Borden Family Genealogy & History

Lizzie Andrew Borden (1860–1927) was a notorious figure in American history, famously tried and acquitted for the axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892. Despite her acquittal, the case left a lasting impact on American popular culture, inspiring numerous films, books, and folk rhymes. Borden lived her entire life in Fall River, where she was largely ostracized by the community, and died of pneumonia at the age of 66.

Lizzie Borden was born to Andrew Jackson Borden and Sarah Anthony Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts. Her father, Andrew, of English and Welsh descent, overcame modest beginnings to become a successful businessman and property developer. He was known for his frugality despite his wealth, which included significant investments in textile mills and a local bank. Lizzie had one older sister, Emma Lenora Borden, and they were both active in their church and community organizations.

Sir Robert Laird Borden was a distinguished Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. Renowned for his leadership during World War I, Borden introduced significant measures such as the War Measures Act and conscription, which led to the Conscription Crisis. He expanded Canada's autonomy at the Paris Peace Conference and introduced women's suffrage in federal elections. Borden's governance also saw the nationalization of railways and the handling of the Halifax Explosion. He retired in 1920 and later served as Chancellor of Queen's University and president of Barclays Bank of Canada and Crown Life Insurance Company.

Robert Borden was born in Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia, into a family with deep roots in New England. His great-grandfather, Perry Borden Sr., was part of the New England Planters who settled in the region in 1760. The Borden family originally immigrated from England in the 17th century. Borden's father, Andrew, was noted for his good judgment, while his mother, Eunice Jane Laird, possessed remarkable energy and ambition, traits she passed on to her son. Robert's cousin, Frederick Borden, was a well-known Liberal politician.

William Liscum Borden was a prominent American lawyer and influential congressional staffer, notably serving as the executive director of the United States Congress Joint Committee on Atomic Energy from 1949 to 1953. Renowned for his advocacy of nuclear weapons development, Borden became a pivotal figure in U.S. government circles. His most significant action was accusing physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer of being a Soviet agent, leading to the infamous Oppenheimer security hearing in 1954. Borden's experiences as a B-24 Liberator pilot during World War II and his subsequent work, including authoring "There Will Be No Time," underscore his deep engagement with military strategy and atomic warfare.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1920, William L. Borden was raised in a family with a strong military tradition. His father served in the Army Medical Corps and later became president of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Borden's middle name was a tribute to Colonel Emerson H. Liscum, a relative who died in the Boxer Rebellion, reflecting the family's military lineage. His upbringing in an affluent environment and education at the prestigious St. Albans School and Yale College shaped his influential career.

Olive Mary Borden, known as "the Joy Girl," was a prominent American actress during the silent film era, renowned for her beauty and jet-black hair. Borden reached the peak of her career in the mid-1920s, earning $1,500 weekly, and starred in notable films like "3 Bad Men" and "Fig Leaves." Despite her success, her transition to sound films was difficult, and her career waned by the early 1930s. Borden also served courageously in the Women's Army Corps during World War II, receiving an Army citation for bravery. Her later years were marked by financial difficulties and health issues, leading her to work at the Sunshine Mission in Los Angeles, where she died at 40.

Olive Borden was born on July 14, 1906, in Richmond, Virginia. Her father, Harry Robinson Borden, passed away when she was an infant, and she was raised by her mother, Cecelia "Sibbie" Shields, in Norfolk and Baltimore. Borden was a fourth cousin of the infamous Lizzie Borden through her father. She attended Catholic boarding schools and began her career as a Sennett Bathing Beauty in 1922. Her cousin, Natalie Joyce, was also an actress and a contemporary in the film industry.