Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-01-30
]. F. BOROUGH
GOES ON STRIKE
VETERAN BITTER ROOT HARD
WARE MAN REFUSES TO HELP
TAKE INVENTORY
Stevensville Merchant Who Has As
sisted In Annual Task For 81 Years
This Time Leaves 1t For His Partner
And His Helpers.

]. F. Borough, of the Borough &
Fulton Hardware store at Stevens
vile, went on a strike and would not
assist in taking the 1880 inventory,
as he has taken inventories for "a
years. He vas only a looker-on this
time. His partner, C. c. Fulton.
who helped him establish the present
store Is years ago, with his aides
wrote down the items and tabulated
the results Of the years trade.
Not so many know of j. F. Borough
as they do Frank" Borough, who is
recognized as the dean of all the mer-
chants in the Bitter Root valley. He
went to Stevensville in 1880, seven years
before the railroad was built from Mis-
soula, at the i%nstigation of his wife's
uncle, Amos Buck, who with his brother,
George Buck, had a lucrative trade in
groceries and clothing. Amos Buck
and his wife still live on the avenue
named after him, though he gave up
mercantile employment some years
back.
From Michigan
Mr.. Borough was looked up to at
Ovid, Mich, as the leader in the hard
ware business of the county. He was
serving as mayor Of the city when he
sold his thriving store to locate farther
west and as soon as he reached the
village of Stevensville he arranged the
next day to build an addition to the
Buck store and install a complete hard
ware department. When the new line
was ready for customers the institu-
ton waS called the Amos Buck Mer-
camille company, which was for decades
the big store of the Bitter Root valley.
1t was finally sold and Mr.. Fulton, who
had been with the hardware section Is
years, and Mr.. Borough reopened with
machinery, vehicles and hardware IN a
new building across the street. The
almost WORKOUT building of the mer-
camille company was burned down 10
years ago. The two partners have de-
veloped the Borough e. Fulton store in
to a $4,000 enterprise.
The Borough family Is pennsylvania
Dutch" their forefathers having emil
grated from the duchy of Luxembourg.
They are a long-lived race. Frank re-
members wildly his grandfather, Fred
erick Borough, who was an intimate
friend of George Washington. The
first president at one time gave him
~ OiOWA SO&V Va IhCCDtlOildllN EOOQ
quality that is still an heirloom oil the
Borough family. Frederick passed
away in the winter of 1894 at the
age of 104 years, 3 months and - days,
and his grandson, Frank, wanted to do
something for his aged kinsman, 50 he
used the first money he had earned
to defray the expenses of building the
coffin.
Franks father was q minister of
the Evangelical faith and lived to be
nearly 96. He and his family were
residents Of Seneca county, OHIO,
which was the birthplace of Ada Bit
ting, who has been Mrs. J.. F.. Borough
So years. The two celebrated their
golden wedding anniversary at the
home Of their daughter, Mrs. Bert
Metcalf, at Roseburg, Ore. when the
llrst half-century mark was reached.
Mr.. Borough gave up his position as
president of the First State bank this
year as he expects to spend some time
with his grandchildren on the coast.
Wmle IN his seventy sixth year. he can
giaze a sash or demonstrate a grain
binder or perform any of the duties
Of the implement or hardware lines as
thoroughly as men who have not grown
gray behind the counter. He has been
active n all important developments
given much time and strength to
puild up a modern community.