Hyam Hyams: Portrait of a Suspect

[Chris]

Interestingly enough, there's even a link established between the Levys and the Kozminskis.

I'd be very interested to have a look at that if you can perhaps post a link (or details of the thread title and page number).

[mariab]

Scott Nelson wrote:
The Ripper Notes #27 article by Vanderlinden contains nothing new in the way of actual research into Hyam Hyams. The piece was cobbled from an article by Mark King in the Ripperologist and a follow-up article by me in the same magazine a couple of year later (based on updated census info). The main driver for the RN article was the discovery of a photo of Hyams by (I believe) Stewart Evans.
Wow! Good to know. (There's some current similar controversy pertaining to the Scotland Yard's hunt for Tumblety after the concluding piece by Palmer in Examiner 4.)

To Chris:
There's a very interesting thread on Jacob Levy in the JTR Forums, which also discusses the common law husbands/wives situation among the Jewish population in Victorian Whitechapel, including statistics. Interestingly enough, there's even a link established between the Levys and the Kozminskis.

[tji]

Hi Chris

Great research - I have info on Hyam upto 1881 at hand, I am not sure what has happened to the rest, but I do remember having the same confusion as yourself with Sarah and Rachel...I will try to find the rest.

In 1851 living at 29 Mitre Street

Ann Levy Head Wid 60 Fruiterer London St James
Solomon Hyams son-in-law M 29 Cigar maker London St James
Fanny Hyams Dau M 27
Morris Hyams Grandson 2 London St James
Julia Donovan Serv 20 Gen Serv Ireland
Nathan Levy Lodger W 55 Tailor M/sex Whitechapel

In 1861 living at 29 Mitre Street

Ann Levy occupier Wid 70 Orange dealer m/sex St James
Solomon Hyams Head M 39 Orange dealer m/sex St James
Fanny Solomons Wife M 38 m/sex St James
Jane Hyams Dau 9 Scholar m/sex St James
Barney Hyams Son 7 Scholar m/sex St James
Hyam Hyams Son 6 Scholar m/sex St James
George Hyams Son 1 m/sex St James
Catherine Hyams Dau 8mts m/sex St James
Jane Levy I believe it states granddaughter of occupier 18years old
Ann Harris Serv 17 General Servant m/sex Aldgate

In 1871 living at 29 Mitre Street

Solomon Hyams Head M 50 Cigar maker (states was born in Bermondsy but this is for the servant above)
Fanny Hyams Wife M 45
Morris Hyams Son 22 Waiter London
Jane Hyams Dau 18 London
Barnett Hyam Son 17 Cigar maker London
Hyam Hyams Son 15 cigar maker London
George Hyams Son 12 Scholar London
Adelaide Hyams Dau 9 Scholar London
Clara Hyams Dau 3 London
Mary Custer Serv 16 General Serv London

In 1881 we have living at 29 Mitre Street

Fanny Hyams Head wid 60 London
Morris Hyams Son 35 Barman? London
Hymey Hyams Son 28 Fruiterer London
Barney Hyams Son 27 Carman London
George Hyams Son 25 Cigar maker London
Clara Hyams Dau 14 Scholar London
Jane Abrahams Dau M 30 London
John Abrahams Son-in-law 32 Fruiterer London
Hannah Abrahams Dau (think should be g/daug) 3mths London
Hannah Hego Serv 40 Gen Serv Birmingham

In 1891 they are living with John Abrahams and family with the exception of Morris and Hyam at 24 Mitre Street.

I do believe there was a Hyman Hyams living in 3 Cooks Buildings in 1871, not sure if this helps.

Tj

[Chris]

The Ripper Notes #27 article by Vanderlinden contains nothing new in the way of actual research into Hyam Hyams.

I should have made it clear I was using the article more as an easy means of reference than anything else - and I may well have missed some evidence that's in your and/or Mark King's articles.

