THE BORDERS FAMILY

While persons bearing the BORDERS name and their near relatives of the Borders blood are numerous in Cleveland County, N. C., and in parts of other adjoining counties in the two Carolinas, all efforts, so far, to trace our descent to a common ancestor who came from Europe to America has been futile, but tradition says he came from Ireland.

The duty of compiling this family history was assumed and the first movement launched by the grandchildren of Major Hugh Borders at the first family reunion, in August, 1929, at the old Borders homestead on Buffalo Creek, near Grover, N. C. Wherever the word "our' appears in this history it has reference to the grandchildren of Major Hugh Borders.

From our relative, Hugh Borders, of Patterson Springs, N.C., a nephew of Major Hugh Borders, we secured the following facts of vital interest: sometime near the end of the eighteenth or the beginning of the nineteenth century, a Borders (given name unknown) and his son, Michael Borders, left the State of Virginia to seek homes farther South. About the time they reached Main Broad River, they met a Mr. Quinn, supposed to have been Hugh Quinn, who was also of Irish descent. Michael decided to locate there while his farther continued his journey to the State of Georgia where he finally located and reared a large family. The Borders name is said to be numerous in certain parts of that State.

So, for the present, at least, we must content ourselves with beginning with Michael Borders as our common ancestor, trusting that at some later date we may be able to trace our history back to the mother country.

Michael Borders married Susan Quinn, believed to have been the daughter of Hugh Quinn, although it has been said that she was a daughter of Dan Quinn, a son of Hugh Quinn, but the latter is impossible as Hugh Quinn himself was only twenty-two years old when Susan was born. Hence, he could not have been her grandfather.

Michael Borders and wife, Susan Borders, located on lands adjoining the lands of Hugh Quinn, near Patterson Sulphus Springs, Cleveland County, N. C., the lands now owned by Clifton Davis being known as "The Granny Quinn Place". Here their children are supposed to have been born and reared.

Michael Borders and wife, Hugh Quinn, Martha Quinn, Martin Roberts, a Revolutionary war hero, and many others are buried at the old "Roberts Family Graveyard" in the same community in which they lived. Large trees and much undergrowth have grown up among the graves, yet the tombstones to several of the graves are in fine state of preservation and the inscriptions legible. On the tombstone to the grave of Michael Borders, we read: "Michael Borders who died November 22, 1849, in the 68th. year of his age. He was a regular member of the Baptist Church 37 years". On this tombstone of his wife, we read: "Susan Borders who died March 10, 1870, in the 85th. year of her age".

Michael Borders was an experienced iron maker. He built and operated an iron works somewhere near Broad River and a ford across said River, it is said, was made of cinders from his Forge, but we have not been able to learn the exact location of the iron works or of the ford across the River.

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