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John Pizer
Biographical notes
The A-Z gives Pizer's dates as 1850-1897, which are indeed correct, and describes him as "probably born in England" which I can confirm is true.
There has been some problem locating John Pizer in that, as far as I am aware, the only record which has been definitely located is that of his death in 1897.
I hope that I can now throw some light on where and when he was born, who his parents were, and give details of the one definite census listing for him that I have found.
As is so often the way in the JTR case, there are complications in the data which make tracking down the records far less easy than should be the case. In the present instance John Pizer's birth was not registered under that forename and his one census appearance was not listed under that surname!
We knew from the existing records that the Augusta Pizer listed living at 22 Mulberry Street was John Pizer's stepmother. In fact, Pizer's birth mother was English born and her name was Abigail Moss. She married John's father, Israel Pizer in 1842 in the City of London.
In order to find John's birth we have to find the family's listing in the 1851 census. This was the first complication in that, for reason unknown, the surname of the family in 1851 is given as PIZA. They were living in Mitre Street, within yards of the site of the Eddowes' murder and are listed as follows:
1851:
24 Mitre Street, St James Dukes Place
Head: Israel Piza (sic) aged 38 born Poland - General dealer
Wife: Abigail Piza aged 40 born St Saviours, London
Son: John Piza aged 7 months born London
Mother in law: Elizabeth Moss aged 63 born London
This is actually an incredibly useful listing in that it gives John's exact age, to the month, and confirms the maiden name of John's mother as Moss. This tells us that John must have been born in September of 1850. In that quarter (September to December) there is only ONE birth that could apply to his birth, but the forename is given as JACOB and not John. The details are:
Jacob Pizer
1850 Quarter 4
London Vol. 2 Page 189
This would seem to indicate that Pizer's forename was anglicised from a very early stage.
Pizer's birth mother, Abigail, died in 1853 in the City of London. She would have been 42 years of age.
The following year John's father, Israel, was married in St Luke's to Gusta Chlebonski. We know from the 1861 census listing that Augusta was also known as Gusta.
The A-Z says that the family, first under Israel then under Augusta, lived at Mulberry Street from 1854, but in fact the 1861 census lists them at Gowers Walk.
We find yet another variant spelling in the record of the death of John's father. Israel, listed under the surname, of PEISER, died in the last quarter of 1872. There is a slight discrepancy over his age in that his death record in 1872 gives his age as 57 but the census record of the year before gives his age as 58.
Here are the listings for the family that I have not included above, in chronological order:
1861:
32 Gowers Walk, Goodmans Fields
Head: Israel Pizer aged 48 born Poland - General dealer
Wife: Gusta (sic) Pizer aged 39 born Poland
Children:
Janet aged 4 born Stepney
Samuel aged 7 months born Whitechapel
Mother in law: Leah Cohn aged 65 born Poland
22 Mulberry Street in 1871:
Head: Israel Pizer aged 58 born Poland - Town traveller
Wife: Augusta Pizer aged 50 born Poland
Son:
Samuel G Pizer aged 10 born Stepney
Mother in law:
Leah Cohen aged 76 born Poland
22 Mulberry Street in 1881 census
Head: August (sic) Pizer (Widow) aged 61
Children:
Jeanette aged 27
Gabriel (M) aged 25
Barnett aged 21
Lodgers:
Jacob Joseph aged 30
Isaac Leechman aged 21
All residents listed as born in Germany and having no occupation
1901 census:
10 Sutton Street, St George East
Head: Samuel Pizer aged 40 born Whitechapel - Cabinet maker
Children:
Leah aged 17
Israel aged 16 - Clerk for boot factory
Bernard aged 15
Florence aged 12
All children born in Stepney
Mother: Augusta Pizer aged 83 born Germany
John Pizer died in 1897 aged 47, which would fit exactly with a birth date of 1850.
