Cohn, Mathias (Matatia)

  General Notes:

A merchant and landowner. He was a member of the Dozor Bozniczy and also a member of the National Guard during the November Uprising. Along with his business partner, Rafal Glucksohn, he petitioned the Tsar - unsuccessfully - for citizenship rig hts. He was one of the first Jewish landowners of the Kingdom of Poland. Mathias was also a member of the "German Synagogue" on Danilowixzowska Street (progressive syagogue of the Haskala movement).

Marhias Cohn was a merchnat, leaseholder, and landowner. In 1833 he received permission to own land, along with his business partner Rafal Glucksohn. Mathias and Rafal were heavily involved in propinacja [the production and sale of liquor]. I n 1855 they signed a lucrative contract leasing an area comprising twenty-six villages, for twelve years, from which they gained the revenues from the liquor trade.

During the November Uprising of 1830-31, Mathias Cohn joined the National Guard. This means he must have shaved his beard (unlike his brother Dawid who belonged to the Civic Guard, and who would have kept his beard). From 1859 to 1861 he was a m ember fo the Dozor Bozniczy [Synagogue Inspection Committee] like his brother Dawid. He was a member of the "German Synagogue" on Danilowiczowska Street.

According to Ignacy Schiper in his book Zydzi Krolestwa Polskiego w dobie powstania listopodawego (1932), Mathias Cohn possessed "the largest collection of Hebrew books in the country"

It is not known when Mathias Cohn died, but we know from his daughter Ewa's statement to the polilce that Mathias was still alive in April 1864.

Mathias married Szayndla (Szarlotta) Lubelska, daughter of Wolf Lubelska and Szyfra, in Dec 1818 in Warsaw, Poland. (Szayndla (Szarlotta) Lubelska was born about 1801 and died on Jun 1, 1859 in Warsaw, Poland.)