The Alberts: immigrants from France

"Don't criticize the young -- they are the future of the community; don't criticize the old -- they are its heritage." Thus, believed Leo "Lee" Albert, as written in his "Memories of Cape Girardeau and Old Man River." He died two weeks after completing his manuscript.

The Albert family, beginning with John and Mary, immigrated from France in 1828. Their son, Sebastian, father of Lee, lived in Kentucky. Following the parents' deaths, Sebastian and brother John relocated to Jackson to engage in merchandising before settling at Cape Girardeau and establishing "Albert and Bro." at Water and Themis. Their store handled groceries, farm implements and barrels of commodities, such as salt and grