Who Was Emma Borden? All About Lizzie Borden’s Supportive Sister—and Their Mysterious Rift

Lizzie Borden is well-known as the prime suspect in the brutal killings of parents Andrew and Abby Borden—but she wasn’t the only Borden experiencing the tragedy firsthand. Her older sister, Emma Borden, had an important role in her sister’s trial and eventual acquittal.Emma was nine years older than Lizzie, and in many ways her caretaker after their mother’s sudden death, even though Andrew remarried. This theme would follow them throughout their lives, until the pair suddenly and mysteriously stopped speaking several years after Lizzie’s trial. Their relationship is explored in Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story.Here’s everything you should know about Emma Borden, and her eventual falling-out with Lizzie.Who Was Emma Borden?Emma Leonora Borden was born On March 1, 1851, to parents Andrew and Sarah Borden. She was the oldest of three daughters, Alice (who died at age 2), and Lizzie (born in 1860). Sarah died in 1863 when Emma was 12.It’s reported that Emma promised her mother on her deathbed that she would take care of her then 2-year-old sister Lizzie. When her father married Abby Gray just two years later, Emma refused to call her new stepmother anything but Abby.Where Was Emma Borden When Her Parents Were Murdered?Both Lizzie and Emma lived at the Borden home with their parents. Emma, 41 at the time of the crimes, was not home when Andrew and Abby were murdered. Accounts place her visiting friends about 15 to 17 miles away in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, giving her a solid alibi. As such, she was never considered a suspect. She was notified of the murders by telegram.Did Emma Borden Defend Lizzie Borden?Emma was by her sister’s side throughout the trial and for years after. When Lizzie was arrested for the crimes, the family fortune went to Emma. The sisters used this money to hire a top-tier legal team for Lizzie.On the stand, Emma refuted claims made by neighbor Alice Russell that Lizzie burned a bloodstained dress, instead testifying that she had suggested Lizzie destroy a paint-stained dress to make more room in their closet. She described the dress Lizzie burned as, “very dirty, very much soiled and badly faded.”She also testified that the relationship between Lizzie and Abby was cordial, despite Lizzie referring to her as “Mrs. Borden” instead of “Mother” after Andrew bought property for Abby’s half-sister, which caused tensions in the household. Her testimony helped her sister, who was acquitted on June 20, 1893.After Lizzie’s murder trial, the sisters bought a large, Queen-Anne style home in the desirable Hill neighborhood of Fall River, which they named Maplecroft. Though Emma had been by her sister’s side during her trial, a rift began to grow between the pair.Why Did Emma and Lizzie Borden Stop Speaking?Some gossip tabloids at the time painted Emma as quieter and more serious of the two sisters, driven to madness by her guilt over defending her sister, according to The Herald News. But this wasn’t true—Emma never publicly spoke about her sister’s involvement in the crimes and stood by Lizzie’s side for years after the trial. She denounced the fact that her sister was a murderer and condemned the local newspaper’s annual coverage of the murders.Eventually, Lizzie began to leave Fall River, traveling to New York for theatre, where she befriended actor Nance O’Neil. Unfounded rumors soon began, suggesting Lizzie and O’Neil were in a secret relationship. Around this time, Lizzie also started entertaining theater guests at their French Street home, Maplecroft.The sisters had a falling-out that began in 1904. In 1905, Emma moved out of Maplecroft, though she never explicitly said why. Some rumors suggest she was unhappy about the guests Lizzie brought home, while others imply she was uncomfortable with Lizzie’s close relationship with O’Neil. But Emma never spoke about the reason for their rift, even when pressed by tabloids.“The happenings at the French Street house that caused me to leave I must refuse to talk about. I did not go until conditions became absolutely unbearable,” she told the Boston Sunday Herald in 1913.After Emma moved to Newmarket, New Hampshire, the sisters never spoke again. Lizzie died at age 66 on June 1, 1927, and Emma, 76, died just nine days later. At the time of her death, Emma was reportedly worth $450,000, which she left mainly to charity.How to Watch Monster: The Lizzie Borden StoryBillie Lourd plays Emma alongside her on-screen sister Ella Beatty as Lizzie in Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. Watch executive producer Ryan Murphy’s interpretation of the sisters’ relationship, streaming on Netflix now.