Solomon Cohen Jr.
Solomon Cohen | |
|---|---|
 Cohen and his family, around 1854. His children are Gratz (left), Miriam (center) and Belle (right) | |
| Born | August 15, 1802 |
| Died | August 14, 1875 (aged 72) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Spouse | Miriam Gratz Moses (1836–1875; his death) |
| Children | Gratz Cohen |
| Parent(s) | Solomon Cohen Sr. Bella Moses |
Solomon Cohen Jr. (August 15, 1802 – August 14, 1875) was a lawyer, prominent in Savannah, Georgia, where he was also postmaster, the state's first Jewish senator, a district attorney, a real-estate developer and banker. He established the first Jewish Sunday School in Georgia.
He is mentioned in the memoirs of General William Tecumseh Sherman as being a "rich lawyer".[1]
Life and career[edit]
Cohen was born on August 15, 1802, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to Solomon Cohen Sr. and Bella Moses.[2] One of his siblings, brother Octavus, was a cotton merchant.[1] His brother-in-law was Isaac Minis, husband of his sister Dinah.
In 1836,[3] he married Miriam Gratz Moses, niece of Rebecca Gratz, a philanthropist from Philadelphia.[1] They had three known children, two of whom died relatively young (including Gratz, who was killed in the Battle of Bentonville, aged 20).[1] Daughter Miriam Gratz lived until the age of 80. She was married to James Troup Dent Sr., a Confederate Army veteran.
Cohen was the de facto publisher and distributor of the works of Grace Aguilar, the English novelist who was of interest to his wife and her aunt.[1][4]
In 1839, Cohen and his brother-in-law Mordecai Myers (husband of his sister Sarah Henrietta) helped established the Georgia Historical Society. Cohen was its treasurer between 1841 and 1844, and its vice-president between 1864 and 1868.[5]
He served as the president of the Congregation Mickve Israel for several years.[1]
Shortly before his death, Cohen had built the home at today's 116–120 West Liberty Street,[1] an addition to the 1851-built number 124.
Cohen was a slave-owner. At one point, he owned eight slaves and hired out an additional fifteen.[1]
Properties[edit]
In addition to his home at 116–120 West Liberty Street, Cohen also built properties at 124 West Liberty Street (1851) and 17 West Bay Street (1869).
Death[edit]
Cohen died on August 14, 1875, aged 72. He is interred in Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery, alongside his wife, who survived him by sixteen years.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Solomon Cohen: Searching for Him in Savannah". Moment Magazine. 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- ^ Corey, Sharon Freeman (2016). Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 47. ISBN 9781439658062.
- ^ First American Jewish Families - The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives
- ^ Rabinovich, Irina (2021). "Across the Atlantic: Grace Aguilar's Correspondence with Miriam and Solomon Cohen" (PDF). Brno Studies in English. 47.
- ^ Greenberg, Mark I. (1998). Becoming Southern: The Jews of Savannah, Georgia, 1830–70. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 70.
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