On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
Benjamin family and business
Morris and Mary Ann (nee Israel) Benjamin lived and worked in Maitland in the second half of the nineteenth century. The family business, M Benjamin (and Sons), operated from High Street in West Maitland from 1867 to 1899. The Benjamins were members of Maitland’s early Jewish community. Their story highlights aspects of the nature and history of that community.
David Cohen and his siblings
An introduction to David Cohen and his nine siblings. Cohen is the namesake of the lucrative and extremely successful Maitland based company, David Cohen and Company. All but one of the ten siblings, came to Australia. Anchored partly by the family business in Maitland, they had business and family networks that spread across regional NSW, Sydney and to London.
George Yeomans, entrepreneur of early Maitland
George Yeomans was an important figure in the early Wallis Plains. He was an explorer and developed many commercial interests in the Maitland area and elsewhere.
Otto Baldwin, colonial entrepreneur with wide-ranging interests
Otto Baldwin was an explorer who became an important land-owner, businessman and philanthropist in the Maitland area and further afield.
A dignitary’s death and funeral, 1893
In the nineteenth century, the funerals of important public figure were significant occasions. This was very much the case with Richard Young, the sitting Mayor of West Maitland at the time of his death.