Butte County
Biographies
SOLOMON KORN
SOLOMON KORN.—A
citizen of the United States, who
thoroughly appreciates the freedom this country offers the law-abiding and
self-respecting men and women of the country, is Solomon Korn,
one of the successful business men of Chico. He was born on the German border, in Boleslawitz, Russia-Poland,
in 1863, a son of David Korn, who was a commission
merchant at that place. The grandfather,
Jacob Korn, was a grain merchant. The name Korn is
derived from the business of dealing in corn (in German), or rye (in English),
and was selected by Jacob as his surname.
His father was known by only one name, that of Mendel. David Korn married
Rosalie Abermovitz, and they had four children, three
of whom are living: Fannie, Mrs. Grannak, living at Wielun, Poland;
Morris, a merchant in Chico; and
Solomon, of this review. Mr. Korn died in 1870, and his widow outlived him thirty eight
years, dying in 1908.
Solomon Korn received his education in the public schools of his
native town until he was thirteen; then, as usual with most of the boys, he was
sent to Kempen, in Posen, Germany, and apprenticed
for thee years to learn the dry goods business.
He worked for his board, but received no wages; the board was so slim
that his mother would send him money occasionally with which to buy bread to
keep him from starving. He served his
apprenticeship, and then, to perfect himself in the business, he traveled
through Germany,
working at various places as a journeyman, remaining at Breslan
for two years. When he was twenty-one he
was proficient in the German language and in his business, and was just making
a start in life, when, in 1883, the kaiser issued an
edict that all foreigners must leave Germany, and he was forced to flee the
county, although he made a personal appeal to the kaiser
to permit him to join the army. His
plea was rejected and he went back to Poland,
where he was called into the Russian army, but soon obtained his release from
army duty. For six months he tried to
get a position in his native town but, as he could not speak Polish or Russian,
it was impossible to find work.
It was at this
time that the young man decided he would come to the land of the free. He arrived in New York,
on January 1, 1884, and in this “melting pot of nations” struck out to find
work, and for eighteen months was employed in that city. He made money enough to enable him to live
and save enough to take him to Chicago,
of which he had heard a great deal, but upon arriving in that city he found
that there was a strike on the streetcar lines and therefore he did not get
work. He took to peddling about the
city, with a pack on his back, and soon went to St. Louis,
where he continued, and where he was able to buy a team and wagon, thus
enlarging his scope of operations to take in the country adjacent to St.
Louis, where he sold goods until 1893. He then made up his mind to come to California,
having a brother, Morris, in Chico,
who told such glowing stories of the opportunities for energetic young
men. He came here, but with the idea of
continuing his journeying until he got to Central America. From the time he arrived in this state, he
liked the country and the hospitable air of the people, and so decided he would
remain, and has never regretted his decision, and during the passing of the
years he has been one of the progressive men of Butte
County.
In February,
1893, Solomon Korn started in the general merchandise
business in Chico, in the building
he still occupies. During the twenty-five
years following, he has enjoyed an ever-increasing trade and has made a
financial success. He necessarily had to
start on a modest scale but he was honest in his dealings and soon had a good
trade and an established credit. He
closed out the clothing and shoe departments, and enjoyed an extensive trade in
dry-goods and ladies’ ready-to-wear garments, until, in January 1917, when he
sold the dry goods, remodeled his store and branched out in ladies’ cloaks and
suits. His store is located at 222
Main Street and is one of the most centrally
located buildings in Chico, and he
draws a patronage from the country for many miles about.
In 1907, Mr. Korn made a trip to his native land and visited the various
places of interest in Germany and Austria,
but he found the same conditions that prevailed when he lived in that
country. The people were kept down and
browbeaten by the ruling powers and given no opportunity to get ahead in
business, where they personally would benefit.
Upon his return to America
he breathed a sigh of contentment to think that he had been fortunate enough to
have cast in his lot with a country where a person could do as he liked,
providing he did not break the laws of the land.
In February,
1893, Solomon Korn married Mrs. Ester (Alexander) Breslauer, a native of Germany,
and one child, Doris, now Mrs. Marcovitz, of Oakland,
was born to them. Mrs. Korn died in Chico. The second marriage united Mr. Korn with Miss Tiofilla Tobias, a
native of his own country, Russia-Poland.
She spent ten years in Berlin, where she was
educated and from which place she came to San Francisco
with her parents. It was in that city
that she married Mr. Korn. They are parents of twin sons: Alvin and Dalvin. The family
home is at 107 Third Street. Mr. Korn is
interested in horticulture and owns a ten-acre almond grove near Durham. He joined the Odd Fellows at Roodhouse,
Ill., where he holds his membership. He belongs to the Business Men’s Association
of Chico, and is a trustee of the Temple
of Israel. Politically he is a Republican.
Transcribed 5-7-08
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "History of
Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 929-930, Historic Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
©
2008 Marilyn
R. Pankey.
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