From The Story of Oliver Springs, TN and Its People by Snyder E. Roberts, page 100-5
Borum families have been in continuous existence in, and an integral part of, the Oliver Springs community for more than one hundred and fifty years. The pioneer JOHN BORUM bought 100 acres of land from Charles McClung (Roane Deed Book F, page 4) in 1818 which was located immediately west of the present-day Oliver Springs city limits in Hen Valley, a local name for a portion of Powell's Valley. This initial purchase of land was bisected by the Valley Road which was a segment of the much-traveled Jacksborough-Emory Gap Road. The property was bounded on the north by Walden Ridge, another well-known landmark, and was bounded on the south by Pine Ridge.
Among the first neighbors of the Borum family were REUBEN WILLIAMS who owned 130 acres, including a mill which his heirs sold to JOHN W. BUTLER in 1838. MICHAEL HASSLER, SR. (also HOSSLER, HOSTLER) born 1778, died 1853, was a farmer and millwright. Michael's will in 1853 mentions his daughters, LYDIA and AMANDA, who married Borums. The SULLINS family was also prosperous and included NATHAN SULLINS, RWS, and other Sullins families. The Sullins' were influential in the Methodist Church. JOSIAH RICHMOND was a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher and a pillar in that denomination for many years. He served as pastor of Mt. Carmel Church at Coalfield, and Russell's Chapel on East Fork. There was considerable intermarriage among the above-mentioned families.
The Borum families continued to acquire additional tracts of land by more than 25 deeds until at one time the Borums owned all, or nearly all, of Hen Valley from the Butler Mill Road or Liles Sulphur Springs Road in the east, to the old Williams Place; the northern boundary was the Morgan County line on top of Walden Ridge and to the top of Pine Ridge on the South. This boundary of land is now transversed by the Southern RR, and with state Highway 61.
John Borum's name appears in the Roane County 1830 census which gives his birth date as between 1770 and 1780. An ASA BORUM appears on the Roane County list of jurors for the October session of 1825, but he is not on the 1830 census list.
John Borum's will was written in 1834 and probated in 1840. (Roane County Estate Book C, page 99). It has a strong religious overtone, and is beautifully worded. The disposition of his estate as measured by "value of horses" is unusual and indicates that he was a horse fancier and may have specialized in the raising of horses.
In any event, John's heirs are named. The will mentions his wife, NANCY. Roane County Census for 1850 states she was born in VA in 1778.
John's will enumerates his three sons "who have left me" and the three sons "who are still with me." He names his son, SAMUEL, as Executor of the will. Of the nine children named in the will, all but two can be further identified by public records. Although it was John's son, SAMUEL, who seemed to take the lead among the Borums prior to the Civil War, it is john's son, ASA, whose descendants have remained and perpetuated the Borum name in the Oliver Springs area.
WILLIAM and JAMES name's only appear in their father's will. JOHN HENRY BORUM, (1810) was also listed in the will as one of the sons "who left me". According to the Roane County 1860 census records, he was born in VA in 1810. The name "John Henry" in the will is shortened to "Henry" in all other records. Although John Henry is listed in the will as one of the three sons "who has left me", he was very much in evidence in the records for several years. He may have been married and been away from home at the time of the will (1834), but he is in the Roane 1850 census--shown unmarried and living in the household with his widowed mother, his brother Samuel, etc. Henry Borum bought 118 acres from his brother Samuel (Book O. p.70) in 1865. He seems to have sold the same 118 acres to his brother ASA (Book R, p. 463) in 1872.
HENRY married December 1, 1858 to NANCY JANE MARTIN (b 1843). At this time, he was 48 years of age and she was 15. By 1860, they had one son, JOEL. The Roane 1870 census shows Henry and Nancy Jane with 6 children: Joel, Alice, James, Samuel, John and Charlotte. Nancy Jane got her letter of dismissal from the Oliver Springs Baptist Church at the Sulphur Springs in October of 1859.
PLEASANT is shown in the 1850 Roane census as born in TN in 1814, and unmarried, living in the household of his brother Samuel, with his widowed mother, and with brothers and sisters. Pleasant is listed in his father's will as one of the sons "who still lives with me" and his name is shown as one of the witnesses to the will.
In 1852, Pleasant Borum became the purchaser of three tracts of land offered for sale at public auction by his brother, Samuel, and GEORGE GAMMON, who were acting as Executors for the JOSIAH SULLINS estate. (Book L, page 430). The three tracts were 157 acres, 5 acres, and 114 ares, for a total of 276 acres. Landmarks mentioned in the deeds descriptions include ASA COBB corner, MATTHEW PRYOR line, McClung line, SULLINS corner, Borum line, and top of Walden Ridge.
By 1855, Pleasant and his wife Lydia were in Scott County, IL, because on April 23, 1855, Pleasant Borum and wife Lydia of Scott County, IL sold 276 acres to his brother Samuel Borum of Roane County. From the description, this was the same 276 acres purchased in 1852. (Book M, page 383).
There is no Roane County record of Pleasant's marriage to Lydia, which must have occurred between 1850 and 1855. It is almost a certainty that her full name was Lydia HASSLER, daughter of MICHAEL HASSLER, Sr., because Michael Hassler in his will probated in October 1853 mentions among his children Lydia Borum and Amanda Borum. He even names his son-in-law, Samuel Borum and son, Simeon Hassler, as Executors of his will.
