Sideroad: Lyman Dixon Bordwell Family

WILLIAM MILLER > GEORGE MILLER m Mary Ann Leroy > MILO VOLNEY MILLER m Emma R Bordwell

Sac and Fox Indians

Mary Ann Leroy, who descended from Christina Cappoens, was married to George Miller and had
five known children. George's father, William, was born and reared in England and came to the US as a young man, marrying Lorain Fountaine, a French-Canadian/American born in New York. They resided most of their married life in Onandaga, New York. George and Mary eventually moved West and arrived in Benton County, Iowa. Lorain also ended up in Center Point, dying there in 1881.

Milo Volney Miller, the youngest son of Mary and George, and also brother to my 2nd great grandfather Ira Miller, was born in about 1857 in Iowa. His family was residing in the Urbana area in 1870. On 18 Feb 1884, he married Emma Bordwell, daughter of  Lyman Dixon Bordwell and Sarah Kesinger, Lyman's third wife.

Emma was born about 1862 in Taylor township in Benton County. She was one of at least 14 children of three of Lyman's four marriages. Lyman is today's subject.

Lyman seems to be have been quite the character. As one of the founding members of the area, he was called upon often in his old age to reminisce about the "olden days."

A Bordwell tale

He was born in Livingston County, New York January 28, 1808. He received very little education and spent his earliest working years driving a stage coach. He got married the first time to Maria Turner of Allegheny county on New Year's Day, 1835. She died just 13 months later after having one child, whom he did not raise.

His second wife, whom he married shortly after, was Elizabeth Turner. Lyman headed out in 1830 to Lenawee County, Michigan where he stayed until 1842. While away from Michigan, visiting Iowa, his second wife died, leaving him two more children. Lyman returned to discover his brother was raising these children. The brother told the children Lyman was their uncle. Lyman moved on to Iowa permanently, leaving the kids behind.

He arrived in Benton County in about September 1842, about five years before the county was organized. The area was still wild and inhabited by Indians. He homesteaded in Canton township. Lyman, or "Black King" as he was called, was one of six squatters on a 6-mile strip. He had purchased the claim of George Wright and John Smith. The squatters started farming on a small scale, but primarily hunted and fished. Whatever produce they raised, "readily found purchasers in the person of the Sacs and Foxes."

On July 13, 1843, he married his third wife, Sarah Ann Kesinger in Linn County, Iowa.

The first elections occurred after the county formed in April, 1846, at which time there was but one voting precinct. L.D. Bordwell, received 15 of 29 votes and became Justice of the Peace. The officers elected were only chosen to hold office until the general election, which occurred in the following August, at which time there were two voting precincts. Bordwell and his wife Sarah had the second white child in the County - Lucinda, born 05 Jul 1844. Bordwell was also the JP for the first marriage in the County in 1847.

"In 1851, Alfred Moore came to Benton County and being eager to gain possession of a large amount of land, he entered the claims of SK Parker, LD Bordwell, and Joseph Strawn (part of the original six settlers). The citizens decided to discipline him. Accordingly, two men called upon Moore the night of August 8th and requested that he show them the way to a certain place. Moore was thus entrapped by the citizens and when a little way from his home, he was seized and tied to a tree. His clothing was removed and he was given a good whipping, then tarred and feathered, and ordered to produce the papers necessary to return the claims to the first squatters. Daniel Richie and Ed Johnson were the men who administered the whipping. John Hollenbeck, Daniel RIchie, and Orson Bogle were tried for assault and battery. Bogle was tried first and not being present at the whipping, was soon acquitted. This seemed to disourage Moore and he left the country, probably fearing that he might meet with further vilence from those whom he attempted to prosecute."

The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, Volume 10: The History of Benton County (Western Historical Company, Chiago, 1878), pp 349, 350.

Sarah died 14 May 1883. He married his last wife, Sarah Woodard, April 21, 1884. He belonged to no organizations and had no religion. He died June 10, 1893. His fourth wife survived him.

Despite the fact he himself seemed to care little about land ownership, after his death, his children and grandchildren were involved in a lawsuit regarding the one piece of land Lyman  owned: Lot 2 and the east 1/2 of lot 3 and the NW 1/3 of lot 3 in Block 2 in Grand Gulf, an addition to Vinton, Iowa. They were each entitled to 2/27ths of the value of the land and the defendants Laura Evans, Lonisa Sanders, Edward Sanders and George Tenny, each were entitled to 1/54th share. The bulk of the proceeds went to paying debts and fees.

Custer County Haying

As to Volney and Emma, they moved Custer County, Nebraska. Volney died sometime between 1910-1930. Emma died in 1943 in Custer County. She spent the last years of her life living with Hubert, her oldest of three sons, who had divorced Minnie Belle Watson, and was raising his two boys.