On the whole it seemed likeliest to me that the suspect's wife was named as Rachel in 1891 and Sarah afterwards. The odd thing is that there's no marriage. As you've probably already seen, there is a likely birth registration for Katie Hyams in Whitechapel in the first quarter of 1888 (and a possible one for the son, as Jacob, in the City in the fourth quarter of 1885). The mother's maiden name might give another angle on looking for the marriage. Perhaps they didn't actually marry, but I wonder how common that would have been in the London Jewish community at the time.

[Scott Nelson]

The Ripper Notes #27 article by Vanderlinden contains nothing new in the way of actual research into Hyam Hyams. The piece was cobbled from an article by Mark King in the Ripperologist and a follow-up article my me in the same magazine a couple of year later (based on updated census info). The main driver for the RN article was the discovery of a photo of Hyams by (I believe) Stewart Evans.

Certainly the name Hyam Hyams was unusual for the time. But it becomes increasingly apparent as research goes on that the lunatic Hyams could be isolated from several other men who shared the same name.

Nevertheless, as I elaborated in my Rip article from King's earlier suggestion, Joseph Levy's wife Amelia (nee Lyons) may have shared some affinity with the Hyams family living on Mitre Street in the 1870s-1880s. I think his (the lunatic Colney Hatch inmate) wife's name was Rachel. The family (minus Hyam, who was incarcerated) lived in Gravel Lane at the time of the 1891 census.

[Chris]

Chris, this is from the 1891, showing 2a. 1a is at the foot of the previous page.

Brilliant.

[Robert]

Chris, this is from the 1891, showing 2a. 1a is at the foot of the previous page.

[Chris]

Many thanks to Rob for the Goad Plan. It does look as though the enumerator probably worked his way around clockwise, but is that the basis on which people are saying the address was in Jane's Buildings, or have I missed something?

[Robert]

Thanks Rob, so it's clear that 1 and 1a were entirely separate.

[mariab]

Hey, and I was just about to post “Where's Rob Clack when a thread needs him?“!
(This is another spot in Whitechapel I wanted to visit during the conference weekend on September 25/26, but stupidly didn't. I specifically wanted to calculate the walking distance from Middlesex Street to Mitre Square – pertaining to Jacob Levy, obviously.)

[Rob Clack]

Don't know if this will help, it's not a great copy but the best I've got. This is from January 1887.

Number 1 was on the corner with Middlesex Street and Janes Building almost opposite.



Rob

[Robert]

Yes Chris, Jane's buildings do look separate from Number One.

[Chris]

Re the possible Levy connection, 1a Hutchinson St seems rather coincidental!?

Well, if this were part of 1 Hutchinson Street, it might be interesting, especially as we know that Joseph Hyam Levy owned that house (which would have made him the landlord of Hyam Hyams's wife). Unfortunately it's not clear from the census return whether it was or not. Number 1 appears several pages earlier, and numbers 2A and 1A come at the end, after number 21. I suppose a Goad Plan might clarify things.

[mariab]

Jennifer Pegg wrote:
i don't want o sound wrong here, but Sarah and Rachel both appear to be more typically Jewish sounding than Rose (Aarons though).
That's what I thought too.
During the last couple of days I was running around taking care of some bureacracy, and I can't count how many times the different clerks kept typing wrong entries into the computer, despite my repeteadly correcting them. Like, they were asking "First name?" –"Maria“. - “First name, Catherine.“ - "No, Maria.“ "Yes, first name Catherine.“ -“No, not Catherine, Maria.“ -"OK, Maria.“ It would go on like this for hours, and I can't even describe what they did with my home address. I can't imagine that things would be too different in the Victorian era.
What could the Levy connection possibly signify? (That they were in it together? Just kidding... This somehow reminds me of the late David Radka's theory of “alternative Ripperology“.) In my opinion, the possible Levy connection demonstrates again how small and concentrated Victorian Whitechapel was.

[Robert]

Re the possible Levy connection, 1a Hutchinson St seems rather coincidental!?