John Borrey

The era of natural gas brought many able citizens to Grant County -men of large and varied industrial and commercial experience, whose enterprise and energy has done much to develop the county during the last thirty years. After a number of years as a successful glass manufacturer, John Borrey has chosen Fairmount as the home of his quiet years and prosperous retirement. With an ample share of the world's goods, he shows a fine sense of responsibility toward his community, and is employing his means and influence for improvement of his home locally.

Few Grant County families have so interesting a history as that of the Borrey's. They are of French ancestry, and Mr. Borrey's grandparents lived and died in Alsace. This border province of the German Empire has been changing destinies during the last century, so that a native of Alsace may properly claim to be either a native of France or of Germany. At the time of the Napoleonic wars, Alsace was taken from Germany, and made a part of the French Empire. So it remained until the Franco-Prussian war of 1871, when it became one of the prizes of the war, and was returned to Germany and has since been a part of the German Empire. The grandparents of John Borrey spent their lives in Alsace while it was under French dominion. They were Catholics in religion, and the grandfather followed the family occupation of glass blowing. Mr. Borrey has no information concerning the names of his grandparents. However, it is known that there were four children, two sons and two daughters, the sons having been John and Michael, and one of the daughters named Elizabeth. These children were born in Alsace, but subsequently all moved into Germany, where they spent their lives in quiet industry and comfortable home life. They all reared families of their own and for many years had their homes at Sauerbroke, Germany.

Michael Borrey was born in Alsace in 1820. He learned the trade of glass blower when a young man, went to Germany, served according tot he law of the land for three years in the army and then took up his regular work as a glass blower. He followed with great skill a special department of this work in the manufacture of large carboys, carboys being large glass containers. His father had worked at the same line of glass blowing in France, and the two sons on going to Germany took a contract for the blowing of these large bottles under condition that all the bottles should bear the family name of Borrey stamped upon them. Both brothers John and Michael continued in the manufacture of carboys until they were sixty years of age. They were large and powerful men and were masters of their trade. Michael died in Germany when eighty-two years of age. Throughout his active career he had been a hard worker, and enjoyed peculiar esteem in his community. He married a German girl names Salma Schamm, a native of Frederickstahl, one of the great glass manufacturing centers of Germany. She died twenty years before her husband. All the family were Catholics in religion. The children of Michael and wife were:

Lena, who married a glass blower in Germany, and they spent their lives in that country, leaving a family of children;
Sophia, married a window glass blower, and they were the parents of five children, the family spending their lives in Germany.
Lizzie married Joseph Smith, also in the window glass trade, and they died in Germany, leaving a son and two daughters.
Jacob, was a bottle blower in Germany, married and died when his only child was one year of age, while his widow is still living.
Netja married a German glass blower, later moving to the United States, and both died at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, leaving two sons and a daughter.

Mr. John Borrey of Fairmount, a brother of Michael, just named, was born in Frederickstahl, Germany, near the French border, August 9, 1848. He grew up there, learned the glass blower's trade both in the manufacture of bottles and window glass. In 1868 he decided against serving in the German Army, and in order to escape that rule he emigrated to the Untied States, landing in New York City. From there he went to Pittsburg, and on account of his skill soon found a profitable employment in one of the large bottle manufacturing and window glass houses of that vicinity. After four or five years he moved to Ravenna, Ohio, where he spent sixteen years at his trade. For about five years of this time he was manager of the plant. As a glass blower he had few superiors, and was a quiet and efficient worker, well minded his own business and still was popular and a good manager.

While a resident of Ravenna, Mr. Borrey married Louisa Hahne, who was born at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, April 4, 1854, of German parentage. Her parents, when she was fifteen years old, settled at Ravenna, Ohio, her father having been a glass flatner, but later taking up the occupation of farming. her father died near Ravenna, Ohio, at the age of seventy-three, while her mother survived until eighty-eight years of age. Her parents were married in Germany, and came to the United States in 1848.

Mr. Borrey through his early career both when single and after his marriage exercised a great deal of thrift and economy in the management of his financial affairs, and as he commanded high wages, both as a blower and as a manager, he was early on the highroad to prosperity. In 1888 he went to Massillon, Ohio, where he took stock in a window glass manufacturing company. becoming manager, he remained there until the development of the natural gas belt in Indiana, and the consequent cheap fuel made it profitable for the company to move away. The company accordingly dismembered the entire factory, and brought it in pieces to Greenfield, Indiana, and during 1890-91 rebuilt the entire factory. It was conducted for the manufacture of window glass successfully until 1897, when Mr. Borrey sold his interest. He then came to Fairmount and established a glass factory in this Grant County town. From the start, largely owing to his long and varied experience, and a peculiarly able management, he was successful, and after about a year sold out the plant at a large profit over its cost to the American Window Glass Company, the trust. He was later employed by the combine, as a special manager, going from one factory to another to see that things were all right, but finally gave up the glass business altogether, and retired to his fine home at 510 East Washington Street in Fairmount. He now enjoys a large and ample prosperity, and among other property owns one of the best business blocks in the city at the corner of Main and Washington Street which he erected. Although he had well earned a period of leisure, Mr. Borrey is not the kind of man who can sit down and fold his hands, and soon after he retired he bought a fine farm o f good land with excellent improvements, well built and modeled houses and barns and with silo and all the appliances of modern farming, and on that country estate finds a profitable pleasure in farming and stock raising. He raises all the general crops and feeds everything to stock on the place with the exception of his wheat. He keeps only first class stock and has about a dozen first class horses, and all the machinery is of the very best type.

Mr. Borrey is a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife belongs to the Congregational Church. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Borrey were born the following children:

Bertha, who was born in Ravenna, Ohio, July 3, 1871, and is the wife of Paul Hagen, whose home is Indianapolis. They are the parents of two children, Marie and Lucile.
William, the second child, was born September 27, 1872, is a glass manufacturer at Kokomo, Indiana, and is unmarried.
Flora, was born January 11, 1875, and is the wife of Edward Welsch, a hardware merchant at Fairmount. They have no children.
John G. was born November 4, 1876, is a farmer and manager of his father's estate, being unmarried and living at home in Fairmount.

Centennial History of Grant County Indiana 1812-1912. The Lewis Publishing Co., 1914.

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