Mystery Photo #127: Miss Victoria Benson

As a starting point, according to ancestry.com her name was Victoria Benson (as written in pencil on the photo) and not Marie Benson (as written in ink). Marie may have been her middle name. Both she and her husband Edward were born in 1903. 

Also, the address is quite possibly 2301 and not 2801, as a Victor Hugo Benson, a second lieutenant in the army, is listed as living at 2301 W. Second St. as of 1919. 



Trying to find out the relationship, if any, between Victor and Victoria led me to an entirely different mystery photo of Victoria, where more information had been found. He was her brother. And she was not born in 1903. As stated on the webpage:

Info from Louise Benson Griffin

Victoria Marie Benson was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1894, not 1904, as is written on the photo's back. Victoria did not like being the eldest in the family of six children, nor did she like being older than her husband, Eddie Cluett, by more than five years, so she "changed" her date of birth. My father was born in 1897, and she preferred to be known as his younger sister. She died in Minneapolis in 1943.

She held benefits at her house for the Red Cross.

She was also a member of the Bethany Swedish Lutheran Church. And participated in a contest to become the lead in a local film.

Further details gleaned from DNT articles: She graduated from Lincoln School in 1910. She got a job as a stenographer at the Marine Supply Co. after taking classes at the Duluth Business University in 1912. She liked skating at the West Duluth curling club and hosted skating parties there. She frequently visited family in St. Cloud. I don't find much about her after her marriage.

Alas, she did not win the lead in the motion picture play.

But pretty impressive of the person who did win, Theresa Marotta, to get the part after being behind by 2,000 votes in HBH1's post. I wonder if the film still exists in any form. I checked on Netflix, but they don't have it. The Duluth News Tribune must still be holding on to the rights in order to have exclusive content for a future streaming service. Hopefully they'll do a reboot for the launch and use the same casting process.