History of the Jews in Galveston, Texas History of the Jews in Galveston, Texas Jews have inhabited the city of Galveston, Texas, for almost two centuries. The first known Jewish immigrant to the Galveston area was Jao de la Porta, who, along with his brother Morin, financed the first settlement by Europeans on Galveston Island in 1816. de la Porta was born in Portugal of Jewish parentage and later became a Jewish Texan trader. In 1818, Jean Laffite appointed de la Porta supercargo for the Karankawa Indian trade. When Laffite left Galveston Island in 1820, de la Porta became a full-time trader. In 1852, residents of Galveston
Battle of Galveston Harbor (1862) of a written document. The fall of Galveston meant that one more important Confederate port was closed to commerce. But the port of Galveston was not shut down for long, as Confederate forces reoccupied the area. The Second Battle of Galveston in January 1863 resulted in a Confederate victory, and the port remained in Southern hands for much of the rest of the war. Battle of Galveston Harbor (1862) The Battle of Galveston Harbor was a naval engagement between forces from the Union Navy and the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was fought on October