Notes told in 1989 to Barbara Cohn Younger by Bobey (Lilian Bernson Cohn) recorded by Sally Cohn Levitan, added to by Barbara Cohn Younger—concluded 2026. Abraham Louis
(Al) Cohn’s father was Jacob Cohen also known as Miller . (I'll get to that later). His mother was Rebecca Aptaker (pharmacist) which someone in her family may have been in Zaslav Russia, where both she and Jacob came from. Jacob and Rebecca were married in Russia and had two daughters there, Esther and Dora. Jacob came to the US before his wife and daughters. He settled in Portsmouth NH where one of his brothers, Joe, later settled as a farmer. Jacob was a peddler and eventually opened a shoe store on 88 Market St. in Portsmouth NH. He and Rebecca had their first son -- their first US born child, Abraham Louis Cohen in 1898.
Succession of the 12 children born to them :
1 1893 Dora
2 1894 Esther
With their mother, Rebecca, Dora and Esther both under the age of 4 traveled from Liverpool on the SS Lake Winnepeg to Quebec and thence to Haverhill MA. They left on July 4, 1897; docked at Ft. Lewis Quebec on July 15, at 10 p.m. and were not given the required physical examination for release until 5a.m. on July 16th.
3 1898 Abraham
4 1900 Lena changed name to Lee
5 1903 Jennie changed name to Jean
6 1904 Bessie Bessie has a recorded Haverhill MA birth certificate. No death certificate
7 1905 David
8 1907 Ben
9 &10 1909 2 girls - stillborn don’t know if these were separate births or twins
11 1913 Melvin
12 1914 Betty Betty has no recorded birth certificate
Jacob had six brothers and one sister the following info and comments are from Bren Miller, Ben’s granddaughter who met with me (Barbara) in April 2026 to exchange information. (brensemail@proton.me)
1 1861 Pearl Cooper who lived in Boston
2 1863 Philip (married to Rose)
3 1871 or 1869 Jacob
4 1883 Harry (married to another Rose)-they had a son Davy who was a violin prodigy at age 8 . People came from Boston to hear him play in NH.
5 1885 Joseph. His son in law was a poll bearer for 6th brother, Abram (married to Rosa) The name Kushious comes in here – Both Terrie and Bren have some information about that if you wish to delve.
Uncle Joe's farm was located somewhere in the area of what became the Portsmouth traffic circle and is now a part of route one. Bren has a photo of the family home being moved from their farm to the side of the highway. She has seen records of legal actions which occurred at this interim in around 1950.
The Cohen Miller cemetery plot where some of the Cohen-Miller family is buried is on route 99 in Melrose call the temple Hadrath Israel Cemetery
Jacob and Rebecca lived in a big house in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston. I think their 3 youngest daughters, Jean, Lee and Betty lived there too. When I was a child I remember visiting them at 47 Borroughs Street, right near Jamaica Pond and near the original sight of the Boston Children’s Museum. A visit to the grandparents always meant a visit to the Children’s Museum.
I have been in touch with Chuck Miller, the grandson of Ben and Betty Miller. Most recently, April 2026 I have been in touch with Bren Miller, Chuck’s sister. Ben and Betty Miller’ s son Robert, was the father of Bren, Chuck, Alan and John. Robert’s sister, (Ben and Betty’s daughter) is Elaine, who owned the Golden Past Antiques in Tuftonborough N.H. – That shop closed in 2023. I have remained in contact with Elaine, as well.
Chuck’s father, Robert and Paula Bragg had 4 children (Chuck and his sibs). Paula raised the children on her own.
Chuck’s sister, Bren, is a writer and can be found on-line as BL Miller. She writes Lesbian Romance. Their brother Alan is deceased and their brother, John lives with Bren. They all live in or near Albany N.Y. Chuck, too is a writer and can be found on line as Chuck the Writer.
Now back to the Cohns. Al was the first American born child, but he was also a University of N.H. graduate. Other children too, graduated from college. Dora was a teacher. Melvin and David were lawyers. In fact, David was an assistant D.A. during Mayor Curley’s infamous days in office. All except Al changed their name to Miller. Aunt Lee told me it was because Jacob had been a miller in Russia. How she knew that is a puzzle, and whether he was is not known.
It is generally thought that they just wanted to Americanize their name. Al decided not to change his completely, because he was already known in business as Al Cohen. He did discreetly drop the “e”. He said his Army (W.W. I) discharge papers spelled the name “Cohn” so he went with it. And, Lilian, his wife (Bobey) was known from time to time to pronounce “Cohn” as if it rhymed with “John”. In the context of the time, immigrant families did not want to retain any
foreign sounding name, let alone one that would identify them as Jewish. It wasn’t until the eighties that names like Jacob and Joshua and Samuel and Shoshanna carried pride.
Al’s mother, Rebecca Aptaker Cohen had 3 brothers, Louis, Abe and Nathan. At least one, Abe Aptaker, settled in Portsmouth and then in Haverhill.
