One of the family mysteries that I hope to solve is Albert Vickers. Albert’s early life is well-documented but his death is not. I’ve researched his whereabouts after 1918 for years without success. A little about the life of cousin Albert-

Albert Vickers was born sometime in 1862 to Dianah (also called Anna) Hazard and Christopher Vickers. There are multiple Christopher Vickers in the 1800s – this Christopher was the son of Mary Curliss, a Nipmuc woman and Christopher Vickers, a Narragansett man. Anna was a member of the Hazard/Coffee clan, a large mixed African, Nipmuc, and Narragansett family. Anna was a bit older than Christopher and the widow of Sylvester Smith/Thomas (he was known by both surnames). Anna’s daughter Frances by Sylvester married Christopher’s older brother Rufus.

Albert and Anna were married shortly before Christopher went off to the Civil War. He was captured in battle and died along with his brother Rufus, as a prisoner of war at Andersonville, the infamous POW camp. Anna was left with her sons William and Albert in Oxford, MA. Anna died when Albert was just 15 and Albert’s brother William followed her a year later. Albert went to live in the household of his grandmother, Mary Curliss Vickers and his uncle Monroe. At age 18, he worked as a shoe bottomer as did many Nipmuc men during this time.

Albert met, and had a son, George, with Emma Hamer in Danielson, CT. Emma later married Marshall Walley and George grew up to be George Walley. Albert married again to Ardel Willis in 1888 but did not stay married for long. He moved to Worcester to live in the home of his cousin, Esther Jane Toney and her family. Census records and house directories show Albert continuing to live with Esther and her family on Mechanic St in Worcester until at least 1918. Esther Jane died in 1917, leaving two of her daughters, Lulu Tyler and Mabel Toney, living with Albert in the Mechanic St home. The 1919 directory states that Mabel died in September of 1918 perhaps from the Spanish Flu pandemic that began in the spring of that year. There was no mention in the directory of Lulu or Albert. There are traces of Lulu in later years but no mention of Albert anywhere. The 1920 directory shows the Mechanic St dwelling as empty.

Perhaps Albert also perished in the pandemic and because of the shear number of deaths, his death information was overlooked or unknown at the time. Or perhaps he just up and moved away. Getting a better fix on Lulu Tyler may help as well. I hope to find out what happened to Albert one day.