Joe Sutter

My grandfather was born Joe Albrecht in 1886 or 1887. He passed away in December of 1984 in Riverside California. In the 1900 Census he had taken the name Albright but by the time he married my Grandmother Hazel Mercer, he had taken the Sutter name. We had known little about the switch from Albright to Sutter only assuming that he had gotten Sutter from maternal relatives. We had not made the connection to Albrecht.

I learned from your entries that his mother was Anna Sutter, the first wife of Tobias Albrecht and the daughter of Christian Sutter. Apparently Anna passed away around 1889 or so and Tobias married her niece, also Anna Sutter, according to your fine data. Joe seems to have been shuffled off to live with the stepmother's brother Noah Sutter, according to the 1900 census, that's where he was living.

Joe Albrecht-Albright-Sutter refused to talk to any of us about his childhood and his early family. He would get angry and withdraw whenever we asked. I came to assume that he had felt abandoned or abused. He seemed to have been an imperious and stubborn old crank most of his life although he had occasional bursts of good humor. Through his working years he was a carpenter and even as an old man he was a tough and wiry old bird. Blind from glaucoma the last ten years of his life, he could still challenge younger men to try to twist a broomstick out of his hands and he'd usually best them.

Joe and Hazel had six children, three have passed away including my father. Joe and Hazel divorced sometime after WWII. Their children have been closed mouth about it, at least with me, a grandchild. I am aware that Joe traveled by train from Missouri to Portland Oregon sometime later to announce to Hazel that the Lord had shown him that their marriage should not be put asunder. Hazel advised that she had not been shown any such thing ending that adventure.

Discovering your work has provided a breakthrough for me in my modest efforts to search ancestors. I wish I could have made my father aware of his own rich history. The divorce and the enigma of his distant father seemed to form an unfortunate back drop to his own life. Grandpa Joe Sutter was a blank wall for me even after I had found ancestry of my other three grandparents back into the 1700's and 1600's

It has been a pleasure cruising around in your data. Blessings on you, I hope this finds you in good health and good spirits.

Oh, and apparently, there's a "Graber" or two back there in my line as well.....greetings "cousin."

Ken Sutter Riverside, Washington* Reference: RootsWeb's WorldConnect - SmartCopy: Jan 28 2016, 1:00:37 UTC