John Borrowman, Private

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

This page details some of the entries from John Borrowman's journal and his military records.

Personal Information from Military Records

John Borrowman (1816-1898) enlisted in the Mexican War on 16 Jul 1846 and was discharged 16 Ju 1847. His wife, Agnes, filed for her widow's pension on 28 Apr 1898. The application states that John served under Captain Hunter in the Mormon Battalion, that he enlisted at Council Bluffs, Iowa on or about 16 July 1846 and was discharged at Los Angeles, California on or about 16 Jul 1847, and that he was not otherwise employed in the military or naval service of the United States.

At the time John entered service, he is described as being 30 years old, 5ft 10in tall, with blue eyes, brown hair, with a fair complexion. He was employed as a labourer, born in Glasgow, Scotland and that after leaving service, he lived at Salt Lake City, Utah for two years, and at Nephi, Juab County, Utah ever since, until his death.

The declaration gives their date of marriage as 9 January 1849, presided by John Taylor, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It indicates that Agnes had been previously married to Ithmar Sprague and from whom she divorced 10 Feb 1848. It gives Agnes's birth date as 16 Dec 1828, at Dalhousie Township, Canada.

Further, it indicates they held 18 shares of the Capital Stock of the Nephi Irrigation Company, valued at $720.00; 28 shares of the Capital Stock of the Cooperative Merchantile and Nephi Cooperative Manufacturing Institution, valued at $50.00; and that her income from all sources except her own labor was $50 per year, and that her husband had made application for bounty land, but that it was unknown to her if he had ever received it. Witnesses to her signature were Edwin Booth, of Nephi City, Utah and Elizabeth Miller, also of Nephi City, Utah.

His pension certificate was #3534. The certificate provides that he was a Private, in Company B under Captain Hunter, in the Mormon Battalion, during the Mexican War. John received a military pension of $8 per month, beginning 29 Jan 1887.

In a letter from the Department of the Interior, General Land Office, dated 18 Dec 883, it states that John Borrowman was granted a bounty land warrant, #66282, for 160 acres and located April 1, 1850 at Plattsburg, Missouri by Andrew Harrison, of Athens, Gentry County, Missouri. The warrant was duly assigned by Mr. Borrowman to Andrew Harrison on 12 Feb 1850, before Charles H Cowles, Justice of the Peace for Atchison County, Missouri. Joseph Dobson and Charles B Hancock were witnesses.

File notes indicated that a request submitted by John Borrowman in July 1893 for an increase in his pension to $12 per month was rejected, on the grounds that he was not destitute. In the application, he gives his sources of income as follows: $8 per month - Mexican War Pension; $60 per year - Farm profits; $13.33 per year - dividends from his shares in the above stated companies; and that he owns property as follows: 32 shares of the capital stock of the Nephi Cooperative Mercantile and Manufacturing Institution; 18 shares of the capital stock of the Nephi Irrigation Company; 24 acres and 73 rods of land, valued at $190.92, with average net profits being $52 per year. He indicates that his wife is feeble and dependent upon him for support.

Excerpts From His Diary

The first portion of the diary has been lost, however, several portions survive.

