The Early Years of Ed Gein
An insight into the childhood and upbringing of a man who inspired multiple on-screen killers.
Introduction
Edward Theodore Gein — most notoriously known as Ed Gein— died of respiratory failure in July 1984 at the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Wisconsin, USA. Despite almost 40 years passing since his death, he is still referenced to this day as one of the most heinous killers to have ever lived.
Gein has become immortalised in film, inspiring a number of murderous antagonists within the horror genre: Norman Bates in Psycho, Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, to name a few. Gein’s portrayal in these movies has contributed more to his dehumanisation; the characters he inspired are inherently monstrous and evil, devoid of empathy and existing solely to cause suffering to those they victimise.
However, like all other adult human beings, Ed Gein was once a child. Although often overlooked, there was once a period of innocence in the lives of even the most abhorrent criminals, where time was spent developing and learning about the world around them. It is both interesting and important to explore these early years in order to uncover any events or experiences which might have caused a derailment in behaviour and instead paved a path of crime and bloodshed.
Gein’s Upbringing
Edward Gein was born on 27th August 1906 to a devoutly religious mother named Augusta Wilhelmine Gein. He was Augusta’s second-born child following the birth of a baby boy named Henry George Gein in January 1901 — Ed’s older brother.
The boys’ father, George Philip Gein, drank alcohol excessively and was unable to hold down a job for long periods of time. This infuriated Augusta, who harboured deep resentment towards her husband, but she never pursued a divorce due to her fervent beliefs on the subject. 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, and she instilled into them the belief that alcohol and all women (except herself, of course) were the pinnacles of immorality.
During their upbringing, Ed and Henry were prohibited from spending any leisurely time away from the family’s rural farming property in Plainfield, Wisconsin, which meant their only physical escape was attending school. However, Augusta would discipline her sons if they attempted to make any friends at school, which significantly impeded their social interactions and Ed in particular became a victim of bullying.
Ultimately, the brothers only had each other for friendship throughout their childhoods. Instead of spending their spare time playing with other kids their age, they were confined to doing chores on the farm. Despite these restrictions, Ed continued to show unwavering love and admiration for his mother. However, Henry was not so accepting.
Adult Life
Both Henry and Ed were grown men by the time their father died in 1940, and in order to gain some additional family income they took on odd jobs as handymen for local residents. 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 liked being around children more than adults. It has been pointed out that this preference may have been due to his lack of social development early in life, therefore he found it easier to relate to children who shared a similar level of intellect.
In adulthood, 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 the 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.
Around one year after Henry’s death, Augusta suffered a stroke and her health began to deteriorate. She spent more of her time confined to bed and acted more erratically than ever. Ed served as her only carer but was also the sole victim of her vicious mood swings. In a continued cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, Augusta would derogatorily compare her son to his ‘useless’ father, but would then contrastingly show a softer maternal side and allow Ed to sleep in her bed.
Crimes in Adulthood
Ed continued living with his mother until she also died in 1945 following multiple strokes, leaving him devastated. Gein had spent 39 years under his mother’s roof and lived to serve her every need, and suddenly she was gone, leaving him on his own for the first time in his life.
Augusta had spent years embedding into her boys that feelings of sex and lust were absolutely immoral and to be avoided at all costs, meaning Ed passed into and through adulthood without seeking any female companionship other than his mother. 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 allowed his dedication to his mother to transgress into disturbing and criminal behaviour.
Gein would later say “a force built up in me” in reference to losing his mother. He began visiting local cemeteries and digging up the bodies of deceased women, with the intention of creating a ‘woman suit’ that he could wear. His aim was to physically recreate a version of his mother, later admitting to authorities that he wanted to become her and crawl into her skin. He also crafted body parts into household items as well as pieces of clothing, such as: a pair of gloves made from human flesh, masks made from faces, chairs upholstered using skin, a pair of lips attached to a window shade pull cord, and a belt made out of nipples.
As well as grave-digging, Gein also targeted the living and murdered two women named Mary Hogan (54) and Bernice Worden (58). In 1954, local tavern owner Mary was shot and killed by Gein before he loaded her body onto a sled and dragged it home. In November 1957, Gein robbed Bernice at the nearby hardware store she owned and killed her. Bernice’s son, a police deputy, grew suspicious of Gein and a search of his remote farmhouse was carried out. While searching the property, investigators discovered horrific scenes: organs were stored in the refrigerator, a heart sat atop the kitchen stove, and skulls had been made into soup/cereal bowls. Bernice’s body was also found inside a shed — she had been suspended upside-down, decapitated and disembowelled like a hunted animal.
The fact his mother had frequently instilled into him that women were instruments of the devil and vessels of sin likely played a significant part in his choice of victim and the demeaning way in which he treated their bodies.
Conviction and Sentencing
Although Gein was only charged with the murder of Bernice Worden, he also confessed to the murder of Mary Hogan during questioning. It is believed he was also responsible for other deaths, although this has never been proved.
After his arrest, Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which resulted in him pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. He was consequently deemed unfit for trial and sent to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, but was later transferred to Mendota State Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. After a decade, Gein’s doctors declared him sane enough for trial, and within a week he was found guilty of murder. However, as he was still considered legally insane, he remained in the hospital.
While hospitalised, Gein proved himself to be a model patient and enjoyed reading, occupational therapy, and the radio. Up until his death in 1984, he was not known to display violent tendencies or cause any trouble with other patients or staff.
Conclusion
From birth, the Gein brothers had been indoctrinated to believe anything beyond the safe perimeters of their farmland presented risk and sin. A lack of friendships and romantic relationships, in combination with bullying and parental austerity, would have taken a significant toll on their ability to develop and socialise as normal human beings.
In an analysis given by Crime & Investigation, the impact of Gein’s treatment during childhood is summed up as follows:
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 brother — although this has never officially been proved.
On 20th March 1958, the Gein’s farmhouse— the only home Ed Gein had ever known — was burned to the ground. When informed, he merely shrugged and stated “Just as well”.
