A Goodbye. Jimmy's memorial slide show

A Goodbye. Jim Borgreen memorial slideshow

Jim Borgreen obituary

Jim Borgreen Obituarty

Obituary: James “Jim” Carl Borgreen

By: Schnider Funeral Home

 

Jim was born in Great Falls on December 25, 1949, to Carl and Ellen (Johnstone) Borgreen.

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James “Jim” Carl Borgreen, 65, of Lewistown, died on June 28, 2015, near his family cabin in Monarch.

Jim was born in Great Falls on December 25, 1949, to Carl and Ellen (Johnstone) Borgreen. He was proud of his education in Great Falls, and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1968.

From childhood, Jim displayed a rare talent for wildlife art, and he continued his education at Montana State University-Bozeman. He graduated in 1972 with his Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. He later completed his Masters degree through Montana State University Northern. 

Jim married Pat Mausehund, in 1974. They were married 25 years, and together raised their two children, Molly and Mike. 

Jim taught at Fergus High School in Lewistown, where he had a profound, yet steady and lasting influence on 34 years worth of high school students.

In 2003, he married longtime friend, LaVonne Emerson. They enjoyed 12 years of camping and fishing together. Since his retirement in 2010, Jim has been prolific as an artist and an activist in wildlife conservation issues. 

Jim’s last words, recorded in the log book of his family cabin, relayed his excitement of finally drawing a moose permit in that area. While on a scouting trip for this hunt, he died suddenly of a cardiac event.  Jim died doing what he loved, in a place he cherished. For that his family is grateful.

A memorial service will be held Monday, July 6, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the Fergus High School Performing Art Center in Lewistown, Montana.

To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Schnider Funeral Home website.

Great Falls Tribune, Lewistown Artist Teacher dies in Monarch crash

The victim of a fatal crash that happened Sunday morning near Monarch has been identified. Jim Borgreen, 65, died early Sunday when the pick-up he was driving left the Hughesville Road east of Monarch and crashed into a tree

Borgreen was a well-known teacher in Fergus County, where he taught art to generations of students during his 34-year career in the Lewistown School District. Outside his role as a respected educator, Borgeen established himself as an accomplished wildlife artist.

His achievements include a three-time winner of the Montana State Duck Stamp Contest as well as three first-place awards at the Audubon Wildlife Show. Borgreen was a member of the Western Heritage Artist Group for 20 years and a frequent exhibitor at The Russell art show in Great Falls, as well as illustrating two books on bird identification and hunting.

According to a news release from the Cascade County Sheriff's/Coroner's Office, Borgreen was staying at his cabin in the Hughesville area prior to the fatal crash.

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Arnold said alcohol is not suspected as contributing factor to the crash, which remains under investigation.

"Evidence at the scene seems to indicate that the driver might have had a medical episode which led up to the crash," Arnold said.

Big Finds in Sweden

ANDERSSON_Jonus_HHex_Södra-Ljunga-AI-9-1844-1850-Image-99-page-87(2)

Here we have some of the Swedish records that tell the tale of the life and death of Christina Jonasdotter, mother of Johan August "Gust" Johansson Berggren/BORGREEN.

Birth 20 Feb 1826 in Ljunga, Kronoberg, Sweden

Death 21 Sep 1898 in Ljunga, Kronoberg, Sweden

Parents were Jonas Andersson and Lisa Nilsdotter

Married to Johan Peter Nilsson Wilander 1830-1859

He died of drunkenness, autopsied, doomed to be quietly buried.

Christina's son Axel was born of this marriage but "Gust" was born 5 years after the death of Christina's husband, Johan Peter. "Gust" is recorded as illegitimate, in all Swedish church records.

ANDERSSON_Jonus_HHex_Södra-Ljunga-AI-9-1844-1850-Image-99-page-87

JONASDOTTER_Christina_Birth_20Feb1826_Swedish Church Records

JONASDOTTER_Christina_Birth_Södra-Ljunga-C-5-1814-1850-Image-136

JONASDOTTER_Christina_HHex_Death_Södra-Ljunga-AI-16-1892-1899-Image-48-page-33(2)

JONASDOTTER_Christina_HHex_Death_Södra-Ljunga-AI-16-1892-1899-Image-48-page-33(3)

JONASDOTTER_Christina_HHex_DeathSödra-Ljunga-AI-16-1892-1899-Image-48-page-33

You've got your cousin's face

How's this for a family resemblance? Sven Fält was the brother of Johanna "Jennie" (Fält) Borgreen. Carl Borgreen was the son of Johanna. Sadly, these folks never met and I'm not sure they even knew of each other. But the family resemblance is undeniable. 

