Solis-Cohen Family

The Solis-Cohen family is of Sephardic origin, tracing its ancestry back to the time of the expulsion from Spain after 1492 during the time of the Inquisition, specifically back to Solomon da Silva Solis (Jacob's great-grandfather), who fled to Amsterdam from Spain in the 17th century and married Isabel da Fonseca, daughter of the marquis of Turin, count of Villa Real and Monterrey. The family established itself in the United States with the arrival of Jacob da Silva Solis from London on October 25, 1803. Jacob's grandfather (Solomon da Silva Solis) is reported to have refused succession to the marquisate of Turin, since it would have required his defection from Judaism. Many of Jacob's descendants were born and lived in Philadelphia.

This large Sephardic family, with roots in antebellum Philadelphia was active in Colonial and Revolutionary public affairs. There have been seven generations of Jacob's descendants, and family members have had and still have among them many who are respected for their notable accomplishments in the areas of medicine, literature, art, law, real estate and Jewish communal service, at both the national as well as local levels.

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