About

Moses Mendes da Costa is Armand's great-great-grandfather. His son Isaac broke away from the Jewish faith, became an officer in the Dutch army and was posted as a second lieutenant to Java, Dutch East Indies.

An Introduction to the Mendes da Costa Family
by Armand Mendes da Costa

Greetings! Please allow me to introduce myself as the Mendes da Costa family genealogist. Since 1950 I have researched this notable Sephardic family and have been acknowledged as the world authority on the subject.

This is a rather small but well known family originating from Trancoso, Portugal, with a rich and very interesting history in England and Holland in particular. It had several prominent members in the community and their exploits and place in society have been well recorded by eminent British historians, both in the present as well as in the past.

To date I have finished the bulk of the family's branches in England, Holland, Belgium, France, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Argentine, covering about 700 individuals from the 15th century till now. The hardest part is trying to keep track of the present generation in this fast-moving and ever-changing world of our time!

The purpose of this site is to host as much information as possible regarding descendents of this family and to make available its history for family members and researchers alike. If you have information that could be submitted for inclusion on this site, please get in touch using the details below.

If you are a descendent of the Mendes da Costa family, you may be able to assist me in my endeavours to complete my project towards our family history. Whether you are interested in your heritage or not, your help, or that of relatives, would be tremendously appreciated.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

What I require is basic data concerning yourselves, children, parents, grandparents, etc. This includes:

• Dates and places of birth / marriage / divorce / death / burial.

Also appreciated are:

• Occupation
• Places of residence over the years
• Last known addresses
• Anything noteworthy or achievements by the person

Present names and addresses of your relatives who bear the name or who could supply me with family history may prove to be a valuable source of information.

Looking forward to hearing from you and thanking you in anticipation.

Yours sincerely,

Armand Mendes da Costa
NEW ZEALAND

Contact by email