Simon Hieronimous was born In Boersch, Alsace-Loralne.  He was the youngest of fourteen children and at the age of one was left an orphan and thrown upon his own resources.

He fought for France in the Franco-Prussian War and after the conflict ended he came to the United States.  He entered the country through the port of New York on the 14th of February, 1873.  He first worked In Chicago then moved to San Francisco where in 1876 he married Verena Frieda Model.

Later that year he removed to Nevada City, California and found employment at the Milwaukee Brewery owned by Louis Dreyfuss. In 1878 Hieronimus moved to West Bloomfield where he established the New York Brewery. This business he conducted successfully until 1902 and then he came to Nevada City where be bought the brewery owned by Emil Weiss. This brewery he would conduct up to the time of his death. 

In 1898 he was sued for slander after he accused a rival brewer named George Gehrig of various crimed including murdering his wife and paying someone to burn down Hieronimus's brewery.  Hieronimus won the lawsuit, then in 1902 bought the Gehrig brewery and converted it into a beer bottling establishment.

Simon Carl Hieronimus died on December 24th 1915 at the age of 62 years.  

Former Nevada City brewer George Gehrig died in San Jose, California.