Dear Peter, The Lewin book on Great Synagogue marriages gives your GGG- grandfather's names as Davis SOLOMON, not the reverse. Is there possibly a transposition error on the certificate? My husband is related to the Phillips family. Zalig (or Selig) was his GGGG-uncle. I have a lot of information about that particular family if you want to contact me. Also, I have a lot of information online at http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jbkeene&id=I2293 (the webpage for Solomon (Zalig) Phillips). Best wishes, Jocelyn Keene > I got quite a surprise when I obtained a copy of my gg grandads > marriage certificate from1859. I already knew that he used both Saul > SOLOMONS and Solomon SOLOMONS at different times, (he is shown as > Saul on the certificate). What I wasn't prepared for was his fathers > name, it is shown as Solomon DAVIS. This was a real surprise. Both > were born in Holland and I believe it wasn't unusual for the former > Dutch citizens to change their names in England as they were unable > to do so in Holland. Does anybody think that Saul is using the > Hebrew style of naming as in Saul son of Solomons? Was this common? > I am not familiar with Jewish tradition as I am not Jewish. I still > don't know where the Saul came from as in both 1841 and 1852 census > returns he is shown as Solomon DAVIS the same as his father (he was > second son). The others in the family are Solomons wife Rebecca > DAVIS and oldest son Isaac and daughter Esther, In 1841 the children > are not at the same address as the parents and > are living with an Abraham DAVIS, posssibly an uncle. Solomon and > Rebecca are living with Rachael MYERS (60)who I think may be > Rebeccas mum. > > Saul married Catherine PHILLIPS in 1859 at the Great Synagogue. Her > father is shown as Selig PHILLIPS and the family lived at 10 Swan > Court, Aldgate. Catherine is often shown as Kitty. In 1841 the > family consists of Selig and wife Ann, sons Barnett, Nathan, > Zeadock?, and Phillips and daughters Eliza, Esther and Catherine. > They were still at Swan Court in 1851. Selig and Ann are both shown > as born in Aldgate about1800 and I believe they were part of the > older established Dutch community. > > Do any of the above names or families mean anything to any of you? > Is DAVIS a name used in Holland or was it an Anglicisation of > Davids son? DAVIS was one of the family names belonging to the Dutch > families established in Aldgate prior to 1800 as was PHILLIPS. Does > anybody have any records of when these families arrived in England? ... > Peter Solomon