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Hi,

Would you be so good as to let me know whether your Abraham Cohen, settled and raised a family in Greenwick, Kent??

Many thanks

Km

Its possible. The time frame would be 1862-1867. one ancestor said she was born in England in one census. But I have no other records to support.

I sent you the grave photo with hebrew inscription and Kohanim symbol. His actual photo you are looking at. Someone else thought he might have used Levy to distinguish (separate) himself from other Kohanim, as in nobody else was likely to take that name.  I have no oral history on why he used it for "legal" purposes. Everybody knew him as "Hersch" and in fact a great grandson was named "Herschel" after him, thinking that was his actual given name. He's 95 and still alive today.

I also have a picture of Levy Cohen, circa 1880. I should use it in my profile!

Hello Jason,

Do you have a picture of the gravestone?

Hopefully, the Hebrew inscription should include his father's name, i.e.

Yehoshua ben ? ha-Kohn (or k"tz)

Do you have records of him being called Leib?

My ancestors were Levites (ha-Levi), so it makes usvery distant cousins (ha, ha)

Justin

Justin,

Yes, I am struggling. I guess my next post will be in the "brickwall" section. Here's what I know.

1. They were in USA for 1870 (in census, directories)
2. Census responses (over 10) all say 1867, 1868, or 1869
3. Hebrew name of Levy Cohen is Yehoshua. Its on his gravestone in St. Paul, MN, which I have been to and had translated.
4. Conflicting reports in census of country of origin (Poland, Poland-Russia, Russia, and Germany) but this may be a function of changing political geography in Europe from 1870-1930.
5. Oral history confirms Russian ancestry
6. Headstone says Levy (Yehoshua) was a true Kohen (Kohanim tribe). This means he (and I) are blood descendants of Aaron (the older brother of Moses).
7. 1870 census Levy is listed under the name Koehl, although in the city directory for 1870 he appeared under the name Cohen.
8. 1900 census reports Levy came in 1867, Anna in 1869.
9. Her maiden name is Polsky. She has a brother named Charles Polsky who claims he came to USA in 1869.

I think they will eventuall appear in the Russians to America file, when the years 1867-1870 are digitized.

There are no Russians in the passenger lists for these years. They are absent from both Castlegarden.org and NARA. Prior to 1867 and following 1870, you can find Russians in both these files.

Naturally, this is the exact window my Russian ancestors came to the USA.