Simon Edison (1901 - 1979)

Born 15 Jun 1901 in Adel, Cook, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Died 19 Feb 1979 at age 77 in La Jolla, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States

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Biography

Birth

Simon Edison was born on 15 June 1901 in Adel, Cook County, Georgia. He was the son of Abraham Edison and Sarah Halle.^[1][2]

Georgia

His father made his living in Adel as a peddler, traveling among the small towns in the surrounding area.^[3]

In 1905, his family moved from south Georgia to Atlanta^[4] where they appear in 1910.^[5]

Boston

In 1911, Simon moved from Atlanta back to Boston with his parents, sister, and younger brothers.^[6] His father Abraham appears in the Boston City Directory in 1911, living at 19 Normandy in Roxbury.^[7]

Marriage and Return to Georgia

By 1918, Simon had moved back to Atlanta, and was living in an apartment with his mother and his brothers Irving and Mark at 8 W. Georgia Avenue in Fulton County. By this time, all five of the Edison brothers were operating or working as salesmen in three different shoe stores in Atlanta: Harry was the manager of "Murrays Cut Price Shoe Store;" Mark was the manager of "Burts Shoe Syndicate," where Simon also worked as a salesman; and Samuel was the manager of "Youngs Shoe Parlor," where Irving also worked as a salesman.^[8]

In 1922, the Edison brothers agreed to combine their business ventures. Harry was in charge of finance and real estate; Mark and Simon were the shoe merchandisers; Irving was in charge of personnel and store operations; and Samuel was the promoter of accessory items, such as hosiery, shoe polish, and ornaments. They opened a second store in Atlanta in 1924, then a third in New Orleans in 1925. By 1926, the Edison brothers had opened stores in Memphis, Birmingham, Nashville, and Louisville; and they decided to incorporate their business as the "Edison Brothers Company" to raise funds for further expansion. ^[9][10]

On 2 February 1926, Simon married Helen Davidson in Brookline, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.^[1]

Missouri

In the late 1920s, the Edison brothers decided to move the headquarters of their business from Atlanta to St. Louis, Missouri. Simon and his brother Mark were the first of the Edison brothers to relocate permanently to St. Louis.^[11] Simon and Helen's first child, William ("Billie"), was born in St. Louis in 1928.^[12]

In 1929, the Edison brothers reincorporated their rapidly-growing company as Edison Brothers Stores and moved their headquarters from Atlanta to St. Louis.^{[13] [10]} The Edison brothers' business continued to grow and prosper for decades, eventually becoming the largest retail operator of women's shoe stores in the United States.^[14][10] By 1966, Simon had become Chairman of the Board of Edison Brothers Company.^[15] He continued in that role until 1973, when he retired and moved to La Jolla, California.^[16]

Death

Simon Edison died in La Jolla, California, on 19 February 1979. He was buried with his wife Helen at the New Mount Sinai Cemetery and Mausoleum in Affton, St. Louis County, Missouri.^[16][2]

Children

Children of Simon Edison and Helen Davidson include:^[17]

1. William Morton (1928-2017)
2. Robert Leonard (1931-1960)
3. Stephen David (1937-2021)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} FamilySearch, "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BN-13DQ-X : accessed 12 May 2022), Simon Edison & Helen Davidson; FHL 831849, DGS 7,723,208 (marriage certificate identifies parents & place of birth)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #36768108, Simon Edison (1901-1979), New Mount Sinai Cemetery and Mausoleum, Affton, St. Louis County, Missouri; gravestone images by Susan Ing.
3. ↑ Burton Alan Boxerman, "The Edison Brothers, Shoe Merchants: Their Georgia Years," The Georgia Historical Quarterly, 57 (Winter 1973): 511-525, at 511-13; images, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40579942 : accessed 22 Apr 2022).
4. ↑ Boxerman, "The Edison Brothers", at 514.
5. ↑ 1910 U.S. census, Fulton County, Georgia, population schedule, Atlanta, ward 3, p. 7 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 58, sheet 7-A, dwelling 147, family 170, Simon Edison; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRNR-6D9 : accessed 1 May 2022); citing NARA microfilm T624, roll 191.
6. ↑ Boxerman, "The Edison Brothers", at 514.
7. ↑ 1911 Boston City Directory, p. 651; image, Ancestry, "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/11324134 : accessed 1 May 2022), Abraham Edison; Ancestry sharing link here.
8. ↑ 1918 Atlanta City Directory, p. 413; image, Ancestry, "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/12232608 : accessed 4 May 2022); Ancestry sharing link here.
9. ↑ Boxerman, "The Edison Brothers", at 511 & 516-22.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} Chris Freund,"The Rise and Fall of Edison Brothers Stores," (https://chrisfreund.notion.site/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Edison-Brothers-Stores-277ef5690a0c429c8a163a865d70177d : 11 Feb. 2022).
11. ↑ Boxerman, "The Edison Brothers", at 523.
12. ↑ 1930 U.S. census, St. Louis County, Missouri, population, University, ward 1, p. 66 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 95-59, sheet 11-B, dwelling 251, family 267, family of Simon Edison; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRHJ-W7K : accessed 12 May 2022); citing NARA microfilm T626, roll 1224.
13. ↑ Edison Bros. Shoes, "EBS: 60 Years of Growth 1922-1982," Oct. 1982; image, Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/details/edison-brothers-stores-annual-reports-full-set/EBS%2060%20Years%20of%20Growth/ : accessed 4 May 2022), p. 4.
14. ↑ "Edison Bros. Shoes: How five sons of an immigrant peddler built up the largest chain of women's shoe stores in the U.S.," Fortune, Feb. 1948, pp. 82-87 & 185-196.
15. ↑ 1966 Annual Report, Edison Brothers Stores, Inc., p. 1; image, Internet Archive, (https://archive.org/details/edison-brothers-stores-annual-reports-full-set/edisonbros1966 : accessed 12 May 2022).
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} "Simon Edison Dies; Headed Shoe Firm," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 20 Feb. 1979, p. 10, col. 1; image, newspapers.com, (https://www.newspapers.com/image/139659389/ : accessed 12 May 2022); clip here.
17. ↑ 1940 U.S. census, St. Louis County, Missouri, population schedule, Ladue, ward 2, p. 617 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 95-59, sheet 6-B, dwelling 100, family of Simon Edison; image, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MB-RCNG : accessed 12 May 2022); citing NARA microfilm T627, roll 2148.