Ernest B. and Donna M. Borr Collection

Collection

Identifier: GRHC 051

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Ernest B. and Donna M. Borr Collection consists of eleven books, a prayer card, and a copy of Katharina Schafer’s obituary. Dates were not available for all the items in the collection. However, the items that are dated range from 1904 to 1956. Of the eleven books, three are in German, one is in Dutch, five are in Latin, one is in English, and one book has English, German, and Latin.

The Emmons County Series has two Strasburg, North Dakota Catholic Church histories. Both books were printed by Der Volksfreund in Richardton, ND. The books are in German and date to 1914. The two books belonged to Ernest and Kathryn (Schafer) Borr.

The largest series in the collection is the Prayer Book Series. This series contains nine prayer books in English, German, Latin, and Dutch. The book Führer zum Himmel was the personal German prayer book of Katharina Schafer. Het Boek der Psalmen was the personal Dutch psalm book of Gertrude Borr. The remaining books came from St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Strasburg, ND.

The Subject Series consists of a prayer card and an obituary. The prayer card is dated to 1904 and came from St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Strasburg, ND. The other item in the series is a photocopy of Katharina Schafer’s obituary. The obituary was published in the Bismarck Tribune.

Dates

1904-1956.

Creator

Borr, Ernest B. (Person)

Access

Access to the physical collection is available upon request. Request must be made at least three (3) business days prior to ndsu.grhc@ndsu.edu.

Copyright

Copyrights to items in this collection remain with original copyright holders or are in the public domain.

Biography

Katharina Schafer was born on September 29, 1874 in Strassburg, South Russia, to parents Anton and Elizabeth (Kohler) Brendel. Katharina Brendel married Bernhard Schafer. Katharina (Brendel) Schafer died on July 15, 1949 at the age of seventy-four.

Gertrude Borr was born on December 28, 1865 in Michigan. Gertrude married Peter Borr. Peter Borr died on October 18, 1943 at the age of eighty-five. Gertrude Borr died on November 6, 1952 at the age of eighty-six.

Ernest O. Borr was born on July 13, 1905 to parents Peter and Gertrude Borr. On November 29, 1933, Ernest Borr married Kathryn Schafer in Strasburg, North Dakota. The couple raised six children: Ernest, Gracia, Kathleen, Mary Beth, Donna, and Walter. Ernest O. Borr died on December 4, 1990 at the age of eighty-five. Kathryn (Schafer) Borr died on January 3, 2007 at the age of ninety-five.

Extent

.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes: 1 half, and 1 quarter)

Language of Materials

English

German

Dutch; Flemish

Latin

Additional Description

Summary

This collection contains two Strasburg, ND Catholic Church histories, nine prayer books, a prayer card, and a copy of Katharina Schafer’s obituary; dating from 1904 to 1956.