Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly Name link

[etenguy]

I think we have to keep in mind that Catherine's partner's name was John Kelly, so her using Kelly as a last name has a much closer-to-home source. After that it sort of comes down to the use of common first names, like Jane and/or Mary, and or Mary Ann. Mary Ann is, after all, Mary Ann Nichols actual first name and Martha Tabram had a sister named Mary Ann too. Pearly Paul's name also was Mary Ann Connelly.

We also see Mary Ann Nichols followed by Annie Chapman. There's Elizabeth (Lizzie, or at least Long Liz) Stride and there was Lizzie Albrook with Mary Jane on the night she was murdered.

In other words, even without looking too far, we see the names she chose for a false name are extremely common at the time. That makes it a very believable false name, and also one that would make it very difficult to subsequently track her down if necessary.

So, without something a bit more definite to show a relationship between them, the chance partial-correspondence in names is probably just that, a chance coincidence - particularly given that neither "Mary Ann" nor "Jane" lines with fully with "Mary Jane", but it does line up exactly with 3 other people, the first of the C5, and a witness and relation of Martha Tabram, and the Kelly bit is easily explainable given her partner is John Kelly.

- Jeff

Dear Jeff

Thank you. I have subscribed to your arguement for some time, but when coupled with a less common name used by MJK it begins to look like name borrowing from names that the person knows and reaches for when needed. I see the weakness in my arguement more about being able to verify that MJK used the name Lizzie Fisher. Other than newspaper reports at the time of her death, I haven't found any other references to MJK using Lizzie Fisher as an alias.

[Trevor Marriott]

I think we have to keep in mind that Catherine's partner's name was John Kelly, so her using Kelly as a last name has a much closer-to-home source. After that it sort of comes down to the use of common first names, like Jane and/or Mary, and or Mary Ann. Mary Ann is, after all, Mary Ann Nichols actual first name and Martha Tabram had a sister named Mary Ann too. Pearly Paul's name also was Mary Ann Connelly.

We also see Mary Ann Nichols followed by Annie Chapman. There's Elizabeth (Lizzie, or at least Long Liz) Stride and there was Lizzie Albrook with Mary Jane on the night she was murdered.

In other words, even without looking too far, we see the names she chose for a false name are extremely common at the time. That makes it a very believable false name, and also one that would make it very difficult to subsequently track her down if necessary.

So, without something a bit more definite to show a relationship between them, the chance partial-correspondence in names is probably just that, a chance coincidence - particularly given that neither "Mary Ann" nor "Jane" lines with fully with "Mary Jane", but it does line up exactly with 3 other people, the first of the C5, and a witness and relation of Martha Tabram, and the Kelly bit is easily explainable given her partner is John Kelly.

- Jeff

Another reason for the use of different names is with regards to prostitution. Extracy from Sir Howard Vincents Police Code "A constable may arrest, without warrant, any person whom he sees committing one of these offences. It is, however, necessary to prove that the woman is a common prostitute, and therefore the usual practice is that she should be cautioned the first time she is seen committing the offence, a note being made of the fact of the caution having been given".

So every reason for these women to keep using different names.

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[JeffHamm]

I think we have to keep in mind that Catherine's partner's name was John Kelly, so her using Kelly as a last name has a much closer-to-home source. After that it sort of comes down to the use of common first names, like Jane and/or Mary, and or Mary Ann. Mary Ann is, after all, Mary Ann Nichols actual first name and Martha Tabram had a sister named Mary Ann too. Pearly Paul's name also was Mary Ann Connelly.

We also see Mary Ann Nichols followed by Annie Chapman. There's Elizabeth (Lizzie, or at least Long Liz) Stride and there was Lizzie Albrook with Mary Jane on the night she was murdered.

In other words, even without looking too far, we see the names she chose for a false name are extremely common at the time. That makes it a very believable false name, and also one that would make it very difficult to subsequently track her down if necessary.

So, without something a bit more definite to show a relationship between them, the chance partial-correspondence in names is probably just that, a chance coincidence - particularly given that neither "Mary Ann" nor "Jane" lines with fully with "Mary Jane", but it does line up exactly with 3 other people, the first of the C5, and a witness and relation of Martha Tabram, and the Kelly bit is easily explainable given her partner is John Kelly.

- Jeff

[etenguy]

I have in the past remarked on what I (and some others) thought was a curious coincidence that Catherine Eddowes used the names Jane Kelly (on her pawn ticket) and Mary Ann Kelly (to the police on the night she was murdered) when as we know, the muder victim following Catherine Eddowes was Mary Jane Kelly. This is often explained by coincidence given the popularity of the individual components of the name Mary Jane Kelly.

To add to this coincidence is the name said to be used by Mary Jane Kelly by some newspaper reports following her murder, Lizzie Fisher. In some early reports the victim's name is given as Lizzie Fisher, sometimes known as Mary Jane. Elizabeth Fisher, coincidentally, happens to be the married name of one of Catherine Eddowes' sister.

In light of this double naming coincidence, is it an inference too far to conclude that it is likely Catherine and Mary Jane knew each other?