Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I have a friend that I graduated High School with who is now living in Utah and is a history teacher for emotionaly challenged students. He believes he might be distantly related to Lizzie Borden. I come to you, my fellow forum members for any help in discovering a relationship because you are the most knowledgeable people I know in this regard. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is his geneology that he sent me:

my maternal grandmother, Ethel Grey Borden, born 1904, westport, mass. died 1979 fall river mass.
her parents... Melvin Cook Borden, born 1873 westport, died 1960 westport, mother Florence May McLean, born 1878 nova scotia, died 1972 dartmouth ma.
melvin's dad...charles richard borden, b1850 massachusetts, died 1897
next...zephaniah borden, born 1814 fall river, died 1884 westport
next...richard borden, born 1752 massachusettes, died 1821
next...thomas borden, born 1697 tiverton, died 1740 tiverton

Hey SteveS:

Yes, looking at the list you supplied, this I can add, off the cuff: (cheating, of course.)



Zephaniah Borden (born 1814) was Andrew Borden's Uncle......that is, Abraham Borden's brother. Of course, as you well know Abraham Borden was Lizzie's grandfather.

Richard Borden, and there has been many, many of them, but this Richard Borden, born 1752 was Andrew Borden's Grandfather, which makes Richard Lizzie's great grandfather.

Of course Charles R. Borden was the only son of Zephaniah. Charles had 3 sisters.

Would need to do a study to find out who the other people are. Perhaps others here can stitch up the rest.

But yes, your friend has rivers of Lizzie blood in his veins.

If you guys ever go drinking together, keep him away from sharp shingle tools.

Ok SteveS:

I just pulled out some records.

There's a couple connections I can't add up.

Now, you have Richard Borden dying in 1821.

I find Richard dying in 1824, though he was born in 1752.

Also, having a little problem finding out which Thomas we are talking about.

Not finding a direct connection between Thomas and Richard.

But I remember Zephaniah because it's an odd name and I don't think there's another one.

Try to get back to you.

OK StevenS

The Thomas you give, born 1697 had a son named Richard, but he was born in 1722. From there the line goes somewhere else. Perhaps not Lizzie's way.

I hate geneology. I knew I shouldn't have tried to answer this question.

OK.............

I started with Zephaniah and worked back from there.

Zep's father was Richard Borden, but I can't find the date he was born.

Now this Richard Borden's Father was also named Richard Borden.

He was born in 1722.

In turn, his father was named Thomas Borden.

Thomas was born in 1697 and (again) his father was also named Richard

Thomas father Richard was born in 1671 and his father was one John Borden.

John's father was Richard Borden, I call him Borden or Richard the First.

Richard borden was the first Borden in America and came over in 1635.

Now.....................

If you trace from Zep forward towards the future you flow right into Lizzie Borden.

If Zep was his relative, he is a Lizzie Borden "close" relative and the Information I gave you above is correct.

But the Early Bordens he lists lends to some confusion. He may have some of the Bordens mixed up......(?)

So there you have it.

Oh yes, one more thing SteveS.

Your friend should really search for a copy of Fall River and its Industries. It was originally published in 1877 by Frederick M Peck & Henry H Hall.

He should check with the FRHS. They republished it about 3 years ago for 30 or 40 bucks. If republished correctly, it should have the genealoby of the Bordens in it with all the information your friend needs to figure out where he came from.

For someone like him it's a book he should have on his shelf. (At least until I publish my own )

Interesting: Yes,

Quickly scanning the Borden chart I come across 9 Richards and 13 Thomas(s). This is over 240 year span.

Also interesting, as you move towards modern times you come upon less and less Richard and Thomas.

The Year of the Borden murders there was 2 Thomas Bordens and 4 Richard Bordens in fall river.

Now I've got to go. Gunsmoke and Bonanza is coming on.

(In 1959 out of the top 20 TV programs on TV, 12 of them were Westerns. Today if you check the top 100, you would be lucky to come across One.)

Thanks for the info so far MB. Ya, I hate geneology too......I never really understand it...I get all confused. I figured someone on here must have done an extensive geneology on Lizzie and would have some info. He is alle xcited about maybe being related to her :-) I will pass along the suggestion of the book u mentioned.

Yes SteveS. you're welcome.

No extensive genealogy on Lizzie Borden is needed to extract the information your friend needs.

That is......as long at the information he has given is correct.

..........................................................................................................

I found the missing link, the one that confused me in my info above.

the information your friend gives is correct except for one person he left out.

You list a Thomas Borden born 1697. Then you list Richard Borden born 1752 as his son. Well The Richard Borden you list was the GRANDSON of Thomas Borden. Thomas Borden had a son named Richard Borden, born 1722 and this Richard was the Father of Richard Borden born in 1752.

So he left out one person, A Richard Borden which should be inserted between Thomas (1697) and Richard Borden (1752).

That was the confusion. Everything and everyone else is correct, right up to Charles Richard Borden, who was Zephaniah's son.

