Philip and Mendes Cohen were natives of Richmond, Virginia, but their family moved to Baltimore around 1808. In 1812 their eldest brother, Jacob I. Cohen, founded Cohen’s Lottery and Exchange Office and employed his five brothers to work in the business. All three brothers served in a volunteer militia company during the War of 1812 and participated in the Battle of Baltimore. After the war, Philip and Mendes moved to Norfolk to operate a branch of the family business on the wharf in Norfolk, Virginia, where, among other things, they sold tickets for the National Lottery in the District of Columbia. An act of Congress authorized the National Lottery to raise money to build a City Hall in Washington, D.C. At the time, lotteries were a common method for states, municipalities, and approved charitable entities to raise funds. After January 1, 1820, Virginia prohibited the sale of tickets for “foreign”—that is, out-of-state—lotteries.