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.
The People
| Name | (Born-Died) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson, Thomas E. | Coroner | |
| 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, 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, 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 |
| Rooney, F. J. | District Attorney | |
| Schultz, William | neighbor, on whose farm William was kicked int he head by a horse. | |
| 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 |
Locations
- Mailahn Farm: 20 acres in Black Creek Township of Outagamie County, Wisconsin
Documentation
Cemetery Records
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
- 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