Trigger Warning: Family Violence, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Childhood Abuse, Sexual Assault, Substance Use and Abuse. Please do not continue if any of the above topics trigger you.
Understanding the Impact of Generational Trauma through Genealogy.
This blog continues John Wayne Gacy’s genealogy. Please see blogs 13 and 14, which showcase Gacy's paternal and maternal lines back to his grandparents.
Contradictions in Information
Genealogists sift through primary, secondary, and tertiary evidence as a means to uncover and discover the most logical, evidence-driven conclusions the data can support. Information may include contradictions or what is referred to as “Negative Evidence.” Names, dates, locations, and other data may not be consistent across all documents, a byproduct of linguistic barriers, political borders moving, fallible human recall, and dictation errors on the administrative side alongside other possibilities. Genealogists must recognize all evidence and determine whether it fits the current hypothesis or not.
Negative Evidence
One example of negative evidence is John Stanley Gacy's date of birth, as listed on the US Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 1940. The date of birth reads "24 June 1899," but several other vital records list his date of birth as 20 June 1900 [1]. The draft during WWI originally sought men between the ages of 21 and 30 but later expanded to men between 18 and 45. Since it appears that he would have been too young to be drafted, he must have chosen to enlist. I don't know whether this document happens to be transcribed wrong or if a young John Stanley willingly made himself a year older so he could muster in with little questioning.
John Wayne Gacy's Tree
John Wayne Gacy's Father's Early Life - John Stanley Gacy
From a St. Stanislaus Kostka church baptismal record, we know that John Wayne Gacy's father, John Stanley Gacy, was baptized on 21 June 1900 at St. Stanislaus Kostka, Chicago, Illinois. His parents were listed as Nicodemus Gaca and Veronica Jagodzinska [2]. Based on previous research, we know his mother and father were Polish Immigrants and that this particular church was the largest Polish Catholic Church in Chicago at this time.
John Stanley and his family suffered a tragedy when the patriarch, Nikodem, passed away in July 1905, making John Stanley just five years old [3]. He was one of 7 children produced from the union of Nikodem and Veronika, having been born 5th in line [4]. He attended primary and secondary school, could read and write, and by all accounts, had a good support system.
John Stanley Gacy enlisted in the United States Army on 20 August 1917 at the young age of 17 [5]. It was not unheard of to enlist at the age of 17 with a parents permission, but he may not have been eligible to go oversees. By making himself 18, he would not have any barriers to serving in the military
John Stanley served in Company M, 132nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army National Guard. The U.S.S. Mt. Vernon embarked on 16 May 1918, transporting members of the 132nd Infantry to Brest, France, where they would be assigned to their perspective fronts based on the need [6].
The 132nd Infantry Regiment participated in the following battles: Battle of Hamel, Battle of Amiens, Second Battle of the Somme, Verdun - Fromerville, Meuse - Argonne Offensive, Troyon, and the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg Occupation [7].
John Stanley Gacy embarked a month before turning 18, though service records would have identified him as 18. Science understands that the human brain would not have been fully developed before he experienced the depravities of war. Each of the above campaigns came with losses and continuous bouts of fear that would impact the development of any young person, really any person. Following WWI, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, was not understood and was often left untreated. Science and psychology have come a long way since 1918 and now better understand the ramifications of untreated PTSD. While I am not condoning the future actions of John Stanley, context is important.
Immediately following the war, John Stanley moved back into his mother's home with three other siblings. According to the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, John worked as an assembler at a steam gauge company [8]. Later, John would be described as a man who could use his hands to repair or create anything [9]. He would continue on to become a machinist.
John Stanley Gacy married Marion Elaine Robison, a woman who was described as outspoken, loved to sing and dance, and spent time with her friends, all in direct opposition to John Stanley's general somber character. She supported herself as a pharmacist prior to their marriage at the age of 30, as she was an intelligent woman who, by all accounts, was described as a decent human being [10].
John Stanley, by all accounts, was reported to be a generally somber person who would explode without warning, drink heavily, and physically and emotionally abuse his wife and children. John Stanley drank so heavily that he ultimately passed away from cirrhosis of the liver. When he perceived misbehavior, John Stanley would beat his children with a belt\razor strap, sometimes for the slightest of infractions. He was especially abusive towards young Gacy because Gacy did not meet his ideological behavioral expectations of how a boy should act. John Stanley had a stereotypical view of a boy being rough and tumble, something his son John Wayne Gacy was not [11].
