Borden Family
Emma, Andrew, Abby and Lizzie- & "Maggie" too
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Good news for Green St.
A recent visit to the Brownell house on Green Street, the address of Emma Borden’s alibi on the day of the murders, revealed good things happening for the old place.
The sagging front steps have been removed, the jungle growth of trumpet vine has been cut back, and a large dumpster in the side yard is filled with debris. Structurally, the house has been pronounced in good shape, with some minor roof leaks and a side porch which needs shoring up. Here’s hoping for brighter days ahead soon for the historic property!
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Good-bye to Lizzie’s Schoolhouse
The Nathaniel Borden School , formerly the Morgan Street School, closed its doors forever in June of 2007. Lizzie Borden was a student here until her 14th birthday. There are no plans to demolish the historic 1868 building, but its ultimate use to the city is still undecided.
The Nathaniel Borden Morgan Street School before closure
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Friends of Oak Grove in the News
Yesterday’s Fall River Herald News featured a story on the new Friends group which has begun a program of planting trees at the historic Victorian cemetery.
http://www.heraldnews.com/town_info/history/x1565510740
Oak Grove was begun in 1855 with a 47 acre parcel purchased from Dr. Nathan Durfee who sold it to the city for $200 per acre. The entry arch was erected in 1873. The site http://oakgrovecemetery.wordpress.com features the Borden-Almy plot, Borden-related gravesites, and information on the Borden’s funeral. Over 500 “hits” have come in over the past 24 hours to the site, with a lion’s share of visitors reading about how to become a member- with the Borden-related information a close second. Lizzie still holds a fascination among the city’s population.
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New photo joins other “Lizzies”
The recently-found photograph of a young Lizzie in a straw hat has joined the other known photos on the bookshelf in the sitting room at the Borden house. The room also contains the most famous one of Lizzie in Newport after the acquittal posed standing behind a chair- the only photo where she looks directly out at the photographer.
Some say she looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. The Swansea Historical Society houses the new photo of little Lizzie, which is the youngest photo of Lizzie found to date.
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Emma’s Great Escape
Lizzie’s quiet older sister Emma kept a great deal to herself and was of a retiring nature. The reason for her sudden 1905 departure from the shared domicile of Maplecroft is not known for certain but there is much speculation it had to do with Lizzie’s entertaining of theatre people including rising stage star Nance O’Neil, and possibly the frivolity at Maplecroft which might have included alcoholic beverages at these theatre party soirees. Emma lived in Fall River and Providence for the years following their separation, and just perhaps her trip to England and Scotland in 1906, which followed hard upon their split, was to get away from the unpleasantness on French Street. The passenger list gives her age as 55 at the time of the voyage- certainly mature for a first visit away from the country. There is no record found to date of any other foray into a wider world for quiet Emma.
The White Star liner Cymric
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If Bridget had gone shopping. . .
What remains of Sargent’s store today on North Main Street
Much has been made about Lizzie Borden’s sudden mention of a sale of dress goods at Sargent’s store to the maid just before the murder of her father that Thursday morning. Bridget Sullivan, weary from washing the windows and doing chores all morning, paused to consider the news about the sale, and voiced the statement she hoped to get herself some of the dress yard goods. But with her morning nausea, and weariness from chores, she opted to rest upstairs on the third floor instead. It is about a ten minute walk to Sargent’s at average pace, so the maid would have been gone about 40 minutes, allowing time to travel back and forth, shop, and get back in time to begin the noonday meal had she gone to Sargent’s. Lizzie would have been left alone with her father. Did Lizzie suggest the sale to get the maid out of the house? The story may have ended very differently had Bridget stayed downstairs.
Original ad for the dress goods sale on August 4th
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Garfield Tea-What was in that stuff?
Andrew’s inexpensive cure- cheaper than a house call from Dr. Bowen! After passing a miserable night on August 2, 1892 due to stomach cramping and vomitting, Abby Borden went across the street to Doctor Bowen for a remedy on Wednesday morning and voiced the opinion that the family may be poisoned through the baker’s bread. He sent her home with directions to give castor oil a try, while Andrew Borden, too frugal to waste money on office visits, dosed himself with an over-the-counter preparation called Garfield Tea, named for the assasinated president. Manufactured by the Stillman Remedies Co. of 58 West 55th Street in New York, the concoction was made entirely of herbs, chiefly senna leaves and crushed couch grass. The price of a box was 25 cents and the tea was made by putting a teaspoonsful in a cup, covering with 8 ounces of boiling water, and allowing the mix to steep for a couple of hours. Taken before retiring, it promised relief from liver problems, constipation, and stomach upset. Andrew was still looking feeble on the morning of the murder, Thursday, August 4th in spite of his self medication although Abby was somewhat improved.
