52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #22 — Joseph Albert Glynn, Nancy Reed’s Son and My Second Great-Grandfather

Joseph Albert Glynn was born on 13 February 1835 in Putney, Windham County, Vermont, the son of Joseph T. Glynn and Nancy Reed. His town birth record gives his full name as Joseph Albert Glynn and records his birth in Putney. Later records often identify him more simply as Albert Glynn.

One conflict should be kept in mind. Albert’s gravestone in Maple Grove Cemetery gives his birth date as 13 February 1834, while his town birth record gives 13 February 1835. The 1900 U.S. census also records his birth year as 1835.

For now, the 1835 date appears to be better supported. The town record was created much closer to his birth, presumably from information supplied by his family, while Albert himself may have provided the information recorded in the 1900 census. In addition, his obituaries, death record, and probate records consistently state that he was seventy years old when he died. A birth date of 13 February 1835 would make him seventy at death; a birth date in 1834 would make him seventy-one.

Page from Putney. Birth Records 1789–1862 listing the children of Joseph T. and Nancy Glynn, including Joseph Albert Glynn, whose birth date is recorded as 13 February 1835.

The 1900 U.S. census records Albert Glynn’s birth as February 1835, which supports the 1835 birth year found in the Putney birth record.

In 1850, Albert was fifteen years old and living in Putney with his parents, Joseph and Nancy, and his siblings Henry and Caroline. His father was listed as a laborer, with real estate valued at $100.

The family experienced several losses while Albert was still young. His sister Caroline Almira Glynn died in Putney in 1852, and his mother, Nancy Reed Glynn, died there on 2 April 1854. His father later remarried and left for Massachusetts.

On 9 June 1861, Joseph Albert Glynn married Julia Harvey in Walpole, New Hampshire. The marriage record names her as Johanna. I have learned that Johanna, Julia, and a few related forms of the name can sometimes be used interchangeably, especially in records related to Catholic families or churches.

Albert and Julia began their married life in Vermont during the Civil War years. Albert Glynn was drafted, but instead of serving, he paid commutation, a fee that legally released him from that draft obligation.

Sisters, Mary Lucy Glynn Giddens and
Caroline Glynn Alter in about 1920

Three of Albert and Julia’s children were born in Putney: Henry Harvey Glynn on 4 December 1862, Mary Lucy Glynn on 15 February 1866, and Garrett Glynn on 30 October 1868.

Albert was found as a farmer and farm laborer in Vermont, but his work changed after his marriage. Julia’s three sisters’ husbands all worked for the railroad, and it is possible that those family connections influenced Albert’s move into railroad work. By 1870, Albert was working as a trackman in New York, and by 1875, he was recorded as a railroad overseer.

In 1870, the family was living on Staten Island in Westfield, Richmond County, New York. A few years later, Albert and Julia’s daughter Caroline “Carrie” Glynn was born in New York in September 1874. On 1 June 1875, Joseph Albert Glynn was recorded as head of household in Southfield, Richmond County, New York.

By 1880, Albert was no longer living with Julia and the children. In the 1880 census, Julia was living with five-year-old Carrie in Middletown on Staten Island. She did not appear to be working outside the home. A mark appears next to her name in the widowed/divorced column, and her occupation was recorded as housekeeping. Family lore also tells of Carrie’s eventual move to an orphanage.

Albert and Julia’s daughter Mary Lucy, then fourteen, was working as a servant in the household of Cornelius W. Sleight in Tottenville, also on Staten Island. Garrett, born in 1868, does not appear in the 1875 state census, and it is said that he died young. Henry Harvey Glynn would have been at least eighteen years old by 1880 and was later found living in and around Cohoes, New York, in the late 1880s and early 1890s. He died in 1895, soon after moving to Colorado for his health.

It is unknown where Albert lived and worked after 1875. I have seen several Joseph Glynns and Albert Glynns in records, but nothing that definitely points to him.

By 1897, however, Albert had returned to Putney, the town where his life had begun.

