Gail Borden - Later Years and Memorials

Later Years and Memorials

Borden died in 1874 in Borden in Colorado County, Texas. His body was shipped by private car to New York City to be buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Borden County, in which he never set foot, was named for him posthumously, as was its county seat, Gail. The New York Condensed Milk Company also changed its name, in 1899, to honor Borden. Even after Borden’s death, the Borden Company remained a strong corporation. By the 1940s, the Borden Company employed 28,000 people and had a stock holding partnership of 50,000. It dealt with more varied products ranging from fresh and condensed milk, casein, animal feeds, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, to soy bean creations. A version of the company continues even today. Now called Eagle Brand, the company’s website cites its origins in 1856 with the opening of Borden’s first factory.

In 1892 Samuel and Alfred Church, stepsons of Borden and residents of Elgin, Illinois, purchased and donated the Scofield Mansion at 50 N. Spring Street to house a new library for the residents of Elgin. Samuel and Alfred’s only request was that the library be forever and always known and called the Gail Borden Public Library.