Jonathan and William SPORT Land Map

This Google Earth map of Jonathan SPORT's (1790-1856) and his son William SPORT's (1822-1892) properties in Crenshaw County, Alabama was created by cousin Steve Etheridge.

Jonathan SPORT

Jonathan SPORT (1790-1856) is the son of William SPORT (bef 1756-c 1820), the earliest known ancestor in the family. I included a "Monograph" on a previous post which is the only real proof I know of that Jonathan was William's son. It was taken from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 794-795, published by Brant & Fuller (1893), Madison, WI.

William SPORT, b. before 1756 possibly in Scotland, d. c 1820 South Carolina, m. Elizabeth (b. bef 1774)

Jonathan SPORT b. c 1790 NC d. 8 Mar 1856 Crenshaw, Covington, AL
Married c. 1821 Marion District, SC Margaret BAILEY, b. 1810, Marion District, SC d. 1858 Crenshaw, Covington, AL

Children:

William (BAILEY?) SPORT b. 1822 Marion District, SC d. 17 Apr 1892 Dozier, Crenshaw, AL m. 1847 AL Sarah Jane SINGLETON (May 1824-c. 1904), dau. of Solomon and Elizabeth SINGLETON

Female SPORT b. 1825-1830 Marion District SC

Mary Amanda SPORT b. 1831 Marion District, SC d. after the 1900 Census

Sarah Anne SPORT b. 1832 Marion District, SC d. c 1893 [probably in Crenshaw County, AL] m. Joseph BOYKIN (1837 AL-1861), son of Burrell BOYKIN

Frances Elizabeth Thaney SPORT b. 1834 Marion District, SC d. bef 1893 [probably in Crenshaw County, AL] m. Abel BOYKIN (1824 NC), son of Burrell BOYKIN

Historic SPORTS Marker Installation

Historic marker placed at Sports, Brantley County, Alabama through the efforts of Jean Sport Brunner [pictured in purple blouse on the right] September 26, 2009. In the photo the marker is surrounded by attending Sport descendants.

Transcription 6 October 2009 by Teresa McVeigh:

SPORTS

The area known as Sports was settled by Jonathan Sport and his son, William, who migrated from South Carolina in 1842. Jonathan and William owned 600 acres of land in the area at one time, farming and operating a grist mill. William's sons John Solomon, William Garmon, Thomas Benjamin, Malachai, Daniel Webster, and Joseph Nathaniel have descendants living in the area in 2009.

Originally called "Piney Woods," Sports first appeared on an official railroad map in 1900.             

Grady E SPORTS Obituaries

Obituaries of Grady E SPORTS, son of Elisha Lite SPORTS and Julia Howell WILKES.

Florence Morning News, Florence, SC, Tues., 28 Aug 1973, page 2A. Virtually the same obituary appeared in the State, Columbia, SC paper.

Tuesday August 28 1973

The State, Columbia, SC pg 15a col 1

Grady E Sports

Blenheim--Grady E Sports, 61, died in Marlboro County General Hospital Hospital Sunday after a long illness.

Born in Marlboro County, he was a son of Mrs. Julia Wilkes and the late E L Sports. Mr. Sports was the operator of a filling station.

Surviving are his mother: three sons, Grady E Sports, Jr. and William E Sports of Augusta, Ga., and Randy Sports of Florence; five daughters, Mrs. Shirley Herring of Latta, Mrs. Betty Clark and Mrs. Barbara Bryant of Augusta, Ga., and Mrs. Frances Jones and Mrs. Linda Frierson of Florence; four brothers, Tracy Sports of Phoenix City, Ala., and Marvin, Delton and Prentice Sports of Blenheim; three sisters, Miss Louise Sports of Latta, Mrs. Hattie S Daniels of Bennettsville and Miss Bessie Sports of Columbia; and 20 grandchildren.

Services will be 4:30pm today in Bristow's Chapel Church.

Whitner Funeral Home in Bennettsville is in charge.

Transcribed by Carolyn Klear, Jan. 2007

A Soldier Writes Home

Portsmouth Herald, 12 Jul 1944, pg. 4, transcribed by Teresa McVeigh 2 Oct 2009:

A Soldier Writes Home

Second Lt. Harry Mouton and Pvt. Francis Roark, who live only three-quarters of a mile apart on Manson road, Kittery, met recently in England where they are stationed with a U.S. Army air force unit. They hadn't seen each other for two years.