Albert died on 2 November 1905 in East Putney, Vermont. A newspaper account gives a fuller picture of his last day. It described him as a seventy-year-old farm laborer who lived alone and had been ill for some time with heart disease. Will Richards, who lived at M. C. Ingalls’s, had stayed with him overnight and left early the next morning. Around eight o’clock, Mrs. John Nichols, a nearby neighbor who had shown him many kindnesses, went to his house and found him dead on the floor. Albert had prepared breakfast and apparently suffered a sudden heart attack while doing his work.

The notice stated that he left two daughters, one in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and one in New York. The daughter in Phillipsburg was Mary Lucy, and the daughter in New York was Carrie. His funeral was held at the house at 10 o’clock on Saturday, 4 November 1905, with Rev. E. C. Charlton officiating. He was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Putney.

One obituary says Albert was buried with his mother and two sisters in Maple Grove Cemetery. He was buried with his mother, Nancy Reed Glynn, and one of the named Glynns, Caroline Almira Glynn, is known to be his sister. The other, Delancy Glynn, is not currently identified as Albert’s sibling and may have been related through his father’s Glynn family.

Albert’s probate records add a valuable glimpse of his circumstances at the end of his life. M. C. Ingalls served as administrator, and the inventory, appraised on 25 November 1905, showed a modest estate. Albert had $1.73 in cash, carpenter and farming tools, household utensils and clothing, stove wood, potatoes, beans, and other provisions. His personal property totaled $59.73, and his real estate was valued at $160, bringing the estate to $219.73. Because the estate also had debts, a petition was filed to sell the real estate to pay them.

Joseph Albert Glynn’s records show a life that began and ended in Putney, but also included marriage, children, railroad work, separation from his family, and years that are still not fully accounted for.

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Diana

© 2026

1870 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, town of Westfield, Southfield post office, p. 73 (stamped 460), dwelling 700, family 709, Albert Glynn household, lines 9–13; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/32156611 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1086.

1875 New York state census, Richmond County, town of Southfield, first election district, p. 25, Albert Glynn household, lines 1–5; digital image, Ancestry.com, “New York, State Census, 1875” (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 July 2026).

1880 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, town of Middletown, enumeration district 303, p. 30 (NARA p. 215B), line 22, Julia Glynn; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/4880681 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 923.

1880 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, Tottenville, enumeration district 309, p. 21 (stamped 370A), Lucy M. Glynn, age 14, servant; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/4880681 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 923.

1900 U.S. census, Windham County, Vermont, population schedule, Putney town, enumeration district 257, sheet 5A, Albert Glynn household; database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 1696.

Appraisal of the estate of Albert Glynn of Putney, deceased,” Windham, Vermont, United States records, image 313 of 328; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-7378-J : accessed 16 July 2026); citing Vermont Supreme Court, Administrative Services, image group no. 004742006.

Abby Maria Hemenway, coll., Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Local History of All the Towns in the State, Civil, Educational, Biographical, Religious and Military, vol. 5, The Towns of Windham County, with Histories of Sutton in Caledonia County, and Bennington in Bennington County (Brandon, Vermont: Mrs. Carrie E. H. Page, 1891), entry/list noting Albert Glynn “furnished under draft and paid commutation,” image 256 of 677; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSSW-QSR9-L?view=explore : accessed 14 July 2026); Image Group Number 007817338.

DB Quinn, “#1 Diana's Bryan-Quinn Family,” public Ancestry Member Tree (login required), Ancestry.com (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.); URL upon request; accessed 15 July 2026.

Diana Bryan Quinn, “#52ancestors Post Twenty-Four: Learning about my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Joseph T. Glynn, on Father’s Day,” Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog, posted 17 June 2018; Blogger, https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/52ancestors-post-twenty-four-learning.html : accessed 14 July 2026.

