Albert and Alcinda Hite were the fourth and fifth children of David and Elizabeth (Stickley) Hite. They were born May 8, 1840, in Licking County, Ohio, and came to Illinois in 1848 with their parents. They grew up on the family farm that their father bought in 1850. The picture above shows the family farmhouse, though it is not known if it is the original building or a later one on that site.

By 1865, Albert’s older brothers had married and established their own families. Albert remained and farmed with his father, taking over the full management as his father aged. When his father died, Albert was named the executor of his will. The will left everything to the widow, Albert’s mother, for her lifetime. Following her death the property would be divided evenly between the children. Elizabeth did not die until 1890, so Albert’s duties as executor could not be completed until then. He was also named the executor of Elizabeth’s will, but declined to serve, probably due to the complications of administering both estates, so Alcinda was named as administratrix for her mother’s estate.

On February 22, 1881, Albert married Ida Bell Durkee, the daughter of Lewis M. and Zeruah J. Durkee, of Serena township. They had three children:

1. Calvin Wallace, born December 16, 1881; married December 23, 1907, to Henrietta Belrose; died October 11, 1923 in Ottawa.
2. Lavina Maud, born July 10, 1893; married September 9, 1918 to William Temple; died October 15, 1987.
3. James Edward, born July 5, 1897; married June 7, 1922 to Jeanne Hisler; died March 27, 1961 in Ottawa.

Albert died September 26, 1905, and was buried in the West Serena Cemetery, where many of his wife’s Durkee relatives can be found. Ida died in Ottawa, December 23, 1938 and was buried beside her husband.

Alcinda never married. She continued to live at the farm with  her mother and brother after her father’s death.  Sometime before 1900, Alcinda moved to Ottawa. She appears to have rented out the land she inherited, as her occupation in the 1900 census is given as “landlord”. She was a frequent visitor to Schuyler, Nebraska, where she had relatives, and she invested in land in that area.  Around 1912 or 1913 she moved from Ottawa to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she had relatives. In 1917 she was committed to the state hospital at Norfolk, Nebraska, where she died July 17, 1924. Her remains were returned to Illinois and she was buried in the Dayton Cemetery.

It is the probate of Alcinda’s estate that provides much information about her family. Because Alcinda outlived all but one of her siblings, her heirs, her nephews and nieces, had to be identified in court. One niece, another Alcinda, testified to the names and addresses of all her aunt’s siblings and their children, including the three who died young and others who predeceased Alcinda. The court proceedings are a veritable goldmine for family historians.