A Life Worth Remembering: Byron Albee

By Otto Tiegs III

If you find yourself in Summit Lake’s beautiful Lakeside Cemetery, entering from Forest Road, you may notice a number of smaller headstones on the east side of the gravel driveway. One of these headstones is carved in a style common for American Civil War Veterans. While much more common to the eastern United States, this quaint headstone is not so common in northern Wisconsin. The inscription on the headstone simply reads:

“Byron Alby, Co. D 15 WIS INF.”

What is the story of Byron Albee and how did he end up in rural northern Wisconsin?

While Byron did not reside in the Summit Lake area for very long, he did live in Wisconsin for many years. Born on April 21st, 1845, his family that could trace their American ancestral roots to the 1600’s. His parents, Enoch and Almira (Hazard) Albee of Collins, New York were farmers in what was primarily known as a large dairy farming region of Erie County. His family, consisting of the two adults and their seven children left New York for Iowa City, Iowa. No stranger to death, Byron lost a sibling early in life, who unfortunately died at birth. In Iowa, Bryon’s oldest brother, Claudius passed away in 1859. By the summer of 1860, the Albee’s found themselves farming in Bloomfield, Wisconsin (Waushara County).

With the American Civil War looming, it was not long that the new president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was asking for volunteers to keep the union together. Byron answered the call for service and enlisted on November 17th, 1861. Like many from the area, he reported to Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin, for his military training and the formation of Wisconsin's 15th infantry. Originally put together by Col. Hans Christian Heg, the 15th infantry trained right at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin. The majority of the volunteers were Norwegian immigrants (or descendants of Norwegians) which carried the motto "FOR GUD OG YORT LAND".

Turned over to federal service on January 31st, 1862 the local regiment was involved in a number of skirmishes and smaller battles during their service to the Union which were fought primarily in Georgia and Tennessee. The battle that stands out for the regiment was the battle of Chickamauga where Colonel Heg himself was shot and killed by a confederate sharpshooter during the battle. Private Albee was listed as a deserter, but later cleared of the charge due to what was explained as a misunderstanding where Byron was sent home on what he thought was a military discharge to recover from an illness prior to Chickamauga. When the Military Police showed up to his home to bring him to Camp Randall, he discovered he was on a thirty-day furlough. He was reunited with the Wisconsin 15th regiment and finished his service until being mustered out on February 13th, 1865.

At the conclusion of American Civil War, Byron returned home to Wisconsin, but by 1870 he found himself living in Buchanan County, Iowa where he worked as a farm laborer for Samuel and Mary Wilson. It was in Iowa were Byron met his first wife, Mary Trost. The couple married on April 27, 1879. They began farming in Bremer County, Iowa, near Frederika. Mary would die due to complications from giving birth to the couple's second son on May 28, 1882. Soon after, Byron left Iowa with his two sons and began farming in Bloomfield, Wisconsin. He would later marry Lucina Hall, a native of Marion, Wisconsin (Waupaca County) on December 31st, 1885. The couple would have five children, including Earl Albee. As an adult, Earl lived just south of Summit Lake working for Julius Schultz (sometimes spelled Scheutz) on his farm. Earl would later marry Julius’ daughter in 1910.

Byron’s marriage to Lucina would end up in divorce, which was very rare for the late 1800’s. According to Winnebago County court records dated November 2nd, 1895, Lucina accused Byron of being an alcoholic, Byron on the other hand, was quoted in the records calling her a “bitch” and a “whore”. To say the least, the divorce did not go well. The divorce was granted and alimony of $26.49 (over $800.00 in today's money) was granted to Lucina. Byron likely sold his Bloomfield farm after the divorce, because he was farming in the Fremont, Wisconsin area with his young sons Earl and John in 1900. By 1910 he was living in the Village of Fremont proper.

Byron was listed as a pensioner in 1891, probably related to an injury received during the Civil War. With his health failing, Byron moved to be with his son Earl and his young family at the end of October 1915. Albee would unfortunately pass away from nephritis shortly after his arrival in Summit Lake. Doctor Paul Daily signed his death certificate on November 9th, 1915. His body would be laid to rest at the Lakeside Cemetery in Summit Lake. His military headstone was later placed above his body in November of 1937, with his last name spelled as Alby.

In conclusion, Mr. Albee only resided in the Summit Lake area for only ten days. He lived most of his adult life in and around Waupaca and Winnebago Counties. His last name was spelled a variety of ways, including Albee, Allbee, Alba, and Alby. Some of his descendants still live in the state, mainly in the greater Milwaukee area, and may not even know of their Civil War ancestor.

NOTE: If anyone has any information on this individual, please reach out to us at info@elchohistoricalsocietyinc.org. Any photos would be greatly appreciated.

By Otto Tiegs III

Arnold Pacer and the Battle of the Bulge