Borgess was born on August 1, 1826, in the village of Addrup, part of Essen in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (present-day Lower Saxony).

[1] Borgess, who wrote that he "felt considerable interest in the many wonders so frequently rehearsed by" his uncle Otto,[3] studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West.

[4] As coadjutor, he succeeded the late Peter Paul Lefevere, who led the diocese for nearly 30 years while Bishop Frederick Rese was incapacitated.

Rese, a fellow German who had been vicar general of Cincinnati before his appointment like Borgess, resided in Europe but had not resigned.

[2] In 1877 the Vatican reinstated a priest whom Borgess had transferred from Marshall to Traverse City over financial reports.

[7] He was buried in the churchyard of St. Augustine's Church but his remains were later moved to Nazareth College in 1906 and again to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in 1939.