Kosminski Letter

[Gary Barnett]

The new A to Z will show where he was in 81

I’ll stop looking, then. ;-)

[Debra Arif]

Hi Dave,

He would have been 13 in 1881. Possibly he was away at boarding school?

Three of his sisters were staying with their Forfar (maternal) relatives in Scotland at the time.

Gary

The new A to Z will show where he was in 81

[Jeff Leahy]

Hmm? Not sold on the Kosminski composite mash-up image.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...sh-barber.html

Yes i'm sorry about that...The original idea was a good one and rejected by Paul Begg as sudo science when we made definitive story.

I've since been collecting photographs of the Kozminski family and believe i traced technology at Edinbough University that might have been of interest...At least better than the immage usually used of Kozminski a drawing with no connection which is rather misleading..But sudo science and science fiction still

Perhaps one day science will be able to recreate all your relatives from your DNA...but it aint been done yet

The photo released by Tim Atkins is simply a sketch based on a small sample and only an artist impression....it could have been done far better i can assure you

Yours Jeff

[Gary Barnett]

I note no record of his whereabouts in 1881. Ellie and I were discussing this briefly a few months back and I couldn't find him in the 1881 census either, (in one way reassuring, because I'm still a relative beginner with Ancestry and thought it might just be me).

Could he have been in South Africa perhaps, as he seems to have become familiar with that country later on?

Dave

Hi Dave,

He would have been 13 in 1881. Possibly he was away at boarding school?

Three of his sisters were staying with their Forfar (maternal) relatives in Scotland at the time.

Gary

[Cogidubnus]

I note no record of his whereabouts in 1881. Ellie and I were discussing this briefly a few months back and I couldn't find him in the 1881 census either, (in one way reassuring, because I'm still a relative beginner with Ancestry and thought it might just be me).

Could he have been in South Africa perhaps, as he seems to have become familiar with that country later on?

Dave

[Gary Barnett]

“Dott” allegedly = The Rev. William Patrick Dott.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/120331517/person/192125105283/gallery

[Howard Brown]

Eileen:

Thanks for the link. xxxxx

I believe the purveyor of this story was also featured in the DM one other time....for photographing ghosts.

[Eileen Luscombe]

Rev Dott Letter

Hmm? Not sold on the Kosminski composite mash-up image.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7831203/Is-final-proof-Jack-Ripper-Polish-barber.html

[Tim Atkinson]

Oh, it's OK. I was referring to myself and sometimes changing initials. I was raised in an old fashioned way and I appeal to older fellows and I like them so I have been married several times, which is what I meant. If I wanted to play with my names and initials I could come up with quite a few interesting things, like I had suggested "Dott" could = Do. (Dorothy) T. T.

I reckon you should keep those initials under wraps. Ha!
G'Night Anna. Sleep well.
Tim.

[Tim Atkinson]

I have tended to marry much older men.

My goodness. I read that all wrong. Ha. Sorry Anna.

[Tim Atkinson]

I have tended to marry much older men.

Anna, Mary was a spinster, Died so, with a considerable wealth.

[Tim Atkinson]

"Dott" COULD be an amalgamation of initials. That is a bit of a stretch but possible. It could work out as Dorothy T. (Dot T.) or (Do. T. T.)

I have three forenames and depending on who I have married, sometimes my initials spell something. In a profession like nursing, when you have to initial many lines for work done, a combination of initials can be like a second name.

Blimey Anna. I daren't ask how many you've been married to. Ha !!

[Tim Atkinson]

Phil Carter,

Just to add.
I have acquired a piece of correspondence signed 'Dott'. I have looked over and better looked over the two letters to compare. In my humble, untrained opinion, the signature, letters and wording are, may I say, interesting. However, both letters will now go to yet another expert to compare. In my rigorous daily research, I am trying my hardest to collate as much provenance as possible to validate the letter in the hope that, people who enjoy researching JtR as enthusiasts can enjoy and use the letter. Provided the provenance adds up. If not, then, hay ho, I've tried (hard).

Thanks Phil.
Tim.

[Tim Atkinson]

Hello Roger,

Good points.
The ink has not faded in 130 years.
Now, off the top of your head, can you think of any other 130 year old pieces of inked documentation that has NOT shown signs of ageing? Because I can't!
And the most obvious questions, without offence to Tim, are these..

1. What is the name of this reputable person examining this sheet of paper?

2. Is he/she carrying out a complete set of tests to verify/ debunk the veracity of the document, and if so, will a complete and totally independently neutral and professional report be issued for examination to his or her peers on his results for their independant reviews?
Ink, paper, chemical reactions, and the like.

3. Can we be assured that the person examining the document is infact, unbiased? In other words, what guarantee have we of a totally independant review taking place?

4. When can we expect the results to be published? (hopefully in an appropriate scientific paper in which peer review will be forthcoming)

I'm not asking a lot, am I? After all, if this document, which supposedly, we are told, is kosher, then rigorous testing must be done for historical approval.

Otherwise.. We are back in Diary land, Table Cloth land, Marginalia land or even Memoranda land. (depending on one's views)
In other words.. Anyone spending a large amount of money on the document must have known that it would be subject to the utmost scrutiny, to pass all the tests to validate the meaning of the description in the first place.

No offence Tim. But I'm sure you understand some of us long in the tooth have seen countless claims come and go over the decades, purporting to be kosher, that turned out to just be a not so clever attempt at conning the public and the knowledgeable enthusiast alike.

Once bitten, 100 times fed up with the same old manure producing process.



Phil

No offence taken Phil.
Very necessary lines to validate the letter either/or. For me and my requirements.
Thanks Phil.
Tim.

[Anna Morris]

IMO scientific tests that would nearly absolutely prove the age of the letter would be so expensive they are unlikely to be done.

For example, pollen could be analysed to indicate place of origin for the letter. I believe mineral content of the water used to hydrate the ink could be analysed. There are new techniques with light and photography that can reveal many interesting things.

I just inherited a packet of important papers from 1886, originating in England. The bulk of the presentation looks like it was written yesterday. Very white paper, clear, crisp writing.

I have not finished reading these papers I possess because I think I really need to don white gloves and use heavy beads to hold down pages. Plus I need to be in the right mood to digest the content. I believe I know what the papers say but I have had enough surprises lately and do not want to ponder something new.

(And, no, I will not be presenting authentic pages with Ripperological content in the marginalia. My previous comments about me owning appropriate paper and ink to create a hoax were based on the fact that I own writing paper from the time and some very old ink which could be reconstituted. As you all know I have a lively sense of humor but I would never perpetrate a hoax for any reason.)