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New Lizzie-Mini Doc release from Garden Bay Films
Lizzie Borden Mini #3: The Death of Abby Borden
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Walk softly and carry a big stick
Alice Russell, longtime friend of the Borden sisters, and one-time neighbor next door, had a rude shock when she spotted what looked to be an axe handle under her bed. Alice had been staying with the Borden family (or what was left of it) after the shocking murders of Abby and Andrew Borden. With the Irish maid gone for good, Alice became a comforting presence and helper. Staying in the Borden’s master bedroom, the wooden handle under the bed was explained to Alice by Lizzie as being her deceased father’s night stick, just in case an intruder should break in. There had been a break in at the house not long before the murders. Too bad Andrew did not have it handy under the sofa on the morning of August 4th! The management of the house currently keeps this facsimile on hand in the bedroom- just in case. . .
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New Lizzie Borden Photo found in Swansea !
HOLY COW!!!It’s been a long, long time since a new photo of Lizzie has been published and the cover of the newly released Hatchet must qualify as a Stop the Press spectacular! Kudos to Hatchet editor Stefani Koorey and Borden historian Leonard Rebello for some great detecting. Other Borden photos and mementos were also located at the Swansea Museum just before Christmas 2007. It’s big news in Borden land tonight! For a subscription and a look at the cover, visit the link below. The Hatchet has also changed its title and content scope to include Victoriana , mystery and murder.
http://lizzieandrewborden.com/MondoLizzie/
The image of Lizzie at about nine years of age in a charming straw hat has been published with the permission and knowledge of the Swansea Historical Society on the site above. Internet copyright laws do apply and the permission to copy in the current issue of The Hatchet, and on The Hatchet-linked blog , Mondo Lizzie Borden, was obtained for one-time usage legally by the editor.
Any cropped, altered, or grayscaled “bootleg” reproductions which may appear elsewhere and are being circulated, are without the knowledge or permission of the Swansea Historical Society and have been cropped from the copyrighted cover of the latest edition of The Hatchet. For those who object to their personal photos appearing without permission on the Internet: propagating, harvesting, and disseminating copyrighted images amounts, in essence, to image theft. Any benefit which might have been afforded the institution to which the image belongs through print and product reproduction is compromised. Sadly, historical societies and museums are those institutions which most need the revenue.
Some worthwhile reading – http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/copyright-internet.htm
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FAQs at #92
Two questions often asked by visitors at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast are: 1. Is there anything original left in the house? 2. Why is there a broken plate hanging on the diningroom wall?
The Borden sisters retained ownership of #92 Second Street until it was sold in 1918. How much of the original furniture was taken with them to Maplecroft in 1893, how much was put into storage, and what was left in the house is unknown. Anything which was stored is rumored to have been lost in a flood during a storm. There is nothing original left today. The Glenwood woodstove is a favorite item in the house and must be very like the one in which Lizzie burned that famous Bedford Cord dress on the day after the funeral of her father and stepmother and on which Bridget cooked the equally famous mutton for breakfast. This old woodstove was found rusting away in a field in Vermont and was refurbished and piped for gas in 1995.
The white ironstone plate in a shadowbox in the diningroom was retrieved from the ground when the barn was rebuilt a couple of years ago. The location was in the backyard northeast corner of the lot where the barn privy had been located. What could not be burned was buried or tossed into the outhouse or privy vault. Many items of metal and glass and transferware plate fragments were found, including a broken doll commonly called a “Frozen Charlotte.” Lizzie was 12 when the Bordens moved into Second Street, but it is still fun to think it may have been hers.
The Bordens used a practical white ironstone for daily use and this was on the diningroom table at the time of the murders in readiness for the noonday meal which never took place. Many fragments of white ironstone crockery were found in the privy excavation including this plate, which may have been from the Borden’s cupboard.
