My Famous Relative Did Something Very Bad On This Day in 1892
“Lizzie Borden took an axe
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty-one.”
I feel like a lot of families have a rumor or two about a famous relative. "My great great great...grandpa was on the Mayflower" or something. For my husband's family, the lore is a little darker than that. A couple of years ago, his sister, Bridgett, had been looking into their ancestry, but wasn't able to find a connection.
Leave it to the gal with self-diagnosed ADHD (that's me!) to hyperfocus and do a deep dive on ancestry.com. I started with present-day family members, knowing the connection was on Michael's mother's side (Her maiden name is Borden.)
After examining all of the great-grandparents and such, I came across a name that I could corroborate in connection with the gruesome events that made this relative famous. We have ALL heard of this person thanks to the movies, TV shows, and songs or jump rope rhymes like the one I shared above. The one and only Lizzie Borden.
Michael’s Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather is Richard Borden, the brother of Abraham Borden. Abraham’s son, Andrew, and his wife, Abby, were discovered bleeding to death in their home on August 4th, 1892. They appeared to have been hacked repeatedly with an axe.
Their daughter, Lizzie, was accused, tried, and ultimately acquitted of the heinous murders that took place. This story is one of the most infamous murders in American history. The first-ever true crime media circus. People were fascinated that a woman could be capable of such an evil act, and they did not trust her or like her.
Ryan Murphy to Feature Lizzie Borden in Netflix 'Monster' Series
It makes perfect sense that her story will be the next one featured by Ryan Murphy for his Netflix series 'Monster.' Each season focuses on a true crime case that has gone down in history, from Jeffrey Dahmer to the Menendez brothers to the most recent one about Ed Gein. Here is a preview from the Menendez brothers season if you aren't familiar.
Murphy's portrayal of these "Monsters" has been considered controversial by some. He highlights more of the murderer's point of view, not to necessarily justify their crimes, but to give more context behind the motive. However, some credit him with the recent appeal movement in the Menendez brothers' case.
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Premiere Date
Today, on the anniversary of the murders, Netflix made an announcement worth marking your calendar for:
Ella Beatty will play Lizzie in the Netflix series, which debuts September 17th. Even though she was acquitted, she lived the rest of her life as a pariah. The whole situation was steeped in the sexism of the time, and other possible suspects were never even seriously investigated. I'm VERY curious to see Ryan Murphy's theory of what he thinks actually happened.
A Couple of Sassholes: My Cousin Lizzie Borden
If you want to know more about the story, I recorded a podcast about it. A Couple of Sassholes: Episode #57. It is a rollercoaster ride of tangents and laughs. If you like true crime and stories told via the scenic route, you will love this podcast!