This site was established in September 2005, primarily as an information source and gathering point for descendants of Alben Emery, who was born in 1803 in Fairfield, Maine. His descendants Alben Emery and William Harrison Emery (b. 1840) moved to Chicago and built summer homes on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and many of their descendants live today in Illinois and Wisconsin. William Harrison Emery is pictured here, on the day of his marriage to Mary Adelia Tobey.
Alben Emery is one of the descendants of English immigrant John Emery, who was born in Romsey (Hampshire) on September 29, 1598 and left Southhampton for America on June 3, 1635. He settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, where he died on November 3, 1683.
An Emery Family Association was established for the descendents of the immigrant John Emery. In addition to conducting family reunions and other social and genealogical activities, the Association published a book documenting John Emery's life and history and listing his descendants at time of publication. The present Emery Family Association is not related to the original association, but aspires to eventually assume its mission.
For the present, plans are to post information on the Alben and William Harrison Emery families, starting with that gathered at the Emery Family reunion in July 2005. We will update information you give it to us, but please understand that web site updates might take a little time.
For more information, contact Peter Pulsifer at the email address peter@emeryfamily.org.
August 2015: material is significantly updated, including more background on Tobeys and Ullmanns. Also, click on the tree symbol in the corner of a card to see an overview of the person's lineage.
Initial posting 5 Jan 2007. The following is based on information obtained from family members at the 2005 reunion, with particular assistance from Tobey Lannert, David Rhodes, and Laurence Ullmann. Please contact me with any corrections or changes!
Overview: Alben Emery was born on 27 Dec 1803 in Fairfield, Maine, of parents Briggs Emery and Sarah Farnham. He lived in Fairfield until 1851, when he moved to Waterville, Maine. There he began a wool pulling and sheepskin tanning business that was continued by his son Alben. Some 3,000 to 10,000 skins were handled annually, employing from three to five men. Alben (senior) died 29 Jan 1873.
Alben and his wife Betsy Ellis Tobey had twelve children:
Alben Franklin Emery was born on 3 Nov 1834 in Fairfield, Maine, and died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on 18 May 1907; he was 72. On 13 Aug 1862 (age 27), he married Emily Frances Burill in Fairfield, Maine. Born on 26 Nov 1842 in Maine, Emily Frances died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on 30 May 1923; she was 80. They had four children: Nellie Porter (Bates), Arthur Purcey, Bessie May, and Mary Elizabeth (Warren).
William Harrison Emery was born on 27 Mar 1840 in Fairfield, Maine, and died in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on 19 Jun 1903; he was 63. On 6 Oct 1863 (age 23), he married Mary Adelia Tobey in Waterville, Maine. Born on 6 Jan 1843 in Norridgewock, Maine, Mary Adelia died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on 12 May 1918; she was 75. They had five children: John Tobey, Herbert Porter, Ida Adelia (Ullmann), William Harrison, and Grace (Brandt).
Charts: Charts are available in JPEG format of the descendants of Alben and William H. Emery. The charts are big, and will not fit onto the screen of most browsers, nor will they print onto a single sheet of paper. Still, you might find them useful.
Family tree: Family cards start with Alben Emery. There is an index as well as a list of surnames.
Type in somebody's name to see their lineage. Some shortened names or nicknames will work, but full name is usually best. To search for all matching names, type the start of a name or _Last name and check the box. You can use wildcards '%' for a single character or '*' for any number of characters. To compare two or more people, type name1 & name2.
Last update 10 October 2018
