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Jeremiah Cohan (1848 - 1917)

Jeremiah "Jere" Cohan
Born in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
Brother of , and
Husband of — married 12 Sep 1874 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , and
Died at age 69 in Monroe, New York, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 5 Jul 2014
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Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Jeremiah Cohan is Notable.

Jeremiah John Cohan was born on 31 January 1848 in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were Irish immigrants Michael Cohan and Jane Johanna Scott.[1]

The 1850 U.S. Census and 1855 Massachusetts Census records show Jeremiah Cohan (ages 2 and 8 respectively) living in Boston's 7th Ward with his parents and various siblings.[2][3] His father, Michael, is listed as a Tailor. Sadly, Michael died during 1859.

According to many later accounts, Jeremiah Cohan joined the U.S. Civil War effort as a drummer boy.[4] By 1865, he was back in Massachusetts living with his widowed mother and three of his brothers.[5]

He married Helen "Nellie" Costigan on 12 September 1874 in Providence, Rhode Island.[6] By that time, both were working and performing on the local touring variety show circuit.[7] Their known children are:

The 1880 U.S. Census puts the Cohan family at an address on Camden Place in Boston, Massachusetts.[11] Jeremiah, age 34, is listed as a Comedian; his wife is Ellen, age 25; their children are Josephine (3) and George (1). Also in the household is a servant named Nora Buckley, age 19.

Jere, Nellie, and their two surviving children formed a family vaudeville performance group called "The Four Cohans" in 1888. They toured mainly in New England before making their big break on Broadway in the early 1890s.[7] The 1900 U.S. Census shows Jeremiah Cohan, his wife Helen, and their daughter Josephine residing on 148th Street in Bronx, New York.[12] All three are referred to as "Theatre Performers". By 1905, several teenage nieces and nephews from the Costigan side of the family had joined the household[13]; most are listed as "actors".

After The Four Cohans disbanded in the early part of the 20th century, Jere and his wife retired to their country home in Monroe, New York. Census records during those years show them living there with various family members and servants.[14]

Jeremiah Cohan died on 1 August 1917 after a lengthy illness.[4][15][16] He is buried in the family's mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.[17]

He is portrayed by Walter Huston in the film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).


Research Notes

His exact whereabouts during the Civil War are unclear, but there's a possible entry for him and two of his brother (Timothy, Michael) in the 1863 Pennsylvania Septennial Census. It shows them all working as "laborers" in Philadelphia's 15th Ward; no ages or origins listed. - Freeth-52 05:25, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

There is some disputed information on when The Four Cohans officially dissolved their group. The Wikipedia article claims it was in 1900, but some of the biographies say they were still performing together as late as 1908. - Freeth-52 05:43, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Civil War: Served as teenaged orderly under Dr. George Otis, who later became Surgeon-General of the USA. His sister Mary Ann Cohan was a live-in servant in Dr. Otis' household.

Sources

  1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Boston Archdiocese Roman Catholic Sacramental Records, 1789-1900", database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Aug 2020), Jeremiah John Cohane, b. 31 Jan 1848, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Parents: Michael Cohane, Jane Scott. Boston Archdiocese; Boston, Massachusetts; Holy Cross (Boston) Baptisms V.6, 1844-1850; Volume: 48421; Page: 280
  2. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDS8-XGN : 4 April 2020), Jeremiah Cohann in household of Michael Cohann, Boston, ward 8, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; citing family 1256, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  3. ↑ "Massachusetts State Census, 1855," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQWV-H7M : 9 March 2018), Jeremiah Cohane in household of Michael Cohane, Ward 07, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 953,959.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Jere Cohan Well Liked", Duluth News-Tribune (Duluth, Minnesota), 12 August 1917. Accessed on 7 Aug 2020. GenealogyBank.com
  5. ↑ "Massachusetts State Census, 1865", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQCC-HVD : 1 June 2018), Jeremiah Cohan in entry for Jane Cohan, 1865.
  6. ↑ "Rhode Island Town Marriages Index, 1639-1916," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8K4-JNT : accessed 18 November 2019), Jeremiah Cohan and Ellen Costigan, 12 Sep 1874; citing , Providence, Rhode Island, United States, town halls, Rhode Island, and Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence; FHL microfilm 914,408.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kendrick, John. "George M. Cohan: A Biography." Musicals101.com, 2002. Accessed on August 06, 2020, http://www.musicals101.com/cohanbio1.htm
  8. ↑ "Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8C1-ZMH : 22 January 2020), Jeremiah Cohan in entry for Maud Cohan, 1876.
  9. ↑ "Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8QY-LRL : 17 December 2019), Jeremiah Cohan in entry for Jessie Cohan, 1876.
  10. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4YG-JB9 : 15 January 2020), Jeremiah in entry for George Michael Cohan, 1878.
  11. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHX5-1PW : 26 August 2017), Jeemiah Cohen, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district ED 726, sheet 263C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,559.
  12. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MS2W-LNB : accessed 7 August 2020), Jerimiah Cohan, Borough of the Bronx, Election District 37 New York City Ward 34, New York County, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 993, sheet 18A, family 435, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,125.
  13. ↑ "New York State Census, 1905," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SPN7-8HK : 8 May 2020), Jere Z Cohan, Manhattan, A.D. 31, E.D. 25, New York, New York; citing p. 50, line 28, various county clerk offices, New York; FHL microfilm 1,433,113.
  14. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5ZK-CMK : accessed 7 August 2020), Jeremiah J Cohana, Woodbury, Orange, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 92, sheet 6A, family 96, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1061; FHL microfilm 1,375,074.
  15. ↑ "Cohan, Actor, Dead", Baltimore American (Baltimore, Maryland), 2 Aug 1917. Accessed on 7 Aug 2020. GenealogyBank.com
  16. ↑ "Curtain Falls On Life of Jere Cohan", Plainfield Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey), 4 Aug 1917. p. 8. Accessed on 7 Aug 2020. Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/image/220780760/
  17. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 07 August 2020), memorial page for Jeremiah “Jerry” Cohan (31 Jan 1848–6 Aug 1917), Find A Grave: Memorial #9043902, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA ; Maintained by William Barritt (contributor 46493296) .

See also:


Acknowledgements

This WikiTree profile was originally created by Laura Scott, Saturday, July 5, 2014.

  • Church records of Cork & Ross diocese.

US Census 1850 MA, 1880, 1900, 1910. MA state census 1855. MA vital records.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Jeremiah by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Jeremiah:

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Images: 1
Portrait of the Four Cohans: Jerry, Helen, Josephine and George M.
Portrait of the Four Cohans: Jerry, Helen, Josephine and George M.


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Nagle-491 Peggy Nagle
Cohan-63 and Cohan-35 appear to represent the same person because: Same data, same parents
posted by Peggy Nagle

Featured National Park champion connections: Jeremiah is 17 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 25 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 20 degrees from George Catlin, 21 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 29 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 20 degrees from George Grinnell, 29 degrees from Anton Kröller, 21 degrees from Stephen Mather, 20 degrees from Kara McKean, 23 degrees from John Muir, 17 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 32 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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Categories: United States, Entertainers | Boston, Massachusetts | Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York | Notables