Jack the Ripper & the Fanning connection?

My last post on the Fanning family discussed my great-great grandparents, Peter Fanning & Mary Jane Carrol, their immigration to the US, and their family. Since that time I have been given some extraordinary information on both of them. And have been able to go back another generation in the Carroll family.

First, let me introduce to you the face of Peter Fanning... and his spectacular mustache! I was contacted by my father's cousin, Bill Weinbrecht, who was able to provide me with several photos of Fannings discussed here.

Peter Fanning, born in Dublin 1863.

Unfortunately, we don't have a photo of Mary Jane, yet. However, I have been in contact with people who are researching the Carroll family. I was given images of the census and baptismal records for Mary Jane & her family who indeed resided on Eccles Lane, Dublin in the mid to late 1800's. Eccles Lane does not exist any longer. They were members of St. Michan's Parish, which is still there.

With the information provided I was able to determine Mary Jane (listed in one record as Mary Anne Jane Carroll) was one of 8 siblings born to my 3x great grandparents, Patrick Carroll and Mary White. The other siblings were:

• Alice Carroll (1866-?)
• Anne (1870-?)
• Catherine (1871-?)
• James (1873-?)
• Thomas (1876-?)
• Bridget Mary (1878-?)
• Annie Josephine (1880-?)

I was contacted by someone researching Alice Carroll and soon discovered that as a 16 year old girl she was a witness to a notorious crime in 1882. The Phoenix Park Murders were the fatal stabbings on 6 May 1882 in the Phoenix Park in Dublin of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke. Cavendish was the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, and Burke was the Permanent Undersecretary, the most senior Irish civil servant. The assassination was carried out by members of the "Irish National Invincibles", a group of Fenian activists.

During the trial of the men allegedly responsible for this murder, there were other attacks throughout Dublin in an attempt to derail the proceedings and discourage a conviction. One of these attacks involved the attempted murder of Mr. Denis Fields as he walked down Hardwicke Street in the Inn's Quay section of Dublin. Fields was a Special Juror for the trial & was seriously stabbed after a cab pulled up & three men jumped out & assaulted him.

From the research document "The Terror of Their Live: Irish Jurors Experiences", "In addition, there were several high-profile examples of juror intimidation, the best-known being the attack on Denis Field by a group known as the“Invincibles”in 1883. Field had been a member of the jury that convicted Michael Walsh for the murder of police constable Kavenagh at Letterfrack.The foreman and Field had been seen passing what were in fact perfectly innocuous messages to and from the Crown solicitor and were “assumed to be asking his advice on their verdict.” Soon after the trial, Field was attacked while walking home, on the same night that an attempt was made on the life of Lawson J."

 

Court artist rendition of Alice Carroll in 1883

According to newspaper reports, Alice did not want to cooperate or testify at the trials due to retaliation fears but was offered a 500 pound reward, a pretty hefty sum back then, and participated in the hearings. Some of the men were convicted and put to death at the infamous Kilmainham Goal (Jail). It is recorded that Alice and her family were the subjects of harassment by others in the community and Alice was no longer listed on census reports shortly after. It is suspected that Alice was given another identity and relocated from Dublin. There are some who suspect that she was given the surname Kelly and lived in London. And the reason for people having interest in her is that Mary Jane Kelly was the fifth and final victim of serial killer Jack the Ripper. The likelihood of Alice Carroll and Mary Jane Kelly being the same person are slim due to a variety of reasons but there are some theorists who she may a candidate. Others believe that Alice was sent with her reward money to Australia and, as afar as I know,  never to be heard from again.

I also found that Mary Jane's younger brother, James, married a woman named Margaret Lynch. Unknown if they had children. Her father, Patrick Carroll (1832-?) was born to Thomas and Alice Carroll, also of Dublin. They also had another son, Thomas, Jr. I am still working on other records for the Carroll Family.

Also discussed in previous Fanning entries were the aunts & uncles of my grandfather, Poppy Joe Fanning. Among the photos provided were some faces to put with the names... here is Mary Alice Fanning (1889-1979). She was born in Dublin and sailed across the Atlantic with the family as a child.

As told by cousin Bill Weinbrecht, Marie Fanning (Poppy Joe's sister) was "sent to live with Mary Alice & Eric Carl in San Diego in the 1920's. She never spoke about the reasons why she was sent but it was probably an economic necessity. Mary & Eric treated her like a daughter while she completed high school and nursing school here."

Here are some photos of my great grandparents that were also sent to me:

Julia Anna Schalk

Paddy Fanning

The Wright Brothers (no, the other ones)

John Guttridge Wright and Sophia Kelley Hull (my great-great grandparents) had three children. 

• William John Wright (1860-1939)
•  Madeleine Wright (1861-1932)
• Frederick Harriman Wright (1863-1993)

The previous Wright family chapter discussed the family and life of my great grandfather, Frederick Wright. This chapter will bring you to the family of his brother, William John Wright (1860-1939).

William J. Wright, the eldest of the siblings, was born in New York City in February of 1860 in the 21st Ward. The 1860 census did not include residence addresses but we do know that the 21st Ward was bounded north by E. and W. 40 St, the East River, south by E. & W. 26 St, and on the west by 6th Avenue.

By the 1880 census, William, and sister Madeleine,were living with his mother, Sophia Wright, and his grandmother, Sophia Kelley Hull (1838-1927) at 401 Third Street in Brooklyn. William's father, John, was living at 426 6th Street with Frederick for some reason. I haven't been able to find him in the 1900 census.

In between 1880 and 1909, William relocated to the Washington DC area. He had become an Episcopal minister and on October 29, 1909 married Lucy Hayden Gough (1881-1969) - 21 years his junior - at Christ Church in Chaptico, Maryland.

Christ Church, Chaptico, MD

The 1920 census tells us that William & Lucy lived at 1613 30 St NW in our nation's capital but a search of Episcopalian church records show that Reverend William was the Rector of Christ Church in 1916. Perhaps they maintained dual residences. The church apparently had them relocate once again because by the 1920 census they were living on Walnut Street, in Statesville, North Carolina and William was a minister of Trinity Church. Our last information for William was on the 1930 census where the Wright family was back in Washington DC, living at 1810 Ingleside Terrace NW. William died in January 1939. His wife stayed in Washington and lived for 30 years past her husband and died May 16, 1969 at 89 years old.

Rev. William & Lucy had two daughters, Lucy Gough Wright (1913-1995) and Madeleine H. Wright (1916-1971) - and coincidentally my grandmother's married name - both born in Maryland. While doing the research for this family I came across something quite confusing... while they had the same last name prior to marriage, they also kept popping up in searches as having the same last name, as well. I was able to determine that Lucy & Madeleine married a set of brothers.

Lucy married Ernest Douglas Birchby (1913-1980) and Madeleine married John Pinsent Birchby (1917-1976) of Kensington, MD. Ernest & Lucy had a son, Ernest, Jr. (my second cousin once removed) born in 1942 and according to internet records still resides in Kensington. I have not been able to locate any children for John & Madeleine, who relocated to Newport, Maryland. An obituary for Madeleine states that she was interred at Trinity Episcopal Church and her nickname was "Boots".

Next Wright family addition will be the story of William and Frederick's sister Madeleine.