I'm looking for information on my second great-grandmother Maria Antonia Vidal she was the long-term partner of my second great-grandfather Reuben Zaleg Philip Cohen (1810 – 29 July 1881) a Welsh born American Ashkenazi Jew. They were not married and had seven children together: Elvira Cohen (1857 - ), Fernando Cohen (1857 - ), Alejo Cohen (before 1873), Cecilia Cohen, Florencio Cohen also known as Lorentio Cohen, Francisco Cohen ( – 9 May 1901) and José Cohen.
Vidal appears in this notice published in the Jamaican newspaper the Kingston Gleaner, 14 June 1906, p12
Application to bring lands under registration of titles law 21 of 1888.
The people submitting the registration on 14 Jun 1906 were:
Maria Antonia Vidal, Gentlewoman; Fernando Cohen, planter; Elvira Rodriguez (formerly Elvira Cohen) widow, respectively of Linstead, in the Parish of St Catherine, Jose Cohen of Colon, in the republic of Panama and Cecilia Heraux (formerly Cecilia Cohen) the wife of the Hon. Dr Edmond Heraux of Port-au-Prince, in the republic of Haiti.
The land was described as:
"The five sevenths of all that parcel of land, part of Wakefield plantation, known as "Cambrian" situate in St.Thomas-in-the-vale district in the parish of St.Catherine, containing by survey, 421 1/4 acres, and butting and bounding as appear in the plan or diagram thereof dated the 4th of November 1905, and lodged with the application.
The ad was to be placed in the Daily Gleaner one ad per week and two ads in the Jamaica Gazette after which time unless objections were received the "caveat may be entered" and bring the said lands under the operation of the said law.
Vidal's son and my great-grandfather, Fernando Cohen like his siblings were born in Cuban. Family lore says he was a Syrian/Lebanese Jew since we know his father Reuben was a Welsh born American Ashkenazi Jew, and if they practiced matrilineal Jewish descent, we can speculate that Vidal had a Syrian/Lebanese Jewish heritage.
Note about Cecilia Cohen
There are two lineal descendants of Maria Antonia Vidal named Cecilia Cohen her daughter, identified in Reuben's will and her granddaughter Cecilia Heraux née Cohen identified as her granddaughter, by her son Francisco Cohen, in Cecilia Heraux's marriage certificate. Though it should be noted Francisco Cohen does not appear in his father's will and therefore is not cited as a son of Vidal in that document.
Any help with my research would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Leonardo Cohen
