Ed Gein

About Ed Gein

Edward Theodore Gein (pronounced /ˈgiːn/) (August 27, 1906—July 26, 1984) was an American killer and graverobber. His crimes earned widespread notoriety after authorities discovered Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned gruesome trophies and keepsakes from them.

Gein was born on August 27, 1906 in Vernon County, Wisconsin. His parents, George and Augusta Gein, both natives of Wisconsin, had two sons: Ed and his older brother Henry G. Gein. George Gein was a violent alcoholic who was frequently unemployed.[citation needed] Despite Augusta's deep contempt for her husband,[citation needed] the atrophic marriage persisted because of the family's beliefs about religion and divorce. Augusta Gein operated a small grocery store and eventually purchased a farm on the outskirts of the small town of Plainfield, which then became the Gein family's permanent home.

Augusta Gein moved to this desolate location to prevent outsiders from influencing her sons.[citation needed] Gein left the premises only to go to school, and his mother blocked any attempt he made to pursue friendships.[citation needed] Besides school, he spent most of his time doing chores on the farm. Augusta Gein, a fervent Lutheran, drummed into her boys the innate immorality of the world, the evil of drink and the belief that all women (herself excluded) were prostitutes, whores and instruments of the devil.[citation needed] According to Augusta Gein, sex was only for procreation. She reserved time every afternoon to read to them from the Bible, usually selecting graphic verses from the Old Testament dealing with death, murder and divine retribution.[citation needed]