Albert Harold Orpet (1873 - 1942)

Born 7 Jul 1873 in Cirencester, Gloucester, England

Ancestors

Son of Owen Orpet and Mary Adcock

Husband of Effie Clara (Burrows) Orpet — married 14 Feb 1908 in Clinton, MA

Descendants

Died Nov 1942 at age 69 in New Canaan, Fairfield, Connecticut

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Weldon Smith [send private message] and Barry Smith [send private message]

Biography

Bert was born to Owen and Mary in the summer of 1873^[1], and was raised in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, where his father had worked at Royal Agricultural College as groundskeeper. His mother, Mary, died when he was two, and by age eight, he and brother Alfred were being boarded out to another family while attending school, in what were apparently harsh economic times for the family^[2]. There is then no record found of him for nearly 20 years, until at age 27, he is of record in Taunton St. Mary's, Somerset, with occupation shown as grocer's manager^[3].

He met Effie of nearby Chard, Somerset and became her suitor. He traveled about looking for work and we have some letters he wrote to Effie during that time. Unable to find a suitable position in England, Bert followed his older brother E.O. and emigrated to Massachusetts, sailing on Cunard's HMS Ivernia, 20 Oct, 1907, from Liverpool to Boston^[4].

He got settled and then sent for Effie. Effie Clara emigrated in early 1908 and they were married on Valentine's day in Clinton, MA^[5], in E.O. Orpet's house (on the estate of E.V. Thayer) in Worcester County, MA. Notice of the wedding was posted in a newspaper in Yeovil, Somerset^[6].

Over the next ten years, five children were born. The first, an unnamed male Orpet was born 12 June 1909 at Medford, MA^[7] and died in infancy. No mention of him was ever heard from family.

Bert gardened on estates around Boston. He is of record in Billerica, MA^[8], and in Brookline, MA^[9], then moved to New Canaan, CT^[10] around 1923, where the family lived in the gardener's house on the Naumberg estate on Silvermine Road until his 1942 death^[11].

Bert and Effie were a hard-working family with typical British traditions. Bert was an inveterate pipe smoker (he died of complications of throat cancer), and valued his Meershaum pipe. Sunday dinner was typically standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding. Christmas pudding was a seasonal treat. They raised chickens and sold the eggs to nearby residents. They put up (canned) vegetables and fruits for later use, made pickles, and were generally handy in the kitchen and garden. The estate had large greenhouses; fresh vegetables were available to the family most of the year.

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2XC8-N4N : 1 October 2014), Albert Harold Orpet, 1873; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKXH-Z7ZM : 6 October 2015), Albert Orpet in household of Frederick Tranter, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, citing p. 35, Piece/Folio 2555/47, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,896.
3. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XS8H-8MK : 28 August 2015), Albert H Orpet in household of Robert A Bell, Taunton St Mary Magdalen Within, Somersetshire, England; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, citing Taunton subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists Index, 1899-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKQ6-J93L : 16 June 2015), A H Orpet, 1907; citing T790, "Book Indexes, Boston Passenger Lists, 1899-1940.", NARA microfilm publications T790, T617, and T521 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, publication year); FHL microfilm 1,724,647.
5. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4FS-YQ8 : 17 February 2016), Albert Harold Orpet and Effie Clara Burrows, 14 Feb 1908; citing Clinton, , Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,508.
6. ↑ "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCL-CWFQ : 17 July 2018), Albert Harold Orpet and Effie Clara Burrows, Yeovil, Somerset, England; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Yeovil, Somerset, England, 13 Mar 1908, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm
7. ↑ "Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXJJ-L57 : 27 April 2016), Albert Harold Orpet in entry for Orpet, 1909.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2VQ-86S : 29 October 2015), Albert H Orpet, Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 739, sheet 9A, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,607.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX1P-KPJ : 14 December 2015), Albert H Orput, Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; citing sheet 12A, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,721.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMP7-S3M : 8 December 2015), Albert H Orpet, 1930.
11. ↑ Family remembrances

Autosomal DNA

Paternal and maternal relationships are confirmed with a 23andMe test match between Patricia (Foster) Morrison and Weldon Smith, second cousins once removed. Their most recent common ancestors are Owen Orpet and Mary Adcock, the second great grandparents of Patricia, and the great grandparents of Weldon. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: "2nd cousins, based on 2.09% DNA shared across 9 segments."

• Weldon and Patricia share 156cM of DNA.
• Weldon and Patricia have a common MRCA in Owen Orpet and Mary Adcock.
• Their relationship across generations is: Patricia Foster<-Margaret Alice Foster<-Edward Owen Orpet II<-Edward Owen<-[Owen+Mary]->Albert Harold->Hilda Effie Smith->Weldon Smith
• Weldon has mapped all his chromosomes using 3-sibling analysis. He inherits all 9 matching segments through his maternal grandfather.

Y-DNA

Male descendants of father Owen Orpet share NRY haplogroup R1b-L48*, the Frisian subgroup of the Atlantic Modal Haplotype.

Acknowledgement

• Profile created by family researcher and grandson Weldon Smith