Sacramento County
Biographies
SIMON COHN
SIMON COHN, senior member of the firm of S. Cohn & Co., grocers, Folsom, was born in Poland in March, 1830. At the age of eleven or twelve years he left home and went to Prussia, living there five or six years as journeyman tailor. In 1852 he embarked on the sailing vessel Samuel Lawrence for New York, landing in the fall after a voyage of eight weeks. After working at his trade a year, he came to California by the Nicaragua route, leaving New York on the steamer Star of the West, and coming on the Pacific side on the steamer Curtis, landing at San Francisco. He was employed by a man named Krichavski in San Francisco, at $50 a month, remaining with him until he had saved up $1,800, in slugs, and then, in company with a Mr. Fischer, he bought stock and was ready to open out in business in the old St. Charles Hotel on Davis Street, when a fire during the night burnt up all their goods! This left Mr. Cohn without anything. He worked for his former employer again until he saved about $2,000, when he concluded to try his luck again, this time in the country. In company with Mr. Frankee he opened out in business at Live Oak City, near Michigan Bar, Sacramento County, and was soon burnt out again! Although a second time completely broken up, he undaunted put his shoulder to the wheel and started in again, at Folsom, in 1856, where he has been ever since. His present business is the trade in groceries and provisions, in which he is successful. He is public-spirited, a Republican, but not radical. Is a member of Natoma Lodge, No. 64, F. & A. M.; an Odd Fellow; A. O. U. Workman; and B’nai B’rith. In 1862 he married Henrietta Alexander, a native of Prussia, and they have two daughters: Rosa, wife of N. L. Kohn, of Placerville; and Alice, wife of Phillip C. Cohn, formerly of Sacramento and now of Folsom, a partner in the firm of S. Cohn & Co.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An Illustrated History of
Sacramento County, California. Pages 690-691. Lewis Publishing
Company. 1890.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.