Born on 11 August 1890 near Sindal, a small town in northern Jutland, Denmark, Thomsen grew up in a house called "Moskildvad".
This house, now open to the public, is testimony to the poverty he experienced during childhood.
An illegitimate child, Thomsen never knew his father.
His mother never married and worked on a farm called Kristiansminde.
There, a stableman by the name of Thomsen was named his father and therefore he was named Martinus Thomsen.
He did state that he suspected the proprietor of the farm to be his real father.

His mother was unable to care for him as a young child and as a result, he was taken in by her brother and his wife.
They were an elderly couple who had already raised eleven children of their own but despite this, Thomsen always referred to them fondly.
He mentioned that despite their meager circumstances, they always made him feel secure.
His mother died when he was just eleven and for the most part, his contact with her was very limited.

His education at the local village school was very basic, focusing mainly on verses of hymns, geography, Danish and natural history, arithmetic and the catechism.
He spent six hours per week in class in the summer and thirty hours per week in the winter.
His foster family could not afford books and Thomsen has stated he inherited old copies of Familie Journalen (The Family Journal), which became the basis of his reading material.
Born on 11 August 1890 near Sindal, a small town in northern Jutland, Denmark, Thomsen grew up in a house called "Moskildvad". This house, now open to the public, is testimony to the poverty he experienced during childhood. An illegitimate child, Thomsen never knew his father. His mother never married and worked on a farm called Kristiansminde. There, a stableman by the name of Thomsen was named his father and therefore he was named Martinus Thomsen. He did state that he suspected the proprietor of the farm to be his real father.
His mother was unable to care for him as a young child and as a result, he was taken in by her brother and his wife. They were an elderly couple who had already raised eleven children of their own but despite this, Thomsen always referred to them fondly. He mentioned that despite their meager circumstances, they always made him feel secure. His mother died when he was just eleven and for the most part, his contact with her was very limited.
His education at the local village school was very basic, focusing mainly on verses of hymns, geography, Danish and natural history, arithmetic and the catechism. He spent six hours per week in class in the summer and thirty hours per week in the winter. His foster family could not afford books and Thomsen has stated he inherited old copies of Familie Journalen (The Family Journal), which became the basis of his reading material.
Martinus Thomsen