Abraham Solomon Polack (1797–1873)
Abraham Pollack was sentenced to seven years transportation for stealing a watch. He arrived in Sydney in 1820 aboard the Argamemnon. He was assigned to Jacob Josephson. On 27 September 1824, described as a shopman and clerk, her married Hannah Bryan. He received a ticket of leave in October of that year. The following month he opened a grocery store and was issued with a certificate of freedom in 1827.
From 1827 to 1833 Pollack held the licence of the London Tavern and then became a successful auctioneer and purchased extensive landholdings. He was one of the first subscribers to the Commercial Bank. He was declared bankrupt in 1848 after an employee stole £50,000 but resumed his career as an auctioneer. In February 1861 he was found guilty of swindling Sydney solicitor, W. P. Moffatt, of £140 and was sentenced to three and half years hard labour on the roads. The sentence was reduced to hard labour in Darlinghurst Gaol.
He died on 12 June 1873.
*information from John S. Levi, These Are the Names: Jewish Lives in Australia 1788-1850 (2013), pp 695-97
Additional Resources
- death notice, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 July 1873, p 10
- funeral notice, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 June 1873, p 18
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Polack, Solomon William (son)
- Polack, Isaac Abraham (son)
- Polack, Ann Elizabeth (daughter-in-law)
- Polack, Adelaide Blanche (daughter-in-law)
- Josephson, Jacob (master)
Citation details
'Polack, Abraham Solomon (1797–1873)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/polack-abraham-solomon-29634/text36595, accessed 13 September 2024.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
23 August,
1797
London,
Middlesex,
England
Death
12 June,
1873
(aged 75)
Redfern, Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.