George Washington Albee 1845-1938

ALBEE, KETTRING, WIEGMAN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 8/13/2011 at 00:00:50

George W. Albee Last of Civil War Veterans is Dead
For many years the ranks of Civil War veterans have been diminishing. For the past few years, George W. Albee was the only remaining veteran in Emmet county. Tuesday [January 4, 1938] morning he answered the last call and passed away at the ripe old age of 92.

Mr. Albee had been in good health until recently when the extreme age began to tell. He was the only soldier of the Civil War which the youth of this city could look upon as a hero of a former generation. The boys in blue will be missed from the Memorial Day parade hereafter.

Mr. Albee volunteered in 1863 in Wisconsin and served during the remainder of the war. He came to Estherville to make his home in 1926. A genial companion, he made many friends here. He is survived by four sons, H. G. Albee, with whom he made his home, J. D. Albee of Long Lake, Minn., E. A. Albee of Eagle Grove and J. S. Albee of St. Paul, Minn.

Funeral services were held today at the Sternborg funeral home at 1:30 and from the Methodist church at 2:30, Rev. F. W. Ortmeyer officiating. The members of the local post of the American Legion participated. Interment will be made in the family lot at Ocheyedan. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, January 6, 1938)

Last Estherville Civil War Veteran is Called
Geo. W. Albee, 92, Dies at Spirit Lake Hospital After Short Illness; Funeral Held Today
Funeral services for George Washington Albee, 92, Estherville's last surviving civil war veteran were held this afternoon. There was a short prayer service at the Sternborg funeral chapel at one o'clock and the rites proper were held at the Methodist Episcopal church at one-thirty with Rev. F. W. Ortmeyer, pastor of the church, in charge. Interment was made in the Ocheydan cemetery beside his wife.

The American Legion accorded him full military honors, attending the services in a body and providing a color escort, pall bearers and buglers at the grave. Acting as pall bearers were G. M. Donovan, J. Monroe, Art Bringle, I. C. Nichols, Leland Case and Glenn Pullen. Color bearers were Harry Adams, W. M. Roberts, L. E. Thomas and M. E. Huckaba. On the firing squad were Leo Brawford, Wallace Westbrook, Gordon Griffis, Wm. V. Hiles, Arthur Fossum, Melvin Warren, A. J. Knepper, Emanuel Stavros, and Andrew Peterson. Taps were sounded by bugler, Henry Paulson.

Mr. Albee was a well-known figure in Estherville. Although he had retired from active work when he moved to this city in 1926 to make his home with his son H. G. Albee, he was in excellent health and took a great deal of interest in the affairs of the town. He was always on hand for patriotic occasions and almost everyone knew him.

Mr. Albee was born on Dec. 30, 1845 at Perth, Fulton county, New York. He migrated when two and one-half years old with his parents by canal boat and across the Great Lakes to Pardeeville, Wis. He grew to manhood on the farm. On Dec. 21, 1863 at 17 years of age, he enlisted in Co. E 2nd Wisconsin volunteer cavalry. He served as private around Memphis, Tenn. and Vicksburg, Miss., for nearly two years and was discharged at Austin, Texas on Nov. 15, 1865.

At the close of the war he returned to his Wisconsin home, then moved to LaPorte City, Iowa in 1869. He taught school for a couple of years until his marriage in 1871 to Mary Ann Kettring. They started farming. In 1881, the family moved to Goldfield where the family of five sons and a daughter were raised. In 1903, Mr. and Mrs. Albee retired and moved into Goldfield, and in 1904 to Harris. There the good wife passed away on May 27, 1923 and was buried in the Ocheydan cemetery.

In 1926, Mr. Albee came to Estherville to reside with his son and with the exception of short visits with his other children has remained here. It was on a visit at the home of his son A. E. Albee at Eagle Grove that he was taken with his last sickness about three weeks ago. His son here sent the ambulance for him and he was cared for until a few days ago at their home. At that time he was taken to the hospital at Spirit Lake where he died yesterday morning at 2 a. m.

Four sons survive the passing of Mr. Albee. They are A. E. of Eagle Grove; D. J. of Long Lake, Minn.; J. S. of St. Paul, Minn.; and H. G. of Estherville. Another son M. E. Albee, Shell Lake, Wis.; and a daughter, Mrs. E. C. Wiegman, Claude, Texas had preceded their father in death. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, January 6, 1938)