Ep. 1 - The Mailahn Family Massacre

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The Story

From 1905 to 1912, in a rural farmhouse in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, the Mailahn family had been decimated by consumption, having taken seven members of the family in as many years. With additional members of the family falling ill, and with the second eldest son already having a morose disposition prior to receiving a head injury - the 23 year old Willie Mailahn tried to convince his remaining family that it would be better for them to all commit suicide rather than proceed through the harsh slow deaths from tuberculosis. The family did not take him seriously, and Willie decided to take matters into his own hands.

On the cold winter day of 2 Feb 1912, with drifts of snow covering portions of the roads, eldest brother Edward took the family sleigh to deliver wood to the school where his two younger brothers were studying. On the way, he began to realize some of the things his father and brother had told him in the preceeding days, William wishing the family would commit suicide, his father cryptically telling him to take care of the family if anything happened to him. Arriving to the school, just as his brothers were coming out, he had the forboading feeling that something terrible was happening back at the farm. He rushed back home as quickly as he could - but it was to late. William had killed their father, teenage sister Dora, and young brother John, before taking his own life. Lilsten to the fulls tory at one of the platforms listed above.

The People

Name	(Born-Died)	Description
Danielsen, Abe		Clerk of the Court
Hoerning, Herbert		member of the coroner's jury, also likely the Mr. Hoerning that was a neighbor
Holz, Charles		member of the coroner's jury, also a neighbor
Johnson, Thomas E.		Coroner
Kirschenlore, George		Deputy Sheriff
Kluender, Charles		possible family friend, in the newspaper as having attended the funeral
Mailahn, Augusta Schmidt	1859-1908	Mother of the family, believed to have died of tuberculosis
Mailahn, Alvina	1884-1907	4th daughter
Mailahn, Anna	1880-1906	twin of Bertha, eldest daughters. Died of "Phthsis Pulmonalis (Consumption), heart failure"
Mailahn, Carolina Kefferman	1813-1909	Grandmother
Mailahn, Carrie	1882-1909	3rd daughter
Mailahn, Dora	1896-1912	6th daughter, killed by her brother in 1912
Mailahn, Edward	1887-1914	Eldest son, discovered the bodies of his father and two brothers, died of tuberculosis.
Mailahn, George	1898-1970	4th son, discovered the body of his sister, the only family member to live a full life.
Mailahn, John L.	1903-1912	5th son and youngest child, killed by his brother in 1912
Mailahn, Lizzie	1892-1907	5th daughter
Mailahn, Louis	1846-1912	The father, killed by his son in 1912
Mailahn, Ludwig	1811-1895	Grandfather, moved his family to Outagamie County in about 1872
Mailahn, Walter	1897-1932	The 3rd son, lived slightly longer than the rest of his siblings, died of tuberculosis
Mailahn, William	1889-1912	The 2nd son, killed his father, brother, and sister before taking his own life in 1912
Riehl, W. B.		member of the coroner's jury
Rooney, F. J.		District Attorney
Schultz, William		neighbor, on whose farm William was kicked int he head by a horse.
Seefelt, Otto		possible family friend, in the newspaper as having attended the funeral
Smith, Charles		member of the coroner's jury
Smith, George		member of the coroner's jury
Verhagen, Martin		Under Sheriff
Welch, Bertha Mailahn	1880-1905	twin of Anna, eldest daughters. Died of "Tubercular abcess, tuberculosis of lungs"
Welch, Grant	1905-1906	infant son of Bertha Mailahn Welch, died of "lung fever"
Welch, Jessie	1871-1950	husband of eldest daughter Bertha Mailahn, married in 1904, also a member of the coroner's jury for the deaths of previous inlaws in 1912.

Locations

• Mailahn Farm: 20 acres in Black Creek Township of Outagamie County, Wisconsin

Documentation

Cemetery Records

• Black Creek Cemetery Burials

Census Records

• 1880: Black Creek, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• 1900: Black Creek, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• 1905: Center, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
• 1910: Center, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA

Newspapers

• 10 Nov 1904 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin): Marriage of daughter Bertha
• 3 Feb 1912 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin): Kills Father, Sister, Brother and Himself
• 5 Feb 1912 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin): Father Has Presentiment
• 8 Feb 1912 - Appleton Weekly Post (Appleton, Wisconsin): Fiend Kills Father, Sister, Brother and Ends Own Life
• 14 Feb 1912 - The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin): Brother Tells of the Tragedy

Vital Records

• Marriage Certificate of Bertha Mailahn & Jesse Welch (1904)
• Death Certificate of Mrs. Bertha Welch (1905)
• Death Certificate of Annie Mailahn (1906)
• Death Certificate of Lizzie Mailahn (1907)