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Case File: Mailahn Family (1912)
William Mailahn was a young man in rural Wisconsin that experienced substantial loss in his family due to tuberculosis. He was described as generally dark as a child, and was very close with his mother until her death when he was 17. He suffered an injury to the head as a young man which was never treated. As other members of the family as began to fall ill, his father attempted suicide but survived. William began to think it would be best if they all took their own lives together. He tried to convince his father and brother of this, but they were not prepared to follow through. On 2 Feb 1912, William took matters into his own hands.
| Vitals & Events | |||||
| Event | Date | Place | Notes | ||
| Born | 15 Dec 1889 | Wisconsin | to Louis Mailahn & Augusta Schmidt | ||
| Census | 1900 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | with parents and siblings, attending school | ||
| Census | 1905 | Center, Wisconsin | with parents and siblings | ||
| Census | 1910 | Center, Wisconsin | farm laborer, with father and siblings | ||
| Died | 2 Feb 1912 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | cut his own throat after killing his father, sister, and brother | ||
| Immediate Family Members | |||||
| Relation | Name | Birth Date | Birth Place | Death Date | Death Place |
| Father | Louis Mailahn | Apr 1846 | Pomerania | 2 Feb 1912 | Outagamie Co., Wisconsin |
| Mother | Augusta Schmidt | Dec 1859 | Wisconsin | 26 Jan 1908 | Outagamie Co., Wisconsin |
| – sister | Bertha C. Mailahn | 20 Jul 1880 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | 21 Nov 1905 | Black Creek, Wisconsin |
| – sister | Anna Mailahn | 20 Jul 1880 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | 16 Mar 1906 | Black Creek, Wisconsin |
| – sister | Carrie Mailahn | 21 May 1882 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | 3 Jun 1909 | Outagamie Co., Wisconsin |
| – sister | Alvina Mailahn | 24 May 1884 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | 14 Jun 1907 | Center, Wisconsin |
| – brother | Edward Herman Mailahn | 5 Sep 1887 | Wisconsin | 2 Oct 1914 | Little Chute, Wisconsin |
| – sister | Louise Mailahn | 19 May 1892 | Ellington, Wisconsin | 3 Mar 1907 | Outagamie Co., Wisconsin |
| – sister | Dorothea “Dora” Mailahn | May 1896 | Wisconsin | 2 Feb 1912 | Black Creek, Wisconsin |
| – brother | Walter H. Mailahn | 9 Aug 1897 | Black Creek, Wisconsin | 29 Nov 1932 | Salem, Oregon |
| – brother | George Lawrence Mailahn | 19 Oct 1898 | Outagamie Co., Wisconsin | 18 Jun 1970 | Chula Vista, California |
| – brother | John L. Mailahn | 21 Jun 1903 | Center, Wisconsin | 2 Feb 1912 | Black Creek, Wisconsin |
Burial Records:
- Black Creek Cemetery (Black Creek, Wisconsin)
Census Records:
- 1900 US Federal Census: Black Creek, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
- 1905 Wisconsin State Census: Center, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
- 1910 US Federal Census: Center, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
Newspapers:
- Appleton Evening Crescent:
- 1912 (Feb 3): “Kills Father, Sister, Brother and Himself”
- 1912 (Feb 5): “Father Has Presentiment”
- 1912 (Feb 14): “Brother Tells of the Tragedy”
- Appleton Weekly Post:
- 1912 (Feb 8) – three articles
- “Fiend Kills Father, Sister, Brother and Ends Own Life”
- “Bury Four Bodies This Afternoon”
- “Stunned Victims; Then Cut Throats”
- 1912 (Feb 8) – three articles
