The five "canonical" victims of Jack the Ripper are Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly.

Everyone posts about the deaths of these ladies, but today I'm going to focus on their lives, or what we know of them. No focus on the suspect himself.

Mary Ann Nichols

Mary Ann Nichols was born Mary Ann Walker on August 26th 1845 in London to Edward and Caroline Walker (nee Webb). Her early years were spent around the Shoe Lane area of London.

She was affectionately named Polly by her friends. In 1864 she married William Nichols. Although their marriage unfortunately wouldn't last, the couple birthed 5 children; Edward, Percy, Alice, Eliza, and Henry. She tragically passed away on August 31st, 1888. She was just 43 years old. 

Annie Chapman

The second victim was Annie Chapman. Annie Eliza Smith was born September 25th, 1840 to George and Ruth Smith (also born Chapman). She had 5 siblings, Emily, Georgina, Mirium, and Fountain (lots of fancy names back then... bring 'em back!).

Aside from her career, Annie enjoyed crochet and selling flowers. She married John Chapman in 1869 in Knightsbridge and the pair later went on to have 3 children; Emily (b. 1870), Abbie (b.1873), and John (b. 1880). Emily Ruth died of meningitis in 1882. Her son John was born with health issues and was raised in a charitable institution.

Elizabeth Stride

Born Elizabeth Gustafsdotter in Stora Tumlehed, Sweden, on November 27th 1843 to Gustaf Ericsson and Beata Ericsson (nee Carlsdotter). In 1866, unmarried, Elizabeth moved to England, though the exact reason is unknown. It is said at the time that she was employed as a Coffee Shop Owner, Cleaning Lady, and Seamstress. 

Whilst in England, she adopted the nickname, Long Liz. I'm not an expert in height regulations back then, but sources say she was quite tall for her time. Although, she was only 5 foot 5 (no offence to anyone of that height).

On March 7th of 1869, she married John Stride. 4 years before her marriage to John, Elizabeth experienced a stillbirth whilst she was still in Sweden. The marriage lasted over 10 years and in 1881, they called it quits. Sadly, Elizabeth would only live 3 years more before her untimely and awful death. Though, in her final years, she enjoyed the company of her partner, Michael Kidney.

Catherine Eddowes

Catherine "Cattie" Eddowes wasn't from London, or Sweden. She was in fact born in Graiseley Green, Wolverhampton, on April 14th 1842 to George and Catherine Eddowes (nee Evans). As a child, she attended Dowgate Charity School and St. Johns Charity School. She was described by her friends as intelligent but also had a short temper. 

As years went by, Catherine later moved to 35 West Street, Surrey (in 1851). Some jobs she encountered during her time were Tinplate Stamper, Tray Polisher, Scourer, Laundress and Charwoman. 

Some records suggest Catherine was known as other names, such as; Kate Conway, and Kate Kelly. These were probably taken from her partners throughout her life, Thomas Conway and John Kelly, though no marriage confirmations were recorded/found.

Catherine had 4 children to Thomas; Catherine, Thomas, Alfred and George.

Mary Jane Kelly

Mary, or Marie was born in County Limerick on August 25th 1863 to John Kelly and Elizabeth 'Eliza' Davies (nee Shaw). She had 3 brothers; Richard, Michael, and Henry. 

Her first husband was John Davies, whom she married in 1879 and lived with in Wales, until his death in 1881. Following this, sour family affairs forced Mary to seek another life in London. It was here that she met Joseph Barnett. Their relationship was also short lived; being just 20 months, when the couple separated just 10 days before Mary's death. They were living at 24 New Street, Bishopsgate prior to this and Joseph went to live with his sister at 21 Portpool Lane.

Mary carried various occupations during her time, such as; Tobacconist Shop Assistant, Domestic Servant, Sex Worker.

Others:

The above victims were the only confirmed to have met their demise as the result of Jack the Ripper's actions. The following ladies are rumoured to have met the same fate.

Martha Tabram

Martha White was born on May 10th 1849 to Charles and Elizabeth White (nee Dowsett). Her first home was 17 Marshall Street in Southwark. This street is now no longer standing, but according to a participant in a 'rootschat' forum, it may have been located between London Street and St. George's Street.  

