Creator Bio
Abraham Kohn
1819–1871
Born in Bavaria, Abraham Kohn arrived in the United States in 1842, first working as a peddler in New England and then settling in Chicago, where he owned a prosperous store and helped to found Chicago’s first synagogue, Kehilath Anshe Ma’arav. A loyal Republican supporter of Abraham Lincoln, Kohn advocated for Jewish equal rights. He was elected city clerk of Chicago.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
Jewish Immigrant Life in America: A Bavarian Peddler’s Story
A 19th-century Bavarian Jewish immigrant recounts hardship, loneliness, and disillusionment in America—revealing the struggles behind the dream of freedom.
Related Guide
Life Writing: Biography, Autobiography, and Ego Documents
1750–1880
The famous and the obscure, women and men, in epitaphs and private letters, ethical wills, cookbooks, and religious reflections, all reflect aspects of Jewish life in a period of great transition.