Annie Chapman Descendants

[Jenni Shelden]

Hi all,

I have been asked by Neal Shelden to post this small tribute to the last grandchild of Annie Chapman who sadly died last week aged in her nineties. It was because of this lady and her daughter that the picture of Annie Chapman came to light, and Jack the Ripper research will forever be in her debt for allowing it's publication. Condolences have been passed on to the daughter by Neal Shelden on behalf of all Jack the Ripper writers and researchers.

[Jenni Shelden]

Just wanted to add how sad I was to learn this news from Neal earlier.

Jenni

[Mike Covell]

Having just read the book recently that is tragic news.
The book has some great pictures of the descendants and is a great read, and ultimatley very touching.

Thanks for letting us know.

[sdreid]

So sorry to read that.

I wonder if she's the last grandchild of any victim.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

I hope, she will rest in piece!

And I think we are all grateful for seeing a photo of at least one victim alive and at the best time of her life!

All the best
Jukka

[Hellrider]

Hey guys, after an absence of several weeks I had sufficient time to register again..

So another link to the victims has become missing...my sincere condolences.

But another thing that strikes me as awkward: if she was in her 90s, she was born between 1909 and 1918, so possibly up to 30 years after Annie's death. It must be strange to have missed one's grandmother by so many years.

Just for information's sake, could someone possibly post a family tree of Annie because I kind of lost the overview which of her children lived and died where and when

[Neal Shelden]

So sorry to read that.

I wonder if she's the last grandchild of any victim.

She was the last living grandchild of a canonical five victim.

It always strikes me as interesting that Annie Georgina Chapman the daughter of Annie Chapman died in the 1950's and would have heard of Elvis.

That Henry Alfred Nichols the son of Mary Ann Nichols died in the 1960's and would have watched England win the football World Cup.

And that Annie Phillips daughter of Catherine Eddowes was still alive when War raged with Hitler's Germany.

All these examples take the families into other major times in history and that I find fascinating.

[Jeff Leahy]

Cheers for that Neal..may she rest in peace.

[Jeff Leahy]

PS I was walking down OLd Montigue street today with a couple of JtR retrobates and noticed a new sign has appeared near the Nichols murder scene (Durward street) saying: Mary Ann Nichols Way.

Is this part of your work? does it link to the sign in Mitre sq?

[sdreid]

Hi Neal,

Thanks for that information. I was wondering a couple of years back how near a victim relative might still be alive and thought that a grandchild would be a long-shot.

[Chava]

How amazing--and awful--it must be to know that your mother was a victim of the most famous murderer of all time. I'm especially thinking of Chapman's daughter and Nichol's son. Eddowes daughter was grown and married when her mother died, I believe. So would have had a recollection of her. Did any of the children do interviews over the years?

[Steve]

She was the last living grandchild of a canonical five victim.

It always strikes me as interesting that Annie Georgina Chapman the daughter of Annie Chapman died in the 1950's and would have heard of Elvis.

That Henry Alfred Nichols the son of Mary Ann Nichols died in the 1960's and would have watched England win the football World Cup.

And that Annie Phillips daughter of Catherine Eddowes was still alive when War raged with Hitler's Germany.

All these examples take the families into other major times in history and that I find fascinating.

Hi Neal

This is fascinating to think about, I agree with you entirely. It reminds me of something my Granddad said to me just before he died in 1972, that there had been more changes to the world in his lifetime (he was born in 1894) than in the previous several hundred years.

Kind regards,
Steve

[Sam Flynn]

I'm especially thinking of Chapman's daughter and Nichol's son. Eddowes daughter was grown and married when her mother died, I believe. So would have had a recollection of her. Did any of the children do interviews over the years?

Sadly, Chava, many of the victims' children seem to have become estranged, or even actively distanced themselves, from their less-than-ideal mothers long before their deaths. This is not quite the case with Annie's children, who either pre-deceased her, or ended up being taken into care. There is the tale that Annie's surviving daughter ended up in a circus, but I shouldn't be surprised if this were a white lie, or cover-up, for her also having been "taken away" from her mother.

[Neal Shelden]

PS I was walking down OLd Montigue street today with a couple of JtR retrobates and noticed a new sign has appeared near the Nichols murder scene (Durward street) saying: Mary Ann Nichols Way.

Is this part of your work? does it link to the sign in Mitre sq?

No sorry Jeff, I said about those signs at the conference last year and they've been there since early last year, maybe it was Banksy

[Neal Shelden]

How amazing--and awful--it must be to know that your mother was a victim of the most famous murderer of all time. I'm especially thinking of Chapman's daughter and Nichol's son. Eddowes daughter was grown and married when her mother died, I believe. So would have had a recollection of her. Did any of the children do interviews over the years?

No unfortunately they didn't