The Temm Family of Southern Maine

My immigrant ancestor was named "Wilhelm Marcus Timm", from Hamburg, Germany.  His name changed to Temm upon arrival in America (not before it had changed a couple other times).  Marcus and his many mysteries are the subject of a separate blog page devoted to him here.

Another page devoted to the history of the German Temm migrations to America can be found here.

Anyhow, now for the facts I've discovered from records, regarding the Temm Family history in Maine...

Marriage Notice
Portland Weekly Advertiser
Nov. 16, 1852

Marcus Timm married his wife Sarah Jane "Brownsby" Browning (1825-1892) in Portland on Nov 10, 1852.  Sarah was born in Truro, Nova Scotia in 1825 to John Robert Browning (sometimes known as Brownrigg) & Isabel Blair from Nova Scotia.  Sarah, her sister Bethia, and her brother Robert Jr., had migrated from Nova Scotia around 1851.

For the 1860 Census in Portland, Marcus & Sarah gave fake names "William and Sarah Brown", and all the kids had the last name Brown as well.  It's easy to see they got the name from Sarah's maiden name, Browning.  Why they did this, I'm not sure, but it certainly lends itself to the Temm story of a man escaping authorities.  But he lists himself as the Landlord here.  Check it out at the bottom of the page (click to enlarge):

The 1858 Portland Directory shows a William Brown as living at a boarding house on 128 Fore Street, which would be across the street from the other houses owned by Robert Browning (see below).  They lived in Ward 3, which is the region south of Congress Street and east of Franklin Street.  Sarah's brother Robert Browning Jr also lived in Ward 3, on Fore Street, where he established a row of seamen's boarding houses.  I wonder if Marcus stayed in one of these boarding houses, and that was how he met Sarah...?  These seamen's boarding houses were known back then to be "houses of ill repute", according to my grandfather, Frank Clarke, who, coincidentally, later sold moonshine to the sailors in the current versions of these houses on Fore Street from the 1930s onward.

Prior to moving to Scarborough in 1864 (which is the earliest any Temm lived in Scarborough), Marcus & Sarah had five children in the East End of Portland who survived to adulthood:

-The eldest of their children was my great grandfather, John Henry Temm (1853-1936), born John Henry Brown.

-Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bell Temm (born Elizabeth Bell Brown) (1856-1884) worked as a housekeeper at her uncle Robert Browning's seamen boarding house on 103 Fore Street.  Around 1880, she married a farmer and wheelwright by the name of Thomas M. Smart, and lived near the Temm Homestead in Scarboro.  They had three children (Thomas Franklin Smart, aka "Frank", Isabella and Willard).  She died one day after her 27th birthday, in Scarborough, giving birth to their third child.  The three kids were given over to John Henry to be raised by him, according to Sarah's Will.  Frank ended up being raised by Lizzie's sister, Sadie Temm-Edwards up in Freeport.  It appears that Frank married a Georgia Harding in 1905 and moved to Winthrop, where he died in 1906, with no children.  As for the other two kids, Isabella married a Gardner Edwards (who may have relation to Lizzie's brother-in-law Dennis), and lived in New Gloucester, they had one child, Archie (who had no kids), and Elizabeth's youngest child Willard married a woman named Mamie Hadley, and had five children.  When Mamie and one of their children died tragically in a fire, Willard abandoned his kids and remarried to a much younger woman, leaving his kids to be raised by Isabella.  Willard has several living descendants (who would be the only living descendants of Lizzie Temm).  It states on Lizzie's death record that she is buried in Forest City Cemetery.  They have no record for her, but according to them their records are spotty before 1915 anyhow.  It's likely that she's buried in the lot started by her uncle Robert Brownrig.

-Sarah Jane ("Sadie") Temm (born Sarah Jane Brown) (1858-1935) married Dennis Edwards in Salem, Massachusetts, but settled in Freeport, Maine.  They had three children who survived to adulthood (Pearl, Dana & Pauline).  Dennis was killed in the summer of 1898 by a train while riding his horse in Freeport.  I'm in touch with one of Pearl's descendants, and have learned quite a bit about this family.  Sadie later married a John Brett, and had no further children.  On Sadie's 2nd marriage record in 1903, it stated that Sadie's father William Temm (Marcus) was born in Portland, and that Sarah Jane Brownrigg was born in Machias.  I wonder if Marcus' need to lay low made everyone say he was from Maine, even 35 years after his death.  Also, Sarah Jane's parents had moved to Machias, Maine at one point, so it's likely that Sadie believed Sarah Jane was born in Machias.



