Ben Barron
Ben M. Barron (April 5, 1896 – December 17, 1993) was a Lithuanian-born American businessman.
Early life
[1] He was the second son of Moses, a blacksmith, and Chivia Behrmann Barron of Kovno (now Kaunas), Lithuania. In his youth, Ben would remove old horseshoes from horses so his older brother and father could reshoe the animals. In 1910, at the age of 14, Ben left home on his own and came to the United States of America. He left behind his parents, brothers, and sisters. His entire family disappeared during World War II, and they are believed to have perished in The Holocaust.
Ben settled in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, where his uncle Zelig Behrmann had migrated some years before and was one of Moncks Corner's first merchants after it had been incorporated in 1909. (Behrman Street in Moncks Corner was later named after him). A young Ben Barron worked in his uncle's store as a clerk. During that time, he attended night school to obtain Citizenship in the United States.
World War I
[2] With the outbreak of World War I, Ben enlisted as a soldier with the United States Army. He served with the 317th Field Artillery, 81st Infantry Division (Wildcat) in France with the American Expeditionary Forces. At the close of the war, he was released from duty in June 1919, at Camp Jackson (now Fort Jackson).
Business career
Returning to civilian life, Ben continued to work at his uncle's store for the next four years. In 1923, he purchased a failed business and started his own business, Barron's Department Store. From modest beginnings, his business expanded with additions and changes that would make Barron's a part of a household culture and an interwoven attribute in the commercial life of Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Barron's Department Store became the largest department store in Berkeley County, South Carolina, before he sold it in 1960.
Civic Life
Ben Barron was an organizer of the Bank of Berkeley and served as its first president until April 1952. He was a charter member of the Lions Clubs International, a member and past president of the Chamber of Commerce, a 32nd degree mason, and belonged to the Omar Shrine Temple, and the American Legion Post No. 126.
Honors
The street Ben Barron Lane in Moncks Corner, South Carolina was named after Ben Barron for his years of outstanding service in the Berkeley County community.
Personal life
After an eight-month courtship, on June 4, 1931, Ben M. Barron married Josephine Sidenberg of Richmond, Virginia, daughter of Michael and Minnie (Levinson) Sidenberg. Josephine became a part of the staff at Barron's, and they worked together for the next 29 years. Together they raised a son, Edmund Gerald, and a daughter, Zelda Rochelle.
References
- ↑ The Berkeley Independent, December 22, 1993, by H. Allen Morris (Independent Editor) http://www.berkeleyind.com
- ↑ The Story of the South Carolina Lowcountry, 1956, by Herbert Ravenel
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