Diana Bryan Quinn, “Friday’s Photo: My Glynn Family in Maple Grove, A Cemetery in Putney, Vermont,” Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog, posted 25 May 2018; Blogger, https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/fridays-photo-my-glynn-family-in-maple.html : accessed 14 July 2026.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190070404/caroline_almira-glynn : accessed July 14, 2026), memorial page for Caroline Almira Glynn (unknown–6 Aug 1852), Find a Grave Memorial ID 190070404, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Putney, Windham County, Vermont, USA; maintained by dbquinn (contributor 47552132).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23124364/cornelius_winant-sleight : accessed July 14, 2026), memorial page for Cornelius Winant Sleight (2 Feb 1817–21 Sep 1903), Find a Grave Memorial ID 23124364, citing Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Tottenville, Richmond County, New York, USA; maintained by Bethel Cemetery (contributor 48846027).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18185660/joseph_albert-glynn : accessed July 14, 2026), memorial page for Joseph Albert Glynn (3 May 1834–2 Nov 1905), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18185660, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Putney, Windham County, Vermont, USA; maintained by Find a Grave.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190058477/nancy-glynn : accessed July 2, 2026), memorial page for Nancy Reed Glynn (2 Aug 1798–2 Apr 1854), Find a Grave Memorial ID 190058477, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Putney, Windham County, Vermont, USA; maintained by dbquinn (contributor 47552132).

“First Names,” RootsIreland.ie (http://www.rootsireland.ie/help/first-names/ : accessed 6 March 2022).

Glynn gravestones at Maple Grove in Putney, Vermont, photographs, 1979, scanned images, from the privately held photo collection of E. M. Bryan, Virginia Beach, VA 2026. 

Grace Glynn King to Betty Bryan, letter, 17 September 1979, discussing Glynn family history; photocopy privately held by Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2026; original held by E. M. Bryan, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2026.

"Happy Days," photographs, c.1920, scanned images, from the privately held photo collection of E. M. Bryan, Virginia Beach, VA 2026. 

“Henry Glynn, formerly of Cohoes,” Cohoes Republican (Cohoes, New York), 20 April 1895, p. 3; digital image, NewspaperArchive (https://newspaperarchive.com : accessed 14 July 2026).

“New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637–1947,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL6Z-GGH : accessed 22 February 2021), Albert Glynn and Johanna Harvey, 9 June 1861; citing Walpole, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,262.

“New York State, Marriage Index, 1881–1967,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 July 2026), entry for Henry Glynn and Harriet Snyder, married 20 June 1888, Hoosick, Rensselaer County, New York; citing New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, New York State Marriage Index.

Putney, Windham County, Vermont, Birth Records, 1789–1862, births of the children of Joseph T. Glynn and Nancy Glynn, image 37 of 481; “Putney, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L999-LWFP?view=fullText : accessed 16 July 2026); citing Putney Town Clerk, Vermont. Image Group Number 005464200.

Putney, Windham County, Vermont, town records, birth entry for Mary Lucy Glynn, 15 February 1866, image 95 of 1071; “Putney, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L996-MWS9?view=explore : accessed 14 July 2026); citing Putney Town Clerk, Vermont; Image Group Number 005488192.

The Brattleboro Reformer, November 10, 1905, Page 7. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brattleboro-reformer-glynn-joseph-a/147870589/ : accessed July 15, 2026), clip page for Glynn, Joseph Albert - Obituary by user dewquinn

“United States, Census, 1850,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC2N-4L1 : accessed 18 April 2026), entry for Joseph Glynn and Nancy Glynn, 1850.

“U.S. City Directories, 1821–1989,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 July 2026), Henry Harvey Glynn, engineer, Cohoes, New York, 1892; citing city directory images, original sources vary by directory.

"Vermont, Births and Christenings, 1765-1908", FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8L6-CJS : accessed 18 April 2026), Nancy in entry for Henry Reed Glynn, 1833.

“Vermont, Births and Christenings, 1765–1908,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8L6-CJH : accessed 18 April 2026), Nancy in entry for Joseph Albert Glynn, 1835.

Vermont Phoenix, January 22, 1897, Page 7. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/vermont-phoenix-albert-glynn-1897/15229273/ : accessed July 15, 2026), clip page for Albert Glynn 1897 by user dewquinn.

Vermont Phoenix, November 10, 1905, Page 9. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/vermont-phoenix-joseph-albert-glynn-de/201756843/ : accessed July 16, 2026), clip page for Joseph Albert Glynn - detailed obit by user dewquinn.