SIMON ANDREAS JOSEFSEN was born on October 19, 1880, in Hammerfest, Finnmark, Norway. He arrived in the US about 1905. In 1910 he was living in Oregon with his sister Cleo Knudsen and her family, working as a fisherman. He became a naturalized citizen of the US on May 12, 1912 while still in Oregon. He married Emma Edelman in 1921 in Alaska. They had five children during their marriage, including Simon Frederick Josefsen.
In October 1955, Simon and Emma sailed from New York on the R.M.S Queen Mary bound for South Hampton, England and beyond.
He died on June 6, 1968, in Anchorage, Alaska, at the age of 87. He is buried in Anchorage Memorial Park, Anchorage, Alaska.