| Witness | Between 1100 and 1600 | The Albee Family - Researched by Charles Robert DuBay
The author of Norman people says the name Albee and Alby were the same name. Both were derived by Auby, a town near Duvy in Normandy. the family herefore was of Norman or French origin.
The first mention of the name in England in the 1100's was when Everard d'Albe witnessed a charter in Studley, Oxford. Robert de Albi was of Normandy in 1180.
The family was in England the first century after the Norman conquest in 1066. The
calendar of the Patent Rolls notes that April 7, 1283 Conway, touching an appeal that Geoffrey Gilbard of Nottingham brings in the country of Somerset against Walph Albe and others.
On February 21, 1334, Mathilda Banyard mentioned her two attorneys, one was William de Alby. In 1380 Thomas Alby a merchant, criminaly charged John Stanford for non payment of a debt. On May 22, 1477 Tom Howard became steward of Alby manor. In 1339, the king gave Alby church the sum of 10 marks.
The name Roger de Alby appears in the "Calender of Freeman, 1317-1603" listed about 1353.
From a papal letter in 1350, Clement de Alby priest of Norwich was given indulgence to choose a confessor at the hour of his death. The will of John Lunte, Suffolk County January 20, 1469 appoints William Alby an executor.
There are several coat of arms, the earliest and one shown here is described as "Paly of six or an SA", translated the blazon describes the original colors of the Albee coat of arms, "Divided six ways - vertically, gold and black."
In 1637, troubles were increasing between the church and state, many people found they could not put up with the situation. There was a list of many people departing for Holland and America, on the list was a Mr. Albee. A will by William Fisk in Pakenham, Suffolk in 1648 gave John Alby 40 shillings a year for life.
The first Albee's I could find records of in America were my relative Benjamin and his brother John, wo were in Braintree, Mass. in the late 1630's. John moved to Salem and later Charlestown while Benjamin stayed in the Braintree area and it is History I will peruse on the following pages.
I haven't been able to find the date that the brothers came from Manchester, England to Mass., or whether they came alone or were the sons of an early pioneer. Both brothers were in their early twenties in 1639, my first record of them. The Mr. Albee that left England 1637 may have been either Benjamin or John or perhaps it was their father as both would have been 20 years of age or younger.
Research was difficult because of the many ways the name was spelled, as most people wrote phonetically, Albe, Alby, Allbee, Albye, Abbe, Alber, and Albere were a few of the many variations.
In 1984 there were 800 to 900 households with the name Albee in the United States or about 2600 persons with the name Albee. Most were located in California,followed by New York, Mass., Maine and Florida. There are at least three towns in the USA named Albee.
I still have a lot more research to do on my early relatives particularly, Obediah Albee, who had many conflicting stories about him. I have many copies of documents that I have not had time to translated into our English as the documents are old and handwritten in old English.1 |
| Birth* | Circa 1617 | Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK,1 |
| Immigratn* | Circa 1637 | John Albee; Immigrated from Manchester area in England; Benjamin Albee and his brother, John, came from the Manchester area in England, probably in 1637. It is known that a Mr. Albee left England about that time because of religious differences with the authorities. It could have been Benjamin or John or possibly their father as they would have been about 20-21 years old at that time. They may have traveled on the ship, "Bonaventure" which made several trips to Boston and Virginia about that time. They were known to be in Mount Woolyton Area (now called Boston) in 1639.1 |
| Marriage* | Circa 1639 | Hannah; Norfolk, MA, USA,1,3,4 |
| Witness | 1640 | Boston, Suffolk, MA, USA, In 1640 Benjamin exchanged land in Mount Woolyton Area of Boston for three lots of land at Mount Wolliston that later became the town of Braintree. Benjamin became a grantee in Braintee in 1640. John stayed in Braintree a few years then left for Salem and later Charlestown, he married and may have had two children. The first records that I could find is where Benjamin attended a meeting, 12/25/1640 to plan the laying out a country highway in Braintree. He attended a town meeting 2/25/1641 in Braintree. It is mentioned that he took the oath of allegiance of a freeman of the colony on May 18, 1642, along with his brother John. His Marriage to Hannah (no last name could be found and is sometimes called Sarah) was recored in Braintree in, b 1641, there was a "b" before the date which may mean before, as James was born in 1640. He inventoried the estate of Moses Paine on 10 30/1645. He witnessed the will of Henry Adams 6/8/1647 and inventoried the estate of John Sheppard in 9/22/1650.
