"Property of Deceased
Various estimates are being made regarding the extent of Mr. Borden's wealth. The assessor's books show a total valuation of local real estate owned by him of $173,650. The A.J. Borden building is valued at $45,000. The latest purchase was the Birch property on South Main street valued at $23,000.
He also owned the property on which the McManus and Fielden stores are located and also a vast amount of smaller lots in different sections. His personal estate is valued at between $175,000 and $250,000. When the Globe Street Railway changed hands he was in possession of a large block of stock for which he received $200 per share. Mrs. Borden owned her father's homestead on Fourth street in connection with her half sister Mrs. Sarah Whitehead. Miss Emma and Lizzie Borden are taxed for an estate on Ferry street valued at, $5,650.
--I had read in many places that Andrew got the better of the Ferry Street deal when he gave the girls a total of $5,000 for it the month before he was murdered. Charles Cook says in his Witness Statement that Lizzie came to see him about the worth of it. Now the papers have made a stab at an inventory of Andrew's property and for taxation that property is already valued at $650 more than the girls were paid. It's even possible that the valuation for taxes was a percentage lower than an actual sale value? It might have fetched even more? Did they get "took" after all?
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A question also about the "Newly Acquired Property On South Main Street:"
Fall River Daily Globe, Friday, August 18, 1892 Page 7 HEW
"(Real Estate Column)
Some months ago it happened to be the duty of the Globe to reflect some sharp public criticisms on the character of the improvements that were being made on his then newly acquired property on South Main street. Meeting the writer a couple of weeks afterward he bade him sit down in a store not many rods distant from his home and proceeded to give reasons why he thought his course was a proper one.
At the conclusion of a long and deliberate conversation he exacted a promise that nothing should be said of his opinions in the papers that would in any way be taken as a justification to the public of what he considered to be his own personal and private affairs. He held that it was not wisdom on an old man's part to erect costly buildings in a section where he could not see a substantial return at once, and it was very unwise for an old man to mortgage property and hire money, if his whole life policy had been against such a procedure.
He would not say that the policy of turning money was an entirely bad one but he had found in his successful business career that the man who didn't borrow lived the most contented life. Consequently he did not propose to change his business habits to conform with public opinion although he was willing to concede that much of the criticism was warranted by the superficial conditions.
It was a hobby of Mr. Borden's later life to make Second street a business highway to run parallel with Main street. With this end in view and while discussing another matter of interest to Second street people, Mr. Borden asked the writer's opinion of the wisdom of erecting a substantial brick building at the corner of Second and Spring streets.
'I could secure tenants readily for two floors, but it wouldn't be just the thing in my mind to leave a third floor for hall or dancing purposes. Second street will eventually become an overflow business highway, but it won't be in my time. I don't like to move off the street in my lifetime and dances wouldn't be just the thing I'd want around me in my sleep.' "
--Does anyone know what plans these were and to what they refer?
And why would the public make a criticism? This sounds like what still goes on in Fall River!
Also a comment: This states that Andrew Borden said "I don't like to move off the street in my lifetime."
So much for the rumors supposedly from the girls that they begged him not to make improvements to the Second Street house because their father was planning a move to the Hill.
This also sounds like he did not care what Abby and Emma and Lizzie did after he was gone. Andrew didn't leave any instructions that we know of on how to administer his holdings- my sense is that he knew he couldn't control things from the grave. I just hadn't thought of him like that before.
