Solomon Meyer is the only person of the Jewish faith buried in St Saviour's Cemetery. Goulburn's dedicated Jewish Cemetery was in operation from 1844 to 1943, so how did Solomon end up in the Anglican cemetery?
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Solomon was the youngest of three brothers born in London in 1823 to silk merchant Jacob Meyer. He trained in commerce and emigrated in 1842 aboard the John Brewer, bound for New Zealand. The ship docked in Tasmania where Solomon accepted a position managing a business earning a comfortable salary of £100 per annum. He held the wine and spirit licence for the Derwent Hotel, Murray Street, Hobart Town. In 1843 he contributed £10 towards the erection of a synagogue in Argyle St Hobart and in 1845 he donated a further five pounds.
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In 1844 he married Miss Theophila Faulder of London, who was residing in Hobart with her uncle, the colony's auditor general. They married at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Launceston; the bride was 20 years old, the groom 24 years old. Theophila's sister married the attorney general of Tasmania.
The Meyers came to Sydney for a short time and then departed to Bathurst during which time gold was discovered at Ophir and Solomon opened the first general store at the diggings. After a few years he relocated to Carcoar where he opened a general store.
Remaining in Carcoar for about 25 years, Solomon was prominent in local affairs; he was an active magistrate and was elected as a member of parliament for the electorate in 1874. He also acted as coroner for the district and conducted the inquest on the bushranger Michael Bourke, who was shot near Bathurst by Mr Keightley.
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It would appear that Solomon's brother, Benjamin, was also living at Carcoar. In November, 1860 he was riding to Carcoar from King's Plains (near Blayney) to attend court when his horse bolted and he was killed. Being of Jewish persuasion he was buried in accordance with the church rites.
After 25 successful years in Carcoar the family came to Goulburn. In partnership with his son TF Meyer, he opened a grocery and ironmongering business in the premises known as The Old Australian Stores. In 1892 Solomon commissioned Goulburn architect EC Manfred to design new business premises located next door to the Old Australian Stores.
A state of the art building, it was known as The Model Arcade. Meyer and Son continued in business until 1906. JT Lemon relocated his business from Grafton into The Model Arcade and continued until the 1960s when the building was demolished to build HG Palmer and Soul Pattinson Chemist, approximately opposite the Huntly Arcade.
Solomon was on the board of the Macquarie Street Synagogue in 1873 and served Goulburn as an alderman, president of the hospital and was a leading freemason.
The Meyers celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1894. Employees of The Model Arcade presented them with an illuminated address prepared by John Sands of Sydney. The Meyers had one son TF Meyer, known as Frederick. A grandson, PJ Meyer, was in partnership with Marsden Erle Manfred in a law firm trading as Meyer & Manfred which eventually became Manfred Dougall and Partners, located in Montague St Goulburn.
The news of the sinking of The Dunbar off Sydney Heads in 1857 was very distressing for the Meyer family; aboard was Solomon's brother Abraham, his wife and seven children returning from England. It should be noted that Abraham Meyer also spent time in Goulburn.
In 1833 the Cross Keys public house was transferred to Abraham Meyer. As a young man he had joined the firm of Benjamin and Moses at Goulburn and managed their Argyle Steam Boiling Works. In about 1845 he became the manager of the Queanbeyan branch of Benjamin and Moses. He then established himself in his own business. Among Solomon Meyer's possessions was a relic in the form of a horseshoe with the inscription 'Made from a copper bolt of the ship Dunbar, wrecked at Sydney Heads, August 20th, 1857.'
Mr Meyer was one of the oldest Masons in the state and was one of the leading members of the Lodge of Australia. He died on February 25, 1902. He was given a Masonic funeral at the Masonic Lodge, Bourke Street, Goulburn, and according to his own desires, everything was carried out quietly and plainly with no notice given. Despite this, more than 70 Masonic brethren attended, along with other citizens.
Solomon Meyer is buried in St Saviour's Cemetery, Goulburn with his wife who died in 1904.
- Linda Cooper is a Friends of Goulburn's Historic Cemeteries volunteer and a member of History Goulburn.
