Mary Ann Albrecht ^{1 2}

   Another name for Mary was Mary Ann Albert.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Alt. Birth, 3 Dec 1755, Adamstown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ¹ The death notice in 1834 in the Lancaster Examiner newspaper cites she died at age 72, which places her birth about 1762. That conflicts with the date printed in the 1929 Kentucky Pioneers book.

• Alt. Name. Many researchers have Mary Ann's surname as Albert. Genealogy papers on this family indicate Albrecht was the original German name that varied into Albert over the years.

• Cemetery: Salisbury Township: Pequea Church, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ¹ Her burial place is mentioned simply as Piquea in the family recollections. This leaves a number of possibilities: Pequea is a creek that runs almost the full width of Lancaster County, starting in the east in Salisbury Township, then running west through Pequea Township and on to Martic Township where the town of Pequea is on the Susquehanna River. We conclude "Piquea" probably means the Pequea Church Cemetery which is in Salisbury Heights within Salisbury Township. A map showing Pequea Church is at:
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=40.0339&lon=-76.0086

Since she outlived her husband by almost twenty years, it is likely following his death she moved in with a son or daughter. Further research to determine where her family was living in 1837 near a Pequea (church, township, town) would help solidify her burial location.

• Book: Kentucky Pioneer and Court Records, 1929. ¹ Background: In 1929 Mrs. Harry Kennett McAdams published a book, "Kentucky Pioneer and Court Records," and included in it some family histories, in particular two on her own ancestors, John Beecher, and his wife's Albrecht family. One section is found under John, the Albrecht section is printed here.

Family history was passed in the form of stories from Lydia Beecher (born 1805 to John Beecher and Mary Ann Albrecht) to her granddaughter Annie Laurie Wilson. Some of the info presented may be family tales and not fact. The above are thoughts of researcher Jonathan Beacher. Following is the account of the family of Albrecht exactly as printed in Mrs. McAdam's book:

ALBERT (ALBRECHT) FAMILY

The above mentioned George Albert, Sr., had a sister, Mary Albert, who did not marry and who lived with her niece, Mary Ann Albert Beecher (Mrs. John), until she died, aged about 97 years and 6 months. Miss Mary Albrecht often told the story of her early life to the family and friends of Mrs. Mary Ann Beecher, and this was dictated by Lydia Beecher (the youngest daughter of Mrs. Mary Ann Beecher) to her grand-daughter, Annie Laurie Wilson. Miss Mary Albrecht said her father was a nobleman in Germany and next to the King in wealth and possessions, and had a large family of boys and two daughters. When Mary was 16 years old she and all of the brothers (except one small brother and her little sister) started for America in a ship belonging to their father, the father, mother, and the two small children remaining in Germany. The ship was attacked by pirates and all the brothers except George, the youngest (who surrendered) were killed and thrown into the sea. Mary had a deep sword cut on her head which she showed when she told the story. The ship was looted of the wealth and Mary and George were sold as slaves in Spain. They were well educated and Mary was made governess in a wealthy family and George was made clerk (or super-cargo) in a shipping business. After several years Mary and George escaped and returned to Germany, to find their father dead. George married Mary (her name forgotten). Later George and his wife, Mary; sister, Miss Mary Albrecht, and the remaining sister and brother again started for America, leaving their mother, who refused to leave Germany. They landed in Philadelphia, Pa., and as a citizen of America George discarded his title of Prince.

Children of George and his wife, Mary:

Catherine (Katy) Albrecht married Brown.

Margaret Albrecht married Epler.

George Albrecht, Jr., died, aged 90, and had 5 or 6 children, and was buried at Epler Church.

Mary Ann Albrecht, who was born near Adamstown, Pa., Dec. 8, 1755; married John Beecher, Apr. 13, 1778; died Nov. 11, 1887.

When the news came that their mother was dead and the estate waiting for the American heirs, none of the family were willing to go to Germany, except the husband of George's youngest sister. His name Lydia Beecher had forgotten, but knew that he was a lawyer in Philadelphia, and also owned a music store. He took the necessary documents and went to Germany, settled the estate and started for America, and was never heard from again and his fate is unknown. George and his family lived near Adamstown, Lancaster County, 1'a., near the family of John Beecher. Miss Mary Albert probably was born in 1713; died June, 1811; buried at Epler Church. George was buried at Adamstown, Pa., all dates and the name of his wife is unknown.

