the pertinent documents the “Jew Cemetery” was excluded from each sale, such as in the transaction between Jane Phyllis McKee and Adolphe Gignac on October 22, 1913.136 The specific clause was omitted, however, when Gignac transferred ownership of the property to his wife, Homeline, on November 20, 1923.137 After her death, the property passed to her heirs, specifically, Marie Louise Gignac, who resided there until her own death.138 In accordance with the terms of her will on May 12, 1977, the land was sold to Steve Riolo.139 Since the law does not require a title search beyond a forty-year period, the new owner was free to use it in any way he wished. Word that a high-rise apartment building might be erected on the site not only rekindled interest in Moses David, but also in the sanctity of his burial plot.
Jewish law requires that burial grounds remain undisturbed and there were discussions in 1978 to consider the feasibility of disinterment and reburial of Moses David’s remains. In response to my requests for action in this regard, Joseph Eisenberg, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Windsor contacted archaeologist Leonard Kroon, a professor at the University of Windsor.140 His offer of assistance was the first step in the process to uncover the gravesite, which had remained undisturbed for over 160 years.
To help survey the burial ground, Professor Kroon brought in Kirk Walstedt of Maidstone Township, another archaeologist. After locating the grave’s surface in the southeast corner at the back of Miss Gignac’s former home, workers proceeded to remove, piece by piece, the large, covering mound of trash. Trowels and brushes were used to cautiously hand pick and sift their way through the rubble. While so doing, numerous items were revealed: handmade bricks, cut limestone blocks (forming the north, east, and west portions of the rectangular piece of land), broken pieces of ceramic and glass, all of late-nineteenth-century vintage, and even a newspaper fragment dating back to 1914. The search was rewarding for these determined explorers — it reached its pinnacle with the discovery of an extremely large memorial stone. Still entirely intact, and set upon a brick floor, it bore the following inscription:
In Memory of Mr. Moses David
Who Departed this life Sept 27, 1814
Age 46 years
This tomb was erected by His Affectionate Wife
Charlotte David
That archaeological find was indeed the gravesite of Moses David! It revealed that what was believed to have been a southerly “brick wall” was the remnants of a pedestal, on which the memorial stone had once rested. After viewing the stone “in situ,” it was removed to a safe place for further study. During the final stages of exploration, it became clear that the pedestal had a solid foundation, consisting of several thick and heavy slate slabs that had been set on the floor in a level position. When the rest of the “tomb” was later cleared, it provided evidence that the floor, pedestal and inner wall were composed of brick. Eleven geese, symbols normally used by Indians as part of their funeral rites, had been placed around the pedestal, and inner wall, including a padlock found on the floor of the tomb.
Five feet below ground, in a test pit area measuring five feet by five feet, the skeleton was finally uncovered. Dr. Samuel S. Stollman, who had been the rabbi of Shaar Hashomayim congregation for over a quarter century and then was its rabbi emeritus, was called upon to act as religious authority in the disinterment, which was performed in accordance with Jewish law. That law not only forbids the viewing of skeletal remains, so that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace, but also requires that the coffin be made completely of wood. Professor Kroon meticulously followed these religious stipulations. Without disturbing the consecrated earth surrounding the skeleton, he exposed, solely for verification purposes, only a small area of bone. He then removed the remains in situ, making sure that iron did not come into contact with them.
A special plywood casket was designed, equipped with wooden dowels and corner blocks, and held together with glue, with a separate bottom or palette that would fit into a cement vault. After using a back hoe to excavate a wide area around the burial site, an archeological team again trowelled and brushed its way to the shredded remnants of the original rough box that then was pedestalled before setting the plywood framing over it and positioning the palette beside it.
On the day of disinterment, the complete unit was lifted up and out of the pit and set inside the cement vault resting on the bed of an open truck waiting nearby. After placing a cover over the vault, the earthly remains of Moses David were transported to Pillette Road, the site of Shaar Hashomayim cemetery. It was there that Windsor’s illustrious first Jew was re-interred with all the Jewish religious rites due to him. Adorned with the original tombstone, this new grave is a fitting resting-place for the man who had established the first familial and cultural links between Montreal and Windsor — the new frontier. It is a monument to all those Jews who came after him to pioneer in this very challenging environment.141
Chapter 2
The Earliest Jews Who Choose Windsor
The Rise of Windsor
The end of the War of 1812 and the establishment of peaceful relations between Canada and the United States assured the separate futures of these two nations. As settlers poured in, the fur trade, which had been so important to the area’s economy in Moses David’s day, declined. The 1821 merger of the Montreal-based North West Company with the Hudson’s Bay Company resulted in a shift in the trade and its requirements away from Detroit to the North, where furs were plentiful and transport by Hudson Bay more economical. Detroit would suffer little from this change as it was becoming a frontier metropolis — a centre of trade and shipping as well as the territorial capital. As “Michigan fever” attracted thousands of settlers, steamships appeared on the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal opened in 1825, giving direct access to New York City, and the Welland Canal in 1829 offered a similar connection to Montreal. By 1837 Michigan achieved statehood and began