Cabin Memories

I've written about The Cabin before. We just enjoyed a lovely weekend there. We spent time with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Julie, my brother Carl and his wife, Heather and daughter Emily and cousin Molly with her children, Grace and Logan. It was great weather, though a bit hot. We hiked, ate, talked, played in the creek and slept like babies. It all passed too quickly. Every time I go to the cabin, I'm reminded of the generations who were there before me. Recently, Mom brought some old photos for me to scan and many of them were taken at the cabin. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

John Borgreen, Bill Johnstone, Elvira Borgrren Whiting, Nell Johnstone Borgreen, Judy Borgreen, John Whiting

John Whiting, Carl Borgreen, Bill Johnstone, John Borgreen, Elvira Borgreen Whiting, Judy Borgreen

Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Jerry, Carl and Jimmy Borgreen

Bert, Jim, Steve, Rose Mary Johnstone and Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Carl Borgreen and Steve Johnstone

Jim Johnstone

Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Gust Borgreen

Gust, Nell and Carl Borgreen

Nell and Carl Borgreen



Carl Borgreen and Jack Johnstone

Nel and Carl Borgreen

Rare photos

                                   Ruth, Elvira, Ebba, and Carl Borgreen age 5 or 6 Borgreen home
Spent last weekend scanning a bunch of photos that Mom brought over to share. Some I'd seen and had copies of, but many were new to me. Many showed relatives who I'd never seen before. I was very excited to get this photo of some of the Borgreen siblings. I had no pictures of Ruth or Ebba. This photo dates to about 1912 and was taken in Great Falls MT.

Happy Email from Yvonne in Sweden

Hi Jennie,

It´s been a while and I'm sitting here in rainy Sweden, did not know what to do so...I began the search for your ancestors Isberg and Fält in Sweden, I hope you don´t mind...?

I found some info that I do not know if you already have. I'll send it to you.

Hopefully, it may be of interest....

I think you have a very interesting blog!
I also have a small blog, but I'm not so good, it often becomes a little different things that I add ..
I have no real “common red thread” to follow....;))

Sincerely,

Yvonne 

Hi again,

I found a brother of Johanna: Anders, born April 1866 and emigrated together with his family in 1889, se the attached file.

I also found one of the sisters, Anna, who emigrated in 1890.

... Hope you do not mind that I am looking for your ancestors, you might want to find yourself ..;)

Sincerely

Yvonne

Thank you, Yvonne. You have been a huge help on more than one occasion. Everyone should visit Yvonne's blog Swedish Thoughts.

Carl Borgreen Documents



Carl Borgreen Confirmation

Had a chance to photograph these beautiful documents when Mom came to visit a while back. They have been rolled up in stored in a bookcase for years. They felt a bit brittle and had to be gently held flat to photograph. I think some time in a steam bath would help to relax the paper. Hopefully some day I'll have a chance to do that and put them in a protective sleeve and container for proper storage. The good news is, they've been kept away from sunlight and the colors are vibrant.



Carl Borgreen Baptism

Mystery Monday... The Plot Thickens

A few weeks ago I posted a family mystery titled What Was Elvira Up To? Since that time I've dug deeper and found some very interesting items. 


Timeline:
*Eleanor's born on 22 May 1914, in MT...SSDI
*Elvira married Fred Goldhahn on 23 Jun 1914 in Geraldine MT....marriage record at familysearch..org
*Elvira and Fred divorced before the 1920 census...1920 US Federal census
*Elvira married Walter Lofstedt on 20 May 1920...marriage record at familysearch.org.
*Walter was also reportedly married to Elvira's sister, Ruth. There are three children with the Lofstedt surname. A girl was born in 1915 and twin boys in 1917. Ruth died in 1919....family interview, census records.
*In 1930 the twin boys are living as 14 year old boarders in CA. The girls is living with Ruth and Elvira's parents in MT.....1930 federal census
*Elvira married John Whiting ...Gust Borgreen probate 
I still have no idea where Elvira ran off to when she went missing, but she obviously had a baby while away. 
This is all news to the remaining family members, who were all either too young to remember or weren't born when this all transpired. Next step is to track down Eleanor's death certificate and try to determine exact place of birth. Then order the birth certificate to try to determine paternity. I have Eleanor's marriage record, which shows Walter Lofstedt as her father. But, she may have just used his name when he and Elvira married. This is about as mucky a mess as I've found in my family research. I'm determined to sort it out as best I can with the records available.