(I have no record of the grand-children of John Beecher, except two families-Jacob, 12th child, and Lydia, 16th child.)
Jacob Beecher, 12th child of John Beecher and Mary Ann Albert, married his cousin, Catherine Brown, of Jonestown, Lebanon County, Pa. She was a daughter of Catherine (Katy) Albert and Mr. Brown. (Katy's sister, Mary Ann Albert, married John Beecher.) Margaret Albert, another sister, married Mr. Epler (his family built Epler's Church).
Children of Jacob and Catherine Beecher:

1. John Valentine Beecher-Died 1886; aged 65; married two times.

2. Jacob Franklin Beecher married Catherine Elizabeth Bracket, Mch. 28, 1844; had one son, Dr. A. C. W. Beecher, of Philadelphia, Pa.

3. Paris Epler Beecher.

4. Kaziah Beecher married Mr. Thompson.

5. William Lightner Beecher.

(6, 7, 8, 9-no record.)

Lydia Beecher (16th child of John and Mary Ann Albert Beecher, daughter of George and Mary)-Born June 10, 1805, Reading, Pa.; died July 81, 1885, Cynthiana, Ky. Married Mch. 19, 1822, Stephen Beecher Cook, in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pa., by Rev. Peter Philbert. Stephen was born Mch. 1, 1798; died Mch. 10, 1874, Cynthiana, Ky. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1872. Both are buried at Battle Grove, Cynthiana, Ky. When Lydia died, aged 80, there were living five of her 12 children, 26 grand-children, and 24 great-grandchildren. Stephen took the name of "Beecher" for a middle name, because when he married there was another Stephen Cook in the same town. Stephen B. Cook was son of Stephen Cook and Miss ___ Ayers, of Staten Island (where Mrs. Stephen, Sr., is buried). Stephen Cook, Sr., came over from England in a military band, during the Revolution, when he found what the Americans were fighting for, he deserted the English and joined the Americans, "Washington's forces"; no record of his services have been found, so he may have fought under another name. His brother, Dr. Cook, visited him later and some of the family settled in Ohio. The wife of President Hayes was a descendant of this Cook family. Mrs. Stephen Ayers Cook (Sr.) was a daughter of Captain ____ Ayers, of the "India Tea Co.," and during the "Embargo" was not allowed to land his "tea" in Philadelphia, Pa., (see Abagail Adams' diary) from his ship, "Polly," Dec. 28, 1773. Several histories made mention of him. Miss Ayers was educated in a convent in Madrid, Spain and when her mother died, she came on her father's ship, and was married in America. They (Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cook, Sr.) had 6 children, birth dates not known. Three daughters: Polly mar. ___ Turman (they had son, Edward, and 2 dau.); Margaret Cook married ____ Scott (he was a Mason, and was killed by a falling scaffold), they had 5 children, the oldest son was a potter in Lancaster Co., Pa.; Eliza Cook married ___ Disbell, and lived in Lancaster Co., Pa.; the three sons were James, Jacob and Stephen "Beecher" Cook, who married Miss Ayres. (Stephen Sr. married the second time and had a family.)

[Note: the book continues about the children of Lydia and Stephen Beecher Cook and all of the descendants. See Stephen Beecher Cook for the remaining text.]

• Newspaper: Lancaster Examiner, 16 Jan 1834, Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ³ Died - 5th inst in Salisbury twp, Mrs. Mary Beccher, relict of John Beccher, late of Berks co., decd, in her 72d yr, mother of 15 children, and at her death, 98 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.

• Alt. Death, 11 Nov 1837, , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA. ¹ The death given in the Kentucky Pioneers book conflicts with that printed in Lancaster Examiner newspaper. Since the newspaper account occurred at the month of her death, we deem it more accurate.

Mary married John Beecher, son of Emanuel Bucher and Unknown, on 13 Apr 1778.¹ (John Beecher was born on 13 Apr 1759,¹ died on 22 Mar 1819 in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA ¹ and was buried in Bern Township: Epler's Church Cemetery, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA ¹.)