-Robert James Temm (1860-1863) (shown as "Infant Brown" listed in the census record above), died at age 3.

-Catherine Mary Temm (1865-after 1905) went by the name Kate Temm, and never married.  She was born just after the Temms' move to Scarborough, and their reversion from Brown to their correct surname "Temm".  Aunt Isabelle stated that she remembers stories about her living in Woodfords area of Portland and working as a waitress.  This sent me looking through the Portland directories, where I found "Katie Timm" living at 112 India Street, and working as a waitress, for the year 1896.  She shows up in the 1900 Census as a waitress and lived at 54 Free Street, in the boarding house of Dennis Kilday.   On this census, she declares her parents to be both from Maine (just like her sister's death record had stated).  On the 1905 City Directory, she's working as a waitress at 10 Moulton Street (John L. Gibbs Restaurant), and roomed at 54 Center Street (just a few blocks away - house is now a parking lot next to Staples School).  Her name vanishes from City Directories after 1905.  No further records found.

Their move to Scarborough was fortuitous, since it was two years prior to the Great Fire of Portland in 1866, although the fire spared Robert Browning's houses.


Chronological review of the extensive real estate records involving Marcus & Sarah Temm and heirs:

-1854, "William Brown" purchases 17 Atlantic Street, in Portland's East End, from John Weeks.

17 Atlantic Street
Munjoy Hill
Portland, Maine

-22 June 1864, Sarah purchased 30 acres of land in Scarboro from S. Bartholomew Jones of Portland for $600.00, inclusive of access and common area usage to a large barn and cellar and other common areas.  This land appears to be north of the land owned by Sarah at the corner of Dresser and Beech Ridge.  Concurrently with the above deed, George Jewett of Portland sold Sarah his separate interest in the same prpoerty for $100.00.  Together, this makes the "30 Acre Property" referred to below.  Where did Sarah Jane get the $700?  This would be about $15,000 in 2026 value.  While that is a very cheap price for the average person to buy 30 acres today, that value was harder to come by in the Civil War era.  It's interesting to wonder where that money came from.

-September 1866, "William Brown" sells 17 Atlantic Street to Adeline Hutchinson, two months after the Great Fire of Portland, likely when real estate was lower in price, even though the house (and most all of Munjoy Hill) escaped the fire:

-18 April 1871, two and a half years had passed since Marcus' death, and Sarah purchased and mortgaged from Edward Moses, a neighbor, a 16 acre lot on Beech Ridge Road contiguous with other property owned by her, and was known to be part of the Dresser Farm.  The mortgage was a three year term, for a purchase price of $300.00.  Below this is referred to as the 16-Acre Property

The map below shows the combined property of Sarah Jane Temm (the 30 Acres and the 16 Acres), on the northeast corner of Beech Ridge Road and Dresser Road.  I believe the 16 acres is the northernmost triangular end of the premises:

-7 March 1873, Sarah had failed to pay the mortgage, and the property was seized by Wilbur Dresser (whom the Dresser Road was named for), as attorney to George Jewett (assignees of Ed Moses).  The property was seized 'peaceably and with no opposition from Mrs. Temm or any other person'.  The witnesses for the foreclosure were John & Mary McLaughlin, part of the prestigious McLaughlin family (whose graves are situated on Beech Ridge Road just outside Bill Temm's house, right across the road from Sarah's Homestead).

-4 September 1875, Sarah officially sold the 16 acre Dresser Farm lot to Jewett.  It's unclear why she was entitled to wait over two years to do so after it had already been seized.

-In 1880, Sarah purchased a 3/4 acre portion of her neighbor Dominicus Libby's property for $10.00 ($320.00 in 2026).  From records I've reviewed to date, this was likely just a road parcel to get from the 16 Acre Lot to "Old Berry Road", which I think was a name they used for what is now Holmes Road.  I could be mistaken on that.

Portland Daily Press
Feb. 24, 1885

-In 1885, John Henry Temm managed to get the 16 Acre Lot back from the Mitchell Family (who had acquired it from the Jewetts), for $320.00.  But he entered into a Seller Note, which he had to pay the Mitchells in order to keep the property.

-January of 1892, Sarah died pneumonia, at age 66.