He was the owner of the Albee or Water farm, a 250 acre farm that was granted to Edward Tynge. When Benjamin purchased the farm is not known, but he sold it to John Hull Nov. 13, 1657, he was then living in Medfield. The deed was signed Benjamin and Hannah Alby. The Albee farm was north of the Monatinquot River and south of Little Pond in the general area of Pond Street in present Braintree. Benjamin became a prominent citizen and was a selectman in Braintree in 1650, as was his brother John.
The next record that I found was 9/6/51 when he became a corporater and served as a selectman on the first board of directors when the village of Medfield became the 43rd town in the colony. He was granted 4 acreas of land on Bridge Street near the Almshouse. He was involved with building first grist mill in Medfield on a borok on the east side of South Plains in 1651. In 1652 his estate was valued at 182 pounds. He was a Medfield selectman in the years of 1652, 1653, 1654, 1655, 1659, and 1660. He inventoried the estate of Moses Paine on 10/30/1645.
In 1660 he bought the residence of Thomas Grubb in Medfiek, Grubb had left town. Benjamin was a carpenter by trade, but also was a surveyor, sealer of weights and measures, a miller and in 1659 a commisioner. He was employed laying out lots, common lands, and country roads.
About 1660 he (was) given an acre of land to build a corn mill in Mendon (Iuish hi paug: Indian name) on the Mill River. There was a written contract at Roxbury in 1664 binding Benjamin and his heirs to build the mill for the accomodation of the plantation setters (settlers). The mill was built on Mill River, later Lewis Gaskett's place, with necessary dam in 1664. It was the first water power mill in the country for grinding grain. His mill privilege and lands were confirmed to him, and full record was made in 1672. The Plantation authorities also gave him a grant of land or bounty of 50 acreas. He was a constituent menber of the Baptist church in Swansea, composed of Mendon and Bellingham residents. He moved o Mendon in 1660. In 1662 he was a petitioner for the town of Sherbourn.
He was devoted to the success of the town of Mendon (luish Hi Paug), his mill seat and mill were the first markes of civilization in the territory. The inhabitants were mostly from Braintree. We was first selectman when Mendon was incorporated as a town in 1672 and served in other offices until 1675 when the town was burned by Indians during "King Phillips War." Six people were killed in the raid. His house and mill completely burned and destroyed as was every other building in Mendon. He and the other inhabitants fled eastward to Swansea, after losing everything they owned. Fifty two settlements were attached by the Indians and twleve towns were wiped out. Benjamin never returned to Mendon. At his death in 1695, the records say he died in Medfield and is probably buried in the old cementary but I could not find it in their town records, he left his entire estate including his Mendon lands to his oldest son James.
Benjamin was the patriarch of all Albee's, he was a man of more than ordinary genius and enterprise.1,5 |
| Real Estate* | 1640 | Boston, MA, exchanged land in Boston for "three lots on the mount"6 |
| Event-Misc* | 25 February 1641 | Was present at a town meeting, Braintree, Norfolk, MA, USA,7,6 |
| Freeman | 18 May 1642 | Made a freeman, Braintree, Norfolk, MA, USA,8,6 |
| Freeman* | 18 May 1642 | Braintree, Massachusetts, USA,9 |
| Event-Misc | 30 October 1643 | Braintree, MA, Inventoried the estate of Moses Paine of Braintree6 |
| Event-Misc | 8 June 1647 | Witnessed a will of Henry Adams of Braintree6 |
| Residence* | Circa 1650 | Madfield, MA,6 |
| Event-Misc | 22 September 1650 | Braintree, MA, inventoried the estate of John Sheppard of Braintree6 |
| Real Estate | 25 November 1657 | Braintree, MA, sold 280 acres of land in Braintree to John Hull6 |
| Property* | 25 November 1657 | Hannah; Sold to John Hull 280 acres of land, Braintree, Norfolk, MA, USA,10 |
| Event-Misc | 1664 | Agreed to erect mill & granted 50 acres of land.; According to Ballou's HISTORY OF MILFORD, MASS., Benjamin Albee agreed in 1664 with the superintending committee of Quinshipaug Plantation to erect and maintain for the plantation a mill on Mill River in the new town of Mendon, Mass., the first waterpower mill for grinding grain in all that region, and they granted him a bounty of fifty acres of land.11 |
| Event-Misc | 1667 | Made one of Mendon's first selectmen, Mendon, Worcester, MA, USA,12 |
| Event-Misc | 1675 | Fled from Indians who burned buildings., Mendon, Worcester, MA, USA, When King Philip's War broke out in 1675, he fled eastward with the Mendon fugitives, and all their buildings were burned by the Indians. He is believed not to have returned farther than Medfield, where he probably died.13 |
| Death* | Circa 1695 | Medfield?, Suffolk, MA, USA,1 |