Gimm goes America ...

Many generations later, after Frenz Gimm arrived in 1728 on earth, three Gimm brothers from the small village Missunde had enough from their poor life without future and went on a ship to America. They all arrived in Iowa, where the new immigrants were promised to get land for free. The three brothers all settled down in this area and made the foreign land to their new home.
I think they did it right ...


Claus Detlef (1843-1891) - The first one ...

Think he was the first one who took his chance for a better life in Iowa ...
Claus Detlef Gimm, son of Hans Dietrich Gimm and his wife Catharina (nee Peters) was born on 28 Feb 1843 in Missunde.
He arrived in Iowa on April 14th, 1866.

He married Caroline Paustian on 15 Oct 1869 in Scott County, Iowa.
They had the following children:

Julius Gimm was born in Jan 1870 and died on 6 Nov 1942.
Katherine (Kathie) Gimm was born on 4 Mar 1872 and died in Jan 1935.
Charles David Gimm was born on 14 Feb 1875 and died on 25 Nov 1935.
Friederich (Frederick) Christian Gimm was born in Aug 1876 and died in 1944.
Franz (Frank, Franklin) Henry Gimm was born on 18 Jul 1879 and died in 1922.

Claus Detlef Gimm died on June 19th, 1891 in Iowa



Hans Peter Gimm (1845-1926) - it takes two brothers to build a house ...

Hans Peter Gimm, son of Hans Dietrich Gimm and his wife Catharina (nee Peters) was born August 3rd, 1845 in the small village Missunde. He was the 7th child of 10 children in this family. Together with his two elder brothers Carl Friedrich (1835-1918) and Claus Detlef (1843-1891) he emigrated from Germany to the USA . He started his trip from Hamburg with the ship "Hammonia" and arrived with his wife Marie in New York at March 20th, 1872 . Hans Peters wife Marie, is noticed at the passenger list with the age of 31, so she was born in 1841. This Marie must be Hans first wife, who maybe died between 1872 and 1878 after the arrival in Iowa. Don't know exactly, because I have not yet found an obit for her. Later Hans Peter meet Marikke Fredericksen and he married her in 1878.

Together they had the following children: Maria Katharina Christina (Katie) Gimm was born on 2 Jun 1879 and died on 26 Dec 1954. Hans Fredrich Gimm was born on 20 Nov 1880 and died on 31 Dec 1955. James Jens Gimm was born on 8 Sep 1882 and died on 2 Dec 1955. Christine Maria (Mary C.) Gimm was born on 27 Jun 1884 in Davenport, Iowa, USA. Fred C. Gimm was born on 15 Oct 1888 in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA. He died on 12 Sep 1968 in Iowa. Margaret Elisabeth Gimm was born in Apr 1890. Carl Frederick Gimm was born on 2 Apr 1892. Dorothy Julia Gimm was born in Jan 1894. Claus Gimm was born on 25 Jul 1896 and died in 1947. Fredericka (Frieda) Gimm was born in Dec 1899 in Iowa.

The census record said that in 1880 Hans and Marikke lived at 820 Second Street, Davenport. From 1900 - 1930 Hans and Marikke, and also later his son Carl F. lived in a house at River road in Pleasant Valley. Maybe this is the address of the house at this picture. Hans Peter died October 1926 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa at the age of 81 years. Many descendants of Hans Peter Gimm are still living in the area of Iowa untill today.

Carl Friedrich (1835-1918) - all good things are three ...

Carl arrived with wife and children one year later, after his brother Hans Peter made the step to emigrate to the Staates.
Carl Friedrich Gimm was born on 5 Jan 1835 in Missunde. He died on 18 Apr 1918 in Sherburn, Minnesota / USA.

First he arrived in Iowa where his other brothers already lived. Some years later he nmoved with his family to Minnesota.

Carl married Friederica Caroline Henriette Andresen on 22 Jun 1862 in Kosel. Friederica was born on 24 Apr 1839.
She died on 22 Apr 1919 in Sherburn, Minnesota / USA.
Carl and Friederica had the following children:

Hans Behrendt Christian Gimm was born on 13 Sep 1862 in Missunde. He died in 1935, buried in Inland, Cedar Co. Iowa
Catharina Dorothea Friederieke Gimm was born on 27 May 1865 in Missunde.
Juliane Sofia Friederike Gimm was born on 2 Mar 1868 in Missunde.
Margareta Dorothea Friederike Gimm was born on 9 Nov 1870 in Missunde.
Otto Carl Gimm was born on 23 Jul 1873 and died on 11 May 1939.
Charles Gimm was born in Apr 1878 in Muscatine County / Iowa.

Carl Friedrich Gimm died on 18 Apr 1918 in Sherburn, Minnesota / USA.



This is only a short overview about the life of this three brothers from Germany.
A big family, grown over the years, with a lot of descendants.
To much information for this small page, so if you need more information, please sent us an email:


:: A report from Juergen Pokolm - November 2009