-In March of 1892, Sarah's estate was probated, with the Administrator being her friend and neighbor, Wilbur F. Dresser, and an abstract of her will was provided:

First, I wish to give one undivided half of all my Real Estate to my beloved son John Henry Timm.  I wish the remainder of my property consisting of one undivided half interest in my Real Estate and all my household furniture except that part already given to my Daughters as above to be divided equally between my beloved son John H. Temm and my beloved daughters Sarah J. Edwards and Catherine M. Temm and the children of Elizabeth Smart now members of my family the three children to have what would be their mother's share and I do hereby appoint my son John H. Temm trustee of these Children of Elizabeth Smart.

-In November of 1892, John H. Temm lost the 16 acre property due to foreclosure, and it had to be given back to an heir of Mr. Mitchell, the holder of the Note.

-On 23 Jan 1893, the Town of Scarborough tax collector recorded a tax deed against the property, for unpaid property tax from 1889 - in the amount of $7.12.   The deed states that a bill for taxes was posted, and nobody from the estate of William Temm, deceased, came forward to resolve the debt, so the 30 acre Temm Homestead Farm was therefore sold to the Town of Scarborough for its payment of the tax arrears.

-August of 1895, Wilbur Dresser had managed to acquire the 30 Acres back from the Town, and sold it to Isaac Rogers, who had also just acquired the 16 Acre Lot and the 3/4 Acre Road Lot.

-On 11 July 1896, John Temm & Hattie signed a mortgage deed for the 30 acre, 16 acre, and 3/4 acre collective homestead benefiting Isaac Rogers of Standish, for $400.00.  They finally got the property back once again, but they had one year to pay Rogers back for the mortgage.

-12 April 1898, John & Hattie had failed to pay the mortgage, and then lost this same property to Isaac Rogers via Court Order, plus attorney fees ($11.25).

-31 Dec 1898, Hattie struck a deal with Lowell Simonds of Old Orchard.  He bought the 3/4 acre property and the 16 acre property from Hattie, and Hattie gave that money to Isaac Rogers to call off the foreclosure proceedings.  The property came back once again to the Temms.

-13 Jun 1899, Hattie sold the full 46 3/4 acre Temm Homestead to Lowell Simonds, ending the 35 year period that the Temms actually owned the original Temm Homestead at NE corner of Dresser Road and Beech Ridge Road, all formerly owned by Sarah Jane Temm.  However, the Temms still lived on that land and rented until 1920, when they moved down the street (see below).

After Simonds, the successor owners of the Temm Homestead were Frank & Everett Waterhouse,  Edwin McLeod, Walter Breil, Eugene Brown, then Mary & Joseph Roy in 1951.  The Roys subdivided this land in 1964, and deeded these lots, with the following addresses, to:

2 Dresser Road                Ralph & Flora Erickson

99 Beech Ridge Road      Ralph & Flora Erickson

101 Beech Ridge Road    Ralph & Flora Erickson

105 Beech Ridge Road    David & Maureen Gagnon 

111 Beech Ridge Road    David & Maureen Gagnon

115 Beech Ridge Road    Peter Webber

117 Beech Ridge Road    Peter Webber

119 Beech Ridge Road    Peter Webber

123 Beech Ridge Road    Peter Webber

The new owners of these lands in 1965, named above, further subdivided into the mail addresses seen above, in the 1990s, and built some new homes there.  Ralph Erickson divorced his wife Flora in 1977, and married a granddaughter to John Henry Temm.

NEW John Henry Temm Homestead (later Carl Temm's Homestead)

-3 May 1920, John & Hattie purchased and mortgaged a new 50 acre property (which includes today's 75 Beech Ridge Road and all of Trout Pond Lane, and other property) from Wilbur Dresser for $1200.00, for a three year term.  This large property was 'between Dunstan Corner and Gorham', and later became the Carl Temm Homestead.

-June of 1923, the Town of Scarborough seized this property for nonpayment of 1922 taxes, at $15.33. This happened to him before on his mother's property.  This wasn't released by the Town until 1951, but it must have been paid right away, due to the subsequent transactions below closing.

-27 Sep 1924, John mortgaged the property to Albion Perley.  Mortgage was satisfied in 1941.

-17 Jan 1930, John signed a deed selling the property to his sons Clifford & Carl Temm, with stipulation that the property not change hands until his own death.  The deed was finally recorded on 2 Apr 1936, just one day after John died, and carried with it a $700 unpaid mortgage.