SAMUEL BORUM (1816). According to the 1850 Roane census, was unmarried, but the head of a household composed of his widowed mother and several brothers and sisters. He is named in his father's will, and made Executor of the will. He was married in Roane County to AMANDA HASSLER, September 16, 1852 by Rev. George Yost. Amanda was daughter of Michael Hassler, Sr.
In 1841, Samuel Borum bought two tracts of land from his father-in-law to be, Michael Hossler, composed of 100 acres and 134 acres for a total of 234 acres (Book H, page 149). In 1848, Samuel bought 39 acres from LARKIN SULLINS. (Book H, page 149). In 1855, Samuel bought 276 acres from his brother PLEASANT. (Book M, page 383). Thus it may be seen that by the acquisition of the above tracts and possibly others, Samuel's holdings had become quite extensive and he was a well-to-do man.
In 1855, Samuel Borum conveyed 180 acres of his land to his brother ASA, (Book O, p. 68) and 118 acres to his brother HENRY. (Book O, p 70). The Rev. THOMAS LILES had, also acquired tracts of land from Samuel Borum, probably about 1860, as described in deeds from Rev. Thomas Liles and wife Mary, to Thomas Liles, Jr. in 1878 for 80 acres (Book W, page 577). Thomas, Jr. sold the same tract to ADDHEID SIENKNECHT in 1883 (Book Y, p 43). Rev. Thomas Liles to William C. Liles 80 acres in 1888 (Book V, p 29), and one other tract to JOHN SHIPWASH and wife LATHA JANE LILES SHIPWASH of 80 acres in 1880. (Book V, p 29). Each of the Liles deeds describes the tracts as being part of the old Samuel Borum tract.
In the 1860 Roane census, Samuel is show as the head of his own household, age 44, his wife Amanda age 31, and three children: Mary C, age 7, Samuel McH. age 5, and Florrince, age 1, all born in TN. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, evidently things were not going too well for Samuel and his family. He seemed to have been a Confederate sympathizer, but there is no record in Roane county that the Borums were slave holders.
Anderson County, TN Circuit court records show that EDWARD BLACK brought suits against a number of Confederate sympathizers in 1865. Black had entered the Union Army as a private but elevated to the rank of Major. According to the record (page 54) "Black vs William Peak, Sr., William Peak, Jr., John Galbraith, E. C., Edwards, etc: Black was suing for $50,000 for trespass, battery, and false imprisonment for 45 days." (page 57). Black vs. Thomas A. Butler, Lewis Rector, Samuel Borum, Frederick Seiber, Thomas Seiber, William and Tom Henley were being sued in the sum of $5,000; said parties having identified themselves with the now defunct rebellion, and have gone beyond the limit of the State of TN, so that the ordinary process of law cannot be served." May 22, 1865.
ASA C. BORUM (1817-1877), the youngest son of John Borum, was married in Roane County Dec 20 1855, to EMILY ANGALINA RICHMOND (1824-1904). The 1860 Roane census shows Asa as head of the household in a house adjoining his brother Samuel. At that time, he and Angalina had 2 children, John J. age 4 and Samuel N. age 1 year. The Roane 1860 census shows the same family, but with the addition of twins, William M. (Bud) and Nancy G. (Sis) 4 years of age. The membership of this family remained the same in the 1870 census, but Asa's occupation was listed as "tanner."
Asa may have erected his home originally on his father's land, but in 1865, he bought 180 acres from his brother Samuel (Book O, pg 68). In 1872, he bought 118 acres from his brother Henry, (Book R, p 463), and in 1873, bought two tracts of 100 acres and 40 acres from Simeon Hassler (Book S, page 263). There may have been other acquisitions of land.
Asa died in 1877. His estate was partitioned by a series of deeds. His daughter, Nancy Gale sold her undivided interest in her father's estate to her brother Samuel N. (Book T. p 353). Asa's widow, Emily A, conveyed all her rights and title of dower to her three sons, and the three sons agreed upon deeds of partition, (Book T, p 354, Book R, p 355, Book $, pg 356, and Book $, p 357).
Asa C. had spent his entire life in Hen Valley. It is Asa C. and Emily A.'s descendants who have preserved the Borum name in the Oliver Springs area to this day.
ELIZA (1822): In 1850 census, she is in household of her brother Samuel, shown as 30 years of age, born in TN. She was received into the Oliver Springs Baptist Church at the Sulphur Springs by experience in September of 1859. In the 1860 census, Eliza and her sister, Nancy, are shown unmarried living in the home of their brother-in-law, WILLIAM BULLEN and his wife, Ellender, who was their sister.
NANCY (1822); Same description of Eliza, above, applies to Nancy except there is no record of her having joined the Baptist Church.
ELEANOR (ELLENDER) (1824); Eleanor was mentioned in her father's will. In the Roane 1850 census she is shown as unmarried and living with brother Samuel, and others. She married WILLIAM C. BULLEN January 2, 1858. In the 1860 Roane census, William Bullen's household was made up of himself, his wife Eleanor, Eliza Borum, Nancy Borum and an "infant" Bullen, not named. They lived in the house adjoining her brother, Asa Borum.
Both Eleanor and her husband had church records. "Ellinder" was received for membership by the Baptist Church at the Sulphur Springs by experience on the Monday after the fourth Saturday in August 1850. She asked for a letter of dismissal in June 1861. William Bullen joined the same church by experience May 1855. He was mildly reprimanded in 1860 for communicating with the Presbyterians. (Possibly Cumberland Presbyterians.)
The Borum families have made considerable contributions to Oliver Springs history, and are worthy of further study.