Skagit County PioneersSkagit 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
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.
Subject: BORSETH BURIALS IN FIR LUTHERAN CEMETERY
Date: Friday, April 10, 1998 12:13 AM
A Borseth Reseacher: William Snipes