HJALMAR BORGSTROM
Jan. 11, 1887 - June 4, 1960
Hjalmar Borgstrom came to the United States in 1914. He was embarrassed by his first name in this country inasmuch as no one could pronounce it, let alone spell it. Consequently, he adopted the nickname of Al because he did not have a middle name. He also took the first two letters of his name H.J. and carried his checking account and signed documents as H.J. Borgstrom.
Hjalmar first stop after landing here was at his half-brother Carl's home. He stayed there a short while and then went on to Iowa where he worked on a farm for his cousin. He never told me a great deal about this cousin except that he treated him badly, taking advantage of him by having him work long hard hours with little pay. His cousin had a son in the first grade and Hjalmar studied the "Primer" with this son at night. This is how he learned to read the English language.
Hjalmar was not a big man standing only 5 feet 7 ½ inches, but he had the biggest hands I have ever seen on any man and very broad shoulders. He was tremendously strong.
Hjalmar was a "work-aholic." He use to say, "Hard work never hurt anyone." Ironically, this was the main contribution to his early death. He literally worked himself to death.
Hjalmar enlisted in the U.S. Army on 29 AUG 1918 and was sent overseas to France. The war ended while he was serving in France and upon his release in 1919, he went to Oklahoma City, joining and working with hs brother Otto at the Page Motor Co.
Hjalmar returned to Sweden, as previously mentioned, in 1920 for a visit and upon his return brought brother Erik back with him.
Hjalmar married Ermin Miller on July 2, 1921. Ermin was younger sister of Jessie, John's wife. To them there were born three sons: Cole, Harold and Clifford.
In 1921, Hjalmar and Otto formed the A&B Garage in Oklahoma City, employing all the brothers except Andrew and Karl. They had a very flourishing business until the 1929 crash. My dad told me in 1932 they had over $30,000 in uncollected debts. (That was a "hunk" in those days.) He also told me that during 1932, he and Otto paid the other boys salaries from their personal checking accounts. It literally wiped them out.
In 1933, he bought a farm at Big Cabin, Okla. The next seven years were a disaster trying to fight the depression, drought and grasshoppers. Financially, things did not get better until World War II and at that time he gave up his two older sons to go to war.
Hjalmar loved farming. This is what he always wanted to do. However, he was also very skillful with his hands, being an excellent mechanic, blacksmith and carpenter.
He was not a highly educated man but was very "street-smart." He could calculate math problems very quickly in his head.
As a young man, like most of his brothers, his temper had a "short-fuse." Over what you have read so far, I think you can understand why.
He was a very strict disciplinarian, tolerating no foolishness. All he had to do to get our immediate attention was to look at us.
He was a very devoted family man. The war years were terribly hard on him, grieving and worrying for his sons' safety.
In 1940, he received a letter from Tilda saying his dad had died. I remember him sitting at the table and he began to cry. This was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. I will never forget that but in the years that followed through the war and all, I saw it several times thereafter.
Hjalmar became quite active in the Christian Church, serving as an elder the last several years of his life, which is very comforting to his family. He would say to me as a youth: "You will go to church while living under my roof. If you don't that's my fault. After you leave, if you don't that's your fault."
He and I had a very close relationship. Much of the information contained herein came from our discussions. He had a somewhat dry sense of humor. I remember we would be working at a job which was not real desirable and being a typical boy, I would start complaining. He would say, "But just think of all the fun we are having!" He always got a laugh from me.
Everyone liked and respected Al. If he had an enemy, I don't know who it was.
In July 1956, he had a heart attack. It was steadily downhill from then until his death in 1960. He died a horrible death from "hardening of the arteries" which left him unable to walk for the last several months of his life. Also, he spent the last few months reverting back to his childhood and not speaking a word of English.
Hjalmar died on June 4, 1960. He is buried in Big Cabin. Ermin joined him on June 10, 1988.
I have just recently learned that Andrew, like Al, stayed with a cousin, when he first arrived in America. I am told that one of Charlotte' brothers came to America and was killed in an accident in North Dakota. That is all the information I have, but could be an explanation for the cousin in Kansas Andrew stayed with and the cousin in Iowa tat Al stayed with.
Al & Ermin
1921
1957
Al (age 60) & Ermin
1953
Clifford, Harold, Cole
