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My great grandfather, Simon Benioff (1863-1944), was a son of Benjamin Benioff and Breone Maroz. He had 4 brothers and 3 sisters and probably grew up in the town of Ignatovka (Russian) also known as Hnativka (Ukranian) and Anatovka (Yiddish), which is 13 miles West of Kiev. Probably he arrived around 1884, but I don’t yet have a ship manifest for him. He became a US Citizen on 27 July, 1892 in Los Angeles, CA. Working as a Ladies Tailor in Los Angeles, he hired Aufrieda Widerequist, a Swedish immigrant, as a seamstress. She became pregnant and pressured him to marry her. They signed a pre-nuptual agreement, but after their child, Victor Hugo Benioff was born, she took him to court for increased child support. Though they did not live together, they remained married and divorced in 1913. At that point Simon married Elsie Adler. The pair never had children and Simon died in 1944.
Here is a biography of him from an article entitled Judaism In the Southland, in the Souvenir Edition of Emanu-El, 29 September 1905, pages 44-45:
“Simon Benioff, Esq., is another estimable citizen of Los Angeles, with rather a romantic career. Born in 1864 in the city of Kieff, Russia, he like many of his Jewish brethren, were subjected at an early age to much suffering and persecution. Mr. Benioff, if he chooses could add a chapter to the great dramatic Russian Jewish history.
During the Pogrom of 1882 young Benioff saved many people from being massacred. He lived at that time with his mother and sister in the Solominka quarter, of Kieff. After many heroic efforts to save women and children, he was finally caught by a mob but succeeded in tearing himself away, and escaped into a house owned by a Russian friend, who placed an Icon above the entrance and thus diverted the attention of the mob. Many synagogues were destroyed and Benioff who was only seventeen years old at the time believes or clings to the belief that he was saved by a miracle.
Shortly after this terrible tragedy Benioff moved to Los Angeles, where he lived ever since.
Simon Benioff is a merchant tailor of artistic temperament and counts amongst his patrons the most fashionable ladies in the community. He is a painter of no mean ability, and his establishment is full of charming pictures in oil, painted by himself. He is a man of fine education and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, of the B’nai B’rith, and other commercial and fraternal institutions. “
On August 25, 1927, Simon’s son Hugo wrote to Alice Silverman: “My father telephoned that he had fallen down a stairs and had broken his right arm just below the shoulder.”
Simon died on February 28 1944 of cancer of the rectum. He was cremated on March 2, 1944 at the Hollywood Cemetery in Los Angeles.
This is the 1910 U.S. Federal Census for Los Angeles. You will see Simon Benioff (#73) listed as living with his brother Leo Benioff, and Leo’s wife Nettie (Kamarow), and sons Ben and Herman. Simon is age 43. Interestingly it lists him as single, although he was married to Alfrieda Widerquist at the time. They were living at 1446 Sunset Blvd. It says he is a Tailor in Ladies Wear. It says he can read and write. You will also see that Simon’s nephew Benjamin Benioff is living next door with his wife Rose (Buddish), two sons Robert and Lester and his brother Fred.
Note that Alfrieda lists herself as the widow of Simon, and Simon is there listed as a tailor.
