One of my goals is to create biographies for my ancestors using the records I have gathered over the years. Today’s biography focuses on my second great-grandfather, Albert Hutchinson, a Civil War veteran whose life took him from New York to Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.
Early Life
Albert Hutchinson was born about 1836 in Northampton, Fulton County, New York. Much about his childhood remains a mystery, but the 1850 census provides an important clue. Fourteen-year-old Albert was living in the household of Ephraim and Cynthia Finch in Monroe County, New York.
Family evidence suggests that Cynthia Finch may have been Albert’s aunt, which would explain why he was living in their household as a teenager. Whatever the circumstances, Albert grew up during a period when many families were moving west in search of new opportunities.
Marriage and Life in Iowa
Like many young men of his generation, Albert eventually headed west. On September 14, 1859, he married Julia Harding in Black Hawk County, Iowa.
Julia Melinda Harding was born in 1840 in New Brunswick, Canada, the daughter of William Gillies Harding and Elizabeth Fowler. The young couple established their home in Iowa, where Albert worked as a farmer.
The 1860 census shows Albert and Julia living in Black Hawk County. Also residing with them were Julia’s younger sister Isabella Harding and Loren Gilbert, suggesting a household that included both family and friends.
Their first daughter, Gertrude, had been born earlier that summer, and son Albert G. Hutchinson arrived two years later.
Answering the Call to Serve
The Civil War interrupted Albert’s life as a young husband and father.
Albert enlisted as a private in Company D of the 1st Iowa Cavalry. The regiment served throughout the western theater of the war, participating in operations across Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and other southern states.
Unlike the large battles that often dominate Civil War history, cavalry units frequently performed scouting missions, guarded supply lines, escorted prisoners, and conducted raids deep into enemy territory. These duties often required long periods away from home under difficult conditions.
Albert was mustered out at Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 31, 1863. Demonstrating his dedication to the Union cause, he reenlisted the very next day and continued serving until February 15, 1866, when he was discharged in Austin, Texas.
His service spanned nearly the entire conflict and extended into the post-war occupation period.
Growing Family
While Albert served in the military, Julia managed the household and cared for their growing family.
Together, Albert and Julia became the parents of eleven known children:
- Gertrude Hutchinson (1860–1914)
- Albert G. Hutchinson (1862–1922)
- William Henry Hutchinson (1865–1936)
- Frederick Hutchinson (born about 1867)
- Cary Hutchinson (born about 1869)
- Winifred Mae “Winnie” Hutchinson (1871–1913)
- Elnora Hutchinson (1874–1921)
- Guy Thomas Hutchinson (1876–1946)
- Francesca Hutchinson (born 1879)
- Howard Hutchinson (1881–1905)
- Elvira Hutchinson (born about 1884)
The family moved several times as Albert sought farming opportunities. Records place them in Black Hawk, Bremer, Mitchell, and Floyd counties in Iowa before they eventually relocated farther south.
One interesting challenge for researchers is that census records do not always agree. Albert’s birthplace was reported differently from census to census, and the family’s surname was occasionally misspelled. Such inconsistencies are common in nineteenth-century records and remind us to look at the broader collection of evidence rather than relying on a single document.
Loss and Remarriage
After more than thirty years of marriage, Albert suffered a devastating loss when Julia died on January 4, 1892, in Doniphan County, Kansas.
The following year, Albert remarried. On August 8, 1893, he married Honore Eliza Van Valkenberg in St. Joseph, Missouri.
A brief newspaper notice in the St. Joseph Gazette recorded the issuance of their marriage license among the many couples marrying that week.
Albert and Eliza had one son together:
- Elmer E. Hutchinson (1895–1926)
The household also included two young boys, Howard and Peter Noland, who were living with Albert and Eliza in the 1895 Kansas census.
Veteran and Pensioner
Like many Union veterans, Albert applied for a military pension based on his Civil War service. His pension was approved in 1890.
That same year, he appeared on the special Veterans Schedule of the federal census. Because most of the 1890 census was later destroyed by fire, these surviving veterans schedules are often invaluable resources for family historians.
The schedule recorded Albert’s service in Company D of the 1st Iowa Cavalry and preserved details of his military record for future generations.
Final Years
By the mid-1890s, Albert was living in Doniphan County, Kansas, near the Missouri River communities where several of his children would later settle.
Albert Hutchinson died on July 22, 1896, at approximately sixty years of age. He was buried in Elwood Cemetery in Elwood, Kansas.
Although he did not live to see the twentieth century, Albert witnessed tremendous changes during his lifetime. He was born during the era of frontier expansion, served during the Civil War, and helped settle portions of the Midwest as railroads transformed the American landscape.
Why Albert’s Story Matters
Albert Hutchinson’s life illustrates the experiences of many nineteenth-century Americans. He moved westward in search of opportunity, served his country during the Civil War, farmed the rich lands of Iowa, and raised a large family whose descendants would spread across the Midwest.
For me, Albert is more than a name in a database or a collection of census entries. He is my second great-grandfather—a man whose decisions, sacrifices, and perseverance helped shape the family that followed.
Every record discovered adds another piece to his story, helping us better understand not only Albert Hutchinson but also the generations who came before and after him.