John Wayne Gacy's Childhood
What was a child who would grow up and bind, torture, rape and murder 33 young men and boys like as a child? During court testimony, Gacy's sister Karen Gacy Kuzma stated that her brother was "sweet and generous" [12]. She further noted that "she and John (Gacy) were best friends growing up." She noted that he liked gardening and cooking, which would upset his father [13]. Marion described her son as "good-hearted" and "loving" [14]. She stated that he was sickly and was in and out of hospitals. Marion described teenage Gacy as "generous and thoughtful" [15]. She recalled an instance when a doctor suggested he receive psychiatric care, which Gacy was not interested in. She signed him out that day. She regretted her actions [16]. Gacy was described as a neat child who worked hard and kept things orderly [17].
While in middle school, Gacy was viewed as a hard worker who would assist teachers in requested tasks. While he was withdrawn with few friends, the teaching staff believed Gacy to be a good pupil [18]. In high school, he took odd jobs after school. At age 14, he had a paper route, worked as a store clerk, and delivered groceries [19]. This was still not enough for his authoritarian father.
As iterated in the genogram above, Gacy's childhood was volatile, with a father who was physically and emotionally abusive. There are several stories surrounding incidents that impacted the future Gacy. Emotionally, he was berated constantly by his father for not being masculine enough. In a newspaper article dated 26 February 1980, it was reported that Marion Gacy, testified that Gacy's home life was "very stormy" and he would be beaten and ridiculed by his drunken father. Gacy's sister, Karen, gave an example of a night when John Stanley tried to provoke Gacy into hitting him, ultimately threatening to kill him since he was too cowardly [20].
John Stanley would consistently call Gacy a "momma's boy," a "he-she," and a "queer" amongst other derogatory terms [21]. This made it especially difficult for Gacy to accept the fact that he was attracted to men. While Gacy was forced to endure the bullying, belittling, and name-calling of his father on an almost daily basis, there were a number of specific traumatic incidents that Gacy and his family members recalled. The first major traumatic memory for Gacy was when his father beat him with a belt after four-year-old Gacy messed up his orderly tools while trying to assist him. There was an incident in his preschool years where Gacy was found with his mother's panties. Marion stated it was innocent and not sexual. He simply liked how silk felt [22]. At age six, the animal-loving Gacy was given a dog named Pal.
In a drunken rage one day, John Stanley Gacy shot and killed the dog to punish his son, leaving the dead animal on a riverbank, where young John found it. The boy stole some flowers from a funeral partlor and gave Pal a proper burial [23].
Gacy claimed that he was sexually molested by a family friend when he was nine as the friend would take him on trips where they would tickle and wrestle, ultimately leading to John's face being caught between the man's legs [24]. At age 11, John Stanley and Gacy went on a fishing trip that was marred by rain, for which John Stanley blamed Gacy [25]. John Stanley had a "secret place" in the basement that was off-limits to the family. Gacy took a page from his father's book and found a secret space of his own underneath the front porch. This secret place foreshadows where many of the bodies were buried.
Besides the beatings and emotional duress caused by his father, Gacy faced medical problems throughout childhood. According to Marion, Gacy would randomly pass out and was in and out of the hospital due to these episodes [26]. His enlarged heart from birth did not allow him to play roughly with his local peers [27]. By age five, Gacy began having seizures, leading doctors to prescribe the young boy strong barbiturates and anticonvulsant drugs despite not having a firm diagnosis. He would not be diagnosed with a form of motor epilepsy until age 10, at which time he had already been on a strong regimen of pharmaceuticals. One such drug, Dilantin, can have a number of negative side effects for patients [291]. It is interesting to note that his pharmacist mother did not ask more questions and likely understood the possible ramifications of a child so young taking such medications.
