Could These Be Alice Mackenzie's Relatives ?

[Gary Barnett]

I’ve just created a new Alice thread A Conundrum and I’m having trouble accessing it. When I click on it it appears in the format below. It’s annoying because I want to make a couple of changes to the opening post. The Blackburn’s ‘four’ children for instance should be ‘three’, unless you count the one in Jane’s womb.

It’s not the first time posts have appeared in that format.

[Gary Barnett]

Looking through all the info we now have about Alice and comparing it to what we know about other victims, I realise that we would probably have considerably more if her rellies in Peterborough (and elsewhere) had acknowledged her.

I wonder if any of their descendants are still with us. I think I’ll take a look at Jane’s tree to see where that leads.

[Gary Barnett]

Let’s not invest too much hope in recent generations.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fVKNgyEjjN8

[Keith Lee]

Looking through all the info we now have about Alice and comparing it to what we know about other victims, I realise that we would probably have considerably more if her rellies in Peterborough (and elsewhere) had acknowledged her.

I wonder if any of their descendants are still with us. I think I’ll take a look at Jane’s tree to see where that leads.

Descendants of Jane Blackburn, formerly Pitts

Minnie Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 2 1867 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Death registered quarter 3 1930 in Peterborough, Northants. Age 64
Never married, no known children.

Ada Jane Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 3 1869 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Death registered quarter 1 1874 in Peterborough Northants. Age 4

Maude Mary Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 3 1871 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Married Albert Tom Swan, age 29, bachelor, Clerk, at St John the Baptist church, Kentish Town, Camden, on Dec. 6 1902. Father Percival Blackburn (deceased), Engine driver.
Death registered quarter 1 1955 in Spalding, Lincs. Age 83
Husband’s death registered quarter 3 1956 in Spalding, Lincs. Age 82
Had two children.

Wingenund Blackburn Swan, grandson
Birth registered quarter 3 1903 in Pancras, London. Mother’s maiden name Blackburn
In 1939 England and Wales Register, was living with mother at 53 Bourne Road, Spalding, Lincs. Shown as unmarried.
Died January 26, 1962 at Holbeach Hospital, Holbeach, Lincs.
Never married, no known children.

Reginald Albert Blackburn Swan, grandson
Birth registered quarter 4 1906 in Edmonton, Middx. Mother’s maiden name Blackburn
Drowned in boating accident near Spalding, Lincolnshire on June 24, 1929
Death registered quarter 3 1929 in Boston, Lincs. Age 22
Never married, no known children.

Daily Herald, 25 June 1929, page 5

[Gary Barnett]

I see Adam Wood is planning to give an online illustrated talk on the lives of the non-canonical victims, including Alice.

Accessible via Facebook:

‘Jack the Ripper: The Forgotten Victims’

Sunday 23rd June, 21.00 - 22.00

I’m looking forward to it!

[Gary Barnett]

RIP, freckle-faced Alice.

[Gary Barnett]

Descendants of Jane Blackburn, formerly Pitts

Minnie Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 2 1867 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Death registered quarter 3 1930 in Peterborough, Northants. Age 64
Never married, no known children.

Ada Jane Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 3 1869 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Death registered quarter 1 1874 in Peterborough Northants. Age 4

Maude Mary Blackburn, daughter
Birth registered quarter 3 1871 in Peterborough, Northants. Mother’s maiden name Pitts
Married Albert Tom Swan, age 29, bachelor, Clerk, at St John the Baptist church, Kentish Town, Camden, on Dec. 6 1902. Father Percival Blackburn (deceased), Engine driver.
Death registered quarter 1 1955 in Spalding, Lincs. Age 83
Husband’s death registered quarter 3 1956 in Spalding, Lincs. Age 82
Had two children.

Wingenund Blackburn Swan, grandson
Birth registered quarter 3 1903 in Pancras, London. Mother’s maiden name Blackburn
In 1939 England and Wales Register, was living with mother at 53 Bourne Road, Spalding, Lincs. Shown as unmarried.
Died January 26, 1962 at Holbeach Hospital, Holbeach, Lincs.
Never married, no known children.

