Phillips ( jewellery trade)

[Blue Grass]

Can anyone throw light on Maurice Phillips please. He was born in Birmingham about 1865 but I cant find a record of his birth or any trace of him on the census returns. The first record I can find is of his marriage in 1910 to Sophia Jane Webb in Paddington and it says he was a widower. He is living in Tavistock Square London in 1911. The marriage certificate and census return describes him as a diamond cutter or diamond mounter. He died in 1929 in London and a newspaper report of the death says he spent some time working for Tiffanys in America. I am wondering if this is where his first marriage took place. His fathers name, according to the marriage certificate was Jacob. We believe he followed the Jewish faith but may have lapsed. Any help would be welcome. Thank you.

 

[Astonian]

HI BLUE GRASS
I Have just glanced through your thread on phillips the jewelers, and what sprang to my mind
was cohens the jewlers, they was connected to the phillips the jewlers they was a big family
and they had a multituned chain of shops [ jewelery shops around the country ]
and also around the birmingham area of our city
there is some members of the cohens family in excisting i do know to the phillips
so i think it might be worth your while to work on those as well to track your phillips
the one side of there family had a big house up on the licky end of brum
i beleive he was the father it was the lord austin whom owns the land it was a massive house
very grand ; i had the pleasure of going there on bussiness i also have a long time friendship
going back years with the cohen family even today and i hasve seen there sibbling growing up
one of the senior members have a shop at the bottom of news street
have a nice day best wishes astonion ;;

 

[Blue Grass]

Thank you very much Astonian. We just need someting to kick start our search and this may just be the thing.

 

[mikejee]

No help with Maurice, but the 1862 Corporation directory does list a Jacob Phillips, but just refers to Moore & Phillips, merchants at 8 Congreve St. He doesn’t seem to appear in the 1861 census ( unless misstranscribed or not living in Birmingham) , but there is a Jacob Phillips listed in the 1871 census at 10 Calthorpe Rd. He is 67, and described as a merchant , born in Birmingham . He is described as the brother of the head of the household, Esther Cohen, 70. Also present is Emily Cohen, 25, daughter , and two servants
Esther is on the 1861 census at Peachfield house, Ampton rd , edgebaston, listed as partner in merchants with her son Phillip, 29. Jacob is also present, listed as a merchant.
In the 1858 directory there is Jacob Cohen, merchant, at Ampton rd
In 1852 Jacob Cohen is listed at 2 Harper hill, as a merchant with Moore & Phillips. In the 1851 census he is also there with his wife and family, but no Jacob Phillips.
In the 1849 directory there is a Phillips & Cohen, merchants and factors at 113 , Bromsgrove st. and Jacob Cohen at Harpers Hill.
In 1839-41 there is Phlllips & Cohen, pawnbrokers & factors, 127Snowhill

Of course this may not be the same Jacob Phillips, and doesn't give much info on him even if it is.
mike.

 

[Astonian]

HI MIKE
Yes they do correspond amptom rd is off wellington rd edgbaston
which is directley facing sir harrys rd and today part of the orinional family live there
i will not give the excact address she is the daughter of ester and all the others you have mentioned are all relatives and there given address the son inlaw as just openend a pawn brokers shop inbromsgrove
to had to there belt i know them personaly and socialized with there familys for years
and i have seen there kids grow up today
they are a genuine and honest as the days sunset they they are as honest as the day comes and goes
ester is a lovely ladies one of the best you could ever meet
over the years the other cohens have retired or even died there shops was every where
alum rock ; kings heath city centre you name them they was there ;
so blueie can start off with what you have given him ith ease
i look foreward to his success in tracing them ;
once again mike thanks for your input on this thread yet again ;
best wishes astonion ;;

 

[mikejee]

Of possible interest re- Jacob, is the notice of bankruptcy of Jacob Phillips, Phillip Phillips & Jacob Cohen, jewellers of Birmingham & dublin in 1832.

 

[Astonian]

HI MIKE
Just looking at your fresh thread regarding the phillips and cohen ; saga
the last bit says jacob -cohen now does mean two indivisuals family name or are they meant to be surnames
because i am very much intrested in this story ;as i know the jacobs and cohens are long term famly associates and dear friends from way back then and even today i know of the family deeply
many thanks astonion ;;
and they both old high proffessional postions

 

[mikejee]

Not absolutely sure what you mean Astonian, but the bankruptcy refers to three people : Jacob Phillips, Phillip Phillips and Jacob Cohen , where the third person's surname is cohen and forename (better not say christian name) is Jacob.
Mike

 

[Astonian]

HI mike
many thanks for coming back to me on that question and thanks again for your valuable time
and i hope it as helped our friend blue grass in his research
take care mike best wishes astonion ;;

 

[Blue Grass]

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply to my thread. It seems to be very muddled up and I will need a good deal of time sorting it all out.

 

[smtr]

Hi bluegrass

I note you say Jacob Phillips B1804 Bham was Maurice's father? Throughout the census Jacob, the merchant, is listed as unmarried which I am sure you have noticed. Could it be that Maurice's birth was registered under the mother's name? Not that I suppose that helps much

Suzanne

 

[mikejee]

Again. Probably irrelevent, but , in th e1880 US census , there is a maurice Phillips, aged 11 in the Brookvale district of Campbell county virginia . I cannot read the name of the head of the household, but it looks like Lrowe, squiggle. B . He is a merchant, 60, born in Scotland. With him is his daughter , Margaret Phillips, 34, born in Scotland, who is a clerk in store. Also Maurice Phillips, 11, born England, alos clerk in store. He is described as stepson. A maurice, born in england does appear on the 1900 US new york census, born 1868, but he is with a completely different family, is a clothing salesman, and says his father was born in Russia.
mike

 

[Blue Grass]

I think it is worth trying to find our Maurice Phillips through some of the above leads but I feel it is not the family we are looking for. I am helping an old friends husband search for his ancestors but we have hit a brick wall. On the upside I have found him some cousins he knew nothing of in London and they have met up and exchanged photographs. Maurice was 45 when he married Sophia Jane Webb in 1910 and the marriage certificate says he was a widower. He died in 1929 in Fulham but Sophia lived on until 1985. The cousins have many memories of Sophia but she rarely spoke of Maurice. My friends husband has decided to participate in the Phillips Project administer by Nancy Kiser in the USA which takes a DNA sample and will be abel to let him know if his roots are in this country or elsewhere. Hopefully it will also match him up with others who have taken part. We dont know if Maurice or Jacob were retail jewellers but Maurice has been described as a diamond cutter and a diamond mounter. Jacob is just described s a jeweller. We also know there was a connection with Fulham and Kensington areas of London.

 

[Astonian]

hi blue grass;
I Would just like to add to the family of that tree which i just could not recall the other day
and mention it o you ; was the fact ; that the cohens are also connected to the rex johnsons
the birmingham jewlers [ its johnsons the family jewlers ] whom have been in brum for donkeys years
it was there father whom started the family bussiness and he died afew years ago
and now its is his sons whom run the bussinees around brum
and there is a cohen sibblings married into the johnsons now ;which they have been for donkeys years
i know them personaly the cohens and the johnsons family we go back many years
i have not been to thre house for about six months now
but my connctions to the cohens and the johnstone go back many years to remember
i just thought this might help best wishes astonion ;;