Were Alfred Colby and Albert Colby Twins?

In 1943, my husband’s grandmother filled out a family tree on binder paper. She described her grandparents as Thomas Davey and Mary Nicholas. She listed their children, including her father, Fred H. Davey. One of Fred’s sisters was listed as Lydia N. Colby, who had two sons, Albert and Alfred, and she identified them as twins.[1]  She included no dates and no locations for this family. I do not have much to work with, but I want to know if the boys were actually twins.

Obituaries of Thomas and Mary Davey
Thomas Davey died on 6 February 1886. The survivors included Mrs. Lydia Jackson of New York City.[2] Five years later, Mary Davey died on 18 September 1893 in Indianapolis. Mrs. Lida M. Colbey of New York was listed as one of the survivors.[3]

The obituaries give two surnames for Lydia: Jackson and Colby. Both obituaries list her residence as New York City. An 1891 city directory lists a Lydia Colby, widow, living at 410 W. 57th Street.[4] This was the only directory found for her as Lydia Colby. As for Lydia Jackson, there are numerous hits, most with a husband named John.

Lydia Colby
In 1900, she was living in Suffolk County, New York, with a son, Thomas A. Colby. She was born in England and was listed as a widow, aged 58, born in April 1842. She bore two children, both living, and arrived in the United States in 1851. Thomas was born in July 1863 in Illinois to a Vermont father and an English mother, and worked as a carpenter.[5]

I have her birth as 1 April 1841.[6]  Her arrival date of 1851 correlates closely with the 1852 ship arrival aboard the Ocean Queen.[7] Tillie had the son’s name wrong, though his middle name may have been Albert or Alfred.

Thomas was living with Lydia in the same location in 1910, though his father’s roots were listed as England. He was 47, making his birth about 1863, and was born in Illinois.  They lived at 267 Cedar Avenue in Patchogue.[8] Although all the vital information was the same, except for Thomas’ father’s birthplace, the year of immigration was listed as 1895 for both of them, which is a conflict. He was a house painter, and she had her own income and owned her home free and clear.

Lydia N. Colby died on 9 February 1914, and her estate was left to her sons, Thomas A. Colby and James A. Colby.[9] Both sons had different first names, but their middle names began with the letter A, which could correlate to Albert and Alfred.

Another obituary revealed a surprise past for Lydia. She was previously known on stage as Florence Noble and was a close friend of Jennie Lind. Her son, James A. Colby, lived in Chicago.[10]

Thomas A. Colby
Thomas married Esther M. Webber on 30 April 1911 in Patchogue, New York.[11] He died on 21 November 1952 in Patchogue.[12] He was buried at Yaphank Cemetery.[13] His tombstone gives his birthdate as 1862, which differs by one year from the 1900 census date, and his full name as Thomas Alfred.

James A. Colby
James A. Colby married Fannie I Paxton in Des Moines, Iowa on 12 June 1890. He named his father James Colby.[14] He died in Chicago on 26 June 1920. The death index listed his birthdate as 22 April 1859 in Onarga, Illinois, which is in Iroquois County. His father was James Colby of Connecticut, and his mother was Lidya Davie of England.[15] He was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.[16] The tombstone only lists 1859 as his birthdate and his name as James A., though the memorial lists his middle name as Albert. In 1913, James wrote a will, leaving life insurance policies to his mother, Lydia N. Colby of Patchogue, New York, if living.[17]

Conclusion
Tillie must have been misinformed about the names and birthdates of the two Colby sons of Lydia. Tillie was born in 1880 and could have known about her cousins, but she likely never met them. She grew up in Kentucky and Missouri, while they were in Illinois and New York. So what she knew of Lydia’s family was likely hearsay.

Future Research
The obituary describing Lydia as an actress under the name of Florence Noble needs further investigation. I also found hints to deeds in Suffolk County in New York, and in Douglas, Iroquois, and Cook Counties in Illinois. And finally, locating the marriage to the Jackson man.

Image by kparsson from Pixabay

#52Ancestors: Week 45: Multiple

This is my eighth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] Tillie Davey Gorrell, “Family Tree of Thomas Davey and Mary Nicholas,” handwritten notes on binder paper, 1943. Photocopy was given to author by Tillie’s son, George J. Gorrell.

[2] “Thomas Davey,” Jeffersonville (Indiana) Daily News, 9 Feb 1886, p. 2. This paper is available at NewspaperArchive.com.

[3] “Death of Mrs. Mary Davey,” Jeffersonville News, 19 Sep 1893, p. 4.

[4] “U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/1609787) > New York > New York > 1891 > New York, New York, City Directory, 1891 > image 247 of 1656, p. 249, Lydia Colby.

[5] 1900 U.S. census, Suffolk Co, New York, Brookhaven, ED 750, sht 14b, family 343, Lydia Colby.

[6] Tillie Davey Gorrell, “Family Tree of Thomas Davey and Mary Nicholas.”

[7] “New York, Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” Ocean Queen, arriving 12 Mar 1852, 2nd page, lines 18-25, Mathew Nichols, digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_110-0194: accessed 23 Aug 2019), citing NARA M237, roll 110.

[8] 1910 U.S. census, Suffolk Co, New York, Brookhaven, ED 1355, p. 235 (stamped), family 38, Lydia N Colby.

[9] For her death, "Deaths," South Side Signal, 27 Feb 1914, p. 8, col. 7. For her estate, The County Review, 27 Feb 1914, p. 1, col. 7.

[10] "Mrs. Colby Dead," The Brooklyn Daily Times, 10 Feb 1914, p. 3, col. 3. And "Once Famous Actress Dead," Brooklyn Eagle, 10 Feb 1914, p. 8, col. 3.

[11] "Weddings. Colby--Webber," Brooklyn (New York) Daily Times, 3 May 1911, p. 10, col. 3. And "Patchogue," The Suffolk County (New York) News, 5 May 1911, p. 2, col. 2.

[12] “Deaths in Suffolk,” The Patchogue (New York) Advance, 27 Nov 1952, p 19. And “Current Vital Statistics of Interest, Village of Patchogue,” The Patchogue (New York) Advance, 27 Nov 1952, p 22.

[13] Find A Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37862329/thomas-alfred-colby), memorial 37862329, Thomas Alfred Colby (Jul 1862-21 Nov 1952), Yaphank Cemetery, Yaphank, Suffolk Co, New York, USA; tombstone photo by Arleen Koello (contributor 47001400).

[14] “Iowa, U.S., marriage Records, 1880-1949,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8823/records/3581660) > 1890 > 359 (Polk-Wright) > image 42 of 445, Polk County, James A. Colby to Fannie I Paxton, 1890.

[15] “Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2542/records/1329979), James A. Colby, 1920.

[16] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146391200/james_albert-colby: accessed November 4, 2025), memorial 146391200, James Albert Colby (22 Apr 1859–23 Jun 1920), Linwood Cemetery, Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa, USA; photo by Cheryl Locher Moonen (contributor 47601076).

[17] “Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9048/records/1027462) > Cook > Record of Wills, Book 127-128, 1920; Book 129, 1920-1921 > image 185 of 637, Record of Wills, v. 128, p. 250, Will of James Albert Colby of Wheaton, DuPage Co, Illinois.

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