Hattie Borden Weld published a genealogy of the Bordens in America in 1899, titled, the "Historical and Genealogical Record of the Descendants, as Far as is Known, of Richard and Joan Borden Who Settled in Portsmouth, RI in 1638". Weld's work made efforts to trace my Borden roots quite easy. In the ninth generation, my great grandfather, Stephen Andrew Borden, is listed in Weld as person number 2540 on page 294. From there the work of tracing my ancestors was relatively easy.

Weld was not perfect. For example, my great grandfather is  listed as born in 1850, but his gravestone and death certificate list his birth year as 1849. Nonetheless, Weld has done a great service for all Bordens in America. Her work is quite remarkable given the methods of the day (no internet!).

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While Weld's focus is the 1638 arrival of Richard and Joan in America and their descendants, she also describes the Borden arrival in England from Normandy at the time of William the Conqueror. The New England Historic and Genealogical  Society published in 1930, a substantial report on the Bordens of Headcorn, County Kent.  Additionally, there is a riveting brief history of the Bordens in England that further describes their ancestry and adventures, titled,  "Robergia" (Borden). Robergia's father, Sir Simon de Bourdon (Borden), was with King Richard the Lion Hearted during the Crusades, and the book tells of how they escaped prison together and hid out in the Borden castle!

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This site has a twofold purpose. First, to chronicle my Borden ancestry post-Weld, and second, to connect my current day family; children and grandchildren, and cousins with one another and with their roots.

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There are many published genealogies covering our families because the Borden, Brayton, Brightman, Chace, Gifford, Cornell and Wheeler families have been in America since the 1600's. The Booth, Askew and Fox families came from England and Ireland later - during the industrial revolution of the 1800's.

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Much of the geographical focus is on Portsmouth, RI and Fall River, Massachusetts, and the surrounding area. Bordens moved to other parts of the country during the various historical migrations in search of land and opportunity, but most all can trace their beginnings to Portsmouth, RI and Fall River, MA.

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In 1803 Fall River was a small village within the town of Freetown, Massachusetts with just 18 families, nine of which were Bordens. By 1900 there were 100 cotton mills and 100,000 people in Fall River and Bordens were prominent in the mills, banking, railroads, shipping and government, not only in Fall River, but Rhode Island,  New York and elsewhere.

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