Friday Funny....from the joint

Carl Borgreen, Ellen (Johnstone) Borgreen
and Elvira & John Whiting

For more Friday Funny posts, click here

Mystery Monday...What was Elvira Up To?

Elvira Borgreen Anaconda Standard May 27 1914 Anaconda MT

27 May 1914, 19 year old Elvira Borgreen goes missing from her home in Great Falls MT. A clue suggests she may be in  Spokane WA.
To date, I've found no follow up articles related to this mysterious disappearance. But I do know that Elvira found her way home, somehow, because on the 1920 US census we have Elvira Borgreen living at home with her parents. And we also have a new little someone living with the family. Elinor Goldhahn, age 5 years old. On the census she is listed as the daughter of Gust and Jennie Borgreen, but the family knows that this isn't true. She was the daughter of Elvira and was born in 1915, in MT. On this same census, Elvira is listed as single. This story of Elvira's disappearance, however was news to everyone in the family and I'm determined to find the records that tell the whole story. It will take some digging, but I know the truth is out there somewhere. The reason this story got "lost" is because everyone who would have known about is now gone and the oldest living relatives weren't born when this all transpired. By the time this generation of relatives came along, Elvira was married and everything looked all neat and tidy. This should be an interesting story to follow.

1920 US Census

Mystery Monday is where you can post about mystery ancestors or mystery records – anything in your genealogy and family history research which is currently unsolved. This is a great way to get your fellow genealogy bloggers to lend their eyes to what you’ve found so far and possibly help solve the mystery.




update: 3 Oct 2011

The SSDI lists a birth date for Eleanor at 22 May 1914. It would seem that Elvira was in the family way and delivered little Eleanor while missing. I will be ordering the birth certificate to verify.


update: 13 Oct 2011


Developing a timeline.
Eleanor's born on 22 May 1914...SSDI
Elvira married Fred Goldhahn on 23 Jun 1914 in Geraldine MT....marriage record at familysearch..org
Elvira and Fred divorced before the 1920 census...1920 US Federal census
Elvira remarried (John Whiting) after the 1920 census...Gust Borgreen probate 

Friday Funny....why didn't I think to spell it like that?1910 Census

1910 US Census
click to enlarge

So misspellings in the census is just a given, right? I thought I'd seen every possible spelling of the surname Borgreen.That is, until I found this one. Banyteea. I had to laugh at the thought, but then I noticed the misspellings of most of the family's first names. Gus became Gee. Ebba became Adda. Levi became Louis and Carl became Rarl.
I like to think that this poor indexer was on his/her 1000 entry of the day, or drunk. Yeah, drunk. That sounds likely.

FRIDAY FUNNY

If you have your own genealogy or family history related blog, you can participate in Friday Funny. What is it? Friday Funny is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites. have you come across something genealogy-related that makes you laugh or smile? Post images, stories, quotes and more during Friday Funny. 

Workday Wednesday...Meet Carl Borgreen, Safety Engineer at the Anaconda Company

Carl Borgreen (right) inside the smoke stack
at the Anaconda Company smelter
Great Falls MT circa 1956

The Anaconda Company
Great Falls MT

click to enlarge

Workday Wednesday – a way to document your ancestors’ occupations (they weren’t all farmers), transcripts of SS-5s, photos and stories of ancestors at work, announcements of retirements, etc. This prompt has been suggested by Denise Spurlock of the Denise’s Life in the Past Laneand Reflecting on Genealogy blogs.

