For those in the serial killer circles of interest, H.H. Holmes is synonymous with the famous Jack the Ripper of London. What "Jack" doesn't have on Mr. Holmes is a birth name, an unassuming evolution to the court of public opinion, a real grave of a real person, found out for his many crimes, murder not withstanding.
There are many books and documentaries on this man, but here we break down the evolution of his birth name, Herman Webster Mudgett, to the world-renowned "murder castle" killer H.H. Holmes and other aliases. When you use a fake name, marry (multiple times) and have children, names can get complicated.
While he's most famous for his alleged crimes in the city of Chicago, not too far from, and during the 1893 Columbian Exposition (a.k.a The World's Fair), he hailed from the east in New Hampshire and seemingly had a normal if someone privileged life of education and noble profession of a doctor. Here we track the evolution of his name from birth to his hanging death at aged 35.
Born Herman Webster Mudgett in 1861, he was the 3rd child of a New Hampshire couple, and "Herman" was a popular name in the 19th century for German Americans*. Though looking back several generations, there is no evidence he had German ancestors. His forefathers and mothers were born either in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or England, as there were many times great grandparents from across the pond, dating back to the 1600s. His family was part of colonial America, and we can assume that most of his ancestors spoke English.
H.H. Holmes birth certificate from Glimanton, New Hampshire, 1861
He had several siblings, one of which was named Henry, so we can only assume that he adopted the first "H" for Henry Howard, from his brother. There are no namesakes we found that could allude to a connection with the rest of his adopted names, discovering stodgy given names like Scribner, Martha and Ebenezer, and generic surnames like Page, Price and Prescott.
1876 - "Eighty-third annual catalogue of the officers, teachers and students of Gilmanton Academy." His "Scientific" focus follows his profession as a doctor. Notice his brother Albert's name above his.
He married Clara Lovering when Mr. Mudgett was using his birth name in 1878 in Merrimack, New Hampshire, not too far from his birthplace. He was 17 years old when they tied the knot, and Clara was 19, but their marriage certificate says differently. With official birth records from both the bride and groom, he allegedly lied about his age and said he was 20, she, 18 (off by a few months). Maybe this is his first lie on record of who he was. We know the age-old story of young lovers, so this does not seem such a major crime.
They had one son, Robert Mudgett, but he and Clara were abandoned by Mr. Mudgett Senior, allegedly, in 1893. She remained on the east coast with their son and lived with her family. Mudgett Senior attempted to get a divorce but it was rejected by the courts, and no divorce ever occurred before his death in 1896. Clara was a widower. At the age of 45, she married divorcee John Peverly in 1906 and took his name, being buried as "Clara Peverly." She lived to the age of 95 and the having the association with a serial murder, and bearing his child, must have been a burden on her soul.
His second (illegitimate) wife, whom he allegedly married on January 18,1887, was born Myrtle Belknap, and used both her maiden name and her husband's fictional name Holmes throughout her life. Census records, lawsuits, newspapers and her gravestone make use of "Myrta Belknap Holmes". So even though their marriage was never legal (or arguably recorded), she continued to use her lover's fictional name, as well as for her daughter Lucy Holmes. In the early 1890's, before the World's Fair, Mudgett/Holmes and his lover-wife were being sued, which the Chicago Tribune published these lawsuits determinations for public record. In these excerpts, we see him as "Henry", "Harry" and "H. Howard" Homes, along with his wife Myrta, and they even mention Lucy. Lucy was only a few years old at the time, so it would be interesting to see the original records that would include a baby. The family lived together for several years and built a mansion in the northern Chicago suburbs (Wilmette, IL), Mudgett/Holmes being gone often to his 63rd Street "Murder Castle". This is a distance of 27 miles, so it's not surprising that neighbors said he wasn't seen there often. He fled Chicago likely in late 1893 (the fair ended in October), and there is no record he reconnected with Myrta or his daughter Lucy. He was hanged in 1986.
Lucy's middle name was Theodate, which was Mudgett/Holmes' mother's given name. As an adult, Lucy volunteered for the Red Cross in World War I, her passport stating her fictional father's last name, and him listed as "Henry Holmes" born in "Boston, Mass". The poor woman; who didn't know or care about the truth of her father.
She married her first husband after the war ended in May of 1919 in Kalamazoo, MI. He was a Michigander named James Douglas Hunter, and took his last name, going by Lucy Hunter. We assume they were motivated to get married, because according to a Christmas Day 1919 infant death record, she delivered "baby boy Hunter" about 5 months after her and James tied the knot.
She finalized her divorce from Hunter in November of 1923, and later married a Canadian named Thomas Moss, taking his last name as Lucy Moss. Divorcing Thomas, she had been living in California with her uncle John Belknap, her mother long gone. The belief is she had her ashes scattered next to her ex-husband Moss and her uncle, who were buried next to eachother. There is no known record of her gravestone. Keeping her married name, Lucy Moss died a divorcee with no living children.
There is no written evidence that Mudgett/Holmes and Ms. Williams married, only H.H. Holmes severely swaying account of Minnie's virtuous or lustful behavior, depending on the day. We do know that there was some sort of relationship, that Mudgett swindled her fortune, likely killed her sister Nannie, and no bodies or evidence was found. Therefore we assume that she never took his name and died a single, young woman at the age of 25.
Since Mudgett/Holmes only had two biological children, and Lucy, who died childless, and the only one to use the name Holmes, his son Robert (mother Clara), has passed this surname down to several generations. It's an unusual name, and if you know the story, it would be an eyebrow raising encounter with the past.
Known Residences of Mudgett/Holmes in the Chicago area
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_(name)
