1902 - 1961 (59 years)
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Name |
Josephine "Fifi" Pancoast Widener |
Nickname |
Fifi |
Birth |
1902 |
Philadelphia, USA |
Gender |
Female |
Death |
6 Mar 1961 |
Burial |
Woodlawn Cemetery, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA |
Person ID |
I105737 |
My Genealogy |
Last Modified |
17 Nov 2020 |
Family 2 |
Milton Whitely Holden, b. Abt 1902 d. Yes, date unknown |
Marriage |
2 Dec 1926 |
Lynnewood Hall |
- This marriage was apparently sanctioned by Joseph Widener since the wedding took place on Dec 2, 1926, at Lynnewood Hall. The Holdens were married until 1932 when Fifi arrived in Reno, Nevada to file for divorce on grounds of cruelty. The New York Times curiously states that she arrived in Reno "wearing a heavy pair of spectacles ... concealing her identity" but., once recognized, admitted she was there to file for divorce against Holden who was purportedly on a yacht at the time with Vincent Astor, son of Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor. Fifi did not seek alimony and the divorce was granted the same year.
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Family ID |
F38573 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Last Modified |
24 Jan 2013 |
Family 3 |
Aksel C. P. Wichfeld, b. Abt 1889 d. 11 Sep 1956 (Age ~ 67 years) |
Marriage |
11 Jan 1933 |
Reno, Nevada, USA |
- Fifi once again filed for divorce, this time in West Palm Beach, in May 1951, on grounds of extreme cruelty. She claimed Aksel had been critical of her ownership of race horses and that he insisted she sell her horses and spend some money on clothing. The Wichfelds were granted a divorce and the settlement was not made public.
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Family ID |
F38574 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Last Modified |
24 Jan 2013 |
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Notes |
- Nicknamed "Fifi" she made her social debut in 1919, and a year later in 1920 eloped with Carter Leidy a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. Their elopement and marriage created quite a stir in social circles and the New York Times reported that the couple, both laughing at the prospect of a formal ceremony, were wed in Knoxville, TN, without the knowledge of the bride's parents.
A November 1955 newspaper article recounts how her colt Nail won the Remsen Stakes at the Jamaica racetrack along with a $64,425 purse. Fifi had purchased the colt for $20,000 and his earnings to date were $171,950.
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