Zephaniah was indeed the uncle of Andrew Borden and the brother of Andrew Borden's father Abraham Borden. Thus Zep was indeed a great uncle of Lizzie Andrew Borden.

So, all these people lead straight to and indirectly to Lizzie.

No further study is needed.

The book I mentioned gives genealogy on the Bordens from 1635 to 1877. (approx.) Everyone else after that and your friend is on his own. More recent relatives are easy. It's the ones back in the 1800 and 1700 that are difficult to track down.

MB........myself and my friend are forever in your debt for the info you have provided. I told him that if anyone can solve if he is related or not...the Lizzie Borden Forum memebers can

He sort of figured he was related and when he started mentioning some of the names of his ancestors to me I was like....hmmmmmmm I think you are. But in typical Fall River and New England fashion his family REFUSED to ever mention Lizzie Borden.

Like I had mentioned...he is a history teacher for emotionaly troubled youth and he told me they are actualy going to be studying the 1890's in a few more weeks. I am posting a pic of him from when they covered the Civil War in class.......can you imagine what he will be doing for the 1890's now knowing he is related to Lizzie herself.

I'm sorry--I've got a new computer with Windows7, a snippet tool, and other things that just don't seem to work right. Death to Microsoft!!! I can't seem to transfer information anymore.

Google Descendants of Thomas Borden. It's a Familytreemaker site which should come up as first listing. Go to page 3 to find Melvin Cook Borden. This is the work of Chuck M. Borden's research. Melvin is a Lizzie relation.

I'm trying to locate my copy of The Narrows by Carmen Maiocco. It has a bunch of info about the Bordens of Westport.

Melvin Cook Borden is on Find a Grave (Memorial #29798085) in Beech Grove Cemetery, Westport, MA. If this site is correct, Ethel Grey Borden (Austin) had a sister, Margaret Adelaide Borden Lawton (1906-2003) also in Beech Grove. (Go to SouthCoastToday.com-search Margaret A Lawton 97 for her interesting obituary).

Note: several Borden sites online list Zephaniah as dying in West Port, Maine, not Westport, MA.

Thank you NBCatlover for that info. I have passed it along to my friend. He is pleased to have confirmation that he is a direct relative to Lizzie Borden and I am pleased to actualy know someone that is related .

Since Zephaniah & Abraham are brothers, Charles and Andrew were 1st cousins. Melvin would be a 2nd cousin to Lizzie & Emma. Ethel and Margaret et al would be 2nd cousins, once removed, to Lizzie. Your friend's mother would be 2nd cousins, twice removed, and your friend wound be a 2nd cousin, three times removed, by my calculations.

SteveS. wrote: ↑Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:46 pm I have a friend that I graduated High School with who is now living in Utah and is a history teacher for emotionaly challenged students. He believes he might be distantly related to Lizzie Borden. I come to you, my fellow forum members for any help in discovering a relationship because you are the most knowledgeable people I know in this regard. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is his geneology that he sent me:

my maternal grandmother, Ethel Grey Borden, born 1904, westport, mass. died 1979 fall river mass.
her parents... Melvin Cook Borden, born 1873 westport, died 1960 westport, mother Florence May McLean, born 1878 nova scotia, died 1972 dartmouth ma.
melvin's dad...charles richard borden, b1850 massachusetts, died 1897
next...zephaniah borden, born 1814 fall river, died 1884 westport
next...richard borden, born 1752 massachusettes, died 1821
next...thomas borden, born 1697 tiverton, died 1740 tiverton

Okay so my gramma Lawson was the daughter of Frederick, oldest son to Charles. Her name was Alice Louisa Borden Lawson born in 1903 until 1994… So Melvin was 3rd out of seven children. Your friends grams and my gramma Lawson were first cousins. Their great grandfather was the second youngest sibling to Lizzie’s grandfather and the 9th child born to Richard Borden Jr and Martha “Patty” Bowen. Abraham was the first born. Alice Lawson was the last living direct descendent back before she passed. Sidenote I have no actual blood ties to my Gramma Lawson she is my cousins gramma but she treated me like I was her granddaughter and I adored that woman and grampa lawson. If his grandmother was anything like gramma Lawson he was a very lucky man!!! I found this bc I was trying to find which civil war general they’re related to and found this. Idk if I can post images but I can screenshot the family trees kinda confusing but let me know. Ik this is from 11 yrs ago but

Thanks for responding...I know what it's like to want to reply to a post from 10 years ago!

For what it's worth...here is my mess, from "Fall River And Its Industries", extract, Earl, 1877.
It may or may not be helpful. I write in our books
(The line I drew under Patty Bowen and going towards the left, is picked up on the 2nd page pointing to Patty)

Does anyone need more Bowen, out of Nathan, son of John and Penelope, and then second marriage to Nancy Read?

I forgot what order to place them in so now I have to go back lol

I forgot what order to place them in so now I have to go back lol

Okay so I think this is the correct order

Ok I definitely did that completely backwards I’m sorry guys so ummm just start from the bottom lol