Any Information on the family Jacob and Catherine Cohen, Wales, Swansea

[Sam Swift]

Just seen the 1850 census in which he was recorded as E.P. Cohen, aged 50, born in Wales

Justin

In the Liverpool Mail 12 July 1856 it states that on the 22nd ultimo at Baltimore, US, Esdaile P. Cohen, Esq; brother of Dr. Cohen, of Great George Square had died.

[LCohen]

Oh cool, thanks, Sam. That's also given me another address for Douglas Cohen who I know worked at Liverpool hospital after graduating from Edinburgh University.

[LCohen]

Yes, John Lister Druggist proximity to the Swansea Cohens is a little disturbing, I have as yet found no evidence of the Swansea Cohens having had an involvement in slavery.

I'm interested in finding out about the wealth my family had back then both the Swansea and Baltimore branches. My grandfather Cecil Cohen had extensive land and business interests in Jamaica, a trucking company amongst other things. His father Fernando Cohen, struggling to find anything much on him, and his brothers and sisters look to have had considerable wealth. The Baltimore branch owned a bank Harriet Cohen's husband, David I Cohen (I think they may have been cousins), founded the Baltimore stock exchange. Harriet was Fernando's aunt. Reuben Cohen, Fernando's father, had land in Cuba I know this from a letter he wrote to the British government requesting assistance with a land dispute he was having with the Spanish government. My cousin, who I'm working with on this genealogical project, has ordered a copy of the letter also a copy of Reuben's will. Reuben Cohen lived in Cuba for a while that's where his kids were born.

Thanks

Leonard 

[Sam Swift]

Hi Both

There are trees with Marks family on An, which have a photo of the grave (unreadable though) of Rosabella Joseph, the daughter of Rosetta and Michael Marks. She looks to be buried in Swansea, though one son went to Inida (Leman). One son - Jacob Cohen Marks, looks to have never married an dspent some time in Vernon House (a private lunatic asylum in Britton Ferry) 

Michael Marks death 1845

His Accident
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3334419/3334422/17/mr%20marks,%20accident  The Cambrian 21 Nov 1845, p3

Death Following amputation of his leg
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3334427/3334430/12/mr%20marks,%20accident
The Cambrian 28 Nov 1845, p. 3, col 3

And slightly different versions of events:
21 Nov 1845 The Welshman, p3, col. 4 https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4364599/4364602/28/mr%20marks%20death

The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian Glamorgan Monmouth and Brecon Gazette 22 Nov 1845, p1, col. 7  https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3088572/3088573/7/mr%20marks%20death 

This also mentions him being the brother of The Messers Marks St Mary St. Cardiff.


This describes Jewish names being changed, and also an indication in the case of Marks from Mordecai, as being a practice carried out by those from a specific origin
South Wales Daily News 29 Dec 1876, p8, col 6 bottom
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3504288/3504296/122/mr%20marks%20death

[Sam Swift]

Hi Leonard

I've found another article in the Baltimore press relating to Mendes Cohen son of David I Cohen & Harriet. It's mainly about how he became successful from humble beginnings aged 16, when he had to work after his father died. It also talks about his brother Jacob J Cohen member of the bar who married the daughter of the late Benjamin Nathan of NY city.

It's in Philadelphia Jewish Exponent 11 August 1893 page 6


In 1901 Rosabella Joseph (dau of Rosetta and Michael Marks) was still living in Highfeld st Swansea. with a spinster "companion"  who was born in Jamaica named Mary Bason, which I thought was a bit unusual. I haven't been able to find any other reference to her though.

Swansea was not somewhere associated with the slave trade as far as I know. It was renowned as being the centre of Copper making, with copper ore being shipped from South America and other places that had copper ore.

[LCohen]

Please do send a link to the article. A lot of Jacob and Catherine Cohen's kids didn't marry or have kids: Douglas, Charlotte, they lived together in London at 1a 31 Paddington St, London in the 1880s, Matilda Cohen never married I have her living in Mumbles Swansea Bay, which I've seen a video of it looks beautiful I'd like to visit. It's interesting that a Jamaica connection appears in 1901 that's when my great grandfather Fernando Cohen put the Cambrian up for sale, one of the family estates in Jamaica. I wonder who this Mary Bason was.

[JustinL]

Good morning gents,

It certainly would have been an incredible coincidence if Solomon Levy had been one of my ancestors. However, it's most unlikely, given that none of my Jewish ancestors set foot in the UK before 1871.

I spent quite a bit of time yesterday looking at the Cohens of Baltimore, particularly the brothers Jacob and Israel, to see if there is any way to connect them to your Jacob in Swansea and to understand the significance of the mysterious middle initial "I".

I now know that they came from Oberdorf am Ipf, a small village that is now part of Bopfingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, very close to the border with Bavaria. Jews settled in the village in the 16th century.

All the published genealogies report that the brothers' parents were Joshua and Pesslah. Until about 1840, the Jews of Oberdorf were buried in nearby Wallerstein. By chance, the inscriptions of the gravestones have been transcribed and made available on the internet. Here is the full list http://www.steinheim-institut.de/cgi-bin/epidat?info=name-wls#namensliste

This would appear to be the inscription recorded on the gravestone of Joshua Cohen http://www.steinheim-institut.de/cgi-bin/epidat?sel=wls&function=Ins&projekt=&lang=de&jahrv=1771

The date matches very closely with that on the attached Cohen family tree. Also note that Israel married in Bristol (UK) before moving on to Virginia. Bristol isn't a million miles away from Swansea. 

More food for thought.

[JustinL]

Now for the mysterious "I" ....

The family history (see http://digipres.cjh.org:1801/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE1017160) records that Jacob arrived in the US in 1773, where he was granted a licence to trade with the Indians.

Lo and behold, Jacob Isaiah Cohen was granted such a licence on 12 May 1773
(http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pkk/). I find it hard to believe that that was not Jacob I. Cohen.

In secular records, German Jews were generally referred to as given name + father's given name + byname/surname (if one existed). The vast majority of Jews in German territories did not adopt hereditary surnames until the early 19th century. In larger communities, this patronymic form served to distinguish between people with the same given name and surname.

My 4th great-grandfather appears in German records as Matthes Jacob Levi (d. 1803); he was Matthes son of Jacob Levi. His grandson (my 2nd ggf) appears as Matthias David Levy; he was Matthias son of David Levy.

The above would suggest that Jacob and Israel were the sons of Isaiah. But then what about Joshua?

Here's my theory, for what it's worth. Joshua is the English form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua, sometimes shortened to Yeshua. Isaiah comes from Yesha'yahu. The names are virtual synonyms; the former means "God saved", the latter "Saved by God".

However, in secular German records of Jews, the name Josua is extremely unusual, whereas Isaias/Jesaias is not uncommon. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Jacob's and Israel's father used Isaias/Isaiah as his secular name.

Moving to the "I" used as a middle initial by Israel's children, it is perfectly logical that each child had the name Israel as a patronymic, e.g. David [son of] Israel Cohen.

This was a just a bit of an academic digression ... the result of being jobless in lockdown

Justin

[LCohen]

Thanks for clearing up the "I", I had different information that looks erroneous.