Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I own a copy of LIZZIE BORDEN: Did She?...or...Didn't She? as Recorded in the Historic Pages of The Evening Standard, New Bedford, Mass.- 1892 & 1893.

Interesting material, but very hard to read due to the extremely small print. I was trying to review the early days of the crime and the references to Bridget's inquest testimony. I did note two different paragraphs which pertained to family trouble within the Bordens which did not pertain to Emma or Lizzie.

The Evening Standard, Friday, August 5, 1892
From Page 6, Column 5
Asked For Poison

Late this forenoon it was reported at the police station that a young man, said to be a nephew of Mr. Borden, was being suspected of the murder. It arose from the fact that some time ago Mr. and Mrs. Borden were overheard in an angry talk with a young man over the division of some property. As the young man was parting from them at the front door he was heard to say: "By G____, you've cheated me, and I'll make you suffer."

The report was sifted and it was found that such a conversation had occurred, but it happened ten months ago and the young man has not been seen since.

From Page 7, Column 4
Have a Clew!

In the excitement that letter to Mrs. Borden, which figured prominently in the morning investigation, has been overlooked. It is now known that Bridget Sullivan, the servant, had been sent to the upper story of the house to wash windows, and that may account for the fact that she heard no unusual noise in the house. It is further learned that Mr. Borden had recently been settling up the estate of his father, Abraham Borden, of whose estate he was an executor, and that within a few days had sold some property. Abraham Borden left no will, and his estate was not large.

Was Abraham's estate probated around the time of the murders? I don't want to resurrect the ghost of Billy Borden, but could there have been disgruntled siblings and extended family of Andrew existing at this time?

The last I knew, no one could even verify a source for Abraham's employment as a "fish peddlar." Does anyone know who were Abraham's heirs?

If Abraham's small estate posed an ugly situation for Andrew as executor, I can imagine him telling somebody that he needed to make a will (just to avoid more family infighting, and not in anticipation of dying).

I was also reading the Did She Didn't She book today! And the printing was so small I almost fell asleep from eye fatigue!

The coverage from any papers the 4th and 5th are unreliable. Very unreliable. After a few days tho, the Standard seemed to have had consistently good coverage.

Abraham's line died with Emma Borden, as you know.
He died 10 years earlier, 1882, so why would Andrew be executing a will of his in 1892?

Any Borden relations to Andrew would be thru Abraham's siblings. That's funny- Harry & I were just talking about them today!
But of Abraham's children, only Andrew and Lurana were still living.
Wasn't Andrew(#218) executing (his uncle) Thomas Borden's(Thomas#209) estate for Mary Ann Borden(#225)? - that might be to what you refer, now that I think about it some more?

August 9th, page 8, see headline "A Hired Assassin."
There is Mr. Fish really venting about his own theory from Abby's side of the family!

I think there was also a question in the early days about whether Morse would have benefited from Abraham's will. Why would that be??- I've always wondered that!
Does anyone remember a reference to that?

Thanks for the info, Kat. I'm just getting back into some Lizzie stuff and I'm off my game. I know probate can drag out, especially in Massachusetts, but I'm not aware of any probate info on Abraham so I wondered if it was somehow possible.

Like you, I thought of Abraham's siblings and a possible nephew of Abraham. Did the fish peddler issue ever get squared away? Was fishmongering Abraham's true employment? Somehow, I think there would be records somewhere if the was an open fish market at the foot of Ferry Street, for instance.

Kat @ Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:00 am wrote:I think there was also a question in the early days about whether Morse would have benefited from Abraham's will. Why would that be??- I've always wondered that!
Does anyone remember a reference to that?

This was in the FR Herald of August 5, 1892:

"... An effort has been made to obtain information relative to the condition of the property left by Abraham B. Borden, father of Andrew. A search at the probate office shows that no will was left by Abraham, and that Andrew J. was appointed administrator of the estate. Andrew J.'s mother left a will, but her property amounted to less than $3000, and that was all willed to her brothers and nieces. ..."

The Boston Advertiser of the same date expanded on that a little:

"Taunton, Aug. 4. - It being learned that the Fall River police are watching John Morse, the brother of the late A. J. Borden's first wife, an effort has been made to obtain information relative to the condition of the property left by A. B. Borden, father of A. J. It appears that Morse has been at Borden's house for the last two days, and that a settlement of the estate is in progress. It was thought that the will of Abraham Borden might have left the property in such manner as to revert to Morse, in case of the death of Andrew Borden, but a search of the probate office shows that no will was left by Abraham, and that A. J. was appointed administrator of the estate. A. J.'s mother left a will, but her property amounted to less than $3000, and that was all willed to her brothers and nieces. ..."

A question was raised about the origin of Abraham Borden's means of livelihood....was he in the fish selling business?

Question: What is the source or origin for Abraham Borden being a fish monger/seller?

Answer: Newspaper reporter and author, Edwin Porter states in his 1893 book, Fall River Tragedy, that “Upon the death of his father, Abraham Borden, he came into possession of a small estate, but his fortune was of his own creation. Abraham Borden sold fish in the streets of Fall River when the place was but a village and thus by patient and plodding economy, accumulated enough money to purchase a house on Ferry Street and some other real estate.”

This appears to be the earliest reference to Abraham being in the fish selling biz. More recent authors, including Radin, Lincoln, Sullivan and other's, used Porter's book as the source to provide the same information in their books.

There is no other known source for this supposition.

However, federal and Massachusetts census's provide a different possibility to Abraham's primary occupation. Starting with the 1850 U.S. Census, both federal and state censuses began recording occupational data.

There were two state and four federal censuses conducted between 1850 and Abraham’s death in 1882. His occupation was listed as a gardener three times (1860, 1865, 1870), a farmer twice (1855, 1880) and a laborer once (1850). Supporting the census data, the Fall River Monitor and the Fall River Daily Evening News, on several occasions, reported about Abraham's pear growing prowess at 12 Ferry Street.

My view is that Abraham was a 'gentleman farmer' or what early 1800's New Englanders called a 'Yeoman'. He grew/raised enough to feed and clothe his family. Excess output was sold.