Background
He was the younger son of Michael Levy and Rachel Phillips, a Jewish-American couple, and was born in 1807 in Philadelphia.
He was the younger son of Michael Levy and Rachel Phillips, a Jewish-American couple, and was born in 1807 in Philadelphia.
Levy was granted the "freedom of the country" by the government of Peru for signal services rendered in the Peruvian Navy. A great-great-grandfather had come from London and was one of a group of the earliest settlers in Savannah, Georgia. He was a descendant of Sephardic Jews who had fled to Europe and England after the Spanish Inquisition of the early 16th century.
Jonas Levy became a merchant and sea captain.
He commanded the United States.S. America during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), and was assigned to the transportation of troops to Veracruz. When the port surrendered, Levy was appointed its captain by General
Winfield Scott. In addition, he aided the Peruvian Navy, in which he served for some time.
The government honored him with "freedom of the country" for his contributions.