Florence Chandler Maybrick

AKA:

The Cat Lady

Birth Name:

Florence Elizabeth Chandler

Birth Date:

September 3, 1862

Birth Place:

Chandler Mansion, 252 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama

Death Date:

October 23, 1941

Place of Death:

Old Stone Road, Gaylordsville, Connecticut

Age:

Cause of Death:

Heart failure

Cemetery Name:

Saint Michael's Chapel Graveyard

Claim to Fame:

Crime and their Victims

Florence Chandler Maybrick (1862–1941) was an American woman whose life became one of the most controversial legal dramas of the Victorian era. Born Florence Elizabeth Chandler in Mobile, Alabama she married much older English cotton broker James Maybrick in 1881 and moved to Liverpool. Their marriage was troubled by jealousy, infidelity, and James’s long-term use of arsenic and other stimulants, which were sometimes taken medicinally during that period. In 1889, James died after a sudden illness, and Florence was accused of poisoning him with arsenic. Her sensational murder trial attracted international attention, and although the evidence was widely considered weak and circumstantial, she was convicted and sentenced to death (the first American ever sentenced to death). Public outrage and doubts about the fairness of the verdict led the British government to commute her sentence to life imprisonment. After spending about fifteen years in prison, she was released in 1904. Florence later wrote memoirs defending her innocence called Mrs. Maybrick's Own Story: My Fifteen Lost Years. Eventually she settled under her maiden name in Gaylordsville, CT and lived a reclusive life. Only a few knew of her background while many of the locals simply called her The Cat Lady.

Was She Married To And Did She Murder Jack The Ripper?

Florence’s story would have ended with her death except for a bizarre discovery made in the nineties. In 1992 a Liverpool man contacted a London literary agent claiming to have found the diaries of Jack the Ripper. Over 90,000 words long the diaries were attributed to a man never suspected before, James Maybrick. General consensus at the time concluded the diaries were a fake. However his brother (who many believe was partially responsible for Florence’s unjust verdict) has now been thrown into the potential suspects believed to be Jack The Ripper.

By the way, the majority of legal scholars believe Florence Maybrick was innocent in the death of her husband.

Upon Florence arrest, she never saw her children again as they were raised by the family’s doctor. Her son, who became a mining engineer, died in 1911 of accidental poisoning when he mistook a cyanide solution for a glass of water. Her daughter lived until the mid 1970s yet never once tried to contact her birth mother upon her release from prison.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Saint Michael's Chapel Graveyard

40 Bull's Bridge Road

Kent, Connecticut, 06757

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Saint Michael's Chapel Graveyard in Kent, CT

Saint Michael's Chapel Graveyard in Kent, Connecticut. The chapel is located on the grounds of the South Kent School.

Grave Location:

Row 1, Grave 4

Grave Location Description

As you enter the South Kent School, drive up to the first fork in the road and take it to the left. Drive up the hill and on your left is the chapel. Public parking is to the right. The final resting place of Florence can be found on the first row. There are only 17 graves in this modest burial ground.

Grave Location GPS

41.675707, -73.479339

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

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FAQ's

Florence Chandler Maybrick was born on September 3, 1862.

Florence Chandler Maybrick was born in Chandler Mansion, 252 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama.

Florence Chandler Maybrick died on October 23, 1941.

Florence Chandler Maybrick died in Old Stone Road, Gaylordsville, Connecticut.

Florence Chandler Maybrick was 79.

The cause of death was Heart failure.

Florence Chandler Maybrick's grave is in Saint Michael's Chapel Graveyard

Videos Featuring Florence Chandler Maybrick:

The Maybrick Murder Case: Victorian True Crime Documentary

The Horrifying & Disturbing Case Of Florence Maybrick

The American Wife Who May Have Poisoned Jack the Ripper: Florence Maybrick's Trial 1889

James Maybrick And The Diary Of Jack The Ripper

James Maybrick: The Man Who Was Almost, Jack The Ripper!

Watch YouTube video titled The Mysterious And Controversial Case Of Florence Maybrick

Florence Chandler Maybrick