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Lizzie Borden

American murder suspect (1860–1927)

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ240496
Source-derived summary

Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No other individuals were charged with the murders.

After the trial, Borden and her older sister Emma bought a house in the wealthier Highlands, or Hill District, of Fall River, where Borden lived out her life. Emma moved away after twelve years and lived in New Hampshire. Borden died of pneumonia at age 66; nine days later Emma also died.

The Borden murders and 1893 trial received widespread publicity in the United States, and have remained a topic in American popular culture depicted in numerous films, theatrical productions, literary works, and even folk rhymes.

Early life

Lizzie Andrew Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Sarah (Anthony) Borden (née Morse; 1823–1863) and Andrew Jackson Borden (1822–1892). She was the third child born to the couple; ahead of Lizzie were Emma Lenora and Alice Esther, who died of hydrocephalus at 22 months.

Their father, Andrew Borden, was of English and Welsh descent. He grew up in very modest surroundings and had struggled financially as a young man, despite being the descendant of a wealthy and influential family.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Lizzie Borden” as american murder suspect (1860–1927). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1860, 1927, 1893, 1823—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1860-07-19. The account is most persuasive where Lizzie, Borden and American can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as american murder suspect (1860–1927). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q240496. VIAF identifies the subject as 57419792. The Library of Congress control number is n50044556. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1860, 1927, 1893 and 1823.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Lizzie Borden” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.