Sourced and Found - Henry Borchers - Part 2

A cemetery is a rather somber place.  When you go looking for your ancestors and find their headstones, you might rejoice a little, however, as I did.  The discovery of the last resting place of your ancestors can bring about an overwhelming amount of emotion.  That's how I felt the day I realized that I found Henry and Anna Borchers last resting place.

Near Block 82, Tulocay Cemetery, Napa, California

I continue with my reverse timeline for Henry Borchers as it was basically how my discovery process worked in creating my family tree for this line.  The following are the list of source documents and descriptions as follows:

1920
1920 United States Federal Census
-Henry Borchers, age 67, born about 1853 in Germany; living in Santa Rosa, California, white male, immigration year 1867, father and mother from Germany; married to Anna Borchers, able to read and write; Other household members:  Herbert, Mary, and Anna.
(Note:  At this point, Henry and Anna are living in Santa Rosa.  Henry is an orchard farmer.  Herbert, their youngest child, is married to Mary and working as a watchmaker.)

1910
1910 United States Federal Census
-Henry Borchers, age 58, born about 1852 in Germany, home in 1910:  Township 138, Morton, North Dakota, white male, immigration year 1867, head of houshold and married to Anna Borchers; father and mother's birthplace:  Germany; other household members:  Anna, Albert, Clara, Herbert.
(Henry is living in North Dakota with his immediate family farming his land.  His son William appears to be living in the very next household on the census.  Henry's daughter - Elizabeth Strehlow - is living in Northern California by this census. )

1900
1900 United States Federal Census
-Henry Borchers, age 48, birth year Apr 1852; birthplace: Germany; Home in 1900:  Township 138, Morton, North Dakota; race - white, male; immigration year:  1867; father-in-law to head of the household; married to Anna Borchers since 1878, married 22 years; father and mother's birthplace:  Germany; Other household members:  Charles Strehlow, Lizzie Strehlow, Anna Borchers, William Borchers, Martha Borchers, Henry Borchers, Albert Borchers, Tilda Borchers, Clara Borchers, Herbert Borchers
(Henry is married with several children and they are living with his daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband in North Dakota.)

1895
Minnesota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905
-Henry Borchers, age 42, census date:  1895, Aurora, Steele, Minnesota; male from Germany, born about 1853, white.  Household members are Henry, Anna, Lizzie, William, Martha, Henry, Albert, Matilda.

1885
Minnesota, Territorial and State Censuses, 1849-1905
-Henry Borchers, age 32, census date:  1 May 1885, Aurora, Steele, Minnesota, male from Germany, estimated year of birth 1853, white.  Household members are Henry, Anna, Elizabeth, William, and Martha.
(Note:  Anna and Elizabeth Borchers are mixed up on this census.  Anna is indicated as a child and Elizabeth as an adult in the household.)

1880
1880 United States Federal Census
-Henry Borchers, age 28, birth year about 1852, birthplace:  Hessen; home in 1880:  Aurora, Steele, Minnesota; white, male, head of household, married to Anna Borchers; father's birthplace:  Hessen, mother's birthplace:  Hessen;  other household members:  Anna Borchers, Elizabeth Borchers
(Note:  Henry is married and living in Minnesota.)

1878
Minnesota, Marriages Index, 1849-1950
-Henry Borchers, marriage date:  3  Feb 1878, to Anna Jackel; Havana, Steele, Minnesota, flim number 1769852
(Note:  They were married at St. John's Lutheran Church of Claremont, Havana Township, Steele, Minnesota.)

1870
1870 United States Federal Census
-Henry Borchers, age 17, born about 1853, birthplace:  Hesse-Kassel/Hessen-Kassel/Electorate of Hesse/Kurhessen;  home in 1870:  Hanover, Lake, Indiana;  race - white; gender - male; post office - Brunswick; household members - Hans H Steege, Catharine Steege, Henry Steege, Doretta Steege, Mary Steege, Frederick Steege, Henry Borchers
(Note:  Henry is living with his mother's second husband and his children in Indiana.)

1867
New York, Passenger List, 1820-1957
-Hans Borchers, arrival date:  20 Jul 1867; birth date:  abt 1852: age: 15; gender: male, German; place of origin: Germany; port of departure:  Bremen, Germany; destination: USA; port of arrival:  New York, New York;  ship name:  Deutschland
(Note:  Henry arrived in New York.)

1867
U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
-Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers, 1867, America, Immigrant: Catharina Engel Borchers; son - Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers

It does help to have the inside track on Henry Borchers' given name.  My uncle has provided me with more information of Henry's origins in Germany.  His given name was Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers.  He was born the only child of Catharina "Thrine" Engel Borchers (nee Blume) and Johann Conrad Borchers.  Henry's father died in 1854, within a few years after Henry was born.  Henry lived his life as an only child.

I can't forget to mention that Henry was technically from Prussia.  Much of Germany was actually Prussia during the 1800s until the great war.  He was also Lutheran.  In Germany, Lutheran's were referred to as Evangelicals.   The following dates and information are based off church records that my uncle retrieved.

1866 - Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers - Confirmation on 8 Apr 1866, Hohnhorst, Hessen, Prussia

1852 - Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers - Baptism on 12 Apr 1852, Hohnhorst, Hessen, Prussia

1852 - Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers - Birth on 8 Apr 1852, Hohnhorst, Hesse Cassel, Schaumburg, Prussia, Germany (Today:  Lower Saxony, Niedersachsen, Germany; formerly Hessische Grafschaf Schaumburg)

Henry was born and grew up about 30 miles due west of Hanover, Germany.  Why his mother made the decision to leave and come to the USA is not real clear.  Many German immigrants came to the midwest of the United States during this time looking for a better life.  They clustered together in their own German communities.  It is possible that Thrine (Henry's mother) came to the United States with plans to marry Hans Henry Steege since he was a widower (and she was a widow) with several young children already living in Indiana.

Sourcing and proving Henry's locations stateside in the United States has proven to be an easy task.  I often wonder what he was like.  Most of the census information simply indicates that he was a farmer.  At least now, I know where he lived and where he was from.

Part 3 is next with some additional oral history, even if anecdotal in nature.