“H. Cohen &
Son” in George Street, from Joseph Fowles’ Sydney in 1848
Other names of interest which appear in Fowles streetscapes are “S. Solomon, Auctioneers &c” and “Jas. Simmons & Son” both on the southern side of Hunter Street, between Pitt and George Streets.
On 14 July 1849 Henry Cohen of Sydney purchased three town land lots at Armidale, NSW.[1] On the same day Philip Cohen, then of Armidale, purchased one town land lot, and on the following day purchased one suburban land lot.[2]
///Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (incl List of Shipowners): (M.L. Q656.5/L) ???
The 1849 List of Colonial Shipowners mentions Henry Cohen as owner of the steamship Thistle. [///ref?]
Henry Cohen is listed in the 1851 edition of the Sydney Directory (p.29) as “Cohen, Henry, merchant and shipowner, 325 Castlereagh Street north.” We can be reasonably sure that this is our Henry as his daughter Nancy’s death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 1860, describes her as “. . . eldest daughter of Mr Henry Cohen of Castlereagh Street, Sydney.” Some time after 1860 Henry and Elizabeth removed to Margaret Street, overlooking the not long created Wynyard Square.
The old military barracks at Wynyard, which occupied the area bounded by George, Barrack, Clarence and (the northern alignment of) Margaret Streets,[3] were demolished and the area sub-divided and sold between 1850 and 1853. At the same time York Street was extended from Barrack Street to the north to Margaret Street, Wynyard and Carrington[4] Streets were defined, and the portion in the middle was converted into the Wynyard Square we know today. Margaret Street was also to be extended eastward from Clarence Street to George Street.[5]
Smith and Hinton’s “Map of Sydney and Suburbs 1854” indicates that in that year Margaret Street as we now know it was still not extended down to George Street. At that time Margaret Street ran from Sussex Street to York Street, and then, from near Carrington Street to George Street it was called Margaret Place, in between, an existing building intruded and blocked vehicular access between the two “Margarets.” By 1858 the intruding building had been demolished and Margaret Street became as we know it today.[6]
Elizabeth Cohen died[7] on 13 February 1866, at 74 years of age, at Margaret Street, Sydney and was buried at the Devonshire Street Burial Ground. The witnesses to the burial were A. A. Levi and John Solomon. The Sydney Morning Herald of 14 February 1866 carried the following notices:
On Tuesday, 13th instant, at her residence,
Margaret-street, Wynyard-square, Elizabeth
Cohen, wife of Henry Cohen,
Esq., aged 74 years.
The Friends of the late Mrs Henry Cohen
are informed that the Funeral will take place THIS DAY, at 3 p.m.
