Collection is open for research.
Adam Clarence Heim was born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1902. His family soon moved to Portland, Oregon, and also spent some years in Boise, Idaho. Clara Cecilia Heim, nee Thomas, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1905. In 1927, Adam Clarence Heim and Clara Cecilia Thomas were married; they later had five children. Clara C. Heim worked for Montgomery Ward & Co., and later worked as a telephone operator. From 1918 to 1969, Adam C. Heim worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. Clara C. Heim died in 1994, and Adam C. Heim died in 1995.
Handwritten index (3 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Oral history interview with Adam C. Heim and Clara C. Heim, by Jim Strassmaier, SR 1086, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Adam C. Heim and Clara C. Heim was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at the Heims' home in Portland, Oregon, from July 26 to September 13, 1989, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in five sessions. Adam C. Heim was interviewed in sessions 1 and 2; Clara C. Heim was interviewed in sessions 3 and 4; and both were interviewed together in session 5. The Heims discuss their family backgrounds and early lives in Portland, Oregon. They talk about their marriage and about raising their family, share their experiences during the Depression, and talk about living in Huntington, Oregon. Adam C. Heim also speaks about his career as a machinist for the Union Pacific Railroad.
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of Adam C. Heim and Clara C. Heim. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted,
In the first interview session, conducted on July 26, 1989, Adam C. Heim discusses his family background, including his Russian and German heritage and his father's career with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. He talks about his early life in the Albina neighborhood of Portland, including his education and recreational activities. He speaks about working on a sugar beet farm in Idaho; about the Portland harbor; and about his apprenticeship as a machinist for the Union Pacific Railroad.
In the second interview session, conducted on August 2, 1989, Adam C. Heim talks about his siblings, particularly his older brother, John Adams Heim. He continues to discuss his career with the Union Pacific Railroad. He talks about his marriage to Clara C. Heim and about raising their children. He speaks about his experiences living in Huntington, Oregon, during the Depression, including the death of one of his children from spinal meningitis. He also discusses returning to Portland in the 1940s; talks about his children, their families, and their careers; and describes being injured during a robbery.
In the third interview session, conducted on August 29, 1989, Clara C. Heim discusses her family background and early life in North Portland. She talks about her siblings, their families, and their careers. She discusses her health as a child, her education, and working as a telephone operator.
In the fourth interview session, conducted on September 7, 1989, Clara C. Heim continues to discuss her early life in North Portland. She talks about her marriage to Adam C. Heim, about raising a family, and about her experiences during the Depression. She discusses her children, their families, and their careers. She speaks about life in Huntington, and about her political beliefs.
In the fifth interview session, conducted on September 13, 1989, Clara C. Heim and Adam C. Heim discuss living in and raising a family in Huntington and in North Portland during and after World War II. They also talk about the Black population in North Portland. They speak about their relationship with their children, about the changes in the Catholic Church, and about their political beliefs. They close the interview by talking about their recreational activities.