Life in Bristol was kind to Moses and Caroline in the first few months of their marriage. Moses had only been in the country for a few months himself, and was adjusting to life in England, and in peace. A place that he would not be persecuted for what he believed to be true, and somewhere he could make his mark, no matter how small. Britain was of course at this time, the wealthiest country in the world. He also had a beautiful young wife eleven years his junior. They were both completely in love with each other, and although the marriage was not likely well received by some members of Caroline’s family, she seems to have been of a sound mind to continue on her path with the man she loved regardless. She respected her father, and he respected her. Unusual perhaps, for this period in time.
On October 16 1837, Caroline gave birth in Rose Street, Temple, which came under the district of St Mary Redcliff. She and Moses were overjoyed at this time. Both of them had borne this love together, and here it was manifest. The day was made even more special for the couple, because on this day, not one baby was born, but two. Caroline had given birth to twins, both girls. The girls were names Hannah and Amelia, and quickly became the most important things in their parents’ lives.
With these births, Moses had a family to look after, and he made a living from a risky business. He was a Hawker, something that seen today would be associated perhaps with those struggling to survive, of cordial poverty, or maybe even someone looking to make money quickly. Although it is not confirmed, it is thought that Moses sold jewellery or other luxuries on the streets of Bristol in order to survive. Perhaps he worked near the railway station, or the river bank? It is not entirely clear where exactly but Moses’ was a man trying to fit in to Victorian England society, to the extent that he decided to change the spelling of his name, to the more Anglican looking Vertine. He would take his place wherever seemed best for him in the town, and call for customers to come and purchase from him. In many ways, he could be perceived as a humble businessman. He very much seems to have had a talent for making money. He strikes me, just for the sake of instinct, of looking somewhat like this :
Some would have stopped and bought happily from him. Some would have spat at the very sight of him. It is rather difficult, I admit, to gage my 4x great grandfather as a character. When I think of him however, I imagine a man of dark, wavy black hair a trimmed beard, and a man reluctant to broadcast his faith to the majority. He may not have taught his children the ways of the Torah, but he made sure they knew about it. Judaism transcends through the female line, and so had Caroline had been of the faith, all their children would have been so too. But this was not the case. However Moses must have had a difficult few months, despite meeting the love of his life and marrying her too. He stood a long day working on the city streets. Sometimes in the dark and dreary night of Bristol, a passerby would mutter at him wearing his Kippah as he passed by on his way home. Sometimes religious folk even cursed him, but Moses never boasted about his faith. He felt slightly ashamed to be a refugee, but his life was coming home to Caroline, Hannah and Amelia. There was always going to be a bond with his first children, and Moses indeed shared long and tender moments with his family. Caroline could not have been happier. She may not have lived in the cleanest, hygienic house Bristol had to offer, but it did for them. Here we have two very loving parents, dreaming of a brighter future for their children, in the most complete sense imaginable.
As 1837 came and went, Moses, Caroline, Hannah and Amelia were a comfortable family unit. Yet, both parents knew the likelihood of both their daughters surviving to adulthood was slim. This was, as the case stood for almost all families at the time, a prompt to produce as many children as possible, in order to increase the chances of survival. This is also the reason why, in the cases of those that did survive, families seem to be considerably large in this bygone era.
St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol, where the Wertheim children were baptised.
Clinging true to this theory, in the summer of 1839, Caroline gave birth again, to her third daughter, this time naming her after her own mother, Louisa. Eighteen months later Caroline gave birth to her fourth child, this time a baby boy, and he was given the name Samuel. He was born on January 5 1841 in Great Avon Street, and the family appear here in the 1841 Bristol census, next door to Caroline’s father James, now aged 63. How proud Moses must have been, that he had escaped persecution and prejudice for a life of love and stability. Yet, stability was fragile, and in the months that followed the census, tragedy struck this “model family”, which started in motion a heartbreaking chain of events that would come to dominate the family story for years afterwards…
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