Olyn,

Here’s a little more information. The John Ulbert, I mentioned previously is living with a Decounter family in Brown County. Also, the late 1840’s and early 1850’s were in the California Goldrush days. It’s possible Jonas and Maria went to California, left one of their children behind and returned after the Census. You might want to check the California Census in the Sutter Mill area.

The Stoffers show up in the 1860 Census.

 

Jonas Albert has a probate file with the Brown County Probate Clerk, Box 15

 

You should look very closely at this 1850 Census listing:

2

309

311

Decounter

Samuel

24

m

Farmer

3

Catharine

22

f

Ill

4

Idda

6/12

f

Ill

5

Samuel

6/12

m

Ill

6

Ulbert

John

3

m

Ill

 

Notice the Idda and Samuel twins. Wrong surname but it throws a bit of twist into things. What if John is John William? Then all three children are here. Where are the parents? It’s really unlikely that a mother would willingly leave nursing babies. The other possibility is that Ida and Samuel are really Decounters and somehow got their surnames switched in later censuses.

 

We just found a historical sketch on Samuel  and Catherine Decounter and these are not their children. This strengthens the possibility that Samuel and Ida are Alberts. And undoes the surname problem above.

 

Here are the census listings for the Stoffers:

1860 Census of Brown County, Illinois

Ripley Twp

342/324

J. Stoffer 32 m potter Ohio

Mrs. J’netta Stoffer 32 f Missouri

Nod.? Stoffer 10 m Illinois

Phoebe Stoffer 8 f Illinois

Henry Stoffer 3 m Illinois

Ida Albert 10 f Illinois

 

Missouri Twp

Wlliam Allburt 12 m Illinois

Living with Peter Kerr

 

Cooperstown Twp

434/416

Samuel Albert 8 m Illinois

Living with Samuel and Mary Thomas

 

There is also a brief history of Peter Decounter, the French sea captain, who might be the father of Maria Jennetta.

 

A good strategy would be to find Willima in the 1880 Census. That census gives his father’s birthplace. That will give you a place to start searching for the parents of Jonas. William is gone from Brown County before the 1880 census but he’s still there in 1870.

 

Sincerely,

Ken Huffman

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 2:15 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Brown County 1850 Census

 

I am researching my 2nd great grand father, Jonas Allbert.  I was at his
grave several weeks ago in the Ripley, Brown Co., IL cemetery.  I am
trying to locate his birthplace and parents.  His name is Jonas Allbert,
b. 16 Oct 1819, m. Maria Jennetta Decounter 1 Dec 1844 (in Brown Co.,
IL., I believe), d. 24 Dec 1854 in Brown Co., IL.

Maria Jannetta remarried Jonathan Stoffer 23 Dec 1858, in Ripley, IL.
She died 9 Jan 1883 and is buried in the Macomb, McDonough Co., IL
cemetery, lot 109, blk 3, book p. 217.  She had four children.  They
were:
        William Allbert ( my great grand father)
        Samuel Allbert
        Ida Demenath Allbert
                Sam & Ida were twins.
Thanks, Olyn Wade Allbert