Private Roark, son of Mrs. Sybel Borgkvist, has been stationed with a military police division in England since October. The 21-year-old soldier, a bus driver in civilian life, entered the Army Jan 20, 1943, and took his basic training in Atlantic City, N.J.

Lieutenant Moulton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Moulton, is a graduate of Traip academy and worked as an apprentice at the Portsmouth Navy yard before his induction into the army two years ago. He went to England about a month ago.

Private Roark recently wrote the following letter to his mother from "somewhere in England:"

I got a big surprise yesterday. Harry Moulton is in the next barracks from me for a while. Boy! I was sure glad to see him. I guess he was the same. He hasn't been home for quite a while either. He said when he was coming over he flew over his house and saw it for the first time in two years. That's nearer than I got anyway. He won't be here very long.

How is everyone at home? I guess Joe Borgkvist must be somewhere neat Rome by now. What do you think of the news now? Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

The weather is pretty good now. It is still a little chilly once in a while though. Well, mom, I can't seem to think of any more that I can write, so I guess I will close, hoping to hear from all soon.

Private Borgkvist referred to in the letter is stationed with a medical corps unit in Italy. His wife, Mrs. Virginia Borgkvist of Manson Road, Kittery, recently received word from the war department that he had been slightly wounded in action. She says, however, that he has made no mention of his wounds in his letters home.

A chipper and caulker at the navy yard before his induction Aug 25 1942, Private Borgkvist received Army training at Camp Pickett, Va. and Camp Edwards, Mass. before he was sent overseas about a year ago.

Herman Waldermar BORGKVIST

Herman M BORGKVIST was my friend Ben's step-grandfather. He married Ben's grandmother Sybel DAVENPORT. They lived on a farm outside Kittery, Maine. Ben says Herman "taught him the way of the world with the toe of his boot." Herman didn't talk much, but he was a strict discipinarian. Herman was good at making things and had his own blacksmith shop as a hobby. He made bells in different sizes which he would tune with a tuning fork, boat propellers, and custom engraved swords for West Point graduates. He handmade Ben a pair of wooded skis.

According to his passport application in 1920, Herman was born 7 Jan 1892 in Malmo, Skane, Sweden, the son of N H BORGKVIST of Sweden. He immigrated to the US in 1910, coming on a ship from Rosario, Argentina. Ben says he was a Merchant Marine. Soon after he arrived he must have met a woman from Canada because the 1930 Census says he was first married in 1910. His son Joseph BORGKVIST was born in Boston, MA 27 Apr 1911 and his daughter Eva BORGKVIST was born 21 Feb 1917 in Boston, MA.

On 2 Oct 1913 Herman applied for naturalization in the Western District of New York.

Selected U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1822-1855 and 1906-1966 (Indexed in World Archives Project) On-line database on Ancestry.com.
Name: Herman Waldermar Borgkvist
Place of Residence: New York
Date of Action: 2 Oct 1913
Collection Title: Index, 1906-1966 Petitions for Naturalization, U.S. District Court, Western Dist. of New York, M1677
NARA Series #: M1677
Roll #: 2
Roll Description: Bakewell, Elizabeth to Borvsiuk, Michael

Then he enlisted in the Marine Corps. According to US Marine Corps Muster Rolls, Herman enlisted as a private on 20 Oct 1913 in Buffalo, NY and was transferred to Norfolk, VA. He was assigned to serve on the USS New Jersey. On 23 Mar 1915 he qualified as Sharpshooter and won a $3.00 prize on the 31st. By April 1917 he was transferred to Port Royal, Beauford County, SC where he worked as "mechanic in charge of the laundry." By Aug 1917 he had been promoted to  Sergeant at the Naval Prison, Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH.

Herman must have left the Marine Corps in 1917 because the next record I find for him is his World War I Draft Card 31 Dec 1917 where he says he has a wife and 2 children and served 4 years in the Marine Corps. He is described as medium tall, stout, brown eyes, brown hair, not bald, and no disabilites.

On 14 Mar 1918 in Portland Maine at the US District court, Herman became a naturalized citizen of the USA.

By the 1920 Census on Jan 16 Herman's first wife had died and he was listed as widowed with his two children. He was working as a "Clipper Caulker" at the Navy Yard in Kittery, ME.

