Lizzie Borden Society Forum

There is an extremely interesting set of handwritten diaries that have just gone up for auction on eBay. They were written by Charitta Sanford, who was a contemporary of Lizzie's. Sanford's mother was a Borden, although the seller doesn't state whether if there is any connection to Lizzie's branch of the family. There are three volumes, beginning in 1885, and stopping in 1910. Lizzie and the murders are mentioned.
Several entries are quoted in the auction listing, and they sound like they would be fascinating reading.

Here is a link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1890s-Antique-Handw ... 33590cc40e

Yes, great find Stuart.

There should be some healthy activity on this one.

Below is the house where the author lived, 74 Ridge Street.

She was only 3 years younger than Lizzie, so she may have known her from school.

74 Ridge Street is just behind the N. B. Borden School where Lizzie attended.

The house below is where the author lived.

The map below shows where 74 Ridge street is. If you look closely at the top of the map, you can see the Andrew Borden house, number 92. They were only blocks apart.

cool!

Thanks for the fabulous post, Stuart. The handwriting is so clear. It doesn't sound like she was a friend of Lizzie's, as she does not comment further on her August 4, 1892 entry, that Lizzie is probably the culprit (or whatever it was she wrote). But she must have known who she was and seen her maybe often. They are very hard to pass up ...

Why do the best things show up on eBay when I have the least amount of money?? It never fails.
As you said, Michael--there will be "healthy" activity on this one!

Yes Stuart: I hear that you are into old things. You may have already seen this one? It's a really neat item. The price is a little steep.......or not. Don't know anything about such items. It's suppose to be Staffordshire, a dish.

As the author hints, it's probably not Lizzie, and in fact one of old Henry VIII's wives. Looks like some sort of candy/mint dish. Still a neat little thing.

Right up your alley Augusta, in the line of humor, that is.

What I find interesting about this diary is her entry dated Aug. 4, 1892, the day the murders were commited.

"August 4, 1892:

“Mr. & Mrs. Andrew J. Borden were found dead in their house on Second Street killed with an ax, which act was probably committed by their daughter ( his daughter) Lizzie A. Borden. There is great excitement about it.”

I didn't realise people allready were suspecting Lizzie did it on the day of the murders.

Wow, great find, Stuart! There must be many other diaries up in attics waiting to be found.

Thanks for the photo of the Sanford home, Michael. Posting that gives so much added dimension to just a name on the page.
And the Staffordshire lady with the hatchet is great too. She sure does look like one of Henry's six wives!
I wonder if these diaries were offered to the FRHS or not?
If any important diaries that had local ties here were to be put up on eBay, you can bet that the local history room at the library would be leading the bidding.

Your welcome Stuart. Of course the house is just an ugly vinyl box today, but at one time it was a wonderful Victorian.

As I said, the diaries should receive a robust response. But, I didn't think it would take off so quickly.

It's been on for only a day and already it's up to 51 dollars, with 6 bids and 3 bidders.

People are so weird. Why bid so early? Why drive the worth up and up and up? The winner of this item will be someone who will bid in the last minute---a serious bidder, someone willing to pay. And more times then not, an early bidder will not get it.

That's true. I will occasionally bid early on something, knowing that I won't win it. But at least I "owned" it for several days.

Yes, this is a civil war era, 1863, diary up for sale on ebay with 3 days left. It speaks to witness of the war. It is up to 252 dollars and when it is all over, I don't doubt it sells for twice or three times that.

Yes, another great Lizzie Borden item on ebay. 1946 The American Weekly magazine. I love the early 40s illustration. Even Lizzie looks attractive.

Cool

Charita Latona Sanford's mother was Susan Borden, daughter of Rescom & Henrietta (Sanford) Borden. Her sister's name was Threlia Dimple Sanford. Ugh! And an older sister named "Bordena."

See

http://books.google.com/books?id=GHIWAA ... rd&f=false

Interesting nbcatlover. Thanks for the info.

After discovering where the Sanfords lived I was surprise. I figured they lived on the hill somewhere.......a better neighborhood.

If Charrita was going to the dentist in the 1890s, they must of had money.

I thought perhaps she was a direct relative to Arnold Sanford of Lincoln Ave.

Arnold Sandford lived in the house below, which has since been painted a striking peach and orange. Today it is known as the Sanford House.

Ebay alert:

The Charrita diaries are back in the news.

They are now in the 3rd day of bidding, 16 bids, and up to 306 dollars.

Yes, the Sanford diaries are up to 356 with 16 bids, as two bidders who are dying to drive the price up are slugging it out; with 3 days left.

Meanwhile, in another sale, photo posted below, is a lot of 10 diaries written by a N.H. farmer's wife. In contrast to the fall river sale above, it has only 4 hours left in bidding and it is only up to 24 dollars.

Jan. 31, 1894:

“An accident happened to a sleighful of High School Scholars while they were crossing the Brownell Street Rail Road Track. The Steam Cars ran into them: three boys were killed. They were the sons of Spencer Borden, Lawyer Swift & Mr. Thornton. Mr. Everett Durfee (High School Teacher) & wife chaperoned the Sleighing Party.”

MB, I did not know that was the same Swift that lived next door to Maplecroft on the west side. I had read about that sleigh accident first in Victorian Vistas. That reminds me, on rt. 24 going south as u pass the North Wautupa pond to your left.......on the right hand side where there used to be a rest area.....is remains of an old stone wall.....I always thought that was remains of the old Spencer Borden estate Interlockin. Can you shed some light on that MB?

Yes SteveS: The Swifts were still there the year before Lizzie died. Not sure when they moved to their French Street address, but I know that they were there in 1885. The house was build c1875, fourteen years before the Allen/Borden Maplecorft House. The porch was put on much later, that is, years after it was built, probably in the 1880s. Further study would need to be made to verify whether Marcus Swift built the house.

yes, the building you can see off Route 24, the stone walls, belong to the Cook Durfee Ice House. They are located at the entrance of Interlachen.

