Mary Jane Kelly from Tottenham - further details

[Mike Covell]

I might have found something of interest Chris, I will email you what I have got.

[Chris Scott]

Hi Mike
Many thanks for that info
I did PM you, hope you got it

Below are details of the Longford Rifles
This is from the Army List for 1862

[CraigInTwinCities]

By the by though (Slightly off track sorry) I've suddenly noticed the slight but noticable likeness between Annie Besant and MJK...Not saying that AB met her end in Millers Court of course....but there's a wayward thought!!!....but just that the face set struck me.
Suz x

"Noticable likeness" based on what, though, Suze?

We have two photos of her corpse, that's all. We see an exposed skull, nothing more. So what are you basing the "noticable likeness" on?

Surely you're not relying on the sketch or two made at the time, off hearsay... on that basis, I could claim that actress Heather Graham bears an uncanny likeness to MJK and must surely be a great-great-grandniece of the Miller's Court victim, and be on equally solid ground. (Which is to say, not at all...) Such sketches based on neighbor's descriptions in the wake of the murder, would be highly unreliable and certainly you have more sense than that, right?

Besides, as you said, Anne Bessant has nothing to do with this thread....

[Chris Scott]

In the light of some new information I have been given, we have been able to fill in some details for the Mary Kelly of Tottenham, principally a full list of her brothers and sister.

In 1871 the family was living in Staffordshire:
30 High St, Goldenhill, Oldcott, Staffordshire
Head: Denis Kelly aged 38 born Ireland - Pensioner, Staff. Serj. of Volunteers
Wife: Jane Kelly aged 36 born Isle of Man
Children:
Matthew S aged 11 born Devonport, Devon
Catherine M aged 9 born Ireland
Mary J aged 7 born Ireland
John D R aged 5 born Ireland
William P aged 2 born Preston, Lancs.
Lawrence M T aged 7 months born Goldenhill, Staffs

By 1881 the family were living in the Isle of Man:
28 Falcon Street, Onchan, Douglas, Isle of Man
Head: Denis Kelly aged 47 born Ireland - Pensioner (Sergt. Major 107th Foot)
Wife: Jane Kelly aged 46 born Peel, Isle of Man
Children:
Catharine M aged 19 born Ireland - Dressmaker
Mary J aged 17 born Ireland
John D R aged 15 born Ireland - Cabinet maker's apprentice
Paul W aged 12 born England (This is the same as the William P listed in 1871)
Lawrence M aged 10 born England

The oldest son, Matthew Samuel Kelly, married in Edmonton in Essex to Catherine Standring. The couple and their children are listed in 1891 as follows:
6 Tancred Road, Hornsey
Head: Matthew S Kelly aged 31 born Stoke Damerel, Devon - Civil Service Clerk, Audit Dept.
Wife: Catherine Kelly aged 33 born Finsbury E.C.
Children:
Margery aged 4
Denis aged 3
Kathleen aged 1
All born in Wood Green

[rain]

With all those male kellys, maybe someone with the last name of Kelly could trace their roots and find out that Mary Kelly was their great great great aunt or something.

[rain]

I am sorry, I posted that without reading the whole thread and for some reason I can't edit or delete it. so sorry...

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Rain!

With all those male kellys, maybe someone with the last name of Kelly could trace their roots and find out that Mary Kelly was their great great great aunt or something.

A nice thought. But since we have been looking for hundreds of Mary Jane Kellies from Western Ireland, Wales, London and even some American ones with a dead end, "our" MJK obviously used that name as an alias. So, it's probably impossible to find her real backround - ever!

All the best
Jukka

[Blackkat]

I too believe she used a fake name. I don't think she used her real one due to the fact she didn't want anyone knowing where she really came from or who she was. We have a story in our family about a woman (prostitue) who was killed during this time in London, and since there are probably plenty of people who may or may not have been related in some way to the real MjK it's super difficult to find out. Even if you find a real name you have to connect it to the MjK that was at No. 13. AND there were lots of prostitues killed by lots of people.

I do agree she did use an alias and that's why it's been a dead end all these years. If not, I feel that certainly someone would have opened the truth by now. I still hope that in the future someone will be able to connect all the dots. Some of the best advice I received from a couple of gentlemen (geneologists) here at the forum was to go ahead and do the research because even though it seems impossible you never know what you'll find. Besides tracing your family back is tedious but a wonderful experience. I've already got my father's family back to the 1600's.

