Breaking down the Albea Family Brick Wall - A Research Review Pt 1

My oldest documented Albea ancestor has always been William Anderson Albea (1872-1936). My grandfather knew some details of his grandfather, including his birthplace, and even had a photo. I rather easily accumulated documentation on William, but had trouble proving his heritage. I have had strong suspicions about who his parents were, but had not yet been able to prove who his parents were. In order to do this, I have been searching for his siblings, as listed in his obituary: Mrs. Walter C Ivie, Edward and Elbert.¹ I hoped that they left behind proof of their parents. This post will be the first in a series in which I present the research I've done on William's siblings in order to prove who their parents were.


Nellie

Finding William's sister was rather easy. She was listed as "Mrs. Walter C. Ivie" in William's obituary, so I searched GenealogyBank.com for Walter Ivie and other variations. I quickly found an obituary for Nellie Love Albea Ivey in which her husband's full name was listed, as well as other information that indicated that this was the correct person.² Now with a full name and death date, I sent off for Nellie's death certificate. Three months later (it's never taken so long before!) I received my GGG-Aunt's death certificate.³

Of course, what I was looking for were Nellie's parents. Would they be the same as the ones listed on William's death certificate: Thomas Albea and Sarah Corley (or Porley)? Well, yes and no. Thomas was the same, but Nellie's mother was listed as Adeline Pittman. Given that William and Nellie were born 18 years apart, it is extremely possible that they had different mothers.

This record has allowed me to decide that a previously found 1900 census record for Thomas T, Susan A, George E, Hattie L, and Nellie Albea was the correct family record that I'd been looking for.⁴ I've jumped to conclusions in my research before, only to find errors later. In this case, there have been many indications that this is the family I'm looking for - but I wanted proof! I knew from cemetery transcriptions of Bethany Methodist Church in Lincoln County, GA (also where Nellie is buried) that this couple is Thomas Tillman and Susan A Pittman.⁵ So, having a record that indicates that Nellie's mother was Adeline Pittman clinched it for me.



However - I don't believe that Nellie and William share a mother. Could Sarah P/Corley be Susan Adeline Pittman? Anything's possible, but in this case, I don't think so. Looking at the 1900 census record, I see that Thomas and Susan have been married for 16 years. This could be an error but again, I don't think so. Susan is said to have three children and there are three children listed - and that doesn't leave room for William. On top of that, the eldest child, George E, is three years older than Thomas and Susan's marriage. It would seem that unless this document is riddled with errors, Susan was not Thomas' first wife and she had another child not listed.

So, I had a few goals I my research continued:

• Continue to search for William Albea's mother, the elusive Sarah P/Corley.
• Continue to search for William's previously known siblings: Elbert and Edward
• Research the new siblings, Hattie and George E (could this be Elbert or Edward?) and another unknown sibling.
• Review older census records, such as 1880, that I believe show William with a grandfather and connect that man to Thomas T. Albea.

Coming up next, I will give details on the research that I've done on William's brother, Edward Albea.

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Sources:
1. "Obituary of William A. Albea," The Greenville News, Greenville, Greenville, SC, 4 Aug 1936, Pg 11, http://www.flickr.com/photos/genealogyphotos/3503670570.
2. "Obituary of Nellie Mrs. Nellie Love Ivey," The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, 10 Apr 1947, Pg 3, http://www.flickr.com/photos/genealogyphotos/3865872134.
3. Certificate of Death for Mrs. Nellie Love Ivey, 9 Apr 1947, File No 8725, Georgia Department of Public Heath, http://www.flickr.com/photos/genealogyphotos/4611706757.
4. 1900 United State Population Census, Lincolnton, Lincoln County, George; p. 12 A, family 219, dwelling 214, lines 21-25; June 12 1900; National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls [via Ancestry.com].
5. Turner, Janice, "LINCOLN COUNTY, GA - CEMETERIES Bethany United Methodist Church," USGenWeb Archives. http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/lincoln/cemeteries/bethany.txt.