-August 1931, Carl Temm bought neighboring land from Helen Lothridge (unknown acreage).

-October 1936, Carl Temm bought neighboring land from Mary Plummer (unknown acreage).  I believe this and the property from Lothridge were situated in the back of (and adjacent to) the John Henry Temm Homestead.

-13 Dec 1941, Clifford and his wife Susie sold off their half interest in the Homestead to Carl Temm.  by then the land was unencumbered by mortgage.  Now Carl had three combined contiguous properties around 75 Beech Ridge Road, where he lived.  

-27 Mar 1975, Carl had passed away, and his probate appeared to pass all property holdings above to June Moon, Alvin Temm (nephew), Charles Temm (nephew), Ralph Temm (nephew) and Nellie Guptill's Life Estate (Carlie's girlfriend).  The Will required that June be given a place of her own, subdivided from the rest.  Ralph was named Executor.

-Mar 1976, Ralph as Executor deeded 75 Beech Ridge Road (and the house upon it) to June Moon, as directed by Carlie's Will.  June kept the property until 1987.  It's unclear to me who exactly June Moon was - but she wasn't related to any of the Temms or Guptills.  Her husband was Everett Moon, whom she divorced in 1986.

-Mar 1985, Nellie Guptill passed away, thereby releasing her interest in the properties to the three Temm men.

-Aug 1995, Ralph, Alvin and Charles Temm deeded the remainder property to Karen Swinburne, who subdivided the properties and created Trout Pond Lane.  This property was now out of Temm hands, after 75 years.

Bill Temm Homestead

In 1935, on 100 Beech Ridge Road, the old McLaughlin property across the street from the old Temm Homestead was purchased by John Henry Temm's son, William S. Temm from Bridget Sheehy.  The property had been sold by the McLaughlins to the Benjamin Shaw, who sold it to Harriette Harmon, who later sold it to Sheehy.  The property is still held by the Bill Temm family today.

Benjamin's daughter, Zelia Shaw, was a neighbor and a family friend to William Temm.  The Shaws kept their own farm next door to the Temm Homestead, but in 1932, when Zelia lost her parents and brother all within a 4 year span, Zelia sold the house and moved in with the Temms.

ZELIA SHAW
(1887-1969)

Below is a map where I've outlined the general location of the Sarah Jane Temm Property, the John Henry Temm/Carl Temm Property, and the Bill Temm properties:

Timm vs. Temm

As for the spelling of the name "Timm" vs "Temm", that's an issue that's rather easy to explain.  All records (marriage, real estate, birth, death, etc.) were handwritten in fancy cursive during the 1800's.  Typing records only came into play at the turn of the century.  Many of the oldest documents for Sarah & Marcus have their names spelled Timm, but not all.  Some have it spelled "Tomm".  Others have spelled the name "Temme".  None of the records were written in Marcus or Sarah's own handwriting, mind you.

I find it interesting that the old address books for Portland in the 1800's have nothing but "Timm" spelled.  It would seem to me that the original name was indeed Timm when it was German, and due to some common misreadings of old penmanship, the name (since it's a soundalike too) gradually became "Temm".  A look at any of the old records would convince you very quickly that if a stenographer wrote out "Timm" and forgot to dot the "i" even once, it could change history. 

Another theory could be that Marcus changed it deliberately from Timm to Temm upon arrival in America (even though he later went by "Brown" after he married Sarah Jane), in order to avoid authorities and perceived enemies.  He went by Marcus in all documents, even though his first name was Wilhelm.  And, all real estate was wholly owned by his wife Sarah.  He never signed off on any of it.  He did, after all, break the law...even though it was German law.

According to Marcus' death record, he was buried at Forest City, just like his son John Henry.  John Henry's grave appears below, and from the inscription and available records, only he, his wife, their son Carlie, and two infant grandchildren are here: 

Marcus might be listed under "Tenna", which is how his death record was misspelled.  His wife Sarah's death record states she was buried in Scarborough, but that seems pretty odd, she is probably buried with Marcus.  I have no clue where Marcus and Sarah's daughters (Lizzie and Kate) are buried.  I do know that Sadie is buried in Burr Cemetery in Freeport, with her children:

Since Temm/Timm is a somewhat unusual name, I'm hoping the connections can be easily made to other Temms - perhaps this blog post can be a launching point.