Freeman Cobb

Ned Devine and The Great Leviathan drawn by the famous 12 greys in Malop Street, Geelong, where for some years the office of Cobb & Co. was situated. The passengers were members of Stephenson's English Eleven, 1862. Geelong Advertiser, 08 July 1955.

Background

Freeman Cobb was born in 1830 at Massachusetts, United States of America. He was the founder of Cobb & Co., and arranged for the transport of 105 soldiers from Melbourne to Ballarat on 23 and 25 October 1854. The fee for this service was 840 pounds.

Post 1854 Experiences

Cobb sold his transport company in May 1856, and returned to the United States of America. In 1971 he moved to South Africa where he remained until his death in 1878.

Obituary

DEATH OF THE FOUNDER OF Cobb and Co.-The founder of Cobb and Co., unlimited and everywhere, is no more. Freeman Cobb came to Melbourne at the end of 1852, or beginning of 1853, with George Mowton, to form a branch of Adams and Co., famed in the United States as express carriers. Melbourne was not ripe for that business, and Mr. Cobb, who had express waggons with him, bought horses and commenced that coaching system which has made Cobb and Co. famous over the Australian colonies. After living in America for some time the old spirit of enterprise was aroused in him, and he went to the South African gold-fields, and started Cobb and Co. there-and there he died. Adams and Co. brought with them the first two buggies landed in Australia. The best friend I ever had bought one of them, and Mowton kept the other. The good people of Melbourne were highly amused at the notion of those light spider-like vehicles travelling over bush-roads. But the buggies survived the ridicule.

See also

Military

Further Reading

Corfield, J.,Wickham, D., & Gervasoni, C. The Eureka Encyclopaedia, Ballarat Heritage Services, 2004.

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