Jessop’s Tree indicates Henry’s life span as 1786–1867.
The Old Bailey Sessions’ Paper states Henry was (in May 1833) aged 43, which indicates a Year of Birth c.1790.
The 1837 General Muster of Convicts states age as 48, indicating a YoB c.1789.
The “Recommendations for Conditional Pardons” states YoB as 1790.
His Conditional Pardon certificate states his YoB as 1790.
Elizabeth’s Death Certificate states she was married in 1809 and Henry’s D.C. states he was married at “20 years of age”. That indicates a YoB c.1789. Henry’s D.C. and his grave headstone state his age at death as 81, suggesting YoB c.1786. The informant for both deaths was son-in-law Abraham Cohen—He left the still-alive third son, Philip, off Henry’s D.C.
In lieu of more positive documentary evidence it appears more likely that Henry was born in 1790 and that he was 77 years of age when he died in 1867.
How many children did Henry and Elizabeth have, and what were their names?
The Trial transcript indicates that, at May 1833, there were 10 children, and the entry in the Indents of Convict Ships[1] states that at that time Henry had 6 male and 4 female children.
Of the ten children we then know the Cohens had at the time, The Brothers passenger list names only nine—four girls: “Mrs [Nancy] Simmons [née Cohen], Miss Sophia Cohen, Miss Ann [sic] Cohen, Miss Caroline Cohen”, and five boys: “Master Edward Cohen, Master Samuel Cohen, Master Phillip [sic] Cohen, Master Joseph Cohen, Master Lewis Cohen.” The list does not mention the sixth male child, William (born c.1832)—probably a babe-in-arms was not counted. And, there is no mention of Hannah or of Jessop’s “Sarah”.
The family tree “ACII—Cohen of Paddington” researched by William Jessop of New Jersey, USA, names a total of 12 children for Henry—including the two daughters last born at Port Macquarie: “Sophia (1816–82); Hannah; Sarah (d.1866); Samuel (1821–99); Edward (1822–77); Nancy (d.1860); Philip (1825–98); Joseph (1826–93); William (1830–67[sic]); Lewis (1831–1903); Frances (1834–84); Jane (1837–1867[sic])”; and includes “Caroline (d.1881)” as a sister of Henry.
Caroline was a daughter of Henry. Caroline married Arthur Isaac Nathan. Arthur Nathan died in London. He pre-deceased his wife Caroline and our Henry, and Arthur’s death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald, 21 October 1863, states that he was the “son in law of Henry Cohen Esq of this city.” Caroline is also named as a daughter in Henry’s Will. Her death notice in the London Times states she died 19 March 1881 in her 54th year, so that she was born c.1827 (although this birth date does not tally with the order of mention in Henry’s Will). Also, Stuart Cohen’s research indicates that Caroline’s Hebrew name was “Yetala Bas Zwei Ha Cohen” (ie, daughter of Henry) not “Bas Natan” (ie, daughter of Nathan) as she would have been if she was Henry’s sister.
Jessop’s Tree does not mention an “Ann”, but it does include Hannah and William. “Sarah / d.1866 / unmarried” is another matter.
“Ann” of The Brothers passenger list is probably Hannah.
I believe that Jessop’s “Sarah” must be a daughter of some other Henry Cohen. Except for the “d.1866” she could have been a granddaughter, a daughter of Abraham and Sophia or Samuel Henry and Eliza. Both of these couples had daughters named Sarah, born in 1847, and died unmarried, but both were still alive well after 1866. (Abraham and Sophia’s daughter Sarah died in 1904, and Samuel and Eliza’s Sarah was named as an executor of Samuel’s estate in 1896.).
Also, Jessop’s birth dates place William as the fifth son and Lewis as the sixth. William definitely was the sixth male child (see marriage notice, SMH, 13 September 1853, and the order of names in Henry’s D.C. and Will). Also, Nancy is way out of chronological order between Edward and Philip: if this was correct she would have been about nine years of age when she married Joseph Simmons in 1832. Her obituary notice states that she was the “eldest child” (born c.1812).
In 1836, when an attempt was made to have Henry reassigned from Archibald Innes at Port Macquarie to James Simmons in Sydney, James stated, on 26 August, that Henry then had 11 children.
Elizabeth’s Death Certificate, certified by son-in-law Abraham Cohen, states that at the time of her death, in 1866, there were: “6 boys and 5 girls living, and 1 boy and 2 girls deceased”—a total of 14!
Who were the living? On the basis of Henry’s Will (dated October 1866) they were [6 boys]: Samuel, Edward, Philip, Joseph, Lewis, William, [and 5 girls:] Sophia, Hannah, Caroline, Frances, and Jane. (Somehow Abraham managed to omit the still-living Philip from Henry’s Death Certificate.)
Who then were the deceased? As the known boys are accounted for, the “1 boy” must be a pre-1833 infantile death. The “2 girls” must be Nancy [Simmons] and the mysterious “Sarah” or—if “Sarah” is in fact a grand-child or some other’s child—another pre-1833 infantile death.
The sum of the various records seems to indicate that the 12 children who survived to maturity were, in birth order: Nancy, Sophia, Hannah, Samuel Henry, Edward Aaron, Philip, Joseph, Caroline, Lewis, William, Frances, and Jane.
