Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Attached is a photo we got of Lizzie's letter to her next door neighbor about the noise being made by his birds. This letter is dated May 31, 1900 and is displayed in the office of the First Congregational Church at 282 Rock Street. I had the pleasure of visiting the church and getting a tour. Below I've attached a picture of the inside of the church.

The letter is surrounded by other letters from Buffalo Bill Cody. The pastor at the Church has a thing for the old west so there's also nifty old west stuff all over the walls of the office.

The letter reads:

Mr. Brayton:

Please pardon the liberty I take in sending you this note. I am sorry if I make any complaint.

Are you willing to take away the little bird that cries (??) so much at your house. I am very nervous and it awakens me early so that I cannot sleep. And when I am on the piazza it is so noisy.

I would consider it a favor if you are (???) willing to accomodate me.

Very truly yours,
L.A. Borden

Can any one find any corrections in what I'm transcribed?

Note: "Cries" corrected as "crows"

Letter, page 1

Letter page 2

Envelope....

Interior of First Congregational.

Lizzie did NOT attend masses at this church location at 282 Rock Street we were told. She attended the Central Congregational at 100 Rock Street which is now the International Institute of Culinary Arts and the Abby Grill.

I believe she says the little bird "crows".

Wow, I can't believe the recipient even kept the envelope! Also, Lizzie had it mailed---if she didn't want to go over & drop it at the house, one of her servants could have done so. Eeesh.

Very cool, Richard!

Very nice pictures!

It's "I should consider it a favor if you are willing to accomodate me."

The rest you've got right.
(I'm not good at reading old fashioned handwriting, but we went over this at some point. You did well!)
I've been told Mr. Brayton had a rooster. That crowed. There was still some empty land around the Hill back in the day.
Imagine waking to a cock crowing at sunrise when you are rich and retired!

I used that letter on my neighbor who had a little dog who barked every morning outside my bedroom window.
I had spoken to the woman there but she only was helpful for about a week.
Then I wrote "Lizzie's note" with a slight modification- not asking the dog be removed- only to be kept quiet until a reasonable hour- and sent it to the Mr. of the house. Now that worked!

I wonder if Lizzie licked the stamp herself or had one of her servants do it
MMM?? potential DNA of Ms. Lisbeth?
I'm sorry, I watch too much CSI.

That's so neat. I wonder too if she licked the stamp? I think I have been watching to muct Law and Order -- not CSI!!
I love Law and order.

Did you also get a look at the minister's office Richard? He loves the Old West and his office looks like a cowboy museum. It has been a year since I visited, but I think this letter is in or near his office?

I like the thought of DNA- Pat Cornwell bought up so many of Walter Sickert's paintings just to find some- I wonder if she thought of a stamp?

Yes, the office at First Congregational is like an Old West museum also with framed letters from Buffalo Bill Cody on Fall River hotel stationary.

The Lizzie letter is on the far end of the office, away from the office door, on a section of wall that coming out from the wall of the building so the mounted letter is facing AWAY from the front of the room. You have to walk around the desk and turn to face the section of wall to see it.

I was in the office for 20 minutes before the secretary said, "Oh we have a letter from Lizzie Borden!" I never would have found it by myself.

There has always been a misconception about which house had the little chirping bird. (?) Some believe it to be a rooster crowing loudly in the early morning from John S Brayton's estate. But, in reading the letter you can see that Lizzie calls it a "little bird">

Many believe that it was the John Summerfield Brayton estate where Highland Ave and New Boston Road come together---the property which Chartlon Memorial Hospital now occupies. Mr. Brayton's home, with his gardens and greenhouse was a huge brick affair in the Ruskin Gothic style, very similar to the Simeon Borden House at 484 Highland Ave., which still stands today. Mr. Brayton's home sat approximately one and a half blocks away from Maplecroft.

In reality the letter was addressed to John S Brayton Jr.

John Junior lived across the street from Lizzie on the corner of French and Belmont Street. Though a very large house, the land mass was actually smaller then Maplecroft. Lizzie owned the house lot that bordered the rear of Mr Brayton's.

When Lizzie addressed the envelope, she should have written Belmont Street, not Belmont Ave.

So, it is more likely that the bird was a small bird, a parakeet or canary at 97 Belmont Street.

I just have tiny corrections. For instance, Lizzie has an "and" where you put a period. I am grateful you could make out "truly" in the salutation. That's what I decided it has to be, even though I can't very well see a crossing for the "t." Nice to have the confirmation. I think it's a model letter of complaint!

Mr. B__,
Please pardon the liberty I take in sending you this note and I am sorry to make any complaint.
Are you willing to take away the little bird that crows so much at your house?
I am very nervous and it wakens me early so that I cannot sleep and when we are on the piazza it is noisy.
I should consider it a favor if you are willing to accommodate me.

very truly yours,
May 31, 1900 L.A. Borden

Good job!
And it did work for me about a little yapping dog. I didn't mail it tho. I attached it to the neighbor's mailbox with a clothes pin.
Our William was very firm in his conviction to me that roosters crow, and that's what the bird was. I always believed William- he trained me to!