Uncle Laddy

[Kat]

We brought up the story of the little drowned children named Borden recently because of the stories of children *haunting* #92. It's been thought that these were Andrew's Uncle Ladowick Borden's children. Laddy had several wives. I don't know how it's been determined that it was one wife of his, and a straight razor was mentioned.

I've collected news references to this tragedy for several years and through 3 Forums and had not ever heard the name of the woman. I had heard and read of the drowning murder of the children, tho. And the suicide of their mother. I hadn't known the details of her death.

Here is Ladwick Bordens' entry in the Borden genealogy, from Fall River and Its Industries, Peck and Earl, 1877: pg. 234.

Ladwick Borden, No. 215
m. (1) Maria Briggs, Sept 8, 1833
m. (2) Eliza Darling, Jan. 28, 1843

Their Children- Eighth Generation.

No. 238. Maria, m. Samuel B. Hinckley, Oct. 2, 1866.

m (3) Eliza T. Chace, Feb. 29, 1849


This shows Laddy's 3 wives. I can't tell if the daughter Maria is from his first or second marriage.

Here is the news snippet from the Fall River Daily Globe of Aug. 5, 1892 about that crime. It says the Borden lived where Dr. Kelley lived, but if the children *haunt* #92, I'd think they died on that property. The land at Second Street encompasses 2 addresses. I think it's possible that there was an earlier house adjacent to #92, in which Ladowick lived.

I find in the 1859 Fall River City Directory this info:
"Borden L. Lawdwick, at planing mill, h. 68 Second"

"At planing mill" means he worked at a planing mill and "h. 68 Second" means he lived in a house at 68 Second Street, in 1859.

He is in the 1870 census as:
#263 Second Street
Ladwick Borden, 58, retired ___ (cannot read)
Ruhama (hard to read), 56 wife

Also residing there:
Lydia A. Crocker, 39, no occupation
Masia [could be Maria] Hinckly, 25, No occupation

Notice that Laddy has a daughter named Maria who married a *Hinckly.*

So this *Maria* survived and married a *Hinckly* and was living with Laddy in 1870. But no mention of her husband.

In Terence Dunihos' article at the website, All Things Swift, he gives a bit of genealogy as a link, under Ladowick's name, and we find a 4th wife. If others can contribute to this story, please do!

[Kat]

It looks like "Lydia Crocker" could be Laddy's stepdaughter, if he married Ruhama Crocker. That would then make his household, in 1870: his 4th wife, his married daughter and his stepdaughter, (or Ruhama's spinster sister), all at #263.

BTW: The numbers changed several times at Second Street.
I have logged: 1231/1230, 1/400, 262/263, 92/94, 44 and 230/?.

[Harry]

I did find mention of the crime in the Boston Globe of June 18, 1893. The article was discussing murders that occurred in the area near the Borden house on Second Street over the years. In part it reads:

"... Some time back in the forties, about 1845, the little low cottage house next the Borden estate on 2d st. was occupied by Ladwick Borden, an uncle of the late Andrew J. Borden, and here it was about that time that Ladwick Borden's wife Eliza, in a fit of temporary insanity, drowned her two youngest children in a cistern and then cut her own throat. An older child, a girl, married, and today living in Fall River, escaped from the clutches of the irresponsible woman or she, too, would have been a victim of her mother's diseased mind. This was the second of the great crimes, and, while it was horrifying in the extreme, it did not create the sensation which accompanied the murder of Miss Cornell and is

Today Almost Forgotten

by the inhabitants. Indeed, if it had not been brought to mind by the Borden tragedy last August in the next house it would have passed entirely from memory. ..."

[diana]

So Harry's 1893 Boston Globe article combined with Terence Duniho's genealogy puts Eliza Darling as the murder-suicide mother, right?

[Kat]

It looks like Laddy had 2 wives named Eliza, but the dates match up with Eliza Darling- I think you are right, Diana!
Hmmm...

Thanks Harry! I had not read that!
There's a snippet in The Sourcebook too but your Globe has the better info so far.

[Kat]

Here is a reference to "Hinckley" in the 1892 City Directory.
It's not spelled the same. We should try to find this daughter who survived to have a family.
This name may or may not be our Hinckly.

[Kat]

I just came across this policeman Hinckley- he was Assistant Marshal at one time! 1882, according to Fenner, 1906.
Looks like he was demoted to sergeant by 1892. That's odd.
Or maybe left left the force and then returned?

