Henry George Gein: How Did Ed Gein's Brother Die

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Henry George Gein is the brother of Ed Gein also known as The Butcher of Plainfield or The Plainfield Ghoul. Ed Gein was an American murderer and body snatcher. Ed Gein toured local cemeteries at night and dug up graves, robbing from the graves. He admitted to stealing from nine graves from local cemeteries. He used skullcaps for bowls, and stitched chair seats and lampshades out of human skin. Ed Gein was insane and spent his last days in a mental hospital.

Henry George Gein: Bio Summary

NameHenry George Gein
Date of birth17 January 1901
GenderMale
Famous asEd Gein’s brother
ParentsAugusta Wilhelmine Gein and George Philip
SiblingEd Gein
Died16 May 1944 (aged 43)

Early Life & Family

Henry George Gein was born on the 17th of January 1901, in La Crosse, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA. He is the son of George Philip Gein (1873–1940) and Augusta Wilhelmine (née Lehrke) Gein (1878–1945). He has a brother called Edward Theodore Gein also known as Ed Gein.

Henry George Gein’s father George Philip had worked at times as a carpenter, tanner, and insurance salesman. George used to be the owner of a local grocery store but he decided to sell the business which led to the family relocating to live in isolation on a 63-acre farm in the town of Plainfield, Wisconsin, which became the Gein family’s permanent residence.

Henry’s mother Augusta was fervently religious and nominally Lutheran. She would preach to her sons Henry and Ed Gein about the world’s inherent immorality, the evil of drinking, and her belief that all women, except herself, were inherently promiscuous and instruments of the devil.

Augusta Wilhelmine Gein made time each afternoon to read to them from the Bible, usually selecting verses from the Old Testament and Revelation about death, murder, and divine retribution. Augusta hated her husband George who was an alcoholic and couldn’t do his job.

Augusta took advantage of the farm’s isolation by turning away outsiders who could have influenced her sons. On April 1, 1940, Henry’s father George died of heart failure caused by his alcoholism, at age 66. Henry’s mother Augusta had a paralyzing stroke. She had a second stroke and her health deteriorated rapidly.

Augusta passed away on December 29, 1945, at the age of 67. However, details of Henry George Gein’s educational background and qualifications have not been revealed.

Career

Initially, Henry George Gein and his brother Ed Gein did odd jobs around town to help cover living expenses. They were generally regarded as reliable and honest by the residents of the community. Both worked as craftsmen. Henry’s brother Ed Gein became a murderer and body snatcher.

Ed Gein performed his crimes around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin. He gained widespread notoriety in the year 1957 after the authorities discovered he had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes from their bones and skin.

Ed Gein admitted that he murdered two women: tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957. He was initially found unfit to stand trial and confined to a mental health facility.

By the year 1968, he was judged competent to stand trial; he was found guilty of the murder of Bernice Worden, but he was found legally insane and was remanded to a psychiatric institution.

Personal Life

Henry George Gein was in a relationship with a divorced mother of two and planned to move in with her. The identity of this woman hasn’t been revealed. There are no records of Henry’s past relationships or marriages. The identity of his wife or girlfriend hasn’t been made public. There are no records of his children as well.

Also Read: Philip Mckeon: How Did He Die?- Facts About The Actor

Tragic Death: How Did He Die?

Henry George Gein and his brother Ed Gein were burning away marsh vegetation on a property on May 16, 1944, when the fire got out of control. This drew the attention of the local fire department and the fire was extinguished. After the firefighters left, Henry George Gein was nowhere to be found.

Henry George Gein’s brother Ed Gein reported that his brother Henry was missing. A search was conducted with lanterns and flashlights by a search party to search for Henry. Henry’s dead body was discovered lying face down. It was believed that Henry had been dead for some time.

Henry George Gein’s death appeared to be caused by heart failure since he had not been burned or injured otherwise at the time his body was found. Later, it was reported by biographer Harold Schechter, that Henry had bruises on his head. However, the authorities dismissed the possibility of foul play.

The county coroner officially listed asphyxiation as the cause of Henry George Gein’s death. The Authorities accepted the accident theory, but no official investigation was conducted and an autopsy was not performed. It was later suspected that Ed Gein might have killed his brother Henry.

Also, Henry George Gein’s brother Ed Gein died at Mendota Mental Health Institute of respiratory failure, on July 26, 1984, aged 77. He is buried next to his family in the Plainfield Cemetery, in a now-unmarked grave.

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