Document generated on 10/01/2021 10:10 p.m. Urban History Review Revue d'histoire urbaine "Said to be a very honest Jew" The R. G. Dun Credit Reports and Jewish Business Activity in Mid-19th Century Montreal Gerald Tulchinsky Volume 18, Number 3, February 1990 Article abstract This paper examines the participation of members of Montreal's tiny Jewish URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1017716ar community in the city's economic development between the 1840's and the DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1017716ar 1870's. Based largely on the R. G. Dun & Co. credit reports, this study reveals that Jews concentrated mainly in the retailing of jewellery and fancy goods, See table of contents tobacco and dry goods and in clothing manufacturing. Most were petty traders; they were often transitory figures who succumbed to the vagaries of business fluctuations, or were incompetent, poorly financed or dishonest. Although his Publisher(s) Jewishness was always taken note of, a businessman's creditworthiness was apparently assessed as objectively as that of a non-Jew: there is no evidence Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine that antisemitism - of which there is plenty in these reports - by itself adversely affected Jewish business mobility or success to any significant extent. In this ISSN period Jewish businessmen tended to keep to trades or businesses with which they were familiar before immigrating; they often brought inventory with 0703-0428 (print) them, relied on family credit and kept largely to themselves. Most achieved a 1918-5138 (digital) modest living while a few successful tobacco and clothing manufactures emerged. Explore this journal Cite this article Tulchinsky, G. (1990). "Said to be a very honest Jew": The R. G. Dun Credit Reports and Jewish Business Activity in Mid-19th Century Montreal. Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 18(3), 200–209. https://doi.org/10.7202/1017716ar All Rights Reserved © Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 1990 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ "Said to be a very honest Jew:" The R. G. Dun Credit Reports and Jewish Business Activity in M id-19 th Century Montreal Gerald Tulchinsky Abstract This paper examines the participation Mark Samuel, who ran a men's hat shop The commercial community that of members of Montreal's tiny Jewish on Montreal's Notre Dame Street In the dominated the economic life of Montreal community in the city's economic early 1850s, probably did not know what had included since the Conquest, a development between the 1840's and was being written about him in the R. G. small number of Jews as well as a few the 1870's. Based largely on the R. G. Dun and Company credit report of 1852.1 Germans and Italians amidst the Anglo- Dun & Co. credit reports, this study The entry under his name read "Said to Celtic majority of Scots, Americans, reveals that Jews concentrated mainly be a very honest Jew," signalling to English and Irish, and the minority of in the retailing of jewellery and fancy potential creditors: 'here is one you can French-Canadians. Jews had been goods, tobacco and dry goods and in trust'.2 Not all Jewish businessmen in present in Quebec since 1760, when clothing manufacturing. Most were Montreal received such praise. Most got several arrived as sutlers with the British petty traders; they were often far worse, and might be described as: forces in the wake of the Conquest.4 A transitory figures who succumbed to "close fisted Jew," "trying to get the best few others filtered in during subsequent the vagaries of business fluctuations, of a bargain" or simply as "Jew, cannot decades, most apparently migrating or were incompetent, poorly financed trust." These descriptions, selected from from the United States and Britain. But or dishonest. Although his Jewishness the Dun reports on Jewish businessmen there were enough of them to found a was always taken note of, a in Montreal, went beyond the kinds of synagogue in Montreal in 1768, the businessman's creditworthiness was characterizations attached to local She'erith Israel, known as the Spanish apparently assessed as objectively as businessmen of other national or ethnic and Portugese. Because of its growing that of a non-Jew: there is no origins, like Irishmen, Scots, Americans, importance as the hub of trade on the evidence that antisemitism - of which and French-Canadians and, no doubt, St. Lawrence River and its commercial, there is plenty in these reports - by reflected anti-Semitism that was derived financial and industrial expansion in the itself adversely affected Jewish from a variety of sources. In business, 1840s, Montreal's population increased. business mobility or success to any Jews clearly had a reputation for The city's Jewish population, though significant extent. In this period shrewdness, toughness and dishonesty rising modestly in comparison to the Jewish businessmen tended to keep to that went far beyond the reputed huge increase in the number of Irish, trades or businesses with which they canniness of the Scot, or the sharpness grew significantly from about 80 persons were familiar before immigrating; of the Yankee trader. The prevailing in 1831 to about 650 in 1871. Montreal they often brought inventory with assumption seems to have been that one became the largest Jewish centre in the them, relied on family credit and kept really had to be on one's guard when province. By mid-century this community largely to themselves. Most achieved a dealing with a Jew, and those who possessed an impressive new modest living while a few successful reported confidentially to R. G. Dun and synagogue on Lagauchetiere Street, a tobacco and clothing manufactures Company made it their business to find "minister," the Reverend Abraham de emerged. out who was a Jew, to try to watch that Sola - a graduate of Jews College, person's dealings more closely than they University of London and a learned would otherwise. A check of merchants biblical scholar - and enjoyed an Résumé designated as Jewish by Dun reporters enviable status in the city. A Jew, Moses with those listed in the 1861 and 1871 Judah Hays, had become chief of the L'auteur s'intéresse à la participation manuscript census returns, which have Montreal police force. Others served as de la petite communauté juive de been carefully examined by Charles Cole magistrates, while others held Montréal au développement in an undergraduate thesis at McGill, commissions in provincial militia économique de la ville durant les indicate that the reporters had an regiments, and another had received an 3 années 1840-1870. Essentiellement accurate knowledge of who was a Jew. appointment to the medical school of 5 basée sur les dossiers de crédit de la But 'did anti-semitism matter?' If it had not Bishop's College. maison R. G. Dun & Co., l'étude existed, would Jews have fared better in montre que les Juifs exerçaient this business environment of mid-19th By about 1850, members of the Jewish surtout leur activité dans le commerce century Montreal? community of Montreal were listed 200 Urban History Review/Revue d'histoire urbaine Vol XVIII, No. 3 (February 1990) The R. G. Dun Credit Report de détail (bijouterie, articles de among the local merchants who immigrants also entered into business, fantaisie, tabac, mercerie) et la dominated increasingly diverse business usually on a much smaller scale than fabrication de vêtements. La plupart affairs in the city. Jews owned shares in those of their Jewish predecessors. Most étaient de petits commerçants. the chartered banks; as early as the became retailers and petty traders in Figures souvent éphémères de 1810s and 1820s David David even sat various lines: peddlers, tobacconists, l'univers des affaires, ils résistaient on the boards of the Bank of Montreal pawnbrokers, tailors, and the like. mal aux fluctuations de la and the Lachine Canal Company.6 Hays, conjoncture ou manquaient de the police chief, owned the Montreal What is interesting to historians of savoir-faire, de capital voire waterworks until he sold the company to business, however, is the discovery of d'honnêteté. Leur identité de juif the city in 1845.7 He was one of the few what lies behind such manifestations of n'était jamais passée sous silence, wealthy Jews who, besides owning economic activity. What sectors did mais leur solvabilité semble avoir été shares in all of these ventures and in these men - and a few women - enter? évaluée aussi objectivement que celle ships, both sail and steam, held What paths did they follow in the des non-Juifs. Rien n'indique que substantial quantities of real estate.8 Montreal business world and what does l'antisémitisme qui affleure dans les Thus, some were so successful that, this experience tell us that we did not dossiers consultés ait nui de façon except for being denied membership in know about the city's business notable à leur liberté d'action ou à the most elitist organizations of the rich environment in the last half of the 19th leur succès. Les hommes d'affaires Anglo-Celts, they could claim influence in century? In what ways, finally, was the juifs de l'époque avaient tendance à the city.