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This project focuses on all the Sephardic Nunes Vaz / Nunes Vaes / Nunes Vais families. At the current moment there are four main sections of the family tree; Dutch Nunes Vaz family, Italian Nunes Vais family, the Jamaican/Curacao Nunes Vaz family, and the Surinam Nunes Vaz. One of the main goals of this project is to try and connect the four branches of the family using the paper-trail and/or DNA.
Cadiz is the possible origin of the family before Livorno. According to a marriage document for Aron Nunes Vaaz and Lea Ribeiro (Hebrew name de Mattos) both came from Cadiz with a connection to Livorno as well. Lea's father is Mighael Ribeiro (Hebrew name is Isaac de Mattos).
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Dutch Family
The Nunes Vaz family of Amsterdam traces it's documented roots back to Livorno, Italy in the late 17th century. Jacob Nunes Vaz is the patriarch of the Nunes Vaz family of Amsterdam and was born in 1697 in Livorno, Italy to Abraham Nunes Vaz. Jacob's father Abraham is assumed to have been born around 1670 but there have been no records found on Abraham. It is believed that Abraham may be the same person as Dr. Abram Nunes Vais.
On the Dutch Nunes Vaz tree we have used a version of the Henry Genealogical Numbering System with Abraham Nunes Vaz as number 1.
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Italian Family
The Nunes Vais family of Italy traces it's documented roots back to Livorno, Italy in the late 17th century. David Nunes Vais is the patriarch of one branch of the Nunes Vais family of Italy and was most likely born sometime between 1650 and 1680. David died in 1727 and had two sons; Isaac Joseph and Moise. Another patriarch of one of the Italian branches is Dr. Abram Nunes Vais who is also the direct paternal ancestor of the famous photographer Mario Nunes Vais (1856-1932). It is believed that Dr. Abram Nunes Vais may be the same person as Abraham Nunes Vaz.
Famous painter Italo Nunes Vais descends from both Dr. Abram Nunes Vais and David Nunes Vais.
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Jamaican Family
The Nunes Vaz family of Jamaica has been much harder to trace, having multiple patriarchs of different trees with unknown connections (assuming they are the same family). The Jamaican Nunes Vaz families also changed their surnames similar to the Spanish by combining both surnames of their parents. In the old records the name is often listed in the V section with Nunes put as a middle name or listed just as an N initial.
Jamaican Jacob Nunes Vaz
The oldest documented Nunes Vaz in Jamaica with a known tree is Jacob Nunes Vaz who died January 23rd, 1810 and had three children; Jacob (c.1800-1869), Leah, and Abraham (1803-1877).
Phineas Nunes Vaz
The other patriarch of the Jamaican Nunes Vaz families with a known tree is Phineas Nunes Vaz (1800-1844) who is also called Charles Nunes Vaz in the birth of his first two sons Isaac (August 6th, 1825) and Jacob (October 11th, 1827) but in the birth his third son Abraham (April 7th, 1829) he is recorded as Phineas. Phineas and his family immigrated to Curacao from Jamaica. Phineas' wife Leah was also born a Nunes Vaz and her father Aaron Nunes Vaz is believed to be Aaron Nunes Vaz (112-4) from the Dutch branch of the tree, who was given money by the Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam to move to Suriname but no further documentation on Aaron in Suriname can be found.
Jamaican Abraham Nunes Vaz
A smaller branch of the Jamaican family descends from an Abraham Nunes Vaz who was estimated to be born sometime between 1780 and 1805 and married to Rebecca Almyda. Abraham and Rebecca had at least two children: Henrietta Nunes Vaz (born 1823) and Osmond Nunes Vaz (born in 1829). No known descendants have been identified for Henrietta, but there are many descendants of Osmond.
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Suriname Family
The patriarch of the Suriname family is Ishak Nunes Vaz (c.1755 - 1825) who had 3 known children; Jeudith, Jacob Haim, and Lea. We know that Aaron Nunes Vaz (112-4) from the Dutch branch of the tree was given money by the Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam to move to Suriname but no further documentation on Aaron in Suriname can be found. It is doubtful that Ishak and Aaron were brothers as Aaron had a known brother named Isaac (1766-1811), so it is more likely they are cousins which means Ishak may have been born in Livorno or he descends from unknown Nunes Vaz members living in Amsterdam.
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DNA Project
Hundreds of cousins have taken autosomal SNP DNA tests, helping confirm many branches of the family. Multiple male descendants of different branches of the family have taken Y-DNA tests, including multiple descendants of the Dutch branch, a descendant of Jamaican Jacob Nunes Vaz, and a descendant of Phineas Nunes Vaz. All of the Y-DNA tests have matched, proving that these branches all are truly the same family which connect through their patrilineal ancestry.
The family is part of an Avotaynu study on the Western Sephardic Jewish Y-DNA Haplogroups. The Nunes Vaz results indicate the family is a very unique and historically significant genetic lineage amongst the Sephardic Diaspora. If any male Nunes Vaz descendants with direct paternal ancestry to the Nunes Vaz patriarchs of any of the four branches are interested in also participating in the study, please email them at WestSephDNA@gmail.com and include your direct lineage to the patriarch of your family tree. While they may be able to cover the costs of some kits, be prepared to possibly pay some fees to get the testing done (it is through Family Tree DNA).