Augusta Pizer died in 1903 aged 88 (St George East)
Biographical notes
The A-Z gives Pizer's dates as 1850-1897, which are indeed correct, and describes him as "probably born in England" which I can confirm is true.
There has been some problem locating John Pizer in that, as far as I am aware, the only record which has been definitely located is that of his death in 1897.
I hope that I can now throw some light on where and when he was born, who his parents were, and give details of the one definite census listing for him that I have found.
As is so often the way in the JTR case, there are complications in the data which make tracking down the records far less easy than should be the case. In the present instance John Pizer's birth was not registered under that forename and his one census appearance was not listed under that surname!
We knew from the existing records that the Augusta Pizer listed living at 22 Mulberry Street was John Pizer's stepmother. In fact, Pizer's birth mother was English born and her name was Abigail Moss. She married John's father, Israel Pizer in 1842 in the City of London.
In order to find John's birth we have to find the family's listing in the 1851 census. This was the first complication in that, for reason unknown, the surname of the family in 1851 is given as PIZA. They were living in Mitre Street, within yards of the site of the Eddowes' murder and are listed as follows:
1851:
24 Mitre Street, St James Dukes Place
Head: Israel Piza (sic) aged 38 born Poland - General dealer
Wife: Abigail Piza aged 40 born St Saviours, London
Son: John Piza aged 7 months born London
Mother in law: Elizabeth Moss aged 63 born London
This is actually an incredibly useful listing in that it gives John's exact age, to the month, and confirms the maiden name of John's mother as Moss. This tells us that John must have been born in September of 1850. In that quarter (September to December) there is only ONE birth that could apply to his birth, but the forename is given as JACOB and not John. The details are:
Jacob Pizer
1850 Quarter 4
London Vol. 2 Page 189
This would seem to indicate that Pizer's forename was anglicised from a very early stage.
Pizer's birth mother, Abigail, died in 1853 in the City of London. She would have been 42 years of age.
The following year John's father, Israel, was married in St Luke's to Gusta Chlebonski. We know from the 1861 census listing that Augusta was also known as Gusta.
The A-Z says that the family, first under Israel then under Augusta, lived at Mulberry Street from 1854, but in fact the 1861 census lists them at Gowers Walk.
We find yet another variant spelling in the record of the death of John's father. Israel, listed under the surname, of PEISER, died in the last quarter of 1872. There is a slight discrepancy over his age in that his death record in 1872 gives his age as 57 but the census record of the year before gives his age as 58.
Here are the listings for the family that I have not included above, in chronological order:
1861:
32 Gowers Walk, Goodmans Fields
Head: Israel Pizer aged 48 born Poland - General dealer
Wife: Gusta (sic) Pizer aged 39 born Poland
Children:
Janet aged 4 born Stepney
Samuel aged 7 months born Whitechapel
Mother in law: Leah Cohn aged 65 born Poland
22 Mulberry Street in 1871:
Head: Israel Pizer aged 58 born Poland - Town traveller
Wife: Augusta Pizer aged 50 born Poland
Son:
Samuel G Pizer aged 10 born Stepney
Mother in law:
Leah Cohen aged 76 born Poland
22 Mulberry Street in 1881 census
Head: August (sic) Pizer (Widow) aged 61
Children:
Jeanette aged 27
Gabriel (M) aged 25
Barnett aged 21
Lodgers:
Jacob Joseph aged 30
Isaac Leechman aged 21
All residents listed as born in Germany and having no occupation
1901 census:
10 Sutton Street, St George East
Head: Samuel Pizer aged 40 born Whitechapel - Cabinet maker
Children:
Leah aged 17
Israel aged 16 - Clerk for boot factory
Bernard aged 15
Florence aged 12
All children born in Stepney
Mother: Augusta Pizer aged 83 born Germany
John Pizer died in 1897 aged 47, which would fit exactly with a birth date of 1850.
Augusta Pizer died in 1903 aged 88 (St George East)
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