Johanna Weyenberg
1862 - 1940 (77 years)-
Name Johanna Weyenberg Born 14 Dec 1862 Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin 
Gender Female Died 11 May 1940 Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin Cause: Murder Buried St Nicholas Cemetery, Freedom, Wisconsin Person ID I11091 Little Chute Genealogy Last Modified 16 Apr 2006
Father Martinus Weyenberg, b. 26 Aug 1819, Beugen en Rijkevoort, Noord Brabant, Netherlands , d. 10 Jun 1906, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin (Age 86 years) Mother Petronella Ebbers, b. 11 Dec 1819, Oeffelt, Noord Brabant, Netherlands , d. 04 Dec 1895, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin (Age 75 years) Married 30 May 1844 Oeffelt, Noord Brabant, Netherlands Family ID F3297 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family Anselmus Peter VanCamp, b. 14 Jun 1860, Little Chute, Outagamie, Wisconsin , d. 15 May 1938, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin (Age 77 years) Married 25 Apr 1893 St Nicholas Church, Freedom, Wisconsin Children 1. John VanCamp, b. 25 Jan 1894, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 22 Jul 1985, DePere, Brown Co, Wisconsin (Age 91 years)2. Frank VanCamp, b. 21 Jun 1895, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 03 Nov 1980, Tomah, Monroe Co, Wisconsin (Age 85 years)3. Henry VanCamp, b. 13 Apr 1897, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 01 Nov 1978, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 81 years)4. Petronella VanCamp, b. 17 Mar 1899, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 02 Dec 1991, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 92 years)5. Jacob VanCamp, b. 23 Jan 1901, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 22 May 1996, Town of Grand Chute, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin (Age 95 years)6. Clarence VanCamp, b. 19 Jul 1905, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 26 Aug 1993, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin (Age 88 years)7. Samuel William VanCamp, b. 04 Apr 1908, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 11 May 1940, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin (Age 32 years)8. Joseph J VanCamp, b. 03 Mar 1913, Freedom, Outagamie Co, Wisconsin , d. 01 Jun 1999 (Age 86 years)Photos 
11092a.jpg Last Modified 21 Jul 2022 Family ID F3695 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Notes - Seek Shotgun Killer of Freedom Mother and Son
Police Hold Suspect Caught
In Green Bay; Seek Another
Mrs. Annie Van Camp, 77, William, 31,
Killed by Shotgun Blasts in Faces Late
Saturday Night at Their Farmhouse
A 77-year-old mother and the youngest of her seven sons
were murdered at their farm home five miles north of Little
Chute Saturday night.
The bodies of Mrs. Annie Van Camp and her son, William,
31, were discovered early Sunday morning, Mother's day. Both
had been struck in the face by shot gun slugs from a heavy
gauge weapon. Both had been killed instantly.
Outagamie county authorities, who began an investigation
of the double slaying early Sunday morning, were working on
meager clues today in their efforts to determine the identity
of the murderer.
Sheriff John Lappen and his aids today were questioning a
suspect and were looking for another believed to have had a
connection with the family. Authorities also were seeking the
murder weapon.
William operated the farm and he and his mother were the
only occupants of the large farmhouse, located on County
Trunk U near its intersection with Highway 55.
The nearest neighbors are the John Verkuilens who live;
across the county road on one of the two Van Camp farms,
Verkuilen, employed on the Van Camp property, discovered the bodies about 6:45 Sunday morning when William failed to appear for the morning chores.
Verkuilen said William usually came over to the south barn for breakfast milk, and when he failed to appear Sunday morning, Verkuilen took milk over to the Van Camp farmhouse. He said he found the body of William sprawled face up in a pool of blood on the floor of an enclosed back porch.
He investigated further and found Mrs. Van Camp dead in her bed. Both victims were struck m the face, Mrs, Van Camp the right cheek and William in the left cheek. Both shots had been fired point blank county authorities theorized, because the wounds were not much larger than the bore of a 12-gauge gun.
The shooting probably occurred sometime between 9 o clock Saturday evening and midnight. Verkuilen said William played ball with a group of young people of the neighborhood until about 9 o'clock. When the murder probe was launched early Sunday morning, Dr. H. E. Ellsworth, Outagamie county corner, said the condition of the bodies indicated that William and his mother had been dead at least six hours.
Preparing for Bed
William had not retired, for his bed was undisturbed, but apparently he was preparing to do so for he was barefoot and wearing only a pair of overalls over his underclothing when his body was found.
One suggestion advanced was that the young man had just finished shaving in preparation for church Sunday morning when he heard someone at the rear entrance to the house and was killed when he went to investigate. the position of his body indicated that he was shot at point blank range while standing in the doorway of the rear porch.
His mother had retired, and if William's death preceded hers, and all signs indicated that it did, she either did not hear the shot or was slain so soon afterward that she had no opportunity to leave her bed. The killer apparently stood only a few feet away when he fired, once. Death was so instantaneous that the bed clothes over the aged woman did not appear to have been disturbed.
Lending credence to a theory that robbery was the motive, an empty purse, a leather sack with a drawstring, was found on the dresser in Mrs. Van Camps' bedroom. A small drawer in a clothes closet, where members of the family said Mrs. Van Camp habitually kept the purse, was found ajar. A member of the family said he had no idea of the amount of money in the wardrobe closet drawer. He had said his mother kept money there when she was saving to pay a bill but the amounts varied. A paper box containing a few small coins also was found on the dresser.
A 12-auge shotgun was found in a corner of William's bedroom along with some others guns but authorities doubted it was the murder weapon because, they said, they did not believe it had been fired recently. However, the gun was taken and is being checked for fingerprints.
Verkuilen said he arose about 2 o'clock Sunday morning and noticed the lights at the Van Camp home. This, he thought at the time, was unusual, because the Van Camps usually retired early and seldom were up later than 12 o'clock. He said he mentioned it to his wife but though no more of it until William failed to appear in the morning. The lights were still burning when he discovered the bodies.
A large shepherd dog, which neighbors said was a good watchdog, was tied about 30 yards from the farmhouse.
Jury Views Bodies
Sheriff John Lappen said today that autopsies performed Sunday at St. Elizabeth hospital showed the mother and son were slain by shells containing No. 4 shot, the size usually used in duck and rabbit hunting.
A coroner's jury viewd the bodies about 10 o'clock Sunday morning and Raymond P. Dohr, district attorney, announced today the inquest probably will be held Thursday afternoon at the courthouse. On the coroner's jury are Phil Leonhardt, Ben Schraml, Wilfred Trepanier, H. P. Van Dyke, Edward Vandenberg and John Scholl, all of route 1, Kaukauna.
- Seek Shotgun Killer of Freedom Mother and Son