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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

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 30 March 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

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.

Passenger Ship
Occupation
Key Organisations
Key Places
Convict Record

Crime: theft
Sentence: 7 years