I'm not even for sure that Mary was her real first name - but Kelly? I doubt it was real.

[Observer]

Hi Jukka

Hello Rain!



A nice thought. But since we have been looking for hundreds of Mary Jane Kellies from Western Ireland, Wales, London and even some American ones with a dead end, "our" MJK obviously used that name as an alias. So, it's probably impossible to find her real backround - ever!

All the best
Jukka

Quite. And here's an example. My great grandfather whose mothers name was Catherine Kelly born 1860, moved to Swansea to work, due to the fact that some of his mothers kinfolk were still living there.

all the best

Observer

[Chris Scott]

I have received another snippet of information regarding the Mary Jane Kelly of Tottenham (who claimed to be the MJK of Miller's Court)
Mary's mother was named Jane but had been married previously and it was only today I found her former name. Prior to being married to Denis Kelly (father of Mary Jane) Jane Kelly (maiden name Jane Coffey) had been married to a man named Henry Quirk.
There is no possibility that Quirk could have been Mary Jane's birth name. Her oldest sibling, Matthew, born 1859, is listed as the son of Denis Kelly, and as Mary was born 4 years later, she was certainly Denis's daughter.
I have a lot of digging to do on this info which I have only just received
Chris

[Blackkat]

Hey Chris good luck with all the research!!! We have Coffey's in our family too, except ours is spelled Coffee - like the drink by the 1920's.

Anyhoo best of luck!!

[Chris Scott]

I am now in receipt of some important documents relating to the Mary Jane Kelly (Atkinson) who claimed to be the Kelly of Millers Court fame.
Below is her birth certificate. This was issued under special provisions as relating to the armed forces and reads as follows:

Mary Jane Kelly

Birth Certificate:

Depot 107th regiment of Infantry

Date of Child's Birth: 24 January 1864
Place and Date of Birth: Fermoy
Baptism date: 2 February 1864
Christian Names of the Child: Mary Jane
Parents' names:
Christian: Denis and Jane
Surname: KELLY
Rank of the father: Colour Sergeant 107th regiment
Name of Chaplain or other Clergyman by whom ceremony was performed:
J.O. Flaherty Chaplain to the Forces

[Chris Scott]

Below is Kelly's marriage certificate.

The details read as follows:
Marriage:
When Married: 24 August 1889
Name and Surname: William Hayes Atkinson and Mary Jane Kelly
Age: William Atkinson 28 years, Mary Jane Kelly 25 years
Condition: Atkinson - Bachelor, Kelly - Spinster
Rank or Profession: Atkinson - Commercial Traveller
Residence at the time of Marriage: Atkinson - ? Villa, Hornsey, Kelly - 36 Daleview Road, Stamford Hill
Father's Name: Atkinson - Joseph Atkinson, Kelly - Denis Kelly
Rank or Profession of father: Atkinson - Independent Means, Kelly - Sergeant Major
Witnesses: Esther Catherine Atkinson and John Kelly

Out of interest I am also adding an enlargement of the MJK signature.

[Chris Scott]

Below is Kelly's death certificate
This reads as follows:

Death:
When and Where Died: 8 December 1912 109 Warwick road, New Southgate
Name: Mary Jane Atkinson
Sex: Female
Age: 48 years
Occupation: Wife of William Hayes Atkinson, Commercial Traveller
Cause of Death: Endocarditis, Cardiac failure. Certified by M Steward Smith M.D.
Informant: W H Atkinson, widower of deceased in attendance at 109 Warwick Road, New Southgate
When Registered: 9 December 1912

[Chris Scott]

the last document I have received is the birth certificate of Mary's older brother, Matthew:

Birth of Kelly's brother

Registration District: Stoke Damerel
County: Devon
When and Where Born: 21 December 1859 Married Men's Quarters, Raglan Barracks
Name: Matthew Samuel
Sex: Boy
Name of father: Dennis Kelly
Name of Mother: Jane Kelly late Quirke formerly Coffey
Occupation of father: Colour Sergeant 35th Regiment
InformantL Denis Kelly, father, of Married Men's Quarters, Raglan Barracks, Devonport, Devon
When registered: 14 January 1860