George Philip Gein was the father of Henry George Gein and Edward Theodore Gein. He was born in Wisconsin in 1873, married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke in 1900, and died in Plainfield, Wisconsin, in 1940.
George Philip Gein Biography
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | George Philip Gein |
| Known For | Father of Edward Theodore Gein and Henry George Gein |
| Date of Birth | August 4, 1873 |
| Birthplace | Wisconsin, United States |
| Date of Death | April 1, 1940 |
| Age at Death | 66 Years |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | German-American Heritage |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Occupation | Carpenter, Tanner, Firefighter, Farmer |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke Gein |
| Children | Henry George Gein, Edward Theodore Gein |
| Father | John Gee |
| Mother | Maria Catharine Dingeldein |
| Residence | Plainfield, Wisconsin, United States |
| Net Worth | Not Publicly Documented |
| Famous Relative | Edward Theodore Gein (Son) |
| Legacy | Important figure in the documented Gein family lineage of Wisconsin |
George Philip Gein at a Glance
| Family member | Relationship | Key details |
|---|---|---|
| George Philip Gein | Subject | Born on August 4, 1873, in Wisconsin. Died on April 1, 1940, in Plainfield, Wisconsin. Some records use the surname Gee. |
| Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke Gein | Wife | Born on July 21, 1878, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Daughter of Frederick William Lehrke and Amalia Mathilde Fregin. Married George in 1900. |
| Henry George Gein | Older son | Born on January 8, 1901. He was the first child of George and Augusta. |
| Edward Theodore Gein | Younger son | Born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. He was the second son of George and Augusta. |
George Philip Gein’s Family Origins
Public genealogy records place George Philip Gein’s birth in Wisconsin on August 4, 1873. The exact birthplace appears in slightly different forms across records, including Vernon County and Bergen in Vernon County, but the sources agree that he was born in Wisconsin and that he later lived in Plainfield, Wisconsin.
His parents were John Gee and Maria Catharine Dingeldein. That detail matters because the Gein family line is not just about George himself. It also shows the older family names that appear in Wisconsin records before the surname Gein became the better known form.
Genealogy pages also show that the surname appears as Gee in some records and Gein in others. This is common in older Midwestern family records, where spelling often changed over time. For search and family history work, both spellings are important.
The Gein Name in Wisconsin Records
The Gein family history is tied closely to rural Wisconsin. George was part of a local family line that appears in church, cemetery, census, and genealogy records from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Those records help connect him to his parents, his wife, and his two sons.
This family line is also connected to German American roots in Wisconsin. Sources about Augusta describe her as the child of German immigrants, and Ed Gein’s family background is repeatedly described as German in origin. Together, these records place the household in a well documented immigrant and second generation Wisconsin setting.
George Philip Gein’s Marriage to Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke
George married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke on December 11, 1900, in Hamburg, Vernon, Wisconsin. Some family trees list the wedding date as December 6, 1900, but the clearest familysearch record gives December 11, 1900. Either way, the marriage began at the start of the twentieth century and produced two sons.
Augusta was born in La Crosse on July 21, 1878. FamilySearch names her parents as Frederick Wilhelm Lehrke and Amalia Mathilde Fregin, while other records show the same family line with small spelling differences. This is important for tracing the Gein lineage because Augusta brought her own family background into the marriage.
The marriage connected two Wisconsin families, both rooted in the state’s German American communities. Public records show that George and Augusta built their home life in Wisconsin and raised their children there.
George Philip Gein’s Children
George and Augusta had two sons. Their first son was Henry George Gein, born on January 8, 1901. Their second son was Edward Theodore Gein, born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse County. These two sons form the core of the Gein family history most people know today.
Henry was the older son, and Ed was the younger son. That simple family order matters because it helps explain the structure of the household. George was not only a husband and father. He was also the link between an earlier Wisconsin family line and the next generation of the Gein family.
The children were raised first in the La Crosse area and later on the family farm near Plainfield. Records note that George worked in La Crosse before the family moved, and later the household became centered on farm life. That move shaped the whole Gein family story.
George Philip Gein’s Work and Home Life
George worked as a carpenter, tanner, and firefighter in La Crosse. He also owned a local grocery store before selling it and leaving the city with his family. After that, the Geins lived on a 155 acre farm in Plainfield, which became the family’s permanent home.
This move from town to farm is one of the most important details in George Philip Gein’s family history. It shows how the family shifted from a more active town setting to a more isolated rural life. That rural setting became the main place where the Gein children grew up.
George’s later years are recorded more clearly than many other parts of his life. The available sources show him living in Plainfield until his death in 1940. He died of heart failure at age 66.
George Philip Gein in the Wider Gein Lineage
When people study the Gein family, George often appears as the bridge between two family worlds. On one side are his own parents, John Gee and Maria Catharine Dingeldein. On the other side are his wife Augusta, their sons Henry and Edward, and the later public history attached to the Gein name.
That makes George an important figure in genealogy work. His name links the earlier Gee and Dingeldein lines to the Gein household in Plainfield. It also links the Lehrke and Fregin family line through his marriage to Augusta. Together, these records show a family network that can be traced across several Wisconsin generations.
For family history research, the most reliable core facts are consistent across the major records. George Philip Gein was born in Wisconsin in 1873, married Augusta in 1900, had two sons, worked in several trades, moved to a farm near Plainfield, and died there in 1940. Those facts are the base of the Gein lineage.
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The Gein Family Line in One View
The Gein lineage begins with George Philip Gein and his parents, John Gee and Maria Catharine Dingeldein. It continues through his marriage to Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke, the daughter of Frederick Wilhelm Lehrke and Amalia Mathilde Fregin. Their two sons, Henry and Edward, complete the family line most often documented in public records.
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