Joseph De Palacios

Joseph De Palacios (life dates unknown) likely immigrated to Pensacola, Florida in the mid-1700s. According to the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, “the first known Jews to arrive in colonial Florida came in 1763, after the Treaty of Paris transferred Spain’s claim on Florida to the British and passed control of New Orleans from France to Spain. Several New Orleans Jews, anticipating Spanish enforcement of anti-Jewish policies, migrated to Pensacola, newly hospitable to Jews under British rule. These early Pensacola Jews included [a man named] Joseph de Palacios…”¹ Eventually, Joseph De Palacios made his way to Charleston, South Carolina where he engaged in the mercantile industry with Isaac Da Costa Junior (c.1751-1809) around 1779. Together, Joseph and Isaac worked as partners at Joseph De Palacios & Company before they seemingly parted ways. By 1783, Joseph operated under his own name at 80 Tradd Street, near the lower market, selling liquor and groceries. Two years later, an advertisement reveals that he continued to manage the grocery at the same location while also operating on Stoll’s Alley, which connects East Bay Street to Church Street. In 1785, Joseph married widow Pinina Harris.

¹ “Pensacola, FL,” Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities,” Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, https://www.isjl.org/florida-pensacola-encyclopedia.html accessed March 3, 2025.