I am looking for information on the vital statistics of my immigrant ancestors for the periods that they were in Suriname and also their earlier history from Amsterdam, Netherlands and before.  I will greatly appreciate any assistance that you could give me about this.

I am certain of the information regarding my third great grandfather through immigrant documentation.  The rest is history relayed to me by a former pen pal in Suriname.  

My 3^rd great Grandfather: Isaac Jacob Soesman was born in Paramaribo, Suriname (Dutch Guyana), South America July 2, 1817 and died September 28, 1892 in Boston, MA, USA.

My 4^th great Grandfather: Jacob Isaac Soesman was born in Paramaribo, Suriname (Dutch Guyana), South America August 16, 1787.

My 5^th  great Grandfather: Isaac Jacobz Soesman was born in Paramaribo, Suriname (Dutch Guyana), South America 1763 and died there 1794.

My 6^th  great Grandfather: Jacob Soesman was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands and died in Paramaribo, Suriname November 1, 1790.

Op 5.4.1761 werd in Amsterdam begraven een kind van Isaac Soesman, genaamd Jacob, wonende op de "Prinsegraft" over de Westerkerk.

Jacob Soesman (eerdere vrouw: Anna Benjamijns) ondertrouwde op 24.3.1747 in Amsterdam met Schoontje Keijser. 

Jacob Levij Susman/Soesman en Anna Benjamins ondertrouwden in Amsterdam op 31.1.1732.

Thank you.  I think that this is not my Jacob, as the Jacob in my tree was in Suriname and having children between 1758-1780.  I believe that he may have had one child in Amsterdam named Benjamin Soesman, though.

I believe his wife to be named: Sara Emanuel Benjamins.

My file shows that his wife was Sara Emanuel Benjamins, do you think this is the same as your Anna?  If so, did she die?

Did the new wife immigrate with Jacob to Suriname?  

My records show that he had 9 children in Suriname from 1758-1780?  Do know where these birth records may be and if they are accessible online?

I believe the Children born to this Jacob: 

Benjamin b.1750

Eliazer Jacob b.1758 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Isaac Jacobz b. 1763 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Sipora Jacob b. Feb 19, 1767 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Isay Jacob b. 1768 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Emanuel Jacob b. 1770 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Rachel Jacob b. 1770 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Hanna Jacob b. September 18, 1774 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Abigail Jacob b. June 11, 1778 in Paramaribo, Suriname

Judith Jacob b. July 3, 1780 in Paramaribo, Suriname

I think that this cannot be my Jacob, as I have his date of birth for 1730.  

Unless all my data is wrong!

Hi patricia, there were probably more Soesman families in Surinam at the time. If you look at this one, who also was connected to a firm in Boston? Might have been family https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_sur001189601_01/_sur001189601_01_0003.php

Dear Christel,

Thank you for your reply.  I have looked at the link for Salomon Soesman Jr.  Although this relationship is possible, I am not able to establish it.  My relative that immigrated to Boston, came in1836 which seems to be well before Salomon established his business there.  My Isaac Jacob did not seem to have a connection to an established trade in Boston as his occupations included: Cabinet Maker, Carriage Painter, Piano Forte Worker, Mariner, and Doctor.  

Cheers, Patricia

Hi, Patricia,

I think that this may be a link to the great grandparents that you are looking for. Not all their kids are listed, but it does show that two of them made it to the U.S.  

https://dutchjewry.org/genealogy/asser/777.shtml

Good luck,

Claudia

Hi Patricia,

Just stumbled upon a transcription of passenger lists from 1838 at https://stamboomsuriname.nl/?p=1150

which may be very interesting to you. Some records:

56     15     Juny     Soesman Isag Jacob                  N/A brik Charles     J. Rowe           Noord America
43               Mei      Soesman Eliazer                         Verwagting              H.K. Hillers      Nederland
44               Mei      Soesman Salomon Nicolaas     Verwagting               H.K. Hillers     Nederland

See also: https://stamboomsuriname.nl/?p=1157 and: https://stamboomsuriname.nl/?p=1155 which may (or may not) reveal more.

If I make my calculations correctly Isaac Jacob made this voyage when he was just about becoming 21 years of age. Remarkable.

Good hunting!

I can add an answer to one of your questions: "Do know where these birth records may be and if they are accessible online?"

Yes, at least part of these records can be found here: https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/1.05.11.16

Interesting for you may be archive item numbers:

5) Marriages 1742 - 1778 mei

6) Marriages 1778 juni - 1817

7) Marriages 1735-1742

These marriages concern both the Portugese and German Jews

18) Births Portugese Jews 1777-1828

19) Deaths Portugese Jews 1777-1827

20) Births German Jews 1773-1833

21) Deaths German Jews 1773-1838

44) Alphabetic register Births Portugese Jews 1727-1777 en 1662-1723.

Just as a test I located Hanna Jacob b. September 18, 1774 in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is item number 20, scan number 4, left page, bottom half.

Transcription (which are given below the scans already) "15 september 1774: Sara Emanuel Benjamins, huijsvrouw van Jacob Soesman een dogter gebaart, genaemt Hana" which translates to  English "September 15th 1774 Sara Emanuel Benjamins, housewife of Jacob Soesman gave birth to a daughter called Hana"

And scan 6, left, at the bottom "11 juni 1778: Sara Emanuel Benjamin, huijsvrouw van Jacob Soesman, een dogter gekraamt, genaamt Abigaiel"

The scans are very readable as far as I have seen them, so you can read their names written.

Enjoy!

Deaths:

Number 21,

scan 8 "1 november 1790: Jacob [Isaac] Soesman"

scan 9 "16 april 1794: Isak Soesman Jbz. [Isaac Jacob Soesman]"

Some other transcriptions and indexes, probably partly on the same sources, are here:

https://www.nljewgen.org/uitgaven-van-de-nkvjg/

Scroll down to the bottom of the page

Thank you.  That was helpful information.

