Born 17 April 1867 Badstuestræde, Copenhagen	Parents Peter Hansen Millinge 1829- 1903 Karen Marie Millinge 1834-1926
Death 7 July 1957, Copenhagen	Husband Peter Thorvald Emilius Hamann 1841-1903
Siblings Carl Johan Millinge 1860-1931 Sophie Martine Millinge 1862-1927 Jenny Pouline Millinge 1870-1886 Anna C. Johanne Hansen Millinge 1873-1919	Stepson Holger Christian Hamann 1874-1938 Children by adoption Else Marie Hamann 1909 Rita Karen Hamann 1913

Nicolette was born in 1867 as the third child in the marriage between Peter and Karen Marie.

In the census 1880 and 1890 she still lived at home with her parents working as a bookkeeper.

In May 1897 at the age of 30 years, Nicolette married Peter Thorvald Emilius Hamann.

Thorvald Hamann was a wealthy wholesaler dealing in electrotechnics and graphics. His company was called Thorvald Hamann & Co. and was located in Copenhagen (Ny Vestergade 21, 2^nd floor) Thorvald was divorced and had a son from his first marriage named Holger Christian Hamann.

Thorvald was 55 years old at the time of their marriage – i.e. 25 years older than Nicolette.

Below a copy of an advertisement from Thorvald Hamann & Co. from the newspaper Berlingske (Den til Forsendelse med de Kongelige Brevposter privilegerede Berlingske Politiske og Avertissementstidende)

In Denmark at that time he would be addressed “hr. Grosserer Hamann” – I do not think “Wholesaler” translates the connotations of “Grosserer” in those days. This was a very fine title – if you were called “Fru Grosserer Hamann” – then you were really big noise 😊

The newly-weds started out living together in Thorvald’s apartment in Ny Vestergade. Thorvald’s son, Holger Christian Hamann, who was 23 years old in 1897 lived with them and so did also two servants.

The marriage was childless and only lasted 6 years.
In 1903, Thorvald died of a stroke – only 61 years old.

 

The Stepson, Holger Christian Hamann

Holger was 29 years old when he took over his fathers business and he continued to run the wholesaler company as the new “hr. Grosserer Hamann” with success.

Apart from running the business, Thorvald Hamann & Co., Holger was also a composer. He composed classic music and he also gave concerts. In his young days he studied with Professor Malling. (from The Copenhagen Conservatory of Music).

In 1894 when Holger was 20 years, he won a travelling scholarship (Anckerske Legats rejsestipendier) allowing him to go to Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Wien and München to study classic music.

He continued to give a concert now and then throughout his entire life, but never made it his carrier.

In January 1938, only 5 months before his death, Holger gave a concert including 3 of his compositions: A Trio, a string quartet and a violin sonata. Among the participants in the concert were: Peder Møller, Victor Schiøler, Paulus Bache, Erlind Bloch and Hans Kassow, all famous musicians of that time.

Holger never married and he did not get any children.

After Thorvald’s death, Nicolette and Holger continued to share household for 33 years until his death.

Holger died a sudden death 14 May 1938 only 64 years old. Cause of death: Paralysis of the heart. Nicolette was his sole heir.

 

Places they lived
The Archives do not reveal anything about Thorvald’s wealth at the time of his death. Nicolette and Holger divided the estate among them, as a private matter, i.e. it is not possible to see how big the estate of the household was at that time.

We can however get a picture of the wealth of the Hamann family when looking at the census 1916 for Nicolette and Holger Christian Hamann: The census 1916 reveals that Holger’s yearly income was 47,840 kroner and his fortune was 240,000 kroner. Nicolette had a yearly income (widow’s pension) of 23,500 kroner and a fortune of 120,000 kroner. This was a lot of money at that time! To compare, e.g. Sophie, Nicolette’s older sister, had a yearly income of 3,100 (bookkeeper salary) and a fortune of 19,000 kroner.

So Thorvald took good care of Nicolette’s future and made sure that she could live an independent life.

In 1913 Nicolette and Holger bought a summer residence together – each owning half of it.

They only lived there during summer. During winter they continued to live in the centre of Copenhagen, at Dantes Plads (a luxury flat).
The summer residence was located in Skotterup near Helsingør and was called “Sølyst” and it was located at the shore of Øresund” (the house still exists today at Strandvejen 93A, Espergærde).
From the deed of transfer we can see that the house was sold including also garden pavilions as well as bathing jetty and beach hut.

3 years later Egedahl, the house opposite Sølyst, was for sale and so Nicolette and Holger also bought that house. The house was inhabited by their private gardener and in the gardens of both Sølyst and Egedahl big greenhouses and hotbeds were erected – in total 165 m² (1 776 square foot) covered with glass.
Here they grew 80-100 kilos (180-440 lbs) peaches and 50 kilos grapes each year. Furthermore, they grew bedding plants and decoration plants and cactuses both for the summerhouse and for the flat in Copenhagen. [source]

In 1942, 4 years after Holger’s death, Nicolette sold both properties.

 

Nicolette’s two daughters

In 1910, when Nicolette was 43 years old, she adopted a girl, Else Marie Hamann, born 22 May 1909. 4 years later she adopted another girl, Rita Karen Hamann, born 4 November 1913.

The girls were both the natural daughters of  young girls who had become pregnant by accident without being married.

Nicolette brought them up as her daughters and from the census 1916, 1921 and 1930 they are described as a family with Holger as the housefather, Nicolette as the housemother and Else Marie and Rita as their daughters.

In 1938 Holger died, and somewhere between 1930 and 1940, the two girls left their childhood home, Rita married into high society Copenhagen first to a Director and later to a High Court Attorney.
In 1940, Else Marie had moved to Gentofte, she was still single and working as a temp at Copenhagen Telephone Company.

In the census 1940, we find Nicolette still living at Dantes Plads 33 together with a housemaid.

Nicolette died 7 July 1957, 90 years old. According to the church book she still lived at Dantes Plads at the time of her death.

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