Quote Originally Posted by mark_bridge View Post
Hi Ann,

I'm seeing your post belatedly. It's very interesting. I realise that it's easy to read too much into remote DNA matches, especially among descendants of close communities like 18th/early 19thC Anglo-Jewry. However, if Isabella Mendes, partner of Charles Lett, was a granddaughter of David Mendes, I do think your matches do make it more likely that either: 1) Ann1 was a sister of David Mendes; or 2), perhaps more likely, David Mendes' wife Rebecca was a sister of Samuel1 Isaacs. In the latter scenario, Ann1 would have been the aunt of Hannah Nathan by marriage and a cousin of Samuel2 Isaacs, who she grew up with, according to a chancery document. The Lett/Mendes descendants would also be Isaacs descendants, hence the DNA. I hadn't heard about this Isabella Mendes before - she seems to have had an interesting life and it's nice to be able to see a portrait of her online by Googling.

Incidentally, I very much enjoyed reading Anne Black's book on your ancestor, George. He was fascinating man.

Best wishes,

Mark
Hi Mark,

I think your suggestion about David Mendes' wife being Rebecca Isaacs may be correct - it was something that I had not considered before, so thank you for that. I have recently had a match on MyHeritage to a person who is descended from David Mendes and wife in two ways:the first is through Hannah Mendes and Samuel Nathan and the second through Davids son Jacob John. I have also started using DNA painter and the DNA segment shared with the MyHeritage match has some overlap with a segment with a second cousin on the George Isaacs/Marion Lane line.

Best wishes
Ann