Lillian Bernsen was second to the youngest of her family. The first born was stillborn, then in 1896 Hyman was born. Then Lewis, then Shirley, then Lillian and Maurice (Mickey) the youngest. Her mother was Ida Vedickletzky in Lithuania and became Ida Winer when she moved to Salem MA. She was the oldest of nine: Gerald, Lewis, Meyer, Harry, Bernie, Etta, Sarah and one other.
She married Gus Bernson spelled Berenson or BERNSOHN in BRESK LATOFSK Poland. In Salem they were the first Jewish couple recorded as married in Salem in the paper it was headlined as the first Hebrew wedding.
Gus had six brothers and sisters: Sam, Oscar, Lewis ,Bertha, Toby, and Bessie. Sam adopted a daughter Bertha, who lived with aunt Jenny and uncle Hymie. Bertha was anorexic although it was not called that then. She moved to Chicago and eventually died of malnutrition she was cremated in Chicago and buried at the Salem Jewish cemetery which is actually located in Danvers that is also where Gus and Ida are buried.
To digress for a moment-- Sally speaking: I”'m reminded of another anorexic death on the Cohn side of the family. Dora Cohen Sax's daughter Natalie was anorexic and also died of malnutrition in the 1960s”
In addition to her family. Ida raised Esther Gordon, a cousin whose family was deceased. We never knew any more than that, but we all knew and loved Esther. I was named after Esther’s mother –Bayla .Esther was like a sister to Bobey and she lived with Ida until Ida died . After that she lived alone but visited with us often. She worked at Edward's Shoe Store in Salem. She died of cancer in the 1970s. Bobey’s sister ,Shirley, lived in New York. Her husband was Irving Oliphant. They divorced. Shirley died in the 60s her only child GAIL was quite close to Bobby for many years wrote often etcetera but we lost contact and I had little luck tracing her however I did reach GAIL in 2000 as well as her children Susan Abend and Carl, who were single at the time and in their early 30s and they still live in New York Susan in Staten Island and Carl in Brooklyn. GAIL their mother and their father Larry Aband were divorced for several years and the children moved to their father’s. On December 14th 2002 Jeff and Lori and Joe and I met for lunch at lindys in New York City . We had little contact after that. Though I did reconnect with Gail in 2024. Their addresses and emails are in my phone contacts.
Lillian ( Bobby) was named Leah when she was born on April 27th 1904 her parents called her Lily. She didn't like the date she was born on so she chose
May 1st as her birthday and she celebrated that day as her birthday all her life in fact her own children never knew until she was 89. I think we needed her birth certificate for some reason and when we asked her she admitted that she had changed the date on a whim. Her actual birthday was in April. Her brother Maurice (Mickey) was wounded in World War Two. He became a paraplegic-- wheelchair bound. He always reminded us how difficult it is for people who need handicapped access such as parking spaces when others who don't need the space take them. Even trying to take a wheelchair up one step is impossible without several strong arms to lift the entire chair. I remember his wife Helen having to call ahead to each place they were invited, to determine whether or not they could attend. From time to time they would come to our home in Hamilton, because they could enter through the garage and we would play bridge.
Bobey’s brothers and her husband Al were in business together. The Bargain Syndicate in Beverly was the store. Various family members would tell differing stories but they did not get along and Al pulled out to start his own store, “Alcon’s” at 149 Cabot Street in Beverly, only a few stores away from the Bargain Syndicate. I think that was in 1945. It was principally a shoe store, but he catered also to men’s work/casual clothing and underwear. He started a true family business in a way that could not happen today. He lined the walls with empty boxes, stocked some open shelves with work pants and khakis, and put out plates of candy to make customers feel welcome. Once in the store he would take off one shoe to check the size needed and conveniently leave it under a chair a little away from the customer. With a variety of styles in various sizes, he hoped the customer would find a shoe to his liking, if not in his size. Then Al would special order the right size and color for the next day. The following morning he would drive into Boston and buy that pair from the wholesaler and bring it back to Alcon’s. Eventually he was able to buy more stock and developed a good credit rating so he could buy larger amounts on credit. Alcon’s remained in Beverly, with Al’s son Arlen, known as “Brud” (—when Arlen and his sister Sally were young they were called Brother, or Brud and Sister, or Sis. The name stuck for Arlen.) Al died in 1966. Arlen closed the store 20 years later.
People continued to remember Alcon’s for years after it closed. They talk about memories of old fashioned credit given people who could not buy clothes and shoes without it. That credit was arranged in a little notebook in which a payment of $1 per week was entered and each item purchased would be recorded until the columns evened out. No finance charge. No time limit. The book might last a life-time. A creative kind of Tzedakah.
In addition to owning the store, Al was a political animal and ran for office locally in Beverly, becoming a ward Alderman, then an Alderman at large and a Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1965.
(See Man of the Year tribute and obituary information.)