Descendants
Menasseh's wife, Rachel, was a granddaughter of the Abarbanel. Menasseh had three children by her. Menasseh's wife was, according to family legend, a descendant of King David, and he was proud of his children's Davidic ancestry. Both of Menasseh's sons predeceased their father. Menasseh's eldest son was Samuel Abarbanel Soeiro, also known as Samuel Ben Israel, who worked as a printer and assisted his father with matters in England. He died in 1657. Menasseh's youngest son, Joseph, died at age 20, in 1650, on a disastrous business trip to Poland. Menasseh also had a daughter, Gracia, born 1628, who married Samuel Abarbanel Barboza in 1646, and died in 1690.
Moses Jacob Ezekiel, the American sculptor, in his autobiography, claimed to be a descendant of Menasseh Ben Israel. His claim is unconfirmed.
Read more about this topic: Menasseh Ben Israel
Famous quotes containing the word descendants:
“Not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but also clouds their view of their descendants and isolates them from their contemporaries. Each man is for ever thrown back on himself alone, and there is danger that he may be shut up in the solitude of his own heart.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
“And what if my descendants lose the flower
Through natural declension of the soul,
Through too much business with the passing hour,
Through too much play, or marriage with a fool?”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Your descendants shall gather your fruits.”
—Virgil [Publius Vergilius Maro] (70–19 B.C.)