crimesandcuriosities: The Early Life of Ed GeinEd Gein was born in August 1906 to a devoutly religio
crimesandcuriosities: The Early Life of Ed GeinEd Gein was born in August 1906 to a devoutly religious mother named Augusta Wilhelmine Gein. His father, George Philip Gein, drank alcohol excessively and was unable to hold down a job for long periods of time. This infuriated Ed’s mother, who harboured deep resentment towards her husband, but she never pursued a divorce due to her fervent beliefs on marriage.As a result, Ed and his older brother Henry were raised within a temperamental marital household. As well as the contempt that Augusta felt towards her husband, she also rarely showed affection towards her two sons, as she believed they were condemned to be disappointments just like their father. In an attempt to keep her young boys on the correct path, Augusta would often preach to them from the Bible about murder and death, and she also instilled into them the belief that alcohol and all women except herself were the epitome of immorality. Ed and Henry were also prohibited from leaving the family’s rural farming property in Plainfield, Wisconsin, and therefore their only physical escape was attending school. However, Augusta would discipline her sons if they attempted to make friends, which impeded their social interactions and Ed in particular became a victim of bullying. Ultimately, the brothers only had each other for friendship and company throughout childhood. Instead of spending their spare time socialising with others their age, they were confined to doing chores on the farm. Despite the restrictions, Ed Gein continued to show unwavering love and admiration for his mother into adulthood. However, Henry was not so accepting.When their father passed away in 1940, both Henry and Ed were grown men and taking on odd jobs as handymen in order to gain some additional family income. They managed to build a reputation as hardworking and trustworthy members of the community, which led to Ed securing himself some babysitting work. He particularly enjoyed this, as he enjoyed being around children more than he enjoyed the company of adults. It has been pointed out that this preference may have been due to his lack of social development early in life, and therefore he found it easier to relate to children who somewhat shared the same intellectual capacity. Now adults, Henry had rejected his mother’s ideals and expressed his concern with how attached Ed was to their mother. Henry began to more openly criticise their mother, which shocked and upset Ed and initiated the souring of their brotherly relationship. Shortly afterwards, in May 1944, a fire broke out close to the family home and both brothers went out to tackle it. The blaze was eventually extinguished, but Ed claimed to have become separated from his brother during the ordeal. He contacted police and reported Henry’s disappearance, but when authorities arrived Ed was suspiciously able to lead them directly to his brother’s body. Although Henry had not been burnt by the fire and his head showed signs of bruising consistent with being struck, police ruled out murder and the cause of death was noted as asphyxiation.Ed went on to live alone with his mother, until she also died in 1945 following multiple strokes. According to true crime writer Harold Schechter, Gein had “lost his only friend and one true love. And he was absolutely alone in the world.” It was at this point that Gein’s dedication to his mother transgressed into criminal behaviour. He began visiting local cemeteries and digging up deceased women, crafting their body parts into trophies and creating a ‘woman suit’ for himself to wear. He also went on to murder two women in what has been argued as a show of loyalty to his mother’s teachings. Given the extent of Gein’s devotion to his mother, it is widely speculated that he was likely also responsible for the death of his rebellious brother. -- source link