Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Question please....who were the beneficiaries of Bridget Sullivan's will? I understand that she was living with a niece at the time of her death in 1948. I have reason to believe that this niece was a blood relative of Bridget's.

I don't know that there was a will made public. I'll try looking tomorrow.

Bridget's Will is 4 and 1/2 pages long, and it is in pretty bad shape. It appears to have been in a fire (?), but it is what it is. Here you go (Click on images to enlarge):

You may also be interested in Bridget's Death Record (Click on image to enlarge).

Thanks, Twins for looking it up!

Thanks so much, Mystery & Twins!

Bridget has always fascinated me, and I've become very interested in her blood relatives...specifically, if any of them settled in Butte or Anaconda. If my research so far is correct, I believe that at least two of her nieces mentioned in her will are blood-related...the daughters of two of Bridget's siblings.

Irish-

I *can't* be 100% sure since my letter was returned to me but I thought Bridget later married and ended up in Butte and then later, Anaconda (of course, it could be backwards). I wanted to write a book on what happened after the murders and was trying to find relatives of Bridget's who could tell me anything or if she had kept journals or papers.

irishlass78 wrote:Thanks so much, Mystery & Twins!

Bridget has always fascinated me, and I've become very interested in her blood relatives...specifically, if any of them settled in Butte or Anaconda. If my research so far is correct, I believe that at least two of her nieces mentioned in her will are blood-related...the daughters of two of Bridget's siblings.

On page 2 of the will, Dennis Sullivan is named as a nephew who lived in Butte.

twinsrwe wrote:You may also be interested in Bridget's Death Record (Click on image to enlarge).

bridget.jpg

Twins- is that the name of her parents listed? It said she was a widow but I forgot what his name was. I did a brief search on Bridget and her family when I wanted to write my book.

Mystery and Irish, you are welcome for the above information.

MysteryReader wrote:

twinsrwe wrote:You may also be interested in Bridget's Death Record (Click on image to enlarge).

bridget.jpg

Twins- is that the name of her parents listed? It said she was a widow but I forgot what his name was. I did a brief search on Bridget and her family when I wanted to write my book.

I believe it is, but I will dig a little deeper to see if we are correct. Wish me luck!

Here are a few pictures of Bridget in her later years; One photo is of Bridget with her husband John Sullivan (Click on images to enlarge.):

Thanks, Twins.

You're welcome, Mystery.

OK, I ran across much better copies of Bridget's Will:

There is some interesting information in The Herald News, dated April 9, 2012: http://tinyurl.com/qgk2y3l

From Ancestry.com, Message Boards, by naomisullivan59711 (Posted: 23 Jun 1999, Edited: 15 Sep 2009):

Hi Researchers,

I am searching for information about my husband's great aunt, Bridget Sullivan, who may have been maid for the Andrew Borden family of Fall River, Bristol Co. MA at the time of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden Aug 4, 1892.

Our Bridget Sullivan was born Mar 1864, one of 12 children born to Owen(Eugene) O'Sullivan and Margaret O'Leary in Co. Cork, Ireland. She emigrated to the United States at the age of 19 years (abt. 1883/85), worked in Fall River, MA for 2 1/2 years and may have had contact with a cousin, Patrick Harrington, who lived there. She apparently left Fall River soon after the trial and may have returned to Ireland for a while.

I don't know when she returned to the U.S. but she moved circa 1896 to Anaconda, MT where in 1905 she married a smelterman, John M. Sullivan and resided there until after his death in 1939. She died Mar. 25, 1948 in Butte, MT.

Her siblings, all born in Ireland, were Denis (b)Mar1853, Timothy (b)July 1854, Eugene (b)unknown, Mary (b)June1858, Johanna (b)July 1860, (Johanna and Mary died young), Cait (Catherine) (b)Mar1862, Ellen (b)May 1867, Mary #2 (b)Jan1869, Philip and Seamus(James) (b)Apr1872, Johanna #2 (b)Jan 1874.

Much has been researched and written about the Borden murders and Bridget's connection; however, she apparently took any knowledge of the event to her grave. I hope to find an actual family connection or be able to discount her connection with the crime. Thank you. Naomi

http://tinyurl.com/ojw9grq

If you compare Bridget’s DOB in the information Naomi Sullivan indicated, Bridget’s Will and her Certificate of Death, you’ll find discrepancies. The following threads will give you more information regarding the discrepancies of Bridget’s birth date. (Note, there are two thread with the same title, but they are different threads.):

Bridget Sullivan: http://tinyurl.com/ocr9nl5

Bridget's children: http://tinyurl.com/o6tcukx

Bridget Again: http://tinyurl.com/q4y6jbm

Bridget Again: http://tinyurl.com/pjbvura

Bridget's Boat: http://tinyurl.com/pgdxsgn

Opinions on the recent Hatchet articles: http://tinyurl.com/ptflc8b

Twins...thank you so much for the information. It's been very helpful in my research. I'm putting together the pieces of the puzzle regarding Bridget's Irish relatives and will post soon.

