Early History

Antoine Alberque  and Therese Elisabeth Colas were married early in 1793.  They had four children: Louis Antoine, Gabriel Henri, Therese Elisabeth Sophie and Georges Joseph. The Alberque family in the United States descends from Georges Joseph.  Our cousins in France descend from his older brother, Gabriel Henri.   See the page French Roots for a detailed family tree.

Georges Joseph Alberque, born in 1805 in France, married Claude Helene Adelaide Ferron, born in 1803. They had three sons: Louis Joseph Alfred, born in 1830, Jules Nicolas Eugene, born in 1833, and Jacques Ernest (also known as Ernest), born Oct. 12, 1838, and two daughters, Victorine Helene, born in 1828, and Marie Anastasie, born in 1835.  Jules Nicolas Eugene married Victoire Augustin Masselin in France.  They had four children but only two survived infancy: Victor Jules, born Oct. 20, 1859 in Dangeau and Ernestine, born 1860 in the same town. 

When Jules Nicolas died (most likely in a village outside of Chartres in or near Bonneval), Victoire Augustine (who was known as Augustine) married his younger brother Jacques Ernest (who was known as Ernest), in the village of Blevy outside of Chartres on July 7, 1864.   With Ernest, she had three more children:   Helene, born in 1867 in France, Ernest George born in Oct.1875 in Buffalo and died in 1943,and Gabrielle, who married Patrick Hartnett, born in Jan., 1878 in Buffalo and died in 1905 or 1906 from tuberculosis a year or so after her son, Ernest Patrick Hartnett, was born (Oct.1, 1904).  

Ernest and Augustine emigrated to the United States in 1873 and moved to Buffalo, NY. 

This is likely a picture of Gabrielle, E.G.'s younger sister.

Living in the United States

The first documented presence of the family in the United States occurs in Buffalo, New York.  They are listed in the city directory in 1874 and appear in the New York State Census of 1875.  In this census page, Ernest, Augustine and Ernestine are listed.  There is no mention of Helene.  By this time Ernestine (daughter of Augustine and her first husband, Jules Nicholas) was about 15 years old.  We believe Helene remained in France. (At least there is no trace of her so far in the US.) She was still a young child and perhaps was left in France, being too young to travel.  No mention is made of Victor Jules, Ernestine's brother, either.  However, from Church records we know that he was in a seminary in Buffalo in 1880.  

Here is a copy of the exact page from the 1875 NY Census. The family is listed near the bottom.  The names are listed as Ernst Albert, Masselin Albert (wife), and Ernestine Albert (daughter). It lists their ages as 37, 38 and 15, respectively, which would have been their ages at their next birthdays. Their neighborhood was predominantly German (obvious from all the other entries in this district) .  Perhaps the census taker was also German and had trouble getting the names and spelling accurate, especially since the family probably spoke little or no English..   Also note that Ernest is listed as a "Gardinier" and as an "alien".  

Five years later the 1880 US Federal Census was taken.  By now, Ernestine is no longer in the household but both Ernest George and Gabrielle have been born.  Ernest (father) is now listed as a cook..  It is not clear why Victor Jules (older son of Augustine) is not listed in the household in June 1880 unless he was not in the US at the time.  He (who was known as Jules), however,  entered the seminary in Buffalo, NY, October 1, 1880.  He left the US within the next few years to finish his studies in France.  See the excerpts from the actual census pages below.

Here is the exact record from the US Federal Census in 1880, taken on June 4, 1880.  The far right columns list the person's birth place and birth place of father and mother.

Victoire Augustine, known as Augustine, died Jan1, 1892 in New York City when Ernest George was 16 and was buried on Jan. 2, 1892 at Calvery Cemetery in New York. The plot was purchased by her daughter, Ernestine, who was 31 at the time.

According to the US Federal Census, June 1900, Ernest George, the son, was married to Margaret McNally and his sister Gabrielle was living with them.  They had a daughter, Cecilia, and  Margaret would have been pregnant with Ernest George, Jr., at this time.

Jacques Ernest (father of Ernest George, Sr.)  married a second wife, Catherine, in 1896 and lived in North Hempstead, New York.   At some point, he came to live with his son, Ernest George, Sr. and family for many years on Hudson Avenue in Ridgefield Park, NJ.  There are family tales that he brought a wife with him (perhaps Catherine, perhaps not) who went insane.  He died in 1911 at the age of 72 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in New York, with his first wife Augustine.  (The page Colorful Anecdotes gives an interesting view of the little Frenchman, Jacques Ernest.)

NOTE: See the family tree on the page "French Roots" (French Roots) for an outline of this branch of the family. Also, a fuller account of the chronology of the Alberque family appears on the Where They Lived page under the Family Tree tab. 

The picture below is believed to have been taken in 1910, the year when E.G.'s brother Jules and sister Helene came to visit.  That is them behind the cart.  The children are likely: Bella and Cecilia, standing; Howard (left) and Lester in the front of the cart; Paul (left) and Rose in the back of the cart.  To the right of the cart is probably E.G.'s father, Jacques Ernest.  The woman may be his second wife, Catherine, from Ireland, whom Antoinette said went insane and had to be put away. ("Given the black bottle" were her exact words!) 

As mentioned above, some time after entering the seminary, Ernest George's older half-brother Jules, moved back to France where Jules finished the seminary and became a parish priest.  At some point, Jules' sister, Ernestine, came to live with him as did his half-sister Helene  who was his housekeeper. Ernestine died in Coudray au Perche in 1896. Jules died in 1944, leaving his sister, Helene, who died in 1949.  Both are buried in Toury, France.  See La Famille 2001 for more on Toury, France.

Ernest Lucien Alberque, whose family tree appears on its own page (Ernest Lucien), is a cousin of Ernest George's father, Jacques Ernest.  Ernest Lucien Alberque is the grandfather of Maurice Alberque, our cousin in France.  See the page French Roots for what we know of the ancestry and family trees of Ernest Lucien and the brothers, Jules Nicolas and Jacques Ernest, to date.   

Ernest George had two wives, Margaret Agnes McNally and Antoinette Anna Grossjung and had four children with each. The family trees for each of his surviving children can be found on their own pages. See tabs at the top of this page for access to each.  In addition, information about the family of each of his wives can be found on the page of E.G. Alberque's Wives, Alberque Wives.  

This is likely First Communion for Rose (front left), Paul (center) and Georgie (front right).  It was also probably Confirmation for Cecilia (back right).                      

This is a picture with the family with E.G.'s partner, Felix Milhomme, and his son, Alex. Back row: Bella, Jules (E.G.'s brother), Mr. Millhome, E.G. himself.   Middle row: Jacques Ernest (E.G.'s father), Antoinette with Howard and Lester, Helene, E.G.'s sister.  Front row, subject to question: Rose, Paul or George, Alex Milhomme, Paul or Felix's other son, Paul Milhomme.

NOTE: See also the page "La Famille 2001" (La Famille 2001) under the "French Roots" tab for more discussion on the family history and recent research in France.