[Kat]

I'm wondering about that name "Maria." Wouldn't Maria Briggs name a daughter "Maria" rather than a second wife Eliza name the daughter "Maria?" I guss I'm assuming the mother named the daughter.

Shell- how did you know to post Maria Briggs as the wife who killed the children? That info might help too. Thanks.

[Kat]

I have a William W. Darling as engineer in the 1859 Directory, living at house 13 Ferry.
Abraham Borden lived at 12 Ferry.
Sounds like Abraham's brother Laddy might have known the sister or daughter or widow or aunt of this Darling and made her his 2nd wife!
I'm always interested in the *neighbors!*

I also wonder if this Darling family is the one who designed and had built the A.J. Borden Building?

[Societygirl1892]

I had heard about these children, but I did not know they were relations of the Bordens. I had heard they were visiting the Kellys and the children drowned in a small pond in the backyard, I didn't know there was a cistern.
I also heard that they haunt 92 Second Street, and had experiences that I think were them, from someone "small" sitting on the edge of the bed, and my feet being tickled. Dave felt the person sitting on the bed, but didn't have his feet tickled. I have had that happen to me many times in Bridget's room (my favorite room to sleep in in the house).
Thanks for the info, Kat!
Pammie

[Kat]

So is that a kind of *local* legend?
Did you live in Fall River, Pammie- or just marry at the B&B and visited a lot?

I'm always interested in more local lore.

[Kat]

I've got a Samuel B. Hinckley in the Directory of 1859 as a painter, with house at 85 Pleasant.

[Kat]

I'm wondering about that name "Maria." Wouldn't Maria Briggs name a daughter "Maria" rather than a second wife Eliza name the daughter "Maria?" I guss I'm assuming the mother named the daughter.

Shell- how did you know to post Maria Briggs as the wife who killed the children? That info might help too. Thanks.

I found Terence's source for the children's names, and it looks like they were born after Maria Briggs Borden died. So I'm still wondering about the post saying Maria Briggs was the one who killed the children?

Here is what is printed- I don't know the actual source name, but it is from 1941 and is a genealogy, in textual format, of the Bowen/Borden clan, pg. 28:

Ladowick (4) Borden, son of Martha (3) (Patty) Bowen and Richard Borden was born in Fall River March 14, 1812 and died Oct. 6, 1874. He married Sept. 8, 1833 Maria Briggs, who was born 1811 and died in 1838.

Children of Ladowick (4) and Maria (Briggs) Borden

154 I Maria (5) Borden b. 1834 d. 1834
155 II Matthew (5) Borden b. 1836 d. 1836

married 2nd Eliza Darling Jan. 28, 1843 b. 1811 d. 1848
Children

156 I Maria (5) Borden b. 1844
157 II Eliza Ann (5) Borden b. 1846 d. 1848
158 III Holden S. (5) Borden b. 1847 d. 1848

Married 3rd Feb. 28, 1849 Eliza Chace
Married 4th Oct. 19, 1864 Ruhama Crocker who died June 18, 1879.


To sum up - what this means is that Eliza Darling's death year matches those of 2 of her children with Ladowick, Eliza Ann and Holden. They all 3 died in 1848.
There's no death date for the first of their children, Maria, so she must be the surviving child.
Also, Eliza Ann was only 2 years old and Holden 1 year old. They would not be of an age to play "marbles" as the *haunting story* goes.

Laddy died 1874, so that would be 2 years after Andrew and family moved to Second Street.

Laddy had 5 children, 4 of whom died.

[Tina-Kate]

Gosh, that sounds like a case of post-partum depression. I suppose the 4 year old escaped because she was able to run.

Maybe it's the *ghost cat* playing with the marbles. :-)

[Kat]

It does sound like something like that TK, I agree. I'm trying to imagine crying babies born too close together, under somewhat primitive conditions (in comparison to today)...
They might have had a defect, seeing that Laddy's earlier children seemed to have died at birth, or within the year of their birth.

[Kat]

I think I will ask Admin to move this thread to "The Heritage Project" section. Does anyone mind?

[Kat]

Thanks Admin!

[joe]

Now that I know where the info is located, I can begin my quest for more about these kids and their parents. Kat has done some great work. Hope I can find more.
I see that The New York Times from 1851 to 1922 is now in the Godfrey Library. (www.godfrey.org). I haven't checked it for LB articles, but will do so.
Joe

[twinsrwe]

I'm not sure what you mean, MnonoaN. Do we mind what?