1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Herman W Borgkvist
Home in 1920: Kittery, York, Maine
Age: 28 years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1892
Birthplace: Sweden
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: Sweden
Mother's Birth Place: Sweden
Marital Status: Widow
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Own
Year of Immigration: 1910
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 428
Household Members: Name Age
Herman W Borgkeist 28 Swede
Eva Borgkeist 6 MA
Joseph Borgkeist 8 MA

By August Herman had decided to take the children to see his mother and applied for a passport. The passport contains a picture of him and his two children. [First picture, Herman's information ins on the right; second picture Herman is on the left.]

They returned to Boston 16 Feb 1921 from Copenhagen on the ship United States.

Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1943
Name: Herman Borgkvist
Arrival Date: 16 Feb 1921
Age: 28 Years
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1893
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Copenhagen, Denmark
Ship Name: United States
Port of Arrival: Boston, Massachusetts
Microfilm Roll Number: 259
Also
Joseph Borgkvist age 9 b. abt 1912 Boston, MA
Eva Borgkvist age 4 b. abt 1917 Boston, MA
Departure Feb 4, 1928

By the 1930 Census Herman had remarried. He is listed with Pearle M. and the children. Pearl is listed as age 34 and first marriage age 34, so they must have been newly weds when the census  was taken on April 4th.

1930 United States Federal Census
Name: Herman M Borgkvist
Home in 1930: Kittery, York, Maine
Age: 39
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1891
Birthplace: Sweden
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's Name: Pearle M
Race: White
Occupation: Chauffeur. Retail Coal Co.
Age at first marriage: 18
Parents' birthplace: Sweden
Household Members: Name Age
Herman M Borgkvist 39 Sweden
Pearle M Borgkvist 34 NH
Joseph Borgkvist 18 MA
Eva E Borgkvish 13 MA

I have not found out yet what happened to Pearle.
18 July 1936 Eva married Francis A DOUGLAS in Maine.
2 Jun 1941 Joseph married Virginia M Moulton in Maine

At some point after the 1930 Census Herman met Sybel DAVENPORT. They had two daughters: Annet H and Ebba L BORGKVIST.

Sybel DAVENPORT ROARK BORGKVIST Genealogy

My friend Ben asked me to help him with his genealogy. His grandmother, Sybel, was "the most remarkable woman." She was the first Passamaquoddy Indian to finish college. Ben said that Teddy Roosevelt had an initiative to educate the Indians. Sybel took advantage of it, went to college, and became a school teacher in Barre, Vermont. Ben said the school house was heated by a coal stove and one time Sybel had to chase a bear out with a broom. When Ben knew her she was retired and never left the farm, but she would know everything that was going on by telephone. She would go out in the fields and collect herbs, weeds, and barks to make teas--clover, birch bark, and sumac root. She would bake "green chocolate cakes" from honey and roots. She would make sumac root porridge. In the winter she would find ants frozen under the bark in the maple trees and "eat them like candy." There is a book somewhere written about her named "Sybel", but Ben has been unable to find it, so I'm helping him with the research. I set up a tree on Ancestry named Sybel's Family Tree and started searching.

This is an interesting and challenging bit of research. Ben did not know his grandmother's maiden name and had a number of things incorrect. Her maiden name turned out to be DAVENPORT. He knew the name, but he thought that had been a first husband's name before his grandfather. Ben's grandfather was not talked about in the family and they were forbidden to ask about him. By the time Ben came along Sybel was married to Herman BORGKVIST, a Swede (Ben thought he was Norwegian and did not know how to spell the name).

Ben gave me Sybel's children's names, but got some wrong. At first I thought some of them were named Davenport, but they turned out to be ROARK and BORGKVIST. So far the BORGKVISTs have been the easiest to find.

I have been working on this a couple of weeks now. I think this is the first record I found, Herman in the SSDI:

Social Security Death Index
Name: Herman Borgkvist
SSN: 005-36-1966
Last Residence: 03904 Kittery, York, Maine, United States of America
Born: 7 Jan 1892
Died: Aug 1967
State (Year) SSN issued: Maine (1954)

Then I found Sybel in the SSDI:

Social Security Death Index
Name: Sybel Borgkvist
SSN: 004-64-9505
Last Residence: 03904 Kittery, York, Maine, United States of America
Born: 28 Sep 1894
Died: Apr 1973
State (Year) SSN issued: Maine (1973)

A wonderful start! I now had some dates and a last name for Sybel.