On Christmas Day of 1869, Martha married Henry Samuel Tabram, a Foreman Furniture Packer. The pair went on to have 2 sons, Fredrick and Charles. It was said that Martha's marriage to Henry was quite turbulent, and this was fuelled by Martha's struggle with alcoholism. The partnership eventually ended, but they never got divorced. In 1876 Martha met Henry Turner and pursued a relationship with him. This relationship eventually ended up being rocky and they called it quits around 3 weeks before Martha's tragic death. Martha passed away on the 7th August, and is the first unconfirmed victim of the Whitechapel murders in 1888.

Emma Smith

Some believe Emma was a victim of Jack the Ripper, though many believe her death wasn't connected. However, there is enough to justify her listing on this page. 

Emma Elizabeth Binmore was born on Christmas Day of 1843 to Thomas and Emma Binmore (nee. Walters) in Stoke Damerel, Devon. Her early years were spent in Portsmouth. In 1851 she was recorded living at 74 Queen Street, and in 1861 10 Sidney Street. The following June she married Butcher, Frederick Augustus Churcher Wells. Their marriage wouldn't last, and there isn't much recorded of that.

Years later, in 1868 she married John Smith (not the brewer, he was from Leeds). He was in the 35th Regiment. John died in 1878, and that was all she told of her life to her future friends. Emma then moved on to work on the streets of London, though at some point in her life she sold hats. She passed away on April 4th of 1888.

Annie Farmer

Little is known about this survivor of Jack the Ripper - only that she was believed to be an elderly lady, and some forums suggested that her name may have actually been Amelia Farmer, or Annie Palmer.

Rose Mylett

Lots of evidence suggests that Rose wasn't a victim of Jack the Ripper, specifically due to her death being typically categorised as 'not suspicious'.

Catherine Rose Mylett was born 5th December 1859 with her first home being situated at 13 Thomas Street, Whitechapel. She was the second daughter to Henry Mylett and Margaret Haley, her sister was Mary. She also had 2 brothers, William and John.

Rose sadly struggled with her mental health and was admitted on occasion to Bromley Sick Asylum. This was confirmed when a nurse, Elizabeth Usher recognised her body. Rose was the wife of Thomas Davis, and the pair had 2 children, Florence and Henry. 

Alice MacKenzie

Alice's death was different; she met her demise in July 1889, not in 1888, like the others. Little is known about Alice, though the person who identified her, identified himself as John McCormack, the person she lived with on and off, and at one point would describe her as his wife. However, he also described her as 'around the age of 40', so I don't think they were that close.

Pinchin Street Mystery & Whitehall Mystery

These cases refer to the discoveries of the remain of 2 torsos, they were unfortunately never identified.

Frances Coles

Frances Coles passed away February 13th 1891. This was well out of the time frame of the ripper murders - but nobody caught him, so what was stopping him?

Also known as Frances Coleman, or Frances Hawkins, she was born to James Coles and Mary Carney on September 17th 1859 and her first known address was 18 Crucifix Lane (my kinda street - and it still exists!), Bermonsey, Southwark. She was employed as a Chemist Label Applicator, and a Sex Worker. She had 2 sisters, Mary and Selina, and a brother called James.

Sailor, John Thomas Saddler was initially questioned over her murder, and was mobbed upon his release after his alibi was confirmed. He claimed to be in some kind of relationship with her at the time, and their landlord notified the police when he returned home covered in blood and learnt of her murder the next day.

Carrie Brown

There was speculation on whether or not Carrie Brown's death was connected to Jack the Ripper, as this one happened in New York, quite a distance away from Whitechapel. It also happened April 24th of 1891.

Carrie adopted the nickname 'Shakespeare', as she liked to quote his works when she'd had a couple of drinks. 

Ellen Caroline Montgomery was born in Liverpool, England in 1834. I couldn't find her parents, but in 1860 she was recorded living in Salem, Massachusetts, which is where she met her husband, Copenhagen-born Charles E. Brown. The couple went on to have 2 children; Mary and Charles. Charles Jr. sadly only lived 2 years. Charles, the father passed away in 1878 in Africa. 

Elizabeth Jackson

When I saw Elizabeth's name, I thought she was the first person to be interred into Highgate Cemetery, but that was Elizabeth Jackson who died in 1839. 

This Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Jackson was born on March 18th 1865 to Stonemason, John Jackson, and Catherine, her mother. Both her parents came from Ireland. At the time of her death she was living at 14 Turks Row, Chelsea (the street still exists today). 

Did you know?: The coroner of this case was Athelstan Braxton Hicks, who was the son of John Braxton Hicks; the person who the term Braxton Hicks is named after! Sorry, I know it's not relevant, but I thought I'd just throw that one in there.

Annie Millwood

Annie Perry was born around 1844 in St Giles, London. In 1872 she married Richard Millwood (Soldier), though their surnames were sometimes spelt Milward. In 1880 Annie had a son, George. Annie later became a widow when in 1879 Richard passed away. At the time of her death she was living at Spitalfields Chambers, 8 White Row. 

The reason she wasn't confirmed as a ripper victim was because she recovered from her injuries then passed 10 days later of natural causes. In the hospital she told doctors that she had been attacked by a man who was a stranger to her.

Where did I find this information?

All my sources come from various MyHeritage listings, and some information is filtered from Google. If you are looking at something specific, please contact me here.

Alternatively, if you feel like I have missed someone, please let me know by either contacting me directly or commenting below.

Note: These images are AI-generated artistic recreations for illustrative purposes. They are not authentic historical photographs of the individuals mentioned.

There are many secrets that haunt the streets of Bradford, and the case of the Bradford Sweet Poisoning is one of the most unknown.

The city of Bradford is rich in history. Back in the 7th century, like many, it was an agricultural settlement that eventually progressed into a market town with the main streets being Ivegate, Kirkgate, and Westgate. The city truly developed in the 19th century when it deemed itself as the beating heart of the Industrial Revolution, and this brings us to the story that shook many Bradfordians.

Who was Humbug Billy?

William Hardaker, affectionately and 'professionally' known as Humbug Billy had a sweet stall in Rawson Market. Little is known about William Hardaker, other than the fact that he is buried with many of the others who were involved in this case. The location is the renowned Victorian, Undercliffe Cemetery.

A Sweet Tragedy

On the days leading up to the 30th October 1858, William had noted that he was running low on peppermint humbugs. It was on that fateful day that he decided to place his order.

He made his way over to Stone Street, where he sourced his goods from. Joseph Neal, the owner sent his young lodger, James Archer to collect the ingredients from Baildon Bridge, Shipley. The druggist, Charles Hodgson, was ill on this occasion, so left his new starter in charge. 

William Goddard had been working for Hodgson for 2 weeks, and was hoping he would be able to do an apprenticeship. Little did he know that this order would... change his life, let's just say. James Archer requested 'Daft', an adulterated food ingredient that was often substituted for sugar for a mix of sugar, diluted with powdered gypsum. 

A Gentle Warning

Goddard was strongly advised not to serve Neal - whether it was because he was inexperienced with adulterated produce, or whether there was some animosity with this customer is unknown. However, Goddard reluctantly convinced Hodgson to give him instructions.

Tragically, due to poor labelling, the wrong product was picked. Daft looked exactly like Arsenic... so how was he to know?! 

Some time later the sweets were produced by James Appleton. William collected the sweets and instantly noticed a discolouration. However, despite refusing the order, he simply complained at the green tint, and received a partial refund.

The Humbug Hours of Horror

Humbug Billy returned to his stall and continued his sales. Later in the day, what is now West Yorkshire Police (possibly Bradford Police back then) responded to reports of illnesses and deaths amongst children and adults in the district. Initially, they thought it was Cholera, but upon further inspection of Dr John Henry Bell, it was noted that all of the victims had recently consumed Peppermint Humbugs. 

The investigation didn't take long to conclude where they came from, and renowned pharmacist, Felix Rimmington was able to confirm the ingredients. 

Was this planned, or simply an accident?

Many people over the years have called Humbug Billy a killer. I personally think this is a tricky one - I do believe that it was an accident, but then on the other hand it seems quite bad timing, since it was Halloween... 

At the end of the day, 21 lives were lost, and over 200 people were left ill - some with life threatening illnesses, including William Hardaker himself.

Unfortunately records of the victims were never kept. I usually like to commemorate them by researching their lives, but sadly was unable to at this time.

Do you think Humbug Billy deliberately killed those people, or was it just a tragic accident? Let me know in the comments.