Blumenfeld and Fried papers digital collection are selected digitized materials containing United States Food Administration license issued to Blumenfeld & Fried, Certificate certifying that Miss Mena Blumenfeld is a member of the Oktibbeha Country Club, and two stock certificates.

Simon Fried and his family settled in Starkville in 1880. Originally from Bavaria, he came to Pennsylvania in 1857 and was naturalized in 1865. In addition to running a dry-goods store, Simon Fried served as an alderman and was a member of the Knights of Pythias for 42 years. Fried had the honor of serving as the Grand Warden of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1894, a global altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization that had a strong presence in Mississippi during the 19th century.

In 1888, Simon’s daughter, Carrie Fried, married Bernard Blumenfeld, a senior partner of the firm Bernard Blumenfeld. The marriage initiated a long-term business partnership between the two families in Starkville, Mississippi. Because there was no temple in Starkville, their wedding took place in the local Methodist church. The two families opened a dry good store in the 1890s, and it grew to be a successful wholesale grocery business.

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