Skagit County Pioneers
Skagit County Pioneers
from...An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish
Counties Their People, Their Commerce and Their Resources
with an Outline of the Early History of the State of Washington
- Endorsed as Authentic by local committees of
pioneers...Interstate Publishing Company 1906 pages 271 and 272
OLE J. BORSETH, of Fir, is one of the solid, substantial
business men of south Skagit county, who since coming here in 1882
has accumulated considerable of this world's goods in Skagit real
estate operations and in other fortunate and well considered
investments. Nominally, Mr. Borseth is a farmer at Fir, but his
holdings there represent but a small part of his estimated wealth.
He was born in Christiansund, Norway, on May 7, 1857, the son of
Johan J. and Marit (Jordal) Borseth, who died in their native
land, the former in 1882, aged sixty-seven, and the latter in
1873, aged fifty-three. Four children survive, the subject of this
sketch and Marit, both in the United States, and Magnhild and
Brit, both in Norway. Ole Borseth lived at home and attended
school until he was sixteen years old. He entered the military
college at Christiania at the age of twenty-one and at the close
of a three years' course he left the army, coming to the United
States in 1882, settling in Michigan. He remained there for seven
months, working in lumber camps, and then came to Fir and worked
in a logging camp for six years. He was of a speculative turn of
mind and determined on dealing in real estate. He platted land at
the town site of Woolley and dealt in land in a very successful
manner. In 1890 Mr. Borseth spent three months in his old home in
Norway and on his return bought a store at Fir, which he conducted
with marked success until in 1902 he sold his stock and leased the
store to C. F. Treat. While running the store he continuted
dealing in real estate at Sedro-Woolley and investing his capital
judiciously. Early in 1905 he sold out his real estate holdings
except twenty-five acres, which he still retains as a farm and
home place.
In 1891 Mr. Borseth married Miss Dordi Furseth, a native of
Christiansund, Norway, born February 18, 1867. Her parents, Ole
and Brit (Oien) Furseth, yet reside on their old Norwegian
homestead. Mrs. Borseth remained with her parents until 1890, when
she came to the United States with Mr. Borseth on his return to
Skagit county, and they were united in marriage at Fir. Of this
union there are eight children, John Daniel, Bertha Malinda, Mabel
Gudrun, Ole Alfred, Marit Sigfrid, Nils Berhard, Clara Dorthe and
Gladys Olina. In fraternal circles Mr. Borseth is an Odd Fellow,
being now a past grand. The family attends the Lutheran church.
While Mr. Borseth has been unusually successful in his speculative
ventures and has built up quite a fortune, he is the last man to
boast of his achievements or make unusual display of the same. On
his twenty-five acre home he has a good swelling, furnished in a
comfortable manner and with every convenience afforded. Among his
investments in recent years are three hundred and twenty acres of
timber land in Oregon. If Mr. Borseth has a hobby it may be said
to be the advancement of the effectiveness of the schools. He has
served as school director, giving his time and energy to increase
their efficiency. He was largely instrumental in having his home
school at Fir graded and placed on its present footing in the
schools of the county. Mr. Borseth is a quiet and unassuming man,
though one of great energy and accomplishment, and is recognized
as one of the leading factors for the progress and advancement in
the community.
BORSETH FAMILY BURIED AT MILLTOWN CEMETERY presented as
e-mail
Found these Borseth in the Milltown Cemetery also known as the
Fir-Conway Cemetery, which is located in the extreme southwest
corner of Skagit County WA...about 5 miles north of Stanwood
From: Arnold K. Stewart
Subject: BORSETH BURIALS IN FIR LUTHERAN CEMETERY
Date: Friday, April 10, 1998 12:13 AM
The mortuary records that the Skagit County Gen. Soc. collected and indexed recently show 7 Borseth burials in that cemetery which are in addition to those listed from the record that you have.
Diane Partington, the Societies Genealogist has access to the
Mortuary Records for these persons. They usually show parents and
spouses, birth and death dates, etc. Diane can be reached at
There are two cemeteries within a fraction of a mile of one
another in the area that you describe. One, on Milltown Road is
the Fir-Conway Lutheran Cemetery. The other directly south of the
Fir -Conway Lutheran Cem. on County Line Road is the Scandanavian
Cemetery. There has been a great deal of confusion about these
cemeteries because of the use of the word Milltown to loosely
describe one or the other.
A Borseth Reseacher: William Snipes