Thursday, June 28, 2012

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












2 comments:

  1. What an amazing picture of Peter Fanning! I am a descendant of the Fannings. My great grandmother was Ola Fanning. Her father (2x) Cornelius Fanning. Wm. Fanning my 3rd great grandfather. Middleton Fanning Jr my 4th great. Middleton Sr 5th. Laughlin 6th great. Bryan Fanning 7th. William Fanning 8th. Edmund Fanning 9th. Nicholas Fanning 10th. William Fanning Jr 11th. William Fanning Sr 12th. That's about as far back as I have gone. I assume Peter would have been a cousin or uncle of mine.

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    1. You're probably right, Cori. I haven't found the connection to to any of your relatives listed above but the search continues!

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