What Happened to Lizzie Borden’s Maid? Her Story Ended in Montana

A few summers ago, my family took a vacation I still think about often. We did a driving tour of the New England coast, and I promise you, there is nothing like it in the world.

Since we homeschool our son, we try to sneak some educational opportunities into our vacations whenever we can. That's actually what took us to Fall River, Massachusetts. We went to see the historic ships at Battleship Cove, thinking we'd squeeze in a little history while having some fun.

And then we stumbled across the Lizzie Borden house.

I knew exactly what it was, and you have no idea how badly I wanted to take a tour.

Unfortunately, my son was still pretty little at the time; we'd already packed a lot into the day, and he was starting to get cranky. Touring the house where two people were murdered probably wasn't going to improve the situation.

So, reluctantly, I let that one go.

Now Lizzie Borden is back in the spotlight thanks to Netflix. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story began streaming September 17, and while reading more about the real people behind the story, I discovered something I never knew when my family was standing there in Fall River.

The Lizzie Borden story has a Montana connection.

Who Was Bridget Sullivan, Lizzie Borden's Maid?

Bridget Sullivan was the Borden family's live-in domestic servant in Fall River.

On August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were murdered inside their home. Andrew's daughter Lizzie was charged with the murders and went on trial in 1893.

Lizzie was acquitted, and no one was ever convicted of the murders.

Bridget was inside the Borden home on the morning of the killings. Her testimony at Lizzie's trial gives us a firsthand look at what happened inside the house that day.

Bridget testified during the 1893 Lizzie Borden trial that she had worked for Andrew Borden for two years and nine months and was the family's only domestic servant.

What Happened to Bridget Sullivan After the Lizzie Borden Trial?

This is where the story eventually makes its way more than 2,000 miles west.

After the trial, Bridget Sullivan eventually made her way to Montana and settled in Anaconda.

Think about that for a second.

A woman who had been inside the Borden home on the morning of one of America's most famous unsolved double murders eventually started a new life in a Montana mining town.

Research into Bridget Sullivan's life after Fall River shows that she married John Sullivan at St. Paul's Church in Anaconda on June 21, 1905.

The couple would spend decades in Anaconda.

Lizzie Borden's Maid Eventually Moved to Anaconda, Montana

Bridget's connection to the Borden case followed her to Montana, but she apparently wasn't interested in making it the center of her life.

That's part of what makes her story so fascinating to me.

She had been inside that Fall River house on the day Andrew and Abby Borden were killed. She had testified in a murder trial that captured national attention. Then she came west and lived much of the rest of her life in Montana.

Over the years, stories and theories have grown around what Bridget might have known.

That's where things get tricky.

Did Bridget Sullivan Know Who Killed the Bordens?

For more than a century, people have wondered whether Bridget knew more about the murders than she revealed.

There have even been stories claiming she confessed later in life or was somehow paid to remain quiet.

But there is no solid historical evidence proving those claims.

There is also a story that Bridget worked as a maid for Judge George Winston after coming to Montana. However, historical research using U.S. Census records found that the Bridget Sullivan who worked for District Judge George B. Winston in Anaconda was a different woman with the same name.

In other words, two women named Bridget Sullivan were living in the area, and parts of their stories became mixed together over the years.

What we can document is already fascinating enough.

Bridget Sullivan Spent Her Final Years in Butte, Montana

After John Sullivan died in 1939, Bridget eventually left Anaconda.

Research into Bridget Sullivan's later years shows that she moved to Butte around 1942, where she lived with relatives.

Bridget died at the county hospital in Butte on March 25, 1948.

She was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Anaconda, where her husband was also buried.

More than 55 years after Andrew and Abby Borden were killed in Massachusetts, a woman who had been inside their home that morning died here in Montana.

Netflix's Lizzie Borden Story Changes Parts of Bridget Sullivan's Story

If you're watching Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix, there's something important to keep in mind.

The series is a dramatization.

Netflix explains some of the differences between the historical Lizzie Borden case and the story portrayed in the series.

That means the show can be a starting point for becoming interested in the case, but it shouldn't be treated as a documentary of exactly what happened.

The real story is fascinating enough.

Lizzie Borden was acquitted. Nobody else was convicted of murdering Andrew and Abby Borden. More than 130 years later, people are still trying to understand what happened inside that house in Fall River.

And Bridget Sullivan, the woman who worked inside that house and was there on the morning of the murders, eventually traveled west and spent decades of her life right here in Montana.

All those years ago, I stood outside the Lizzie Borden house wishing my cranky little boy could hold it together long enough for his mom to take a tour.

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Never once did I imagine that years later I'd discover that a big piece of the story I'd wanted to learn more about that day was right here in Montana.