Reginald Albert Blackburn Swan, grandson
Birth registered quarter 4 1906 in Edmonton, Middx. Mother’s maiden name Blackburn
Drowned in boating accident near Spalding, Lincolnshire on June 24, 1929
Death registered quarter 3 1929 in Boston, Lincs. Age 22
Never married, no known children.

Daily Herald, 25 June 1929, page 5

I miss missed this, Keith.

Thanks for the info about Reggie’s tragic end. Minnie’s the one who interests me. Was she Blackburn’s biological daughter?

For those who don’t know, the Wash is a chunk out of the east coast of England between Norfolk and Lincolnshire which is gradually being filled in with wind turbines.

[Keith Lee]

Hi Gary.

Here’s Minnie’s birth record:
Birth record - Minnie Blackburn - Peterborough - 1867_1.pdf

She lived with Percival and Jane her whole life, according to the censuses.

So far as I can tell, she only achieved public mention once: her death notice on page 16 of the local paper:

(Peterborough and Hunts Standard, 3 Oct. 1930)

[Gary Barnett]

My mistake, Lee. It’s Annie, Jane’s illegitimate daughter, who interests me. Who was her father? She’s on the 1861 census in the Pitts household in Peterborough while Percy Blackburn was still living with his first wife.

[Gary Barnett]

I’ve just been reading an interesting book ‘Divorced, Bigamist, Bereaved?’ as part of my research into Maria Lechmere. I’m intending to post these extracts which it occurs to me may also have some relevance to Jane and Percy’s marriage. I’m not suggesting it was bigamous, but there might have been something about their relationship that met with disapproval in Peterborough.



How was the second marriage celebrated?

The vast majority of bigamous marriages were celebrated in a different location from the first, legal marriage. A few bigamists did risk marrying in the same place, but usually only where the parish was so populous that were unlikely to be detected. Most preferred to put some distance between the first and second marriages, especially when they had come from a small community.


Who attended the second marriage?

Bigamous marriages, as one might expect, were often celebrated quietly and without friends or family being present and it is possible to get a feel for this from the other names recorded on the marriage certificate.


Jane and Percy were married (from memory) at All Saints, Battle Bridge, not far from King’s Cross station where trains from Peterborough arrived, and their witnesses were people connected to the church rather than family or friends.

[Gary Barnett]

I am looking forward to this!

[Keith Lee]

It’s Annie, Jane’s illegitimate daughter, who interests me. Who was her father? She’s on the 1861 census in the Pitts household in Peterborough while Percy Blackburn was still living with his first wife.

Besides giving Percival’s name as her father for the marriage register at her 1882 wedding, Annie also named her first son Percival.

Minnie Blackburn, just mentioned earlier today as the daughter born to Jane after she married Percival, was a witness at the wedding.

This was all done while Percy and Jane were still alive.

Oddly, neither of Annie’s two daughters was named after her mother.

[Gary Barnett]

Besides giving Percival’s name as her father for the marriage register at her 1882 wedding, Annie also named her first son Percival.

Minnie Blackburn, just mentioned earlier today as the daughter born to Jane after she married Percival, was a witness at the wedding.

This was all done while Percy and Jane were still alive.

Oddly, neither of Annie’s two daughters was named after her mother.

Percival was not named as Annie’s father on her birth certificate though. So was he her biological father or her stepfather?

[Gary Barnett]

I don’t recall posting Alice and Joseph’s banns on here. Here they are:

[Gary Barnett]

This is from The Boston [Lincs] Guardian of 17/8/1889. I've no idea how accurate it is.

I’ve just found another printing of this report in the Spalding Guardian of 17th August, 1889. It was only added to Findmypast on 2nd May, 2022. The Boston Guardian example was added on 9th Feb., 2017.