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Bloody Versicle #1
Over the decades since the murders of Abby and Andrew Borden, many have set their theories and ideas about the family and their relationships to music and verse. Here is one more offering, by this blogger to add to the effort!
Ode to Domestic Harmony
It was the day of the murder and all through the house,
Tension mounted twixt Lizzie and Andy’s plump spouse.
Emma, in Fairhaven, with Brownells in their nest,
Closed weary eyes and longed for some rest.
With heavy feet dragging, Bridget downward did trod,
Doing as she was told with one tired, resigned nod.
Seizing bucket and pole out the doorway she clattered,
Got sick in the yard, but what did that matter?
Spying a friend standing close to the fence,
She sauntered right over without much of a wrench.
Chatting and smiling in the warm August sun,
It sure beat the washing and was surely more fun.
Uncle Morse had departed, so peculiar and thin,
To visit the Emerys and their visiting kin.
While no one would say that he was a glutton,
He thought “Oh, Dear Lord, please no more mutton!”
Andrew had left to count all his money,
Lizzie was quiet, and he thought that was” funny”.
He sighed as he walked to the banks just downstreet,
And felt faintly ill, “It must be the heat”.
Abby trudged on upward with her clumps of false hair,
And hitched up her skirts as she mounted the stair.
Already defeated and without a friend,
She looked up to Heaven thinking “How will it end?”
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2008 Prepare to be Amazed
Fall River High School postcard
There’s plenty new under the sun on the Borden Case for 2008. Prepare to be amazed. The recent Fall River Historical Society newsletter confirms more of the eager speculations about their upcoming book tentatively titled Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie Borden and Fall River which is being researched and assembled by the curatorial staff. The Andrew Borden family time span will provide the framework on which will hang an inside glimpse, profusely illustrated with never-before published images, of life on the Hill and in the “Spindle City”.
A treasury of private letters, diaries and photos will reveal Lizzie’s social set, society functions she attended, and events she would have observed in the city. This is not a rehash of the infamous murder case, but rather a look at the world and people Lizzie knew. So very little is known of her very young life, but details of her life were recorded in the journal of a close friend in the 1870’s. For those who love the city’s history, and Borden case scholars, the 2008 release date of this volume is awaited with great excitement and promises to be a revelation.
Excerpt from Parallel Lives
‘1875 marked the year that Lizzie Borden entered Fall River High School and in the spring of her freshman year she first appeared in ***’s diary. Friday, the thirty first of March, 1876 was “a beautiful day and after school I walked nearly home with Lizzie Borden. . .” ‘
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Our Lady of Second Street
When Lizzie went abroad for her 30th birthday in 1890, she returned home with so many souvenirs that she had to switch rooms with her older sister Emma so as to have a place to display her mementos. Being a Congregationalist, it seems unusual that Lizzie had a fondness for Madonna and Child paintings and particularly liked one by Raphael. The house currently has Madonna of the Chair displayed in Lizzie’s room on the second floor, but it is the Sistine Madonna which is said to be her favorite. Both are by Raphael but this is the one called the Sistine Madonna.
This is Madonna of the Chair which can be found in Lizzie’s Room.
The first painting is probably the correct one- the Sistine Madonna. Another “Madonna” found in Lizzie’s room is a tender portrait of Lizzie’s real mother, Sarah Morse and Lizzie’s sister Emma as a baby. Was Lizzie yearning for her own mother?
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“Will do windows”
A most important element in the Borden case involves the washing of the first floor windows by the Borden’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan. Bridget was accustomed to doing the windows about twice a month inside and out. The house was located on a busy street with much horse and carriage traffic. On the morning of August 4th, Bridget had been asked by Abby Borden to wash the windows -a job which she commenced about 9: 15 with a brush and pole and pail, telling Lizzie she could lock the screen side door and that she could get water from the barn. Later on Bridget came in the house again for a dipper. The screen door on the side of the house was possibly unlocked for the entire time Bridget was doing windows and chatting up the Kelly maid, Mary Doolan, next door. Had Lizzie locked the door, entry by an intruder would have been effectively blocked. Bridget had commenced washing the lower right quadrant of this window pictured above when Mr. Borden pounded on the front door to be let in somewhere around 10:40-10:45 a.m. As her hands were wet, Bridget had some trouble manipulating the triple lock, swearing at it under her breath. Bridget would at first say Lizzie laughed at her from the top of the stairs – later she would say “I don’t know where the girl was” when Andrew came home. This is one of only four original casement double-hung windows in the house. Of particular interest is the “pinch lock” which must be compressed in order to slide the window up and down in the wooden groove. All other windows have been replaced with modern screens and fittings.