You're welcome, Irish. I'm glad you found that information helpful. I'm intrigued and will be looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

In the Lizzie Borden Quarterly, Vol. 3, #2, April 1996, genealogist Richard O'Dwyer identified Bridget's 11 siblings and their spouses. According to O'Dwyer, Bridget's brother, Eugene Sullivan, married Margaret O'Sullivan, daughter of Daniel O'Sullivan & Ellen O'Sullivan.

In the 1901 Irish census for Billeragh, Cork, Eugene, age 45, is a widower living with his in-laws, Daniel and Ellen Sullivan, and four children: Mary, age 16; Catherine, age 14; Patrick, age 14; and Margaret, age 11. In the 1911 census, neither Catherine or Margaret are in the household.

In Bridget's will, she makes a bequest to three nieces:

1. Kate Moriarity. Kate Sullivan, age 22, born in Castletown, Cork, married John Moriarity in Butte in 1911. She died in 1960 in Silver Bow, Butte. Birth date: Aug. 9, 1886. Occupation: Domestic. Parents: Eugene Sullivan & Margaret Sullivan. Informant(s): John & Ed Moriarity. According to the 1930 U.S. census, she immigrated in 1905.

2. Mary Sullivan. This is the niece who resided with Bridget at the time of her death. Mary Sullivan died in April 1951 at Silver Bow, Butte, residence 112 E. Woolman St. Her father was Jerry Sullivan, no mother's name given, husband: Timothy. She was probably Bridget's niece via marriage.

3. Margaret “Margery” Sullivan, b. Aug. 7, 1889, Cork, Ireland married 1) George McNally, date unknown, by whom she had two children: George Anthony McNally, b. Silver Bow, Montana in 1907, and Margaret McNally, b. 1908, Silver Bow, Montana.
She then married 2) Kenneth McLeod on Sept. 15, 1925 at Silver Bow, Butte Montana. She died in 1966 in Silver Bow, Butte. Occupation: Maid. Parents: Eugene Sullivan & Margaret Sullivan. Informant: George McNally. According to the 1930 census, she immigrated in 1907.

So Kate Moriarity and Margaret McLeod could very possibly be the daughters of Bridget's brother, Eugene.

She also referenced a nephew, Denis Sullivan, in her will. I haven't been able to identify him, but a Denis Sullivan did reside at 109 E. Woolman St. (Bridget resided at 112 E. Woolman St.).

I cross-referenced Sullivan families living in Billeragh, Cork in the 1911 Irish census according to O'Dwyer's findings. It appears that most of Bridget's siblings and their children still resided in Billeragh and Kilmichael parishes at that time.

twinsrwe wrote: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:57 pm There is some interesting information in The Herald News, dated April 9, 2012: http://tinyurl.com/qgk2y3l

From Ancestry.com, Message Boards, by naomisullivan59711 (Posted: 23 Jun 1999, Edited: 15 Sep 2009):

Hi Researchers,

I am searching for information about my husband's great aunt, Bridget Sullivan, who may have been maid for the Andrew Borden family of Fall River, Bristol Co. MA at the time of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden Aug 4, 1892.

Our Bridget Sullivan was born Mar 1864, one of 12 children born to Owen(Eugene) O'Sullivan and Margaret O'Leary in Co. Cork, Ireland. [...]

This is exactly the info I wanted about Bridget's death certificate. Thanks, Twins.

It always struck me as odd that Lizzie and Emma would call her Maggie, as though they couldn't be bothered to learn her actual name and carried on calling her by the name of their previous maid.

Emma appeared to be kind-hearted, and we know at least in later life, Lizzie was kind to her employees, and others.

This is speculation of course, but it seems to me likely that at first they mistakenly called Bridget Maggie, and Bridget replied that she didn't mind, since it was her mother's name. No way of knowing if her mother Margaret was ever called Maggie, but it's a likelihood.

I have spoken to Naomi a bunch of times. She is a very nice lady.

According to Michael Martins, curator of the Fall River Historical Society, it was standard for wealthy families to have an Irish maid and they were referred to as "Maggies" ---seems insensitive to me, but it was the going thing. Mrs. Brigham, who was of that era and ran the Society for many years also would say that was her experience. It had nothing to do with anyone's name or who was the prior maid at the Borden house. Irish maids were called "Maggies" or Maggie.

I'm trying to remember, without looking it up, just who in the household called Bridget that. I think, if I am not mistaken, that it was Mrs. Borden. That Emma and Lizzie called her by her given name.

Interesting, Stefani, because it seems insensitive to me too, which is why it surprised me Emma and Lizzie would call Bridget Maggie, as though they couldn't be bothered to call her by her real name. Given what we know about them.

As I recall, it was Emma and Lizzie who called her Maggie, and Abby who called her Bridget. Don't remember reading anything about what Mr. Borden called her.

Hi Catbooks, I do believe you are correct. So much of this case is in the details. I sometimes get weary of looking every little thing up. Thank you for setting this straight!

Today we would consider calling an Irish maid "A Maggie" as disparaging. There was a definite class issue here in doing this. There is nothing that I can find that the Irish maids were offended. I guess it was just accepted. At least in Fall River.