Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ turns the spotlight on the axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. The main accused in the case is Andrew’s daughter, Lizzie, who maintains her innocence even as public opinion already seems to have turned against her. When it seems she has no one, her sister, Emma, comes to her defense. Despite the differences between the sisters, Emma is determined to protect her younger sibling, but eventually a rift develops between them that they never recover from. While the show takes many creative liberties, Lizzie and Emma’s relationship is mostly portrayed through a realistic lens. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Emma Borden Was Dedicated to Her Family, Especially Lizzie
Born in 1851, Emma Borden was the eldest child of Andrew and Sarah Borden. She was almost a decade older than Lizzie, and on Sarah’s deathbed, Emma promised their mother that she would always take care of her little sister. Soon after this, their father remarried, bringing Abby home as Emma and Lizzie’s stepmother. The girls had a strained relationship with her, but Emma was said to have been more cordial in her dealings with Abby than Lizzie. On August 4, 1892, Emma had been visiting her friend in Fairhaven. She was about 17 miles away from her house and received the news of her parents’ murder through a telegram, which sent her racing back home. Her strong alibi immediately cleared her of suspicion, but Lizzie could not shake off the questions raised about her involvement in the murder.
When Lizzie was arrested, Emma made sure her sister had everything she needed, including strong legal counsel. She also testified in court, speaking in her sister’s favor and showing remarkable love and dedication. At the same time, she is said to have poked holes in the prosecution’s theories that cast suspicion on Lizzie. Eventually, Lizzie was acquitted and reunited with her sister. They split their inheritance of around $300,000 and decided to move to a new home, Maplecroft. There, they lived together until 1905, when Emma packed her bags and left. The exact reason for her departure remains unknown. However, she is said to have once given a statement in which she allegedly stated that living at Maplecroft had become unbearable for her.
It is believed that Emma’s reserved, more conservative nature stood in stark contrast to her sister’s lavish, flamboyant lifestyle. While neither sister ever confirmed this, outsiders believed that Emma wanted to live more quietly. Some even theorized that the guilt of her parents’ murder was eating away at her, which is why she couldn’t bear to splurge their money with the same enthusiasm as her sister. While she may have left her sister behind, Emma never spoke ill of Lizzie. She never retracted her belief in her sister’s innocence. After she moved away, the sisters never saw each other again and were only reunited in death.
Emma Borden’s Final Years Were Marked by Seclusion
Emma Borden passed away on June 10, 1927, after about four weeks of illness. She was 76 years old and was laid to rest at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, Massachusetts, in her family’s plot, next to her sister and close to the graves of Andrew and Abby Borden. At the time of her death, she was in Newmarket, New Hampshire, where she had moved several years ago. It is reported that since her arrival in town, she had been of ill health, which kept her from being social and confined her to a life of seclusion.
Emma is said to have suffered from chronic nephritis with senility and was in the care of her relative, Miss Annie Connors. When Lizzie died on June 1, 1927, the news was relayed to Emma, but she couldn’t make it to the funeral due to her own bad health. She died nine days later. At the time of her passing, her net worth was estimated to be about $450,000. She never married and had no children. She left most of her money to charity, while leaving small amounts and her belongings to her relatives and friends, such as the Connors. She even had Lizzie in her will, showing that even though she hadn’t talked to her sister in years, she still cared about her.
Read More: Was Lizzie Borden Gay? Did She and Bridget Sullivan, aka Maggie, End Up Together?
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