Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Tonight when I was at the library I found a book in the "New Books" section called America From The Revolutionary War To The Present by Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler. On pages 6-7 it had this on Lizzie Borden:

" Some letters we knew we would never find. Lizzie Borden apparently wrote several that are locked in a safe in Massachuetts."


Say what! Now, are there letters locked in some safe? Or are these authors guilty of sloppy research? They didn't mention the " I dreamed of you..." letter or any of the others we know about. They're not in a safe are they? Are there other letters? Anyone know?

I read that same thing several weeks ago at my library and jotted it down as a quote. I was thinking maybe they were referring to where the FRHS stored their Lizzie letters?

That's all I could think of. And I was going to let them know at the Society that this had been written, but I didn't.

Could they be referring to the Robinson papers? There may be correspondence from Lizzie to her legal team during and after the trial.

The FR Historical Society may also have some of her letters. But if they are locked away in a safe, hidden from public view, then they are not fulfilling their reason for being. I can understand the financial considerations but if they have them they should either publish them or put them on free display.

I was thinking the authors were speaking figuratively.
I mean can you picture them phoning the FRHS and asking for Lizzie-letters and being told "They're in the safe?" I couldn't picture that, except if it was off-season for Lizzie there- like during the Holiday Season.

Also, we don't know how many *sticky-fingers* visit there.

It would be hard to believe that the FRHS have some letters written by lizzie and Michael of the HS has not released them. Even a small number would make for a thin book, but interesting read.

But who knows, Fall River is a strange place. Some people were killed here back in 1892, you know, and the killer is still out there somewhere.???

As Harry said, they must mean the Robinson Papers, which would be the next big seller, espesially if Lizzie had letters to her attorney there, though if so could prove to be very dry material. Either way would still be a best seller.

Don't know much about it, but I believe that the Robinson material is locked up somewhere due to lawyer client confideniality, but you would think that after 113 years.........................?

When personal property is donated to Societies or Libraries often there is a caveat that they not be made public until a certain year or until certain people are deceased, or similar requirements. I think it possible the Fall River Hist. Soc. could have letters to or from Lizzie they have never disclosed. I just wish they would get the Hilliard Papers out - it's been 16 years since the FRHS received them. They would have much more than the Lizzie case, but pertaining to the Lizzie case I think would more "witness statements" or reports filed by officers workig the Borden murders. I think what Knowlton got, from Hilliard wasn't all of it. I think what the FRHS published as Witness Statements was not all of it. Who first gave the FRHS those anyway and when? Does anybody here know? I suppose I could call and ask them outright. Point is, I don't think it's complete of all the reports taken at the time.

Lizzie had a lot of people writing her (and Emma) in 1892 and 1893. Supporters when she was in Taunton jail. Then there's the correspondence between she and Livermore. Certainly to her theatrical friends.

I was browsing the lists of the holdings of Ella Lyman Cabot's papers, and within her general correspondence an Elizabeth Borden is listed. I know that it is probably far fetched that this is our Lizzie Borden especially since Lizzie changed the spelling of her first name, but still it piqued my curiosity. I can dream can't I.

Ella Lyman Cabot was an educator, author and lecturer. She was born into the prominent Lyman family of Boston and married Dr. Richard Clarke Cabot a physician and professor at Harvard.

Cabot, Ella Lyman. Papers, 1855-1934: A Finding Aid
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America

http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00485

It's a stretch but does anyone know who cleaned out Lizzie's home and Emma's when they died? I know they made a will but surely not everything was taken.

Not a clue! I know that Lizzie's will left some money, furniture, jewellery, books to cousins, best friends, people like that. I can't imagine that the executors would have held a big auction of her belongings. Everyone in the U.S. who was interested in the Lizzie Borden legend would be there grabbing a piece of history. I imagine a lot of her stuff landed for sale in New York, Boston, etc, sold anonymously.

Hmm! Wonder whether I could time travel!

I would love to time travel! I imagine you're right- people probably were there once they died to grab a piece of history, once everything was gone or sent to those listed in the will. Did you see that Emma left something to Lizzie (off the top of my mind, I can't remember what).

I think it was a thousand dollars, but Lizzie was so snotty about Emma, wasn't she? . Never mentioned her by name at all in her will.

Yes, Lizzie was snotty. I was reading it to my husband (parts of them) and I mentioned how I was surprised that Emma left her something and Lizzie was too uppity.

There's been a lot of speculation over the years in various threads about what the quarrel in 1905 was about. I don't think it was about the family 'elephant in the room', ie the murder, nor (as I don't think Lizzie was a lesbian) any affair with Nance O' Neill. Whatever it was though, seems to have cut Lizzie to the quick right to the end of her life, more so than Emma really, as Emma showed forgiveness at the end of hers.