For several centuries, the descendants of John Albro (1617-1712) mostly clustered in two colonies that later became states: Rhode Island and New York.
One exception occurred in the 19th century, when a line of the family moved to Nebraska—creating a new Midwest enclave of Albros.
How did these Albros end up in Nebraska?
The answer centers on a man named Nicholas Frank Albro (1839-1908) who had a dispute with his parents over his choice of a bride. As a result of that disagreement, Nicholas Frank moved to Michigan, and later Nebraska, and eventually lost contact with his parents and siblings, who lived in New York state. Before we give the background of this argument, let's look at the line of descent from John to Nicholas Frank:
John Albro (1617-1712), of Portsmouth, R.I. Married to Dorothy (Wilborne/Wilbur).
Samuel (1644-1739), of North Kingston, R.I. Married to Isabel (Lawton).
John (1680-1747) of North Kingston, R.I. Married to Margaret (Sweet).
Stephen (1727-1761) of Exeter, R.I. Married to Alice (Wait/Weight).
Benjamin (1754-1840) of Beekman, N.Y. Married to Elener (Draper).
Bradley (1797-early 1870s) lived most of his adult life in the neighboring towns of Alabama (Genesee County) and Shelby (Orleans County), N.Y. Married to a woman named Elenor (maiden name unknown).
Nicholas Frank was the third child of Bradley and Elenor Albro. The 1850 federal census lists Nicholas as residing with his parents in the town of Shelby, N.Y. In the 1860 census, Nicholas Frank is still in Shelby, but his parents are enumerated in neighboring Genesee County.
Also in the 1860 census, there is a record of a Methodist minister named Jonathan Smith and his wife, Hannah, residing in Shelby. Sometime after the 1860 census, the oldest of their five daughters, Phebe Jane, married a man with the last name either of “Sowls” or “Sowle” (sometimes given as “Souls” or “Soula”). During the Civil War, which started in 1861, Phebe Jane's husband served in the Union Army and died of disease near the war's end, according to the story that was passed down in the Nebraska Albro family.
At about the same time as Sowle's death, the Smith family planned to relocate to Michigan. The recently widowed Phebe Jane decided to move with them. It is not known how and in what matter Nicholas Frank and Phebe Jane knew each other, but as the Smith family prepared to leave Shelby, Nicholas Frank, age 25, came forward and asked Phebe Jane to marry him. The proposal was unusual because it apparently came just days or weeks after the death of Phebe Jane's first husband. In this era, it was normal for a widow to remain in mourning for at least a year after her husband's death. It was considered improper for a widow to remarry quickly after a husband's death.
When Nicolas Frank told his family of his marriage plans, they apparently responded negatively. “His family frowned upon his marrying a widow, so he parted the ways and didn't keep contact with his family back East too much,” wrote Robert W. Albro, Nicholas Frank's grandson.
It seems likely that Nicholas Frank and Phebe Jane could have remained in New York if they had wanted to. But, apparently the family conflict caused by the marriage led the couple to toss their lot with the Smith family and to break with the Albro family. The story handed down in the Nebraska Albro family is that the couple were married in Branch County, Michigan on November 3, 1864. While in the new state, Nicholas Frank apparently spent at least some time employed at a saw mill. The first two of the couple's six children were born in Michigan.
In 1872, after about eight years in Midwest, Nicholas Frank and Phebe decided to move to Saline County, Nebraska. The state had only recently been opened to homesteaders. Nicholas Frank applied for land under the Homestead Act and became a farmer. In 1887, he sold his original property and bought another farm near Geneva in neighboring Fillmore County. In 1892, he again switched properties, this time settling on 160 acres in Fairmont, which is also in Fillmore County. He remained there until his death at age 68 (April 6, 1908).
The children of Nicholas and Phebe:
Jeannette (“Nettie”) Alcora, born Aug. 7, 1865 in Michigan. Died at age 22 in Fillmore County, Neb. No children.
Lewis Dennis, born Aug. 27, 1870, in Michigan. Married Louise Jane (Morrison). Died Feb. 25, 1943, in Maywood, Neb. Five children.
Charles J., Born Aug. 29, 1874 in Saline County, Neb. Died of disease at age 4 (Sept. 26, 1878).
Stephen Bradley, born Dec. 26, 1877 in Saline County, Neb. Married Ida Elizabeth (Dennis). Died Dec. 19, 1950 in Fairmont, Neb. Fourteen children.
Edith, born May 10, 1881, in Saline County, Neb. Moved to Seattle at age 24 (1905). Married Harry B. Howe. Died Feb. 20, 1951. No children.
Clara Bianca, born Sept. 7, 1882, in Saline County, Neb. Married Samuel B. David. Died Dec. 12, 1913 in Litchfield, Neb. One child.
Nicholas Frank and Phebe had a total of 20 grandchildren, most of whom remained in the area of Fillmore County. Four relocated to the state of Washington (where their Aunt Edith lived), and one each moved to Missouri and Maryland. A partial list of the occupations held by these grandchildren for at least a portion of their lives is as follows: diner operator, railroad car maintenance worker, drugstore owner, telephone operator, railroad worker, meat cutter, farmer, shipyard worker, carpenter, military personnel, owner of a wholesale tobacco and confections business, store clerk, cook, bookkeeper, factory workers, federal employee.
There were a total of 29 great-grandchildren. A partial list of their occupations shows even greater diversity than the previous generation: biomedical engineer, accountant, pharmaceutical sales representative, librarian, antique dealer, patient-accounts manager at a medical center, Realtor, lawyer, magazine editor, and civil engineer.
There were a total of 57 great-great-grandchildren. As of the year 2006, the majority of the 86 great- and great-great-grandchildren are still alive, with most continuing to reside in Nebraska. Of course, like most families, the clan has started to scatter more widely across the country. Some of the states where the descendants of Nicholas Frank and Phebe Albro now live include Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Maryland and New Hampshire.
References for Benjamin Albro and later generations:
Book J, Surrogate Court, Dutchess County Courthouse, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Domeier, Janet, Family Tree of the Descendants of Nicholas Frank Albro,
unpublished genealogy, Lincoln, Neb., no date.
Dutchess Intelligencer newspaper, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Aug. 19, 1829
(Marriage notice of Bradley Albro.)
File No. 3497, Surrogate Court, Dutchess County Courthouse, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Genesee County Land Records, Batavia, N.Y., Deeds, Vol 131.
"Historical Album of Orleans County, N.Y., 1824-1879," Sanford and Co., N.Y., 1879.
New York State Census, Union Vale, Dutchess County, 1865; Shelby, Orleans County,
1855 and 1865; Alabama, Genesee County, 1875.
Newspaper obituaries of Nicholas Frank Albro and Phebe Jane Albro (from an
unidentified Fillmore County, Neb., newspaper).
Poucher, J. Wilson and Reynolds, Helena W., Old Graveyards of Dutchess County,
N.Y., Collections of the Dutchess County Historical Society, Vol. II, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.,
1924.
Reynolds, Helen W., Notices of Marriages and Deaths Published in Newspapers Printed
at Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 1778-1825, Collections of the Dutchess County Historical Society,
Vol IV, Gateway Press Inc., Baltimore, 1982.
U.S. Census, Union Vale, Dutchess County, N.Y., 1850; Shelby, Orleans County, N.Y., 1860;
Alabama, Genesee County, N.Y., 1860, 1870 and 1880.