Son of Mordecai and Leah Lazarus Cohen, Marx Edwin Cohen owned a thousand acres on the Ashley River 14 miles above Charleston. Clear Springs Plantation was remarkably diversified. A work force of about 25 slaves raised small amounts of rice, corn, potatoes, and peas; kept a variety of livestock, including dairy cattle, sheep, hogs, and common and exotic poultry; manufactured bricks; and cut and hauled timber.