X.   Albros of Newport, Nova Scotia

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This "controversy" differs from the others in this section in that it is not a controversy pre-existing in the published record. It is a difference of opinion we are airing at this time.

In the book "Newport, Nova Scotia: A Rhode Island Township" (Mika Publ. Co., Belleville, Ontario, 1985, pp.81-86), John Victor Duncanson provides a genealogy of the Albro family extending back to the first John Albro to come to New England in 1634. The early portion (prior to the generations born in Nova Scotia) was derived from "New Englanders in Nova Scotia" by Fred E. Crowell, Boston, NEHGS, 1979; from information provided by Barbara Bell Poblocki, Coral Gables, FL; and from Alden G. Beaman's article "A Line of Descent from John Albro of Portsmouth", R. I. Genealogical Register, Vol.1, No.1, pp.30-31.

Unfortunately, because of what we consider to be a mistake in the identification of one of the original Albro settlers of Newport, N.S., and the fact that the other original Albro settlers were identified by their probable relationship to that one, we must disagree with the identifications of at least three of the Albros. The initial identification in question is that of Samuel Albro, reported here as having been born Oct 10, 1716 in Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island, the son of John Albro and Abigail Ballou. This Samuel Albro was postulated to have come to Nova Scotia in 1760 when Newport Township was established (Duncanson p.81). Samuel is described as having had two wives, one "Louisa" when he arrived, and one "Dorothy" whom he married some time between 1775 and 1778.

The Samuel Albro born in Portsmouth Oct 10, 1716 to John Albro and Abigail Ballou was "Reverend Samuel Albro", who married Alice (Rogers or Waite, see this dispute in a different article on this web site) about 1738 in West Greenwich, Kent, Rhode Island and died March 26 th , 1767 in Exeter, Washington, Rhode Island 4,123 . He and Alice are buried in the churchyard of the Six Principles Baptist Church at which he served as Pastor for many years 124 . He was in Exeter in 1760, and had died long before the Newport, N.S. Samuel Albro married Dorothy.

We believe the Samuel Albro who actually went to Nova Scotia about 1760 was instead the son of John Albro and Margaret Sweet, born in 1716 in North Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island 125 . He married 126 Lois Browning ( = "Louisa" ?) in St. Paul's Church, Narragansett, R.I. June 3 rd , 1736, and his date of death is unknown except that it was after Jan 12 th , 1756 when he was appointed guardian of his half-brother William 126 . He also was engaged in buying and selling land in the portion of North Kingstown that became Exeter, in 1760, 1761 and 1762 (See Exeter Land Evidence in several volumes of the R.I. Genealogical Register.) Lois was born March 16 th ,1720, the daughter of Samuel Browning and Mercy Clark, in South Kingstown, Washington, R.I. 3 Her date of death is also unknown, so it could have been before 1775.

The other three Albros in question, Samuel, William and John, were described in Duncanson's book as probably the sons of the Samuel Albro above (i.e. grandsons of John Albro and Abigail Ballou), or a mixture of Samuel's sons and nephews. If the original identification was incorrect, then the identifications of the others must be also.

The younger Samuel would thus not be the one 127 born to Samuel son of John and Abigail on Oct 12 th , 1749 in Exeter, Washington, R.I. That one married 12,128 Patience Bull before 1770 and died in 1817. The younger Samuel of Nova Scotia died in Halifax, N.S. in December of 1791. We believe this N.S. Samuel Albro to be the son of Samuel Albro and Lois Browning 126 , born about 1739 in North Kingstown, Washington, R.I. He married Jane Cole (daughter of John and Anna Cole, born abt. 1739, see RIGR Vol.9, No.4) on Dec 3 rd , 1758 in North Kingstown 126,129 . We believe this name has been miswritten as Jean in Duncanson's book, p.83, but corrected to Jane (Cole) Albro later in that paragraph.

William would not be the grandson of John Albro and Abigail Ballou either. That William Albro 45 was born about 1759, and could not have been a grantee of a full plot of land (indicating that he was married) in Newport, N.S. in 1761 as stated in the book. We believe instead that the William Albro in question was, again, the son of Samuel Albro and Lois Browning 130 , born aft. 1737 in North Kingstown, Washington, R.I. The N.S. William's wife's name is given in the book as Elizabeth, last name unknown. Samuel and Lois' son William married Elizabeth Kingsley (daughter of John Kingsley and Abiah Jenkins, born abt. 1734 in North Kingstown) about 1752 in North Kingstown 47 . The N.S. William returned to Rhode Island and died in Exeter, which is also the place of death for William son of Samuel and Lois 47 .

There is very little information about the origin of the fourth of the N.S. Albros discussed in the book. John Albro appears as a Halifax shoemaker in 1776. Samuel and Lois supposedly had a son John 131 , (born abt. 1748), but there is very little information about him available. It is equally possible that the Nova Scotia John Albro may be a cousin of one of the other principals in this drama, but there is insufficient information available to identify him.

We must disagree with one more assignment in the book: On p.82 Elizabeth Albro who married Benjamin Congdon is described as the daughter of Samuel Albro and Isabel Lawton. Elizabeth was in fact Samuel's sister 3 , not his daughter (this is given correctly just one page earlier in the book.)

In contrast to the above, we have no disagreement with the continuations of the genealogy to Albros born in Nova Scotia and researched by Mr. Duncanson from direct sources. Nor can we prove our expressions of opinion about the other Albros above, lacking DNA analysis. Once again, belief or disbelief is left to the reader.

References

3 "A Line of Descent from John Albro of Portsmouth" by Alden G. Beaman, Ph.D., R.I. Genealogical Register, Vol.1, No.1, (1986) p.30. and "A Line of Descent from Nathaniel Browning of Portsmouth", R.I. Genealogical Register, Vol.20, p.3-4.

4 Sawyer Family Tree; www.willowtree.com/~yankeez/trees/sawyer/d33.htm . (See also Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project.)

12 "Notes on the Albro Family of Rhode Island" by Martha A. Benns, made at the Rhode Island Historical Society, 1942, filmed at Providence, RI 17 July 1950 by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City Utah, roll # 22322.

45 Personal Communication from Henry Albro, Rochester, NY, July 2000.

47 "Ancestors of Martha S. Finfrock"; www.familytreemaker.com/users/f/i/n/Martha-S-Finfrock/index.html , May 1998.

123 LDS IGI batch C501241 source 0908270 IT 1 printout 0933413 (from Arnold's 'Vital Records of Rhode Island') and LDS FGR Individual Record for AFN: HZPJ-6W recid=12952386.

124 Information from tombstone, photographed in church yard 2000. Photograph © 2000 by Gloria Silverman.
[Photograph of Tombstone]

125 Register Report of William Lawton – Descendants of Richard Wheeler, 115. Also LDS IGI film 471832.

126 R.I. Genealogical Register, vol.9, No.4, Family of Samuel Albro of North Kingstown, by Alden G. Beaman, Ph.D., p.329.

127 LDS IGI batch C501931 source 0908271 IT 1 (from Arnold's 'Vital Records of Rhode Island').

128 Personal Communication from Henry Albro, Rochester, NY, July 2000; See also World Family Tree 33850 (Gardner).

129 LDS IGI film 170874 p.442; LDS IGI film 442760 p.0001 ref. 06732; Arnold's 'Vital Records of Rhode Island'.

130 LDS IGI film 1760965.

131 LDS IGI film 5010137.


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Copyright © 2001 Phil Albro, Cary, NC; last revised April 14, 2001. All rights reserved.