Gacy also dealt with gingival hyperplasia of the gums, ataxia, nystagmus, slurred speech and decreased coordination. He suffered insomnia, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and chronic depression, amongst other ailments. Unsurprisingly, his father believed Gacy was lying about these afflictions to get out of school. His mother did not agree [29]. At age 11, Gacy experienced a head injury when he was hit with a swing. Unbeknownst to him and his family, the injury caused a blood clot in his brain that would not be discovered until he was 16 when his blackouts stopped [30]. His fainting spells and head injuries would be brought up in court as a means to rationalize and mitigate his behaviors.
John Wayne Gacy Early Adulthood
When John Wayne Gacy was 18, he left home for a few months to get away from his father. During this time, he worked in a mortuary in Las Vegas [31]. After a few months, he went back home. Gacy never finished high school but later attended Northwestern Business College. He graduated and worked as a manager at a shoe company [32].
John Wayne Gacy met Marlynn Myers, a co-worker, and married her in 1964 at the age of 20. Marlynn's father owned several restaurants, and Gacy was left to manage three KFC restaurants in Waterloo, Iowa, where the married couple moved and had two children. During this period, Gacy was also a Jaycee, a group for young people to network, gain leadership skills, and give back to the community [33]. He was well-liked as both a businessman and citizen of his community.
As an adult, Gacy's public persona was described by neighbors and peers in the community as a likable, good, hardworking man who was willing to help out in the community. His neighbor, Lillie Grexa, of seven years, recalled a young man, Gacy, who brought fruit to his new neighbor's door in the introduction when he moved into the house next door. She further drew a picture of a man saving money at his wedding by being his own chef. One incident did stick out to her as strange. She recalled an instance where Gacy read off a list of accomplishments to her. She remembered him saying he had been a chef, fast-food chain manager, ambulance driver, soldier, politician, policeman, and bartender, amongst other things [34].
John Wayne Gacy Legal Troubles
John first found himself in legal trouble on May 10, 1968, when he was arrested for the charge of sodomy. The charge arose from a sixteen-year-old complainant who alleged Gacy had oral sex with him and later that fall paid him to have sex with him. The date of the incident was August 1967, but the boy would finally come forward later. He was further charged with attempting to suborn perjury, malicious threats to extort, going armed with intent, and breaking and entering [35]. All charges but the sodomy and breaking and entering were based on an incident where it was alleged that Gacy paid an 18-year-old man $10.00 plus an agreement to pay the young man's $300.00 car note to beat up the complainant in his sodomy case [36]. The complainant reported that he was driven to a park where he was sprayed in the face with a chemical (mace) that later was found to have come directly from Gacy. Luckily he was able to get away and hide [37]. The final charge arose from an alleged burglary that took place on August 30, 1968. All charges aside from sodomy were dismissed under his plea deal [38].
Ultimately, Gacy pled guilty to sodomy and had all other charges dismissed. On December 3, 1968, Gacy was sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary [39]. He would spend 91 days in Black Hawk County Jail before being moved to the Anamosa Men's Reformatory. While at the reformatory, his father died on Christmas Day, and his inability to go to the funeral impacted him [40]. While in prison, Gacy was a model inmate. He was even responsible for chairing the project to add a miniature golf course to the prison grounds via the reformatory Jaycees chapter [41]. While in custody, Gacy's first wife divorces him while he is imprisoned and leaves with the children. He was paroled in June 1970, just 18 months after being sentenced to 10 years in prison. He moved back in with his mother in Chicago where he worked as a cook. Just a few months later, in Feb. 1971, Gacy was once again arrested and accused of rape by a teenage boy, but the charges were dropped when the boy failed to show up to court. By October 1971, he was released from parole and was no longer under supervision [42].
Gacy, Free with no Supervision
Gacy and his mother moved to the house where he would ultimately commit his murders. He worked as a part-time building contractor at this time. His first murder took place in early 1972. In the summer of 1972, Gacy marries Carol Hoff. His mother moved into her own apartment. Carol, Carol's mother, and Carol's two daughters move in with Gacy. At this point, Gacy decides to become a full-time contractor. Gacy was very active in his community. He headed up town committees, joined the local Moose lodge, and played "Pogo" the clown at area events. All the while, from the time of the first murder in early 1972 until the summer of 1977, he had killed at least 12 young men and buried them under his house [43]. During this time, he and Carol ultimately divorced on March 2, 1976. Carol cited the lack of intimacy, late nights in the garage, angry outbursts, and allegations that he was seeing other women as reasons for the decision to divorce Gacy. Gacy stated that Carol did not prepare meals and alleged he saw other women [44].
