Rachel Cohn Aaronson
Birth: July 23, 1859 in Hamburg, Germany
Death: August 29, 1928 in New Westminster, Vancouver, B.C.
Plot: Row G – Plot 13, 14, 15
Gravesite Details:
The people commemorated in the Woodmen of the World monument are buried in Row D – Plots 15 and 16.
The inscription includes the logo of the Woodmen of the World.
The Woodmen of the World (WOW). Started in the 1880’s, WOW was a fraternal organization which provided life and burial insurance for it’s members. Until the 1920’s members qualified for the monument program which entitled the widow of a WOW member to receive $100.00 to help defray the cost of gravestones. Including the WOW logo on the gravestone was required. The tree stump, symbolizes that the the life of the breadwinner of the family was cut short. The olive branches represents harmony and neighbourly cooperation. These letters “C” and “O” stand for Canadian Order. The Latin phrase, Dum tacet clamat translates as “Though silent, he speaks”; meaning that the person buried there lead a worthy life.
Biography:
Wife and mother
Little information about Rachel is available. According to the “Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 for England and Wales,” and confirmed in her obituary in The Times Colonist, Rachel Cohn was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England. However, some sources on Ancestry.ca indicate that Rachel was born in Hamburg, Germany, possibly to Fredericka or Frederike Richa Freeling Cohn, and Jacob Cohn.
What is known is that Rachel married Barnett Aaronson (1857–1925) on August 1, 1882 in London, England. Rachel gave birth to Hyman Harry Aaronson (1883–1902) in Chelsea, London, England on July 2, 1883, to Jacob Lewis Aaronson (1884–1972) in Chelsea, London, England on August 22, 1884, and to Hannah Aaronson (1886–1916) in Victoria, B.C., on June 14, 1886.
Rachel’s brother-in-law, A.A. Aaronson, first appeared in the Victoria City Directory in 1882 and Barnett’s name appeared in 1887. In 1887, both men were listed as Pawnbrokers and as living on Herald Street. By 1898, Barnett was listed as a Junk Dealer. Both Hyman and Jacob worked in their father’s store and Jacob succeeded his father as the owner.
Although Barnett’s name remained in the Victoria City Directory, daughter Hannah died in New Westminster B.C. in 1916 and Rachel died in there in 1928.
According to Rachel’s obituary, her remains were buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Victoria, however no marker is visible. There is a family-sized plot with the name Aaronson etched into the curbing. For a time, it was the custom for only the curbing to be engraved as an indication of whose remains had been buried. Marker stones were not necessarily used during this time, and none exists for Hannah. It is very likely that Hannah, her mother, and her father were all buried in this plot.
Parent:
Jacob Cohn
Spouse:
Barnett Aaronson 1857-1925
Children:
Hyman “Harry” Aaronson 1883-1902
Jacob Lewis Aaronson 1884-1972
Hannah Aaronson 1886-1916
Additional Images:
The Jewish Cemetery of Victoria, British Columbia 