If you look at the map below, you can just about make out to squares, center left. These are the walls to two of the three ice houses which were located on Interlachen. Now if you follow the white line to the right, you will find it makes a right angle turn towards the top of the photo. Once you follow it you will find that it ends. But it does not and instead continues to the right almost to the point. That is where Interlachen was located right at the end of that road which is grown over with trees. Interlachen, the building where Spencer Borden lived, was truly a mansion to every respect of the word. It made Maplecroft look like servants quarters. The interior is just grandiose.

If you go to the Aug/Sept 2007 issue of the Hatchet Magazine, there are some marvolus photos of the interior. Spectacular.

Now, if you look at the photo of Interlachen once again you will discover a little causeway over the water. This was built by Spencer Borden against the wishes of city fathers as a shortcut to New Boston road, which is what Meridian Street was called back then.

Yes, below are the walls or remains of the old Ice House.

The last photo steve is what you see from
RT24.

Yes, below is the old foundation for Interlachen. If you look at the photo of the building in one of the post above, you can see two half moon bay windows under the porch on the front of the house.

Looking at the photo below you can make out the half round circles of the foundation which use to support those bay windows. Sort of sad, really.

Below are a couple of great period photos c1911 of the entrance to interlachen. On the right are the ice houses and on the left the barn where they kept the horses. The color photo is the same scene and how it looks today.

Oh, oh. I am wrong. I was looking at the map trying to find the slight clearing where the house use to be and remembered that I misspoke. I since corrected the post above.

Now lets start again. If you follow the road away from the ice house you will come to a bend in the road. There was an old boat ramp here I believe, used by the Borden family. Now you take that road up towards the top of the map. As you see it ends. But it really does not but you can not tell because it is grown over. At this location the road splits. It shoots off to the left towards the causeway. It was around this location that Borden kept an elaborate garden and arch which contained an old mission bell.

Now, at the end of the road on the map you would continue to the right to where the land comes to a point over the water. It was here that the house use to stand.

Yep, some more: Here we see one of the openings where access to the ice was made. Large doors were placed here to contain the ice. You can see the scale of the building.

The road to interlachen

Yes, this is the foundation for the barn where they kept the horses who worked out on the ice. You can still see the granite pilings which held up the floor and building. Since then levels of the pond have been raised and since flooded the basement of the old barn. You can see the old barn in a photo above.

YES, the ebay auction for the farmer's wife's dairies have ended. This item had some healthy bids. There were 11 bids by 4 bidders. As is very common, the winning bidder bid only once, with 8 seconds left. The group sold for 40 dollars. The fall river diaries stand at 356 dollars with 16 bids thus far.

Thanks for all the info and photos. Thanks also for the "heads up" on the 104 Third St. topic. I had not really taken in Charitta's entry about the Borden murders and the "daughter" doing the deed.

Online, one source was seeking $2,845.99 as a price for the diaries. A bit steep for me. Since it's on Ebay, guess no one bit for that price.

The diaries were also offered for $66 on 11/17/2009. That's a wide range of prices. Hope it's members of the either the Sanford, Borden or Capron families bidding the price up...they're probably most valuable to the family historian.

Yes, it would be a good thing if one of the SANFORD family members were bidding and end up with the item. If not so, the next best thing is as Stuart had hinted to, that the FRHS get it. I doubt very much they are bidding though.


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

Below is the Civil War diary. Bidding just ended. Sold for 703 dollars with 30 bidders.

As I have pointed out.......and which was also true in the last auction I posted.

There were 30 bids. You have all these bidders slugging it out, driving up the price, and the actual winner bid only ONCE.

Yes, looks like Stuart started bidding. Fall river diaries are up to a whooping 610 with 5 hours to go.

Do I hear 650?

If they take Monopoly money, Michael, I will be able to bid everybody way out of sight!

WOW! Thank you very much MB for the photos and the info regarding Interlachen. I knew those were ice houses that you can see from rt 24, my Dad always told me that but I didn't know they were part of the Interlachen estate and I didn't know the Borden house stood that close to the Wautuppa. Must have had one hell of a beautiful view. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to live there. You are so right though...Interlachen is Fall River's mansion. I don't yet have access to "The Hatchet" so unfortunately I can't see any interior pictures. Must have been AWESOME. Oh how Lizzie must have longed to be one of "those" Bordens.

WOW! $1,420!!!!

Ah GEE.....missed it Stuart Thank god!!!

But, then again I really wasn't sure whether I really wanted it. If I did I would have seriously bid.

My high was really 800. But towards the end of bidding I spun the barrel......you know, like on a revolver to your head. I knew someone wanted it worst than I did and if I didn't get it, so be it.

Was it fun???????

Naaah! It's only fun when I win.

Well, the diaries have been sold.

They are gone.

I'll never get to hold them-

doesn't seem worth it, really-

life is not the same-

doesn't seem worth living any longer.

Well..............I suppose there is always the bridge.

I suppose I could hit myself in the head with an axe, but I probably would only manage to knock my self out-

when I got up I still would not own the diaries.

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NO WAIT, WAIT. WHAT IS THIS.

WOW........COOL.

WHAT A REASON TO LIVE. ITS A GLASS AX C1911 WITH LIZZIE'S NAME ON IT. ON EBAY FOR STARTING BID OF 49 DOLLARS.

Dairies? What diaries??????

THE AXE IS ON.


I'M OFF........................

Can you make the lamb fly?

So cute!!!

thanks for this. Made me laff.

And the ax is really cool!

Very interesting about the diaries!