Judith Solomon Cohen (December 21, 1766 – April 5, 1837) was the matriarch of one of the earliest Jewish families in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. She married Israel I. Cohen, originally from Oberdorf Germany, on December 21, 1787, in England. The couple had emigrated to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, by 1784, where Israel worked temporarily as a constable. He was one of the founders of the Congregation Beth Shalome as well as a subscriber for shares of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of the United States of America. The couple had nine children: Joshua (1788-1788); Jacob Jr. (1789-1869); Solomon (b. 1791); Philip (1793-1852); Maria (1794-1834);

Mendes Mendes (, ''Genitive case, gen''.: ), the Greek language, Greek name of the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in ancient Egypt as Per (hieroglyph), Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Te ...

(1796-1879); Benjamin (1797-1845); David (1800-1847); Joshua (1801-1870); and Edward (1802-1803). When Israel died on July 29, 1803, his house and belongings were auctioned off because at that time women could not own property. Cohen moved her seven children to Baltimore, where she became a

boarder Boarder may refer to: Persons A boarder may be a person who: *snowboards *skateboards *bodyboards * surfs *stays at a boarding house *attends a boarding school *takes part in a boarding attack Other uses * ''The Star Boarder'', a 1914 American ...

of Shinah Solomon Etting. Later her son Benjamin would marry Etting's daughter Kitty and the couple became part of Baltimore's elite social circle. In 1813, Cohen's sons founded Cohen's

Lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

and Exchange. The lottery was very successful and the brothers opened five branch offices in other cities. It published its own four-page newspaper, ''Cohen's Gazette and Lottery Register'' from 1814 until 1830, containing lottery as well as financial news. In 1831, they opened Jacob I. Cohen, Jr. and Brothers Banking House. The Cohen family lived in a large house on North Charles Street where they kept

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and held daily services. In the 1850s, they were the sponsors of the short-lived Sephardic Congregation. Judith Solomon Cohen died in Baltimore on April 5, 1837. The family purchased a tract for her burial on Saratoga Street; it would be used for family burials until the 1970s, when the family was reinterred at Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coehn, Judith Solomon 1766 births 1837 deaths People from Baltimore Jewish women in business 19th-century American women People from Richmond, Virginia English emigrants to the United States

See also

References