Henry Alberty, or John Henry Alberty, his apparent full name, was the eldest son of Frederick Alberty and his first wife, Elizabeth Krieger.

There is no birth or baptismal record for Henry and the only official record that gives his year of birth is the 1850 census that places it as 1772. I suspect that the family was illiterate (and that column is checked on this census) and, by 1850, he and his family might not have known his exact age. However,  between 1770-1775 is likely  a good estimate.

In 1850 Washington County, Arkansas, John Henry and Rebecca were living with their son, Daniel, who appears to be widowed, his two children, Nancy, born in Indiana (not Iowa, as indexed by Ancestry), and George, born in Arkansas, along with possibly his unmarried sister, Mary, aged 24, given the way in which the census taker grouped the family members.

I’ve suspected that Rebecca could be a second wife, as she is ten years younger than Henry, but no trace of a previous marriage has been found and she is just old enough, born c1783, to be the mother of Henry’s first child, born c1804.

Why is Henry mysterious? Well, first of all, he was aged 20 years at the most at the time of the 1790 census in Surry County, North Carolina, home to the Alberty clan at the time.

His father, Frederick’s home had but one male over 16, two males under 16 and one female.  The female would be his third wife, Elizabeth Raper, and the two boys under sixteen would be Moses, born 1787 to Frederick’s second wife, and Jesse, born 1788 to Elizabeth.

The only other Alberti in the entire 1790 census was a Dr. George Alberti living in Philadelphia.

Where was Henry in 1790? I have no idea. Nor does he appear in the 1800 or 1810 censuses, which would be a big help in defining his age, how many children he had and whether or not Rebecca was a second wife.

In 1800, there was an Isaac Alberty living in Craven County, North Carolina, which is nowhere near Surry County. He is over 45 years of age and living with no family and one slave. Barnard Elberty, over 45 years old, is in Greene County, New York. Dr. George Alberti is still in Philadelphia and Frederick is still in Surry County.  There is no male near Henry’s age living in Frederick’s household.

By 1810, the Alberty line up has not changed much. Frederick is in Surry County, along with his son, Jesse, wh is now in his own household. Caroline Alberty, aged 26-45, is living in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Dr. George Alberti is still in Philadelphia and “Barnhart Alberte”, likely Barnard Elberty from the 1800 census, still resides in Greene County, New York.

Henry Alberty finally surfaces in the 1820 census, living in Rowan County, North Carolina.

Although several counties separate Surry County, where Frederick lived, and Rowan County, back in the early 1800s, Rowan was much bigger and actually bordered the southern portion of Surry County, which is where Frederick lived. Today, that area is Yadkin County.

From 1820 to 1850, Henry appears in each census. Wife Rebecca was also enumerated in the 1860 census. From those records, the following children can be identified:

1. Son, born 1802-1804; not found after 1820. This might be Frederick, born c1805, North Carolina, who married Matilda Harrison, 20 May 1828, Surry County, North Carolina and settled in Pike, Marion, Indiana, where the family lived in 1850. It makes sense that Henry would name his first born son after his father, as they were living in the Moravian community and might follow German naming patterns. Frederick  and Matilda may have separated or divorced, as Frederick is living with his likely aunt and uncle, Thomas and Elizabeth Rapier, in Greene County, Indiana in 1860. Matilda and her two sons and daughters were living in Wayne, Marion, Indiana that same year.
2. Samuel, born c1806, North Carolina; died 1890, Washington county, AR; married Sarah Agnew, c1829. She was apparently the daughter of Andrew Agnew, who lived with the family in 1850. Sarah was born c1816 in Tennessee.
3. Son, born 1811-1815, probably c1811; not found after 1830
4. Son, born 1811-1815, probably c1813; not found after 1830
5. Henry, born 15 July 1815; died 1888, Washington County, Arkansas; married Nancy Douthit, 29 December 1836, Union County, Indiana
6. Daughter, born 1810-1819, probably c1817; not found after 1830
7. John S., born c1818; died 1861, Newton County, Missouri; married Susannah Douthit, c1840.
8. Eliza, born c1820; reportedly married John I. Douthit, but no further information found.
9. Sarah, born c1824; died 1899, Washington County, Arkansas; married Thomas Douthit, c1841. He was born c1819; died 1897. Both are buried in White Rock Cemetery, Washington County, Arkansas.
10. Mary, born c1826; unmarried and living at home in 1850 and 1860 in Vineyard Twp., Washington, Arkansas. She lived with brother Nathan’s family in 1870, still unmarried.

As you can see, there are quite a few gaps in the Alberty vital statistics dates.  To complicate matters, even though henry Alberty was enumerated in the 1820 and 1830 Rowan County censuses, I can find no land deeds for ANY Alberty buying OR selling in Rowan County. Henry isn’t found buying or selling any land in Surry County, either. This, in spite of the fact that Henry was a farmer later on.

Note, though, that there is about a five year gap between the births of Samuel in 1806 and the next son, born c1811. This makes it possible that Rebecca was not the mother of Henry’s first two children, but it is also very possible that they lost a couple of children very young.

If there was a first wife, it seems she will forever remain unknown. However, my husband’s line is through John, born 1818, so Rebecca is probably his mother.

How does Daniel Boone fit into this picture? Rebecca’s maiden name has been repeated, since way before the internet age, as Bryan or Bryant and there is such a family in Rowan County, North Carolina. This is the same family from which Rebecca Bryan, mother of Daniel Boone, comes.

We’ll take a look at the Bryan/Bryant family after the Independence Day holiday weekend.