Johanna "Jennie" (Felt) Borgreen's Obituary

Johanna "Jennie" (Felt) Borgreen

click to enlarge

Gust Borgreen's Obituary

Gust Borgreen circa 1930

click to enlarge

Those Places Thursday.....Grandma's Shanty

Those Places Thursday – do you often think back to places where you lived and worked at one time? What about those places where your ancestors spent time? Post about “those places” with photos and stories on Those Places Thursday. This has been an ongoing series by Cheryl Palmer of Heritage Happens.


The pictures and poem below come from my cousin Molly. Her dad, my Uncle Jimmy, is an artist and he created a planter box for Molly from Grandma Nell's old mailbox. He wrote the poem and gave it as a gift to Molly for her birthday. I've been unable to find a good picture of Grandma's little yellow house in my own collection of photos. I know that one exists and I'll post it and write about the "shanty" when I find that photo. But for now, these photos will do. 

"Gramma's Shanty"

I hope that this old box brings you good memories of the little yellow shanty

like those of the old black purse and all its treasures and candy

memories of sleeping in the big wooden bed and all the nightime stories so often said

memories of helping in the little kitchen and the yummy meals that appeared as if done by a magician

memories of sitting in the rocker on the tree shaded deck, cuddling for a hug and a peck

memories of time spent with one that loved to go for a walk or to just sit and have a good talk

memories of the little bathroom with the big metal tub with the flowery bubbles that made it so fun to scrub

memories of a gramma who loved you so much, whos life we now cherish so much

Jim Borgreen

Written for Molly’s birthday

Sentimental Sunday...Blacksmith Shop, Symbol of Days Past

Sentimental Sunday – discuss a sentimental story or memory about an ancestor, or maybe even a family tradition that touches you. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers and was suggested by Renate Sanders atInto the Light.

Borgreen's blacksmith shop

 Blacksmith Shop, Symbol of Days Past, Makes Way for Parking Lot, Sign of 1961
by Dick Coon Great Falls Tribune


"Ever wander back through the mist of memory in some locale that brought pungent smells, sharp sounds and clear pictures from your childhood?

Such a place is a small building located at the corner of Third Avenue South and Second Street. Over the front door a sign proclaims "Blacksmith," and a nearby tree adds to the impression of men and horses, buggies and buckboards.
This symbol of slower times, perhaps calmer living, will soon disappear to make room for the gasoline-eating monsters of the highway. It will become a badly needed sign of modern times, a parking lot. But who, in the future, can conjure up memories of a parking lot?

Wonder into the building, pause in the door, and there before you are spread the tools of the blacksmith. The old anvil, made of prime Swedish steel, shows the nicks and dents of thousands upon thousands of heavy hammer blows on hot iron. Perhaps a hundred men have laid muscle into those blows. The old forge, blackened by years of use and countless fires, once was laboriously fired with a hand bellows, but now contains a blower with an old-fashioned rheostat control.

As you stand there in silence, if you listen closely you can hear the sharp "clang!" of the hammer on the hot shoe, and the sizzle of the shoe being placed in water to cool it. Close your eyes and you can almost hear the squeak, squeak of a wagon pulling up, a dog barking an excited greeting, and the farmer from Belt, or Cascade or Vaugh, jumping down from the seat  into the dust where in 1961 there is asphalt and concrete. And if you wrinkle your nose just right, perhaps you can smell the pungent odor of a freshly trimmed hoof, or the acrid stink of a shoe being put into position, or the horses' sweat or used har- (missing)...

...returns you to the present. "Can I get some plowshares fixed up here?" and you stand by with mixed feelings of 1900 and 1961 as Len Weismann, who is showing you the place, explains there isn't any blacksmith there anymore.  Afterward he explains that the smithy was founed by Gust Bargreen [sic] sometime before the turn of the century. Last operator was Earl Baker, who hasn't done much work there in the past two years because of illness. Looking around you see a door covered in brands, each representing an iron the smithy had made. If you knew the brands and backgrounds of the ranches they represent, you'd have an extensive history of farming and ranching in Central Montana. Old calendars and advertising sheets are here and there on the wall, and an old trip hammer sits beside the forge, blacksmith tools cover the walls, several old wagon wheels lean against a rear door. You take one look around, then step into the sunlight and the modern world knowing that the blacksmith shop, and all it represents may soon be gone, but not forgotten."

Gust Borgreen in his blacksmith shop circa 1943