• 23 Dec 1846: "This morning I had for my New Year's breakfast a piece of cake made of the flour of a little corn and wheat I ground in our coffee mill with only a little coffee in it. In the evening I baked me a cake ad put my ration of sugar into it, which made me an excellent supper, although not a very full one."
• 10 Jan 1847: "This day was spent in crossing the Colorado River. I am on guard today and feel very faint for want of something to eat. We have scant half rations and the men of my mess have gone over the river and carried my rations with them."
• 17 Jan 1847: "This day we have only four ounces of flour left to each man and nothing else but beef to eat and about a hundred miles from where we can get any."
• 27 Jan 1847: "Went 16 miles. At eleven came to San Luis Valley. At twelve saw the broad waters of the Pacific Ocean. Camped again in a beautiful green valley about one and a half miles from the sea shore."
• 7 Feb 1847: "Last night, being worn down with sickness and our long journey on half rations and nothing but beef to eat, I was so weak I could not well stand my two hours at a time and sat down to rest a little on a square build of brick, whereon is placed a sun dial, and before I was aware I was caught asleep on my post by the sergeant of the guard who reported me and put me under guard so that I am this day in guard quarters a prisoner." Note: He was released on 10 Feb, 1847.
• 11 Feb 1847: "The Captain of our company informed me that I had been released through a mistake and requested me to go and give myself up again, which I did. What may be the result is yet unknown to me."
• 17 Feb 1847: "This day I have been quite unwell and very lonesome. I wish very much to be tried that I may know what my sentence will be and that I may be delivered from my imprisonment and far from the hands of our Gentile Commander. I am very uncomfortable here as I have no bedding but my blanket and a cold, damp, brick floor to lie on." He faced a Battalion court martial on 25 Feb, at San Diego, California. Rather than execution, as was the normal sentence for this offence, he was sentenced to 3 days confined to guard quarters and 3 hours each day in the cells, ad three dollars of his pay stopped.
• 14 Mar 1847: "this day Ephraim Hanks came to me and asked me when I was going to bring home his Book of Mormon [loaned to Borrowman when he was incarcerated]. I told him when he brought home my scissors he had borrowed of me four weeks ago and lost them and told me he would pay me for them; but when I asked him for some milk; which he had plenty, he would not give it me without the money, upon which he told me to keep the book and by this means I have got a Book of Mormon."
• 1 Apr 1847: "This day I called on James Park having somewhat against him for selling a mule I held in company with him and not consulting me about it but wanted by my share in order to make gain of it. I made him three offers but he wet off without accepting any of them. When he returned I demanded my share of the price of the mule, as I had not told him to sell the mule and I would take my perportion of the money if it were only six dollars. But he would not do it and would only allow me what I paid for it at first. I tried to reason with him but he would not hear them. I therefore mean to leave it to the church."
• 30 May 1847: "Bought a spur and reata and agreed with a Spaniard to bring me a mare for 10 dollars. I bought a saddle from Captain Hunter on Friday and am preparing to leave this place."
• 1 Jun 1847: "Traded for reata and sold it again for 1 dollar and 25 cents. I also bought a pair of bridle bits for which I paid a dollar. I also bought a piece of leather to make a bridle of and paid 50 cents for it."
• 16 Jul 1847: "remained in camp. I went to our brethren in their camp, returned and was discharged in the evening."
• NOTE: John Borrowman and James Park remained in California, working in and around San Francisco for a time.
• 11 May 1848" "this day I bought three yards of canvas to make a pack, also one yard of silk green for the particular purpose, also a blank book and two sail needles." The following day, he noted he was prepared to leave for the gold mines.
• 16 May 1848: "Arrived at Sutter's about noon. I the afternoon we (he and James Park) hired a team to take our baggage to the mountain where the gold mine is."
• NOTE: By the last week of July, John and James were camped near Pleasant Valley, California, where Ebenezer Brown and his company were organizing for their journey across the mountains to Salt Lake Valley by way of the newly constructed Carson Pass wagon road over the Sierra Mountains.
• 5 Aug 1848: "this day Daniel Clark, brother Button and brother Foulet came into Camp with their wagons. this [day] I done nothing but fixed my bridle and some other little things."
• 6 Aug 1848: "I assisted brother Foulet to make an [axel] for his waggon. this day brother Austin arrived in camp. we also had a visit from some Gentiles on pretence of hunting horses and one of them told us that we had one of his and he would take the best one he could find in the drove but finally went off without any."

Sources

• National Archives; Mexican War; Military Pension File
• Book: A Swarm of Bees Lanark Society Settlers 1800-1900, A Journey from Scotland to Upper Canada and Utah (digital download), by Ron W. Shaw, published by Global Heritage Press