David Cohen & Co. records, together with papers of the Cohen family

MLMSS 11283

fonds

1840-1952

Textual Records, Clippings, Graphic Materials, Photographs

9638052

0.8 metres of textual material (5 boxes)

The wholesale firm David Cohen & Co. was established in Sydney and Maitland in 1836 by brothers David and Samuel Cohen and later their cousin Lewis Wolfe Levy, all of whom had migrated from England. The original clients of the firm were principally squatters and station owners throughout New South Wales.

In 1865, Samuel Cohen’s son George Judah Cohen took charge of the Maitland office and, with the coming of rail transport, established a branch of the firm in Newcastle. He had married Rebecca Levy, daughter of Lewis Wolfe Levy, in 1868. Their son, Samuel (later Sir Samuel) Sydney Cohen, joined the firm in 1885 at the age of 16 and later directed the management of the company until his death in 1948.

Reference:
Australian Dictionary of Biography. http://adb.anu.edu.au (accessed 20 May 2020)

Following the closure of the David Cohen & Co office, Paul Cullen (son of Sir Samuel Sydney Cohen) took custody of the records which subsequently passed to his daughter, the donor

The collection largely comprises legal and other business records of the firm David Cohen & Co. along with legal documents concerning members of the Cohen family and school books of Rebecca Levy.

BOX 1
David Cohen & Co. minute book, 7 October 1921-27 July 1936. Also includes Memorandum and Articles of Association, 1912, a copy of Agreement for Conversion of Business into Limited Liability Company, 1912, and various financial records interleaved
David Cohen & Co. minute book, 28 December 1927-22 June 1934
David Cohen & Co. minute book, 30 January 1935-15 December 1939

BOX 2
David Cohen & Co. minute book, 22 January 1940-26 July 1948
Ledger, 1902-1929. Contains financial records mainly relating to the Estate of David Cohen and payments to beneficiaries

BOXES 3-4
Various legal documents relating to David Cohen & Co. and members of the Cohen and Levy families, 1840-1952. Includes indentures, conveyances, powers of attorney, wills, declarations of trust, marriage settlement, deeds of release and related correspondence. Housed in folders numbered 2-68 (incomplete), with detailed list located in Box 5. Some folders include transcripts of documents.
Box 3: Folders labelled ‘Document no. 2’ – ‘Document no. 31’
Box 4: Folders labelled ‘Document no. 32’ – ‘Document no. 68’

BOX 5
Folder containing two copy photographs identified as George Judah Cohen and Rebecca (Ré) Cohen née Levy; printouts of various journal articles and family history reports; listing and some transcripts of legal documents in Boxes 3-4
Album of newsclippings relating to David Cohen & Co., 1908-1936. Includes some photographs
School exercise books (3) of Rebecca Levy, for Arithmetic, French and German, 1862-1863

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Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales