Albert was the third of nine living children born to William and Pauline (nee Trapp) Papke, seven of whom lived to adulthood (see William's and Pauline's own Find a Grave profiles for details of Albert's childhood). He was baptized on July 24, 1887 by the Rev. Bruno Potzger at St. Michael's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Belknap Township, Presque Isle County. His godparents were Julius Trapp and Florentine Friedrich, who were siblings of his mother. He was confirmed on March 31, 1901 by the same pastor at the same church. Albert's memory verse for life was Romans 8:38, 39.

Albert moved to the City of Alpena in Alpena County from Presque Isle County in October 1907 with his parents and all his siblings except his eldest sibling Lena (Mrs. Emil Claus), who remained in Presque Isle. The 1910 U.S. census (taken in Alpena on April 16) has him living with them at 1526 Mill Street (later Ford Avenue); his occupation was given as laborer at the "cement works." A 1910 Alpena Cty directory, however, has him listed at that address as a "woodsman."

It is not known when Albert left Alpena and ended up working in Red Wing, Minnesota, but 1912 is the most likely year. He married a local woman, Louise Oelkers, in Red Wing on December 20, 1913. The Rev. J.R. Baumann officaited, and the witnesses were Howard Backe and Martha Boland.

Albert's and Louise's first son, Frederick William Papke, was born in Red Wing on April 28, 1915, while their second son, Leonard Oelkers Papke, was born in Alpena on July 24, 1916 (witnesses to his baptism at Immanuel Lutheran Church was his uncle August Papke, aunt Anna Papke, and uncle by marriage Edward Krueger). Perhaps Albert had returned to Alpena following the death there of his father William in late August of 1915--so as to be of help to his widowed mother. On June 3, 1917, when Albert registered with the Alpena County Selective Service Board, he gave his permanent address as 1526 Mill (his mother's). He listed his employer as the Huron Portland Cement Company.

1918 was the year of the devastating national influenza epidemic; in Alpena, as in other places, it killed the young and healthy as well as the older and infirm. On November 3 of that year, Albert's wife Louise died in the epidemic, leaving behind two young sons (aged two and three) and a husband overwhelmed with grief. This explains why Albert did not serve in his brother August's wedding party in early December. None of August's other adult siblings were able to serve, either: Anna was probably back with her employer in Chicago (after having come up to Alpena for Louise's funeral); and Lena and Flora were pregnant.

Albert became obsessed with the well-being of his sons and by mid-February 1919 his anxieties had become so intense that he could not sleep. Word was sent to Anna in Chicago, who was working as a nurse in the wealthy household of Mrs. Anita McCormick Blaine. Mrs. Blaine herself had just lost a son to the influenza pandemic in October 1918 and Anna (with other servants) was caring for Mrs. Blaine's infant granddaughter by him. Very unselfishly, Mrs. Blaine (an heiress of the McCormick family fortune and one of the great philanthopists of her era) gave Anna a $100 advance as Anna had said that "her people" (in Alpena) "might be hard pressed for money." Anna then left immediately for Alpena (on February 19, or perhaps the day before). One of Mrs. Blaine's agents let Mrs. Blaine know that Anna had "promised to let me know just how she finds conditions."

Anna had done well to come prepared. Albert had probably worked little or not at all since his wife's death and knew he had to resume doing so. But his plans to leave Alpena for work in Racine, Wisconsin only added to his stress. When March arrived his condition had not improved and he still had not left for Racine, even though his mother had promised to step in and care for his sons once Anna returned to Chicago.
He must have been reluctant to allow that as his mother's health--already bad for over a decade--had worsened over the past couple years.

On the afternoon of March 4, the day of Anna's intended return to Chicago (scheduled for that evening), August was walking to work and passed the vicinity of his brother Albert's house. As he later told his daughter Doris, he suddenly felt as if he had encountered an invisible wall of rubber, which slowed his progress; at the same time he felt an urging that he "Go back, go back!" He shook off this premonition and proceeded on to work. Later in the day he would learn that in mid-afternoon his brother Albert had shot and killed his two children and then himself. August would thereafter always regret that he did not heed the premonition.

A newspaper account of the tragedy indicates that Albert had left a note "for a brother" which contained his wishes for the burials and care of the graves. This note was almost certainly addressed to August, as Albert's other brother, Harry, was only fifteen at the time.

As if losing a brother under such circumstances was not terrible enough, August now had to deal with its social consequences. The first was the refusal of the Rev. Heumann of Immanuel Lutheran Church to conduct funeral rites for Albert, though he did conduct them for the two little boys. This was followed by the revelation of those who were truly friends of the family--and those who were not. August and Clara remained as members of Immanuel Lutheran throughout it all (Clara had joined upon her marriage). August erected on the graves of his brother's family a large headstone and individual footstones--footstones which bore the exact dates of birth and of death and which did not hide the fact that the father and boys had died together.

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News item/obituary, The Alpena News (Wednesday, March 5, 1919):

FATHER SLAYS TWO BABES AND HIMSELF

TRIPLE TRAGEDY, CAREFULLY PLANNED, LAID TO GRIEF OVER WIFE'S DEATH

LEAVES NOTE DIRECTING CARE FOR BODIES AND TELLING OF GRIEF IN LONELY LIFE

Grieving over the death of his wife, who was an influenza victim last fall, Albert Papke, a laborer, living at 728 Mills street at the intersection of Clark street, Tuesday afternoon shot and killed his two small sons and ended his own life with the same weapon, a single barreled shot gun loaded with buck shot. A note, addressed to a brother, giving directions for the funeral and care of the graves, and the remarks and actions of the dead man, early Tuesday, show the triple tragedy was carefully planned.

With the two little boys, Frederick aged four and Leonard aged two Papke spent Tuesday morning down town shopping. On the way home he stopped at Ellery's barber shop on N. Second avenue where he had the boys' and his own hair cut. Many acquaintances saw the trio on the streets during the morning and remarked that Papke seemed cheerful, laughing and talking with the smaller boy, whom he carried in his arms, while the older walked beside him.

Papke and the children returned to their comfortable home about 12:30 o'clock, eating dinner with his mother and Miss Anna Papke of Chicago, sister of the dead man, who had been visiting him for some time.

WORRIED OVER LEAVING

Papke had been planning on going to Racine Wisconsin to work and he discussed his leaving.

"I hate to leave my two boys alone," he said. His sister reminded him that their mother would give the children good care.

After talking for awhile, Miss Papke went upstairs to dress, planning a trip down town, preparatory to her return to Chicago Tuesday night. She returned suddenly to the room where Papke sat and as she entered she saw him seize a sheet of note paper on which he had been writing, thrusting it into his pocket. She paid little attention to this until it occurred again, but even then she thought the paper probably was a letter which Papke wished no one to see. Undoubtedly this was the farewell note addressed to Papke's brother. A little later, Miss Papke left the house.

HOUSEKEEPER HEARS REPORTS

Miss Ruth Marzinski, aged 19, housekeeper for the Papke's, who started to work there only last Saturday, was dressing in her room on the second floor when she heard a sound which she thought was made by a woodpile falling in the basement. A low moan followed the sound and she feared that one of the children might have been caught beneath the wood. She started downstairs just as a second report came and this she recognized as a gun or revolver report. She ran down and was just about to enter when the third report came. She stepped into the cellar and was horrified to find the three bodies. She ran out of doors, shrieking for help. The police and Coroner Small arrived shortly after. The shooting occurred shortly after 3 o'clock.

The children were lying on the floor, on their backs, their limbs nicely arranged as if the father might have placed them so before taking his own life. The shot gun, 12 - gage single barrel, lay besides his body. The wounds in the boys' bodies were just over the heart. The gun had evidently been placed close to their bodies for their clothing showed little sign of the shots entering. Very little blood had flown. Papke's wound was larger, indicating that the muzzle had been held further from his body.

SIGHTSEERS GATHER

The bodies were removed to the Williams morgue. Crowds of curious people gathered as soon as it became known that the bodies of the three had been taken there. Men and children constituted the curious crowd, which so completely filled the workroom that the undertakers were unable to move around and do the necessary work. Finally the doors were locked and further sightseers were barred. The undertakers then proceeded with the sad work of preparing the bodies of the two boys and their father for burial.

Papke's wife, Louise, died of influenza November 3, 1918, and since then he had brooded continually over her loss and his inability to obtain what he regarded as suitable attention for his children. Recently he remarked that he had not had two hours of sleep in three weeks. He dreaded his impending departure for Wisconsin.

WAS "HOME MAN"

During the life of his wife he was an ideal "home man," spending every available hour in the family circle and always taking his wife and children with him when he went for a day's outing. His wife accompanied him even on an occasional hunting trip.
The three bodies at the Williams morgue this morning, prepared for burial, were a pathetic sight, the corpses of the children lying close to that of the father. They were healthy, clean-? youngsters with features giving promise that they would have grown to be intelligent, capable men.

They were garbed in new sailor suits of blue serge purchased for them by their father just last week, probably as part of the preparation for his deed of Tuesday.

Tuesday morning Papke paid a number of bills about town.

Papke was born in Hawks, Mich. 30 years ago. He had recently been employed at the Huron Portland Cement Co. plant. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Paulina Papke, by three sisters and two brothers, Mrs. Lena Clause and Harry Papke of Hawks, Mich., Miss Anna Papke of Chicago, and Mrs. Edward Krueger and August Papke of Alpena.

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Editorial, The Alpena News (Saturday evening, March 8, 1919):

PERIODICAL TRAGEDIES

Periodically, communities are shocked by tragedies such as the triple killing which sent a chill of horror through the people of Alpena this week. In spite of the progress of civilization and the refining of humanity in general, it seems that such things are bound to occur every so often.

Unfortunately, monomaniacs, such as Papke undoubtedly was, too frequently send innocent souls to eternity as a result of their mental derangement. The difficulty in protecting society against such people is that they generally seem to be of normal mentality but for one subject.

Nobody can tell to what extent the world may be a loser by the snuffing out of the lives of these two handsome babies at the hands of their father, for every life so young holds unlimited possibilities.

(COMMENT: It is difficult to see what good was intended by publishing the above editorial. It certainly must have further wounded the feelings of the surviving members of the Papke family, who were just as innocent of the tragedy as the two small boys. As a warning to society to watch for normal-acting maniacs in its midst, it could only serve to promote paranoia and hysteria. Its ending praise of the "handsome babies" and its regret for the loss of their "unlimited possibilities" only lamely echoes the much more compassionate approach taken by the newspaper reporter who covered the tragedy for the March 5 edition of the newspaper. – Mindy C. Pugh, grandchild of Albert Papke's elder brother August Papke).

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Obituary, The Alpena News (Monday, November 4, 1918):

MRS. LOUISE POPKE

Mrs. Louise Popke wife of Albert Popke, died at her home, 728 Mill street, Sunday morning after a short illness of pneumonia. She was only 25 years old and was a devoted mother and wife.

Besides the heartbroken husband, she is survived by two small sons; two sisters, Mrs. Lena McGovern and Miss Clara Oelkert, and one brother, John Oelkert, all of Red Wing, Minn. The funeral arrangements are not completed.

News item, The Alpena News (November 1918):
Miss Anna Popke arrived Monday from Chicago, called here by the death of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Albert Popke.

News item, The Alpena News (Thursday evening, November 7, 1918):
Miss Anna Popka returned Wednesday to Chicago after attending the funeral of Mrs. Albert Popke.

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I (Mindy Pugh) learned from my maternal uncle Wilbert Papke (1914-1985) that he used to call Louise Papke "Aunt Lula."