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Andrew’s Last Client
Doing business till the bitter end, Andrew Borden, (who was stopped near the Granite Block by Jonathan Clegg on the morning of August 4th), went to inspect a window in the South Main Street shop Clegg was waiting to occupy, just before heading home to his death. He was thrifty and conscientious up to his last hour! -
The Last Hour of Andrew Borden
Slide Album: Andrew's Last Morning 
September 13, 1892 would have marked a milestone in the life of Andrew Jackson Borden. To become a septuagenarian was a major event in the 1890’s- and certainly a number well above the average life expectancy. Andrew would never usher in his 70th birthday. His life was- literally- cut short.Would you want to know which would be the last day and last hour of your life? Most people would not. Andrew left his house that morning and went about his daily routine as if it were any other day. It is highly probable he was, until the very end which came around 11 a.m., not aware of his encroaching demise. And that is surely a mercy.
So much has been made of the possible killer, and more is known and eagerly investigated about Lizzie perhaps than the victims. What do we know of Andrew Borden other than he was 5 feet 11 inches, wore a dental plate in his upper jaw, had a hernia and wore a truss, had married twice, had sired three daughters, and was frugal and hard-working? Much more than the bare facts about his life enters into the realm of speculation. Perhaps he loved his children and both wives. Perhaps he stayed on Second Street to be near his many business rental properties and because his wife liked being near her old homestead and family. He provided many comforts for his family, and one or two luxuries as well. It is easy to turn Andrew into a Dickensian miser, and Lizzie into a sympathetic victim-but the truth is probably not so black and white- which makes this case, of course- irresistible.
Happy Birthday, Andrew Borden- you are still remembered.
The following short film was made with photographs taken in December 2006, based upon the research on Andrew’s last hour by Leonard Rebello. Some vintage photos have been inserted to give a better idea of 1892 locations and buildings.
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Shining a little light on Emma Borden- Her school days at Wheaton Female Seminary
It was with great excitement that the Borden community learned of Emma’s school time at Wheaton Female Seminary on the Lizzie Borden Forum this month. Forum member, and Borden scholar Kristin Pepe of Belchertown, Massachusetts had followed up a hunch which proved to be correct.
Leonard Rebello, a leading authority and author of Lizzie Borden, Past and Present had surmised back in 1991 that Lizzie had probably gone to either Mount Holyoke or Wheaton Female Seminary but had not pursued an investigation. A number of young ladies from Fall River attended the nearby Norton institution during Emma’s time there, due perhaps in part to the recommendation of the Rev. Eli Thurston, the pastor of the Central Congregational Church who was on the Board of Trustees at Wheaton during Emma’s time there.
The campus today is a beautifully- landscaped and well-maintained place with a few of the old buildings existing from Emma’s school days.
Most notably is Mary Lyon Hall where Emma would have attended some lectures on the second floor. Mary Lyon may also be known to many as the force behind the movement for education for women in New England and Mount Holyoke’s curriculum. She played a crucial role in Wheaton’s focus and formulation of curriculum.
Two visits made this month by Len Rebello, Shelley Dziedzic, and Stefani Koorey revealed a fascinating glimpse of life at Wheaton as it must have been experienced by Emma Borden. So endearing were the vignettes of school life, the many photographs of friends, teachers, and other ephemera of her time that clearly a comprehensive article, lavishly illustrated was in order to share this material with the Borden Community.
On Wednesday, August 1, The Hatchet, a periodical devoted to Borden studies will debut a special feature article which will paint a comprehensive picture of life at Wheaton, female seminaries, and Emma Borden’s days at Wheaton. The Hatchet may be downloaded online or purchased in color or black and white through Lulu.com
Although this exciting discovery may not have bearing directly on solving the Borden mystery, it does shed light on the shadowy figure of Lizzie Borden’s older sister. Knowledge unshared is knowledge wasted, and many thanks go to Kristin Pepe and the staff of Wheaton Archives who so generously shared with all of us.
A window through time, Wheaton Lecture Room, Mary Lyon Hall
Wheaton Female Seminary in the 1860’s
