Niels Thim of Falmouth Maine

In my ongoing efforts to uncover the story of Marcus Timm of Hamburg, I will now write about a family who lived in Portland during the same time period as Marcus, that of German-born Niels Thim of Portland (and later Falmouth).  Was he perhaps a nephew to Marcus?  Is his father Peter one of the famed "brothers who never spoke again" who arrived on the ship with Marcus, as per oral legend (a legend which I've heard many other families speak of in their own families)?

Niels Pedersen Thim was born in 1852 in the town of Rødding in Schleswig-Holstein-Germany (which in 1920 became part of southern Denmark).  This would make him old enough to be a nephew to Marcus (who was born in 1824).  But that region is still about 90 minutes north of Hamburg, where I knew Marcus lived before sailing to America in 1848.  Niels and his family sailed to Maine, and landed in Portland on 18 Apr 1887.

His parents were Peter Thimm (born 1810, which is 14 years prior to Marcus....) and Ane Maria Vind.  Niels married Amelia Hilchenstelia, also of Germany, and they had eight children together:

NEILS THIM FAMILY
ABOUT 1920
LIKELY IN FALMOUTH, MAINE AT THEIR HOME ON WOODVILLE ROAD

1. Peter Nielsen Thims (1876-1973), born in Vejrup Parish in Ribe County, a part of Southern Denmark that was not ever part of Germany.  He spent his adult years in Portland, where he worked as a laborer, and was drafted into WWI.  He and his wife Edna had no children.

2. Wilhelmina "Minnie" Thim (1878-1926), also born in Vejrup, but spent her adult years briefly in Portsmouth, NH, but primarily in Westbrook, Maine, very close to the Danish community living there and going to Trinity Lutheran Church on Main Street.  She and her husband Neils Due had five children, only two of which survived to adulthood, and lived their lives in Westbrook.

3. Frederick Thims (1880-1957) - also born in Vejrup, grew up in Maine, had two wives, five children.  

4. August N. Thims (1883-after 1943) also born in Vejrup, twins with John, lived in Everett, worked as a motion picture operator at the Strand Theater in Malden, Massachusetts with his wife and three sons.  He was drafted into WWI, but also drafted into WWII at age 59 in 1942, and in 1943 he was still in Everett, doing the same work (his wife had died that year).  No trace of him thereafter.  Interestingly, for the 1900 Census, soon after arriving from Denmark, he wasn't living with the rest of his family in Falmouth - he living on Forest Avenue, listed as August THIM, at the "Home for Friendless Boys," a work farm.

5. John Niles Thims (1883-1968) also born in Vejrup, twins with August - grew up in Maine, and lived in Portland with his wife Ruby.  No children.

6. Christian Thims (1885-1964), born in Sonder, in Ribe, came to Maine with his family, but lived his life in Northern California, settling in Orinda.  Later in life, he went by "Chris Thim", was married and had one daughter, Rosalie Rogers.

7. Paul Alfred Thims (1889-1938), aka "Albert", born in Falmouth, Maine.

8. Christina Thims (1892-1961), born in Falmouth, Maine, and married George V Olmstead of Falmouth.  They had three children:  Hazel, Albert & Gladys.

Census records claim that these Timms migrated to the US in 1888.  This would be about 30 years after Marcus had arrived.

There was quite a bit of variation of this name over the years:

• In 1860 Denmark Census, as a 9 year old boy, he and his family were named THIM.
• In 1870 Denmark Census, his family was named THIIM.
• In 1880 Denmark Census, his family was named THIM
• In 1889, Minnie's marriage record said her name was THIMS.
• In 1892, Niels' naturalization record has him listed as THIM.
• In 1896, eldest son Peter was using the hame THIMS in Portland.
• In 1900 Portland directory, Niels THIM was working as a "bung maker" at the Portland Cooperage Company on Commercial Street, while his son Peter was listed as a THIMS. 
• In 1900 Falmouth Census records, they used THIM.  But Niels' oldest child Peter was living in Portland under the name of THIMS.
• In the birth records of Christina's children in 1917 and 1918, however, Christina was using the surname THIMS.  
• On the gravestone, erected in 1922, they were using THIMS.
• In Christina's 1961 obituary, her parents were named THIMS.
• In a 2000 obituary of Christina's daughter Gladys named her mother as a TIMMS,

Niels died in Portland of acute edema of the lungs.  He died with several descendants in the Greater Portland area, as well as the suburbs of Boston.  I wonder if any of the living descendants today may have old photo albums and might know if Niels had an uncle Marcus...probably a long shot, but the names and origins are similar enough to be worthy of study.