Jacob Isaac Soesman (1787) supposedly has died the evening of November 13th 1831, because there is a deed in his estate file (see below) specifying November 14th 1831 as the date the sworn clerk arrives to the house of the yesterday evening deceased Jacob Isaac Soesman.

https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/en/research/archive/1.05.11.13/inventory?inventarisnr=2542

https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/en/research/archive/1.05.11.13/inventory?inventarisnr=2542&activeTab=gahetnascans#tab-heading

There is a large file on how his estate is being managed (over 400 scans apparently a lot of posessions/ slaves). Earliest date I can find with a quick scan: August 8th 1836. This date seems/appears to coincide and/or correlate with the arrival of his supposed son - your ancestor-  in Boston as your records show. If you look at the last scans the estate finally seems to have unraveled in 1840.

Heirs:

Sara Jacobs Soesman, housewife H. J. de Jonge 1/5
Abr. Jacobs Soesman (Abraham? minderjarige = minor aged) 1/5
Isay Jacobs Soesman (minderjarige = minor aged) 1/5
Jacques Js. Soesman (minderjarige = minor aged) 1/5
J. M. Bromet 1/5 
(minor aged = below 25 years)

Be aware of mixups in (abbreviations of) names: Isay (Isai, after the father of king David) and Isaac (Isaak, Isaq, after the son of Abraham)
As far as I have seen in the records the Soesman going to North America in 1838, and the Soesman, son of Jacob Isaac Soesman is/are called 'Isay'.

Al lot more can be learned from these 400+ pages, but I'll leave it here as that may take days or even weeks to decypher and interpret.

From Delpher.nl : Surinaamsche Courant, 7-11 july 1831

Deceased: June 24th Ester Jacob de Meza housewife Jacob Isac Soesman, Age 48

So born about 1782-1783, supposedly couple of years older than Jacob. Died a couple of months before Jacob died.

More information on the ancestors of Isay/Isaak Jacobs Soesman see: https://gw.geneanet.org/iwand?lang=en&iz=11483&p=isaac+jacob&n=soesman 

Goes back to ~~1675. Most data seems to correlate with what you have got and what can be found in records online

An even better documented family tree:

https://gw.geneanet.org/meijereduard?lang=nl&n=soesman+rudelsum&oc=0&p=jacob+koppel+rudelsum&type=tree

ELIESER SOESMAN ben ISAAC Rudelsum is the source of our ancestral surname 'Soesman'. I don't know if the name 'Soesman' (literally: sweet man) was given to him at birth (it is often associated with the name 'Elieser') or if it was earned by being a gentle, pious and saintly scholar. He is usually called just 'Soesman (ben) Isaac Rudelsum'. His grandson ELIAZER (about 1778 in Paramaribo, Suriname) dropped the surname 'Rudelsum' and the family's surname was thenceforth 'Soesman'.

https://gw.geneanet.org/meijereduard?lang=nl&p=isaac+rudelsum&n=soesman

Alternative reading on the early genealogy...which I have not investigated.

https://gw.geneanet.org/flubox?lang=nl&pz=augustinus&nz=ulff&p=isaac+rudelsum&n=soesman

I happen to disagree with most of the interpretations of the place of origin in several genealogies. I think this one is quite likely:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwigsh%C3%B6he

"Ludwigshöhe ist ein vergleichsweise junger Ort, geht aber auf das merowingische Rudelsheim zurück.[...]Rudelsheim wurde erstmals am 21. März 766 in einer Schenkungsurkunde des Klosters Lorsch,^[3] im Regierungsjahr Pippin der Jüngere, erwähnt. Damals schenkte Franco zu seinem Seelenheil einen Weinberg in Rudolfesheim.[...]Von vielen rheinhessischen Ortsnamen sind meist jüdische Familiennamen abgeleitet, z. B. Oppenheimer, Niersteiner, Dexheimer, von Dienheim, Alsheimer, Mettenheimer und auch: Rudelsheimer, die seit Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts in Amsterdam bekannt sind. Die jüdische Gemeinde hatte noch bis 1937 einen Friedhof in Ludwigshöhe, dessen Lage heute unbekannt ist"

"Ludwigshöhe is a comparatively young place, but goes back to the Merovingian Rudelsheim. [...] Rudelsheim was first mentioned on March 21, 766 in a deed of donation of the Lorsch Monastery, [3] in the reign year Pippin the Younger. At that time Franco gave to his salvation a vineyard in Rudolfesheim. [...] Of many Rhenish Hessian place names are usually derived Jewish surnames, z. B. Oppenheimer, Niersteiner, Dexheimer, of Dienheim, Alsheimer, Mettenheimer and also: Rudelsheimer, which are known since the end of the 17th century in Amsterdam. The Jewish community had until 1937 a cemetery in Ludwigshöhe, whose location is unknown today"

Alternative for the place of origin is probably Rödelheim near Frankfurt:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt-R%C3%B6delheim

"Jüdische Geschichte in Rödelheim. Ab dem 17. Jahrhundert entwickelte sich Rödelheim zu einer Quelle jiddisch-kabbalistischer Folklore. Eine Ausgabe des Ma'assebuchs wurde hier im Jahre 1753 durch Jona ben Josche Gamburg herausgegeben und durch Karl Reich gedruckt."

"Jewish History in Rödelheim. From the 17th century Rödelheim became a source of Yiddish-Kabbalistic folklore An edition of the Ma'assebuch was published here in 1753 by Jona ben Josche Gamburg and printed by Karl Reich."

(translations Google Translate)