(Please excuse me if I concentrate somewhat on this son from whom I am descended—Ed.)
Henry’s third son, Philip (c.1824–98), was born in London. On 5 February 1851, at 26 years of age, at Melbourne, in the home of Mr D[avid] Benjamin, Philip (described then as of “Armidale, NSW”) married[1] Jessie Solomon (c.1833–1916), the 19-year-old third daughter of “the late” Mr Henry L. Solomon, Merchant, Soft Goods, of Hobart Town. (Does this mean that the descendants of Jessie Cohen may have some relationship to the infamous “Ikey”?) The witnesses to the marriage were B. Harris and A. H. Hart. The officiating clergyman was M[oses] Rintel.
Jessie’s birthplace in England is variously indicated on her children’s Birth Certificates as: Sheerness, Plymouth, and Portsmouth!
As indicated by various documents, Philip and Jessie were at various times at:
1846-47: Sydney (Philip Cohen’s Auction and Commission Agency) [refs?]
1849: Armidale, NSW
1851: Melbourne—married (Philip then “of Armidale”)
1852: Macquarie Street (south), Sydney [now Commonwealth Street]
1856–1860: Manly (Sydney)—licensee, Pier Hotel (now the Manly Hotel)
1862: Launceston, Tasmania
1866: 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy (Melbourne)
1868: “Vaucluse,” Richmond (Melbourne)
1871: Victoria Street, Fitzroy (Melbourne)
1876: Melbourne
1878: Sydney
1880–84: Manly (Sydney)—licensee, Steyne Hotel
1885: Sydney
[///1858 photo of
Pier Hotel (MML 1514)///]
[///1887 photo of
Steyne Hotel (MML 824 and 1677)///]
The Dunbar was wrecked on the South Head of Port Jackson on 20 August 1857 with the loss of all but one of the 120 passengers and crew. Amongst those who gave evidence at the Inquest, which commenced on 23 August at the Morgue, Circular Quay, was Mr P. Cohen of the Manly Beach [sic] Hotel, who reported that he saw two bodies floating and tried to recover them. He was unable to do so on account of the number of sharks.[2]
Philip was the first licensee of the Pier Hotel, Manly, and held the licence from 1856 to 1860, and 20 years later, after the family had returned from a lengthy spell in Launceston and Melbourne, he was the licensee of the Steyne Hotel, Manly, 1880–84.
Mrs.
Kilminster came to live in Manly in September 1857 when the Corso was a swamp.
She became the hostess of the Pier Hotel, which after completion in 1856 was
kept by a Mr. Cohen. . . . [About 1926] the hotel was demolished and
. . . re-erected as the Hotel Manly. . .
The Steyne
Hotel was built about 1859 and afterwards added to. The Corso was only a sand
track and exceptionally high tides reached almost to the buildings.
. . . It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt with P. Cohen, 1880/4, as
licensee.[3]
There is a Cohen Street in Manly. Of this street name, in a Paper read by L. C. Wellings (Town Clerk, Manly) at a meeting of the Society of Australian Genealogists on 25 June 1947 on “Streets of Manly and the Origin of their Names,” Wellings could only say “Whether Mr. Cohen who kept the ‘Pier Hotel’ in 1857 had anything to do with the naming, I cannot say.”[4]
What was Philip doing during the period (c.1864–77) the family was in Melbourne? Was he working for/with his brother Edward? Or, is it mere coincidence that Philip and his family were back in Sydney in 1878, the year following Edward’s death.
Philip had an interest in anthropology and ichthyology. Among his published works are The Marine Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales, Past and Present, in their Commercial Aspect, 1892; authorised by the New South Wales Commissioners for the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 (Mitchell Library 639/C); and Early Day Aborigines (ML 572.9901/164AI).
Philip and Jessie had 13 children: 7 boys and 6 girls, including at least one set of twins:
“Jane” (1852–____) [“a daughter”[5]] was born 14 June 1852 at Macquarie Street South, Sydney, and named 17 July 1852.[6]
Fanny (?1852–____) married Frederick Fraser.
Esther (?1854–____) married __________ Rofe.
Sarah (?1856–1945) in 1903 married George Edwards-Dresser (no issue).
Benjamin Henry (1858–99)[7] was born at Manly Beach (Sydney), NSW, on 10 April 1858. Philip was then a Hotel Keeper. Previous issue: three daughters and one son! (The “one son” must be this child.)
Joseph (c.1859–1921) was born at __________ on __________ 1859. On 6 June 1889, at Waverley, Sydney, Joseph married[8] Caroline Mary Menghini,[9] daughter of Jacob Menghini and Sarah née Lested. Caroline had two sons: Eric Philip (1890–1977) born[10] at Neutral Bay, Sydney on 22 April 1890, and Roy Joseph (1893–1979). Caroline died[11] at 27 years of age at “Valetta,” Walker Street, North Sydney, on 16 April 1898. She is buried in the Old Roman Catholic Section of the old cemetery at Gore Hill, Sydney (sect. 4D, plot #21).
