38
edits
Changes
rephrased anecdote about Thiesen flying the Danish flag. Frankly, I didn't like the word "gloated" in the previous version. Information taken from plaque on building.
Christen and Emilie had four children who lived to adulthood; Thiesen also adopted his stepdaughter Dina. Emilie died in January, 1900 due to complications of childbirth. In April, 1901, Thiesen married Effie Lee Mitchell. Thiesen was granted U.S. citizenship in 1902.
He built the [[Thiesen Building]] on the northeast corner of [[Palafox Street|Palafox]] and [[Romana Street]]s in [[1901]]. He was reportedly warned that his venture would fail and the building would be lost to receivership; when this failed to happen, . Thiesen gloated responded by flying vowing to fly the Danish flag from the building each April 1st as a symbol of his continued ownership. It is said that Thiesen raised the Danish flag every year April 1st until his deathin 1934.
Thiesen's wife Effie divorced him in 1927. Thiesen died in [[1934]], and is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery.<ref>Sutton, Leora "Christian [sic] Ustrup Thiesen",University of West Florida, John C. Pace Library, Special Collections (unpublished manuscript)</ref>