Something about "George" as in "George St" and George Yard?

[lynn cates]

Hello Natalie. Good for Lucy!

SK was almost doubtless a sociopath. I think he is fruitful material for an abnormal psychology textbook--irrespective of whether he was the ripper.

The best.
LC

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Lynn.Yes,it was strange with this particular Georgie Boy that he only adopted the name George after he and Annie Chapman dumped each other.He had tried to run a "menage a trois" with himself,his Polish wife Lucy and Annie but when Lucy found out Annie was pregnant the s hit the proverbial fan and Annie left in a frightful huff.After that things went from bad to worse till he had to accept that Annie couldnt live like that.The end of the story is that when Annie went to try to get some financial help to support her child she is reported to have said "he didnt seem at all interested".Not surprising with a cad like him.
Cheers Lynn,
Norma

[lynn cates]

plausible

Hello Natalie. That is altogether plausible. Quite often, an immigrant will choose a name in accordance with the new culture. If immigrant SK had much experience with that name--from streets, etc--what more natural than to adopt it in a subsequent Anglicization?

Well done!

The best.
LC

[Natalie Severn]

A lot has already been written about why Severin Klosowski chose his new surname of "Chapman-"eg was it because it was the name of his last girlfriend before becoming "George" Chapman-she was a girl who bore the same name as Jack the Ripper"s victim "Annie Chapman" .But why did he choose "George"?
Its now known that several of the East End murder victims of 1888 actually lived at 18 or 19 George Street,off Commercial Street in Spitalfields.
First off we had Emma Smith in April 1888 who had lived at 18 George Street ,a tiny street that ran between Flower and Dean Street and Thrawl Street.
In 1888, Rose Mylett was also living at 18 George Street.Both women did their soliciting in Poplar,close to Dockland.It was where both were last seen alive.
Martha Tabram-August 1888-also lived in George Street,at number 19.Annie Farmer also lived at number 19 George Street and was attacked there on 21 November 1888.
Mary Kelly was another ripper victim who had previously lived in George Street,soon after she moved in with Joseph Barnett.

Famously,Martha Tabram not only lived in a street named "George" Street but was murdered in George Yard just down the road from her lodgings.

And George himself? Well we are told at his 1903 trial that "In 1888 he worked in a Barber shop in the basement of the White Hart public House on Whitechapel High Street -and surprise, surprise, "the pub" is at the corner of " George" Yard

Just some thoughts on why he might have called himself "George".