Arthur (1862–____) was born[12] at Launceston, Tasmania, on 1 March 1862.
Elizabeth Annie (1862–____) was born[13] at Launceston, Tasmania, on 1 March 1862. In 1889 she married James Smith.
Amy (c.1864–85) was born[///ref?] at __________ on __________ . She died[14] in 1885 at Sydney aged 21 years.
Flora Sophia (1866–1926) was born[15] on 13 January 1866 at 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria. In 1913 she married Henry Valentine. Philip was then a Merchant. Previous issue: Fanny (13), Esther (11), Sarah (9), Henry (7), Joseph (5), Lizzie (4), Arthur (4), Amy (2).
Nathan Edward (1868–1868) was born[16]
on 4 April 1868 at Vaucluse, Richmond, Victoria. Philip was then a Merchant.
Previous issue: Fanny (16), Esther (14), Sarah (12), Henry (10), Joseph (8),
Lizzie (6), Arthur (6), Amy (4), Flora (2). Died[17]
in infancy at Melbourne on [///]__________ 1868.
Ernest (c.1870–76)
was born[///ref?] at Melbourne on [///]__________ and died[18]
at age 6 years at Melbourne on [///]__________ 1876.
William (1871–?1923) was born[19]
on 23 December 1871 at Victoria Street, Fitzroy, Victoria. Philip was then an
Auctioneer. Previous issue: Fanny (20), Esther (18), Sarah (16), Henry (14),
Joseph (12), Lizzie (10), Arthur (10), Amy (8), Flora (6), Ernest (2).
Albert (1877–78) was born at [///]__________ on __________ 1877. He died[20] in infancy, at Sydney, 18 September 1878.
On Henry’s death, Philip’s share of the estate was a life interest in the income from “two houses in William Street Woolloomooloo known as numbers 78 and 80.” On the death of Philip and his wife, the legacy passed to their daughter Esther.
Two of their children who died prematurely are in the Jewish Old Section at Rookwood: Albert, aged 18 months, died 18 September 1878; and Amy, aged 21 years, died 25 September 1885.
Philip died[21] on 6 February 1898, aged 73 years, at his home “Valetta,” Walker Street, North Sydney. His Death Certificate, certified by his son William, states that he was then a Retired Oyster Merchant; that of his 73 years he spent 46 [sic] years in Victoria and 22 [sic] years in NSW [more like 18 years “Victoria” and 46 years NSW!], and that the children of the marriage were: Fanny (Fraser) 44, Esther (Rofe) 42, Sarah 40, Henry 38, Joseph 36, Arthur 34, Lizzie (Smith) 34, Flora 30, William 25, living; 2 [sic] males and 1 female deceased. Philip is buried in the Jewish Section at Rookwood, Section D, #330.
On the death of her husband, Philip, Jessie Cohen received the following letter from The Anthropological Society of Australasia:
The Anthropological
Society of Australasia
Argreah
Chandor St. Ashfield
3rd March 1898
Dear Mrs Cohen
It was with
much regret that the Society learned of the Death of your much esteemed and
respected Husband for he was one who took a very great and active interest in
the welfare and progress of the Society and had promised us much valuable and
interesting information gathered on different occasions from the Blacks of
Australia and upon which he had made voluminous notes.
He having
now passed away to the “Better Land” I now write to you to ask if
you will entrust them to me and I will prepare them and see that they are
published in the Journal giving Mr Cohen all credit and honour for what he has
collected.
You will
notice that the balance of the “Gaboora” is printed in the last
issue of the Journal.
Again
sympathising with you in your sad loss.
I
remain
My
dear Mrs Cohen
Yours
sincerely
W.
Wentworth Bucknell
. . .
Gen Sect.
Jessie died[22] aged 82 years on 15 July 1916 at her home “Arlington” at 13 Princes Street, North Sydney (more precisely McMahons Point). Her death certificate, certified by her grand-son Eric Philip Cohen, states that her father was “Henry Solomon, Merchant, Soft Goods,” her mother was “unknown,” that she was born in London, and spent 17 years in Tasmania, 33 years in Victoria and 30 years in N.S.W. [more like 17 years Tasmania, 18 years Victoria, 45 N.S.W.] Children: Fannie (Fraser) 60, Sarah (Dresser) 55, Joseph 53, Elizabeth A. (Smith) 50, Flora (Valentine) 47, William 45, living; 5 males and 2 females deceased. Jessie is buried in the Jewish Section at Rookwood, Section 3, #265.[23]
