This Is How Many Women H.H. Holmes Was Really Married To When He Died

Herman Webster Mudgett, more commonly known as H.H. Holmes, was a serial killer who allegedly took the lives of hundreds of innocent people in the late 1800s. Holmes was born into an affluent family in 1861 and was an intelligent boy. According to Biographics, Holmes' interest in medicine started in his early teens when two older boys took him to a doctor's office to show him a skeleton, hoping that it would scare him. However, the opposite happened when Holmes saw the skeleton and showed fascination instead of fright.

Now, H.H. Holmes is famous for building a hotel in Chicago, Illinois, where he resided and did horrible acts to his victims. He planned an elaborate scheme where he charmed women and convinced them to get life insurance. Afterward, he killed them in his "murder castle" and collected money. Holmes was eventually charged with the crimes and authorities tied him to a total of nine murders, but he claimed to have taken the lives of 27 people. Others, however, believe that he had as many as 200 victims (via History). Those who are familiar with H.H. Holmes' story know about the twisted events in the murder castle, but not a lot of people know that he was also a bigamist.

H.H. Holmes married his first wife at a young age. At 16 years old, he did odd jobs for various people and it was then when he met Clara Lovering, the daughter of his employer. The two formed a relationship and eloped when they were both 17 years old (via Biographics). Their union was kept secret and they lived apart for a while before eventually revealing that they were married, and soon after, Clara gave birth to their first child. Holmes pursued a medical career and settled in different places, while the mother and son lived with Clara's parents.

By 1886, Holmes was living the life of a single man. Despite still being married to Clara, he courted and married Myrta Belknap. It was after the marriage that Holmes decided to file for divorce from his first wife. He prepared the papers and sent them to Clara, but she never received them and as a result, the divorce was never finalized, according to History Collection. Myrta gave birth to a daughter in 1889 as Holmes established a successful business in Chicago. He got married yet again in 1894, this time to Georgiana Yoke. Aside from having three wives, Holmes was reported to have had a few mistresses, some of whom became his murder victims.

H.H. Holmes was apprehended in late 1894 and was executed by hanging in 1896. At the time of his death, he was still officially married to the three women.