Captain Alexander Borden, one of the old pioneers of Ottawa county, died at his home in Rocky Ridge, Saturday morning (Feb 4 1899), at the ripe old age of 84 years. Captain Borden was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1814, and came with his parents to America in 1820. They settled at Prescott, Canada. As a lad of 12, he began sailing on one of the small schooners that did the carrying on the lakes, and at 18 years of age was master of one of these small vessels. It was a vessel commanded by him which brought the first locomotive to Sandusky for the old strap-ironed Mad river railroad. Navigation in those days was much more perilous than it is now. The vessels were small and the discomforts many. He gave up sailing in 1865, his last command being a large harbor tug at Sandusky, and he has since remained ashore. He at one time conducted a hotel, known as the "River House," near the present wagon bridge, across the Portage river, in this city. Later, he was associated with Mr. Shaenfeld in a mercantile business at Elmore, and still later he engaged in business at Rocky Ridge, where he has resided for the past 20 years. He was appointed; postmaster in 1895 and held that office at the time of his death. Mr. Borden was married in 1839 to Miss Adelia Ann Napier at Marblehead. They have had nine children, two of whom have preceded him to the grave, the eldest daughter, who died by accident at Marblehead, and the wife of Mr. R. Stanbery, who died at Galveston, Texas. The surviving children are Mrs. J. B. Luckey of Toledo, Miss Delia, who resides at Rocky Ridge, County Recorder B. A. Borden, of this city, Andrew Jackson Borden, of Cannonsburg, Pa., Miss Lillian, of Chicago,Mrs. Emma Ritchie, of Fort Madison, Iowa, and Douglas, who is now in the Klondike. All of the children, with the exception of Mr. Douglas Borden, were home to attend the last sad rites to a kind and indulgent father. The remains were brought here Monday morning and taken to the residence of Mr. B. A. Borden. The funeral services were held at the M. E. Church in the afternoon, Rev. Mr. Mayer officiating. His discourse on the debt the present generation owes to the old pioneers, and his tribute to the deceased were most eloquent and touching. The pall-bearers were selected from the friends of his early manhood, and& were Messrs. O. J. True, Andrew Hopfinger, John Detlefs, F. X. Beck, John Bosket and Hon. William Kelly. The burial was in Lakeview cemetery.