Well the Cobbler is hot and the tea is sweet as peaches, so let us continue with our conversation on “Mother” my great gran Corrine Borgus Lewis. As I noted in my blog of last week, Mother was an only child. I always thought that my grandfather’s (Orian Ullyses Lewis, I just love his name)relative who we called Aunt Babe was my great grandmother’s sister but it turns out that she was my grand dad’s relation on his father’s side (John Tom Lewis) we will talk about dem Lewis’ later.
Mother Corrine was an only child. She was the daughter of Jenny (aka Jane) Borgus and her father as of yet is Patria Ignatio to me. ( later in the blog I will share a funny joke re Patria Ignatio). Mother Corrine was raised by her mom’s parents. According to census records Corrine Borgus carried the name of her maternal Granddad “Andrew Borgus” and Missouri Borgus her grandmother. Why? Well it appears as if her mom Jennie Borgus was a sixteen year old mother living in her parents’ home and single when she gave birth to her one and only child Corrine Borgus on November 4, 1881. Jennie herself was born 1865 in Putnam County Georgia as noted on the 1870 and 1880 census.
Jennie Borgus was a teenage single mom. Knowing my great Grandmother Corrine and her calm and dignified manner, I wondered how did this impact her as a child and throughout her life? Now this is information I unearthed as I was sleuthing through my ancestors’ closets. My maternal grandmother(Fleta Arnold Lewis) who is the one who gave me the limited data on my Lewis/Borgus clan always alluded that her husband, my grand daddy Orian Ullyses Lewis, was closed mouth about his family matters as was his mother Great gran Corrine Borgus (Lewis).
Upon tracking down the census of 1870, 1880 and 1900 and piecing together who Mother Corrine’s people were this is how I learned Corrine’s mom’s name and her grandparents names. It was as well the source my discovery of the circumstance of my great Gran Mother being born out of wedlock. I wondered about the circumstance. Was it the result of young love or was there some other circumstance at hand. I so wanted to believe in the idea of young love and searched the neighboring households on the 1880 census for a young male close in age to Jennie Borgus. No youthful teen male in age proximity appeared in any of the neighboring homes. I began to wonder? Now I must say that there was one family name and household that I gravitated to on that 1880 census as having some potential. Now I can not explain why, I can only say that it is the uncanny energy that engulfs me when the ancestors drop cues and clues in my energy zone. More about this circumstance later.
So for quite sometime I am left pondering this information. I came across this information after my grand parents had transitioned so I had to depend on my ancestor guides. It is only recently that my aunt and a first cousin once removed have also begun to recall the very private whispers and acknowledge that there was knowledge of Mother Corrine being born out side of marriage to a sixteen year old mother. They also allude to the belief that there existed more to the story that seemed to be steeped in shame beyond a teen pregnancy. The fact that Mother was the only child of her teenage mother raised my professional obstetrical inquisitiveness as to this solitary pregnancy.
Try as I may I cannot track any information on the possible father of my great gran Corrine Borgus. Because of the absence of the 1890 census I actually lose track of Mother Corrine’s mom Jennie Borgus after 1880 census. Now I have to admit all of my information I gather from back tracking from my searching Mother Corrine on the 1930 census. On that 1930 census she is married to great gran John Tom Lewis and her mother Jennie is living in the household with them at 65 years of age. Yes! This was my first breakthrough some years back. Although the search of Jennie under her widow status of Jennie Winkfield yielded no data as to the paternity of her daughter Corrine. Even my search of the Winkfield name in Georgia was not forth coming for I did not have the first name of Jennie Borgus Winkfield’s husband…..and after all these years later searching on Ancestry.com, I still do not know but I am getting close. You see in the past few weeks after joining AAGSAR, I have been blessed by so many others sharing other resources such as familysearch.org. The first visit to this site and I am astounded to find out that Winkfield was the name of Jennie Borgus’ second husband! She was married previously and then she was widowed early in her life. Jennie never had any children out of either of these two marriages. The census notes Jennie only had one pregnancy her entire life and that was her daughter Corrine. Jennie married for the first time in 1884, three years after the birth of her one and only child. Now are you ready to know the name of her first husband well hold on to your hat. Remember earlier I noted that my intuitive sense was leading me to a particular household whenever I tried to decipher possible connections for the Teen mother Jennie. Well the household that I gravitated to was a household of Abram/Abraham yet there was not a teen male in this household….Well on January 3,2014 I find the marriage certificate for Jennie Borgus who marries a Isaac Abraham on get this JANUARY 3,1884! I locate her first marriage certificate on the exact anniversary date of her marriage 130 years to the date…And with the surname of the Abraham/Abram household I was peeking into. But there was no Isaac in that household on the 1880 census…that is okay for I am too overjoyed with these ancestral connections. Now armed with this first Marriage I will track Jennie Borgus Abram or Abraham to see if I can locate her second Marriage to the elusive Mr. Winkfield to find his first name.
Unfortunately I still have no data on the paternity of Mother Corrine’s father. I could surmise the possibility that Jennie Borgus’ first husband could have been her daughter’s father yet the fact that Corrine’s name remained Borgus, her mom’s maiden name, leads me to believe that Isaac Abraham/Abrams was not the dad. The search for these answers continue. Now I will leave you with something to ponder. Corrine was raised in her grandparents’ home for at least the first formative years of her life. Yet again the absence of the 1890 census does not allow us definitive data as to whose household Corrine was in after the marriage of Jennie Borgus to Isaac Abraham. The following is known. Corrine as a young bride to Tom Lewis lives within a few homes to her grandparents Andrew and Missouri Borgus (1900 census). Also from family information, a written journal from one of Corrine’s daughters,(Gussie Lewis Simmons) notes that Corrine was often referenced as a sister to the younger siblings of Jennie Borgus as opposed to being their niece. Well, now you have it! These are some of the details as to what’s in a name, but oh so much more to tell…..
Let me clear these empty cobbler dishes and tea cups so that I can begin the process for my peach preserves…I will be back in a moment with more exciting news about Missouri Borgus A Georgia Peach A Seed out of Africa.
Georgia On My Mind: Milledgeville's Borgus & Lewis Family 