In March 1978, he was accused of raping a 26-year-old male. He settles the suit by paying $3,000. It would not be until December 22, 1978, that Gacy would be charged with any of the murders [45]. Gacy would generally prey on boys and young adults who did not have strong family support. When 15-year-old Rob Piest went missing, police were already looking into Gacy. Piest was different from many of his other victims. He had strong family ties, attended school, and was by all accounts a good, put-together kid [46]. His disappearance did not go unnoticed like so many others. The police were finally able to arrest him on a marijuana charge when they saw him giving the substance to another person? [47]. Because this was a delivery charge, officers could get a warrant signed off on. What they would find would be shocking.
After discovering several bodies, he was finally formally charged with murder. It would take a little over a year for the trial to begin. On March 12, 1980, it took the jury 1 hr and 50 minutes to sentence him to death [48].
Red Flags
There is a saying that hindsight is 20/20. I don't fully agree with that, as people and the world are sometimes too complex to have a definite answer. There were several red flags in Gacy's life. Gacy would always find himself in a position to hire young men/boys to work for him and would have parties where he would give out alcohol and drugs. Gacy had boys living with him that he was "helping" out. Gacy was in and out of the house at all hours. On the surface, all these things could be seen as innocent; in fact, he could be seen as helping out boys with nowhere to go. His home smelt of death at times. No matter how much lye you use to cover the stench of decomposing bodies, there will be a lingering smell of death.
With the first case of sodomy, you already begin to see his extreme sexual deviance as he locked the hands of a 16-year-old behind his back and then almost choked him to death. These behaviors would escalate over time. Gacy bound, tortured, drugged, and killed 33 young men and boys. Now, who is the one with the power?
But why?
Nature\Nurture
We see that Gacy's grandparent's generation did not seem to have any obvious deviant behaviors and appeared to have been stable with close family ties. John Stanley Gacy did not grow up with a father, but a lot of people unfortunately bear this burden and do not beat and abuse their family members. The other factor outside of learning from family to react as he did could have come from his experience in World War I. We know he was in the infantry, and trench warfare is one of the most physically and mentally grueling methods of war. John Stanley most likely suffered from untreated PTSD, causing him to drink in excess as a way to self-medicate and become a bully towards his family.
Gacy was dealing with an overbearing father who could find no good in him and would consistently berate and abuse the youngster. Gacy, to some extent, was a people pleaser when he was younger, specifically towards authority figures. He liked assisting his teachers at school and helped his mother with household chores and cooking. His inability to please his father caused cognitive dissonance that he could never positively resolve. Further, Gacy knew he liked boys and young men. He could not go to his father as his father repeatedly diminished him by calling him a "queer," which showed his homophobia. He wanted to please his father, but nothing about him was pleasing in the eyes of John Stanley Gacy. In an interview later in life, he laid no fault with his father and believed he was a good father who did a good job [49].
Let's not forget his medical problems. Could this have been responsible, at least in part, for the adult Gacy, who would kill 33 young boys and men by brutally torturing them? After all, most people can not fathom killing one person, much less the well-planned grooming and targeting of 33 vulnerable victims. Nature? Nurture? Generational Trauma?
Source Information
[1] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,"U.S. Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 1940," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61861/ : accessed 18 Sept 2024), entry for John Stanly Gacy (1899 - 1969), Salt Lake City, Utah FamilySearch, 2019 & Original Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917 - 9/16/1940. NAI 76193916. Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007, National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
[2] St. Stanislaus Kostka (Chicago, Illinois), “Registrum Baptizatorum in Ecclesia”[Church Baptism Records], original page 49, Entry for Joannem Gatza Or Gaca and Nicodemus Gatza or Gaca, 21 Jun 1900; imaged, "Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records, 1833-1925,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2YM-XB26 : accessed 8 May 2024), image 54 of 159, FSL microfilm 1577899.
[3] Find A Grave, database (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 April 2024), memorial page 242651399, Nikodem Gaca (unk–1905), created by Garrett; citing Saint Adalbert Catholic Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, USA. No image posted.
[4] 1900 United States Federal Census, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/: accessed 26 April 2024, entry for Nicodem Gaka, Chicago, Illinois.
