Joel Samuel Polack (28 March 1807 – 17 April 1882) was an English-born New Zealand and American businessman and writer. He was one of the first Jewish settlers in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, arriving in 1831. He is regarded as an authority on pre-colonial New Zealand and his two books are often cited. He was a maternal uncle of Alexander Salmon.

Early life

Joel Samuel Polack was born in London, England on 28 March 1807 to Sarah and Solomon Joel Polack (died 1839). Originally from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, the family had settled in Ireland and then England where Soloman was a successful painter and engraver. Polack worked for the War Office (Commissariat and Ordnance) for four years, serving in South Africa and in

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

, before leaving to travel in America. In 1830 he joined his brother Abraham in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

First visit to New Zealand

In 1831 he arrived in New Zealand and settled in the

Hokianga The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. The original name, still used by local Māori, is ' ...

, exploring the surrounding area as well as

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay ( Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa'') is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for from Young Nick's Head in the southwest to Tuaheni Point in the no ...

and the

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It can also refer to the broader Gisborne cape. East Cape was originally named "C ...

. As such he was one of the first Jews in the colony. In 1832 he moved to

Kororareka Russell, known as Kororāreka in the early 19th century, was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. It is situated in the Bay of Islands, in the far north of the North Island. History and culture Māori settle ...

(now Russell) in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for it ...

, establishing a successful general store. In 1835 he built New Zealand's first brewery. Critical of

James Busby James Busby (7 February 1802 – 15 July 1871) was the British Resident in New Zealand from 1833 to 1840. He was involved in drafting the 1835 Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. As British Resident, ...

's weak administration he signed the 1837 petition requesting the British government assume responsibility for the protection and government of European settlers.

Return to England

He returned to England in 1837 and the following year his Kororareka store, which had been used against his wishes to store military and naval explosives, was destroyed in an explosion. He fought unsuccessfully for years for compensation. In 1838 he appeared before a

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

Select Committee advocating planned colonisation of New Zealand. He believed that unorganised European settlement would destroy

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

society. He wrote two successful books based on his experiences in New Zealand, which he also illustrated. These books are an invaluable insight into pre-colonial New Zealand.

Second visit to New Zealand

Polack returned to New Zealand in 1842 but his store was destroyed again in 1845, when

was attacked by

Hone Heke Honing is a kind of metalworking. Hone may also refer to: * Hone (name) (incl. Hōne), a list of people with the surname, given name or nickname * Hõne language, spoken in Gombe State and Taraba State, Nigeria * Hône Hône ( Valdôtain: (loca ...

—the

Battle of Kororāreka The Battle of Kororāreka, or the Burning of Kororāreka, on 11 March 1845, was an engagement of the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Following the establishment of British control of the islands, war broke out with a small group of the native popul ...

commencing the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of Hō ...

. He moved to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

(the new capital) where he operated a

bonded warehouse A bonded warehouse, or bond, is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the ...

and branched out into shipping, profiting from trade with California. From 1845 to 1848 he was the vice consul for the United States of America.

Later life

In 1850 Polack left New Zealand for California. He settled in San Francisco, where he married Mary, the widow of William Hart (who had both lived in New Zealand). He died on 17 April 1882 (28 Nisan 5642) in San Francisco and was buried in the Laurel Hill cemetery. In 1946 his remains were moved to the

Cypress Lawn Memorial Park Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a rural cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent". History Cypress Lawn Memorial Park is the final resting site for several memb ...

Writings

* ''New Zealand; Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country between the Years 1831 and 1837'' (1838). Full tex
Vol. IVol. II
* ''Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders'' (1840). Full tex
Vol. IVol. II

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polack, Joel Samuel 1807 births 1882 deaths American brewers American businesspeople in retailing American business writers American people of British-Jewish descent British business writers British Jewish writers Merchants from London Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area English emigrants to New Zealand English Jews Jewish American writers New Zealand writers New Zealand businesspeople in retailing New Zealand emigrants to the United States New Zealand Jews New Zealand people of Dutch-Jewish descent People from Auckland People from the Hokianga Jewish New Zealand history 19th-century English businesspeople Flagstaff War 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (San Francisco) Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park