Merry Christmas from Tiny Tuesday and Auntie Borden!

This festive postcard features an illustration of a jovial Santa Claus tiptoeing past a sleeping child. On the reverse, in place of a stamp, the sender has affixed a diminutive colorful sticker of Santa climbing into a chimney, his bag laden with toys. The card was published by the Gibson Art Company, and is dated for December 25, 1915. Along with the date, the sender wrote the message “Anna from Auntie Borden.”

Who is this loving “Auntie Borden”? Why, it’s Miss Lizzie Andrew Borden (1860-1927).

As neither Lizzie nor her sister had children, Lizzie was quite close to the children of her friends, often sending little treats and cards to them for holidays and birthdays. One of these children was Anna Victoria Thelen (1910-2006). Anna was the youngest daughter of Mrs. Per Ture Eugen Thelen [Amanda “Manda” Persson] (1875-1941), who was a dear friend of Lizzie’s. As such, when Christmas of 1915 arrived, the Thelen family received presents from their loving Auntie Borden. Unfortunately, we do not know what Anna got as a gift that year; no doubt it was something special for the little girl.

The Thelen family’s affection for Auntie Borden highlights another side to complicated character that was Lizzie Borden. Regardless of whether others saw her as innocent or guilty, Lizzie retained a tightly knit group of friends who loved her, and she, in turn, loved them.

So happy holidays from the FRHS and Auntie Borden!