Biography of Frank Albright, pages 937/938/939/940. History of DeKalb 
County, Indiana; B.F. Bowen & Company, Ind., Indianapolis, 1914.

Frank Albright

	Among the earnest men whose enterprise and depth of character have 
gained a prominent place in the community and the respect and confidence of 
his fellow citizens is the honored subject of this sketch.  A leading farmer 
and stock raiser of the township in which he resides and a man of decided 
views an laudable ambitions, his influence has ever been exerted for the 
advancement of his kind, and in the vocation to which his energies are 
devoted he ranks among the representative agriculturists of the county.
	Frank Albright, who was born on May 27, 1873, in a log cabin on the 
old Albright homestead in Smithfield township, is on of he representative 
citizens of Smithfield township, and because of his splendid material 
success and his exalted personal character he is eminently entitles to 
specific mention here.   He comes of a sterling old pioneer family, being 
the son of Henry and Christina (Dentz) Albright.  Henry Albright was born 
on March 25, 1844, in Coshocton county, Ohio, the son of Philip and 
Catherine (Bickel) Albright.  His father, who was a native of Ohio, was a 
farmer, operating one hundred and thirty-five acres of land.  He sold this 
tract in 1865, and  moved to DeKalb county, Indiana, in the spring of 1866, 
buying one hundred eighteen and three-quarter acres of land here, known as 
the Squire Rutan farm, to which he gave his undivided attention until his 
death, which occurred in September, 1872.  His wife, who also was a native 
of Ohio, was a woman of splendid character and transmitted to her children 
those characteristics  which made for respected manhood and womanhood.  
Two years after the death of her husband, the home farm was sold and she 
spent her remaining days with her son, Philip, her death occurring in 1892.  
To Mr. and Mrs. Albright were born nine children, one of whom died in 
infancy, the others being Eve, Barbara, Catherine, Sarah, Elizabeth, 
Susan, Philip and Henry.  Of these, Elizabeth, Philip and Henry are the 
only survivors.  Elizabeth has been twice married, first to Joseph Lower, 
and second to John Camp, who is a successful farmer.  To them have been 
born seven children, one of whom died in infancy, the surviving members of 
the family being William, Frank, James, Albert, Ira and Belle; Philip 
married Katherine Bickel, and they lived in Ashley, this county, Mr. 
Albright being now retired from active farm work; they have two children, 
Oren and Mahala.
	After coming to DeKalb county, Henry Albright worked at odd jobs for 
about six years, and then for a year rented a farm of eighty acres known as 
the Jake Myers farm.  He subsequently sold the stock from this and bought a 
farm of forty-five acres, where his son Frank, the immediate  subject of 
this sketch, now resides , and to which he later added thirty-two and a 
two-thirds acres. It was then heavily timbered, the only improvements 
being a good log house.  However, Mr. Albright with courage and enterprise, 
entered upon the task of developing and improving the place, and successfully 
operated it from 1873 to 1910, when he sold it to Jack Albright, a son, and 
returned to the old homestead farm, of which he bought twelve acres.  He 
is still actively engaged in farming of this tract and is numbered among 
the active and successful men of his locality.  His son, Brown, bought his 
grandfather’s place of one hundred and eighteen acres of the Samuel 
Bonebrake heirs, to whom it was sold after the death of Philip Albright, 
the residence on the farm having been built by the Bonebrake heirs.  On 
October 15, 1865, Henry Albright married Christiana Bentz, the daughter of 
Jacob and Elizabeth (Hamman) Bentz. Her father, who was a native of Germany, 
came to America in young manhood with his parents and settled in Ohio, 
where he became a farmer and remained active in that vocation until the 
time of his death in 1867.  His wife, who was born in Ohio in 1843, spent 
her entire life in that state.  To them were born thirteen children, 
Margaret, John, Jacob, George, Philip, Elizabeth, Adeline, Lucinda, 
Catherine, Sarah, Christiana, Henry and Daniel, of whom Margaret and 
Christiana are the only survivors.  Margaret has been twice married, first 
to Henry Ringler and second to Mathias Wile, both of whom are deceased, and 
she now lives in Colorado. She became the mother of three children of her 
first marriage, and five children by the second.  To Henry and Christiana 
(Bentz) Albright were born five children, namely: Jackson, a farmer near 
Waterloo, who married Della Stroh, and they have had several children, one 
of whom is deceased; Brown who lives on the homestead farm, married Dona 
Shaw, and they have six children; Mary Ellen became the wife of William 
Grate, a farmer near Ashley, and they are the parents of five children; 
Libbie, is the wife of John Freed, a framer in Fairfield township, and 
they are the parents of three children.
	Politically Henry Albright was a staunch supporter of the Democratic 
party, while, religiously, he is a member of the Christian church, of which 
he has been a deacon for many years.
	Frank Albright received his education in the schools of Smithfield 
township and has spent his entire life on the farm.  His early boyhood 
experiences were as a worker on various farms throughout DeKalb county, 
and that he has been successful in his vocation goes without saying, for 
he enjoys a most excellent reputation as an enterprising and successful 
farmer.  Some time after his marriage Mr. Albright rented the old Whetzel 
farm near Sedan and operated the place for about two years, when he than 
bought forty acres of William Hinman, the land being practically all swamp 
and underbrush.  To the draining and tilting of this tract Mr. Albright 
devoted his attention and eventually developed it into one of the most 
productive and valuable farms in the township.  The land as a farm had no 
buildings on it when he took possession, but he has converted it into one 
of the best improved, places in the locality, the residence, barns, and 
other necessary outbuildings all bearing evidence of the good taste and 
sound judgement of the owner.  In March, 1912, Mr. Albright bought seventy-
six acres of land from his brother, Jackson, his present residence and 
buildings being on the latter tract.  Among other lines of agriculture, 
Mr. Albright devotes considerable time and attention to the breeding and 
raising of live stock, which he has found to be a profitable and adjunct 
to the modern farm.
	Frank Albright was married on August 23, 1897, to Estella Myers, the 
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Dahuff) Myers, the former born near South 
Bend, St. Joseph county, Indiana, in 1847.  He was a successful farmer 
until 1882, when he came to Steuben county, Indiana, and here has also 
followed that vocation.  His wife was born in Steuben county, this state, 
on the farm about two miles from Ashley.  They were the parents of four 
children, Estella, who became the wife of Frank Albright; Harry, Howard 
and Schuyler, who are all deceased.  To Mr. and Mrs. Albright have been 
born six children, namely; one who died in infancy, Earl S., Cora, Mabel, 
Vesta and Ebon.  Politically, Mr. Albright is affiliated with the Democratic 
party, being progressive in his ideas and keeping in close touch with the 
trend of modern events, so that he is considered a man of marked influence 
in his locality.  A good farmer, a kindly neighbor, devoted husband and 
affectionate father, he has won a warm place in the hearts of those who 
know him and is numbered among the solid and substantial citizens of 
Smithfield township.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com