[5] "World War I Draft Registration Cards," National Archives and Records Administration (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/draft-registration : accessed 7 October 2024), section "Part I: Introduction."
[6] Entry for Gacy, John, U.S.S. Mt. Vernon, embarkation 16 May 1918, Sheet 7, p. 1039 Class, digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/image/604075794/31-oct-1917-16-may-1918-page-1039-us-army-wwi-transport-service-passenger-lists-1918-1919 : accessed 7 October 2024) Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, NJ, US, Army WWI Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1918 - 1919.
[7] "132nd Infantry Regiment, Illinois National Guard, 33rd Division," Pritzker Military Museum & Library Online (https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/museum/past-exhibits/33rd-division-illinois-national-guard/132nd-timeline-2 : Accessed 7 October 2024).
[8] 1920 United States Federal Census, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/ : accessed 11 October 2024), entry for John Gacy, Chicago, Illinois.
[9] Christopher Berry, Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the world of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2007), p 289; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=R7wvl1xEXX4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 8 October 2024).
[10] Christopher Berry, Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the world of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2007), pp 288 - 294; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=R7wvl1xEXX4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 8 October 2024).
[11] [ Serial Killers Up Close] Christopher Berry, Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the world of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2007), pp 288 - 294; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=R7wvl1xEXX4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 8 October 2024).
[12] : "I'd like to erase it all': Gacy's Mom," Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill, 26 Feb 1980, p 1, column 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-id-like-to-erase-it-all/146311821/ : accessed 29 April 2024).
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[14] "I'd like to erase it all': Gacy's Mom," Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill, 26 Feb 1980, p 1, column 3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-id-like-to-erase-it-all/146311821/ : accessed 29 April 2024).
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[17] Christopher Berry, Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the world of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2007), pp 293; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=R7wvl1xEXX4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 8 October 2024).
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[23] Christopher Berry, Serial Killers: Up Close and Personal: Inside the world of Torturers, Psychopaths, and Mass Murderers (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2007), p. 290; imaged, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=R7wvl1xEXX4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 8 October 2024).
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[32] Colin McEvoy & Biography.com editors, "John Wayne Gacy," Biography.com (https://www.biography.com/crime/john-wayne-gacy#career-and-family-life : accessed 10 Oct 2024), updated 16 June 2023, full article.
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[34] ”Gacy’s faces: Nice neighbor, brutal rapist,” Evansville Press, Evansville, Indiana, 22 February 1980, p. 6 columns 1-2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/evansville-press-1980-gacy-rignall-and-n/156967426/ : accessed 11 October 2024).
[35] "Four Charges Against Gacy are Dismissed," The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, 11 December 1968, p 8, column 2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-four-charges-against-gacy-ar/147884869/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
[36] "Man Arrested for Hiring Youth to Give Beating," The Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune, Muscatine, Iowa, 10 September 1968, p. 1, column 2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-muscatine-journal-and-news-tribune-m/147885119/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
[37] "2 Charges in Beating Case," The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 10 September 1968, p. 4, column 4; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-2-charges-in-bea/147885960/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
[38] "Four Charges Against Gacy are Dismissed," The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, 11 December 1968, p 8, column 2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-four-charges-against-gacy-ar/147884869/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
[39] "Four Charges Against Gacy are Dismissed," The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, 11 December 1968, p 8, column 2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-four-charges-against-gacy-ar/147884869/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
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[41] "Anamosa Reformatory Gets a Golf Course," The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 2 November 1969, p.91, columns 1-3; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-anamosa-reformat/147880235/: accessed 22 May 2024).
[42] "Four Charges Against Gacy are Dismissed," The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, 11 December 1968, p 8, column 2; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-four-charges-against-gacy-ar/147884869/ : accessed 22 May 2024).
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[44] "Gacy ex-employe: 'Why didn't he kill me?, '" Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, 24 December 1978, p. 10, columns1 -6; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-1978-gacy-why-didnt-he/156954775/ : accessed 11 Oct 2024).
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[49] CBS. CBS 2 Vault: John Wayne Gacy Speaks, May 11 - 15, 1992. Archived. Video and audioclip. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cbs-2-vault-serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy-walter-jacobson-1992/ : 2024.
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