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.

Brantley Victor TAYLOR

Brantley Victor TAYLOR was the son of Allie BAXLEY and Robert Gary TAYLOR.

Social Security Death Index
Name: Brantley V. Taylor
SSN: 249-44-5329
Last Residence: 29506 Florence, Florence, South Carolina, United States of America
Born: 5 Oct 1931
Died: 22 Aug 1995
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (Before 1951)

U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006
Name: Brantley Victor Taylor
Service Info.: SA US NAVY
Birth Date: 5 Oct 1931
Death Date: 22 Aug 1995
Service Start Date: 21 Jul 1949
Interment Date: 25 Aug 1995
Cemetery: Florence National Cemetery
Cemetery Address: 803 East National Cemetery Road Florence, SC 29501
Buried At: Section 4 Site 12

Allie BAXLEY TAYLOR SANDERS

Allie BAXLEY was born 21 Jun 1902 in SC. She married Robert Gary TAYLOR abt. 1921 (1930 Census says married 9 years), his second wife. She was the daughter of Daniel BAXLEY and Verline COKER. She and Gary had (at least) 5 children: G.D. (b. 1923), Lucile (b. 1925), Dessie Lima (1928), Brantley, and Barney. After Gary died she married a Sanders.

Social Security Death Index
Name: Allie B. Sanders
SSN: 247-46-1133
Last Residence: 29501 Florence, Florence, South Carolina, United States of America
Born: 21 Jun 1902
Died: 30 Aug 1991
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (Before 1951)

Mattie Moore TAYLOR

Mattie MOORE was born about 1882 in Florence County, South Carolina. She was the daughter of John Moore and Mary Joe Brown. About 1901 she married Robert Gary TAYLOR, son of Levi R TAYLOR and Martha "Mattie" McLELLAN (or maybe McMILLAN).

Mattie and Gary TAYLOR had at least 5 children: Girlie Levi, Lena, Mattie, Thomas, and Mattie Katheline. The last child died as a baby about 2 months after her mother.

There are two death certificates for Mattie MOORE TAYLOR:

This is a photo of Mattie and Gary TAYLOR owned by Shea Mecure.

Robert Gary TAYLOR b. May 1880 SC

Robert Gary TAYLOR was b. May 1880 in Florence County, SC, the son of Levi R. and Martha "Mattie" (McLELLAN or McMILLAN) TAYLOR. His father was the son of William (Jr.), son of William (Sr.) TAYLOR.

Photo owned by Shea Mecure

Gary appeared on the 1880 Census but had not been named yet. The 1900 Census says he was born in May 1880. The 1880 Census was taken 4 Jun 1880.

1880 United States Federal Census

Name: Levi Taylor
Home in 1880: McMillans, Marion, South Carolina
Age: 45
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1835
Birthplace: South Carolina
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head)
Spouse's Name: Martha
Father's birthplace: South Carolina
Mother's birthplace: South Carolina
Occupation: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
House Number: 13877202
Household Members: Name Age
Levi Taylor 45 SC
Martha Taylor 35 SC
Orelia Taylor 15 SC
Alston Taylor 8 SC
Ada Taylor 6 SC
Cora Taylor 4 SC
Not Named Taylor 1 SC

By the 1900 Census Levi TAYLOR had died and Martha was listed as a widow. The census is dated 26 Jun 1900.

1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Martha Taylor

Home in 1900: McMillan, Florence, South Carolina
Age: 63
Birth Date: 1837
Birthplace: South Carolina
Race: White
Ethnicity: American
Gender: Female
Relationship to Head of House: Head
Father's Birthplace: South Carolina
Mother's Birthplace: South Carolina
Mother: number of living children: 3
Mother: How many children: 7
Marital Status: Widowed
Residence : McMillan Township, Florence, South Carolina
Household Members: Name Age
Martha Taylor 63 SC
Austin Taylor 24 SC
Ada Taylor 22
Garry Taylor 20

By the 1910 Census Gary had married Mattie (Maddie/Matie) MOORE. The Census places that marriage about 1901 (married 9 years, 3 children, 3 living).

1910 United States Federal Census

Name: Gary Taylor
Age in 1910: 28
Estimated birth year: abt 1882
Birthplace: South Carolina
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: South Carolina
Mother's Birth Place: South Carolina
Spouse's name: Matie
Home in 1910: McMillan, Florence, South Carolina
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Male
Household Members: Name Age
Gary Taylor 28 SC
Matie Taylor 27 SC
Levy Taylor 8 SC
Lena Taylor 6 SC
Matty Taylor 9/12

Mattie MOORE Taylor died in 1919 and Gary is listed as a widower.

1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Gary Taylor
Home in 1920: McMillen, Florence, South Carolina
Age: 43 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1877
Birthplace: South Carolina
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father's Birth Place: South Carolina
Mother's Birth Place: South Carolina
Marital Status: Widow
Race: White
Sex: Male
Home owned: Rent
Able to read: No
Able to Write: No
Image: 309
Household Members: Name Age
Gary Taylor 43 SC
Girlie Taylor 17 SC
Lenor Taylor 16 SC
Mattie Taylor 10 SC
Thomas Taylor 3 10/12

About 1921 Gary married Allie BAXLEY. She was b. abt 1912 in SC, the daughter of Daniel B and Verline B (COKER) BAXLEY.

1930 United States Federal Census

Name: R G Taylor
Home in 1930: McMillen, Florence, South Carolina
Age: 50
Estimated birth year: abt 1880
Birthplace: South Carolina
Relation to Head of House: Head
Spouse's name: Allie
Race: White
Occupation: Farmer
Household Members: Name Age
R G Taylor 50 SC
Allie Taylor 28 SC
Gurley Taylor 29 SC
Thomas Taylor 15 SC
G D Taylor 7 SC
Lucile Taylor 5 SC
Dessie Lima Taylor 2 SC

Gary TAYLOR's Baby

I was contacted by a lady named Mary who is the church historian for Evergreen Baptist Church in Effingham, Florence County, SC. She wrote:

I am working on our cemetary records and I ran across two rows of lots that were purchased by brothers Gary and Austin Taylor. There are no markers, but a note in the records that say both rows have one child buried in each. I was just wondering if you would have any information on a child of Gary being buried here.

I have not worked on the TAYLOR family in probably at least a year. It turns out that I never did research Gary's line very well, so will have to correct that now.

Robert Gary TAYLOR was b. May 1880 in South Carolina. He married twice:
Mattie (Maddie) MOORE 1883-1919 married about 1901
Allie BAXLEY b. 1912 SC married about 1921

Gary TAYLOR was the son of Levi R TAYLOR (son of William Jr, son of William Sr.) and Martha "Mattie" McLELLAN or McMILLAN.

I found a death certificate for baby Matie Elizabeth TAYLOR

Name: Matie Katheline Taylor
Death Date: 4 Nov 1919
Location of Death: McMillan, Florence County, South Carolina
Birth Date: 3 July 1919
Birth Place: Florence Co. SC
Father: Gary Taylor, b. Florence Co. SC
Mother: Matie Moore, b. Florence Co. SC
Informant: Auston Taylor, Effingham, SC
Burial: 9 Nov 1919 Evergreen Church, ? Purvis, Undertaker
Cause of Death: fever
Certificate Number: 19854-E