Mondo Lizzie Borden

Andrew J. Jennings, Lizzie Borden’s family attorney, was known to have kept scrapbooks and diaries relating to his most famous client. The Fall River Historical Society was recently the recipient of his scrapbooks, and they were on display this year in their new Lizzie Borden exhibit. These scrapbooks are a collection of clippings on the case kept by Jennings, but do not offer us much insight into the day to day of the trial or his preparations.

Now, however, due to a recent bequeath, the Fall River Historical Society has been given the personal notebooks of Andrew Jennings, and they DO give us some new information that has never before been released.

The story of their condition and the plans for their use in the future appears tonight online in the Fall River Herald News.

From Commonwealth of Massachusetts VS. Lizzie A. Borden; The Knowlton Papers, 1892-1893. Eds. Michael Martins and Dennis A. Binette. Fall River, MA: Fall River Historical Society, 1994:

JENNINGS, ANDREW JACKSON 1849 – 1923: born in Fall River, Massachusetts, son of Andrew M. and Olive B. (Chace) Jennings. Educated in the Fall River public school system, he prepared for college at Mowry and Goff’s Classical School in Providence, Rhode Island. He proceeded to Brown University, from which he graduated in 1872, earning a Bachelor of Arts. He subsequently served for two years as principal of the high school in Warren, Rhode Island. In 1874, he began the study of law in the office of James M. Morton, Esq. of Fall River. He attended Boston University Law School, obtained his degree in 1876 and was admitted to the bar in Bristol County, Massachusetts, that same year. His first partnership was formed immediately with Attorney Morton and lasted for fourteen years. He married Miss Marion G. Saunders of Warren, Rhode Island, on Christmas Day in 1879. In 1890, he opened an office with John S. Brayton, Jr. and, upon that firm’s dissolution in 1892, continued to practice alone. He was a member of the school committee of Fall River from 1915 to 1878 and served in both the Massachusetts House of’ Representatives and state senate. He was elected district attorney for the Southeastern District of Massachusetts, holding that office from 1894 to 1898. A life-long resident of his native city, he was active in civic and church affairs and was a member of various professional organizations. He served for a time as president of the Fall River Bar Association. He was a trustee of Brown University and was identified with several Fall River corporations, being a director of the Globe Yarn Mills, the Sanford Spinning Company and the Merchants Manufacturing Company. He was also a director of the Union Savings Bank. He acted as Miss Lizzie A. Borden’s attorney from the time of her arrest. As a member of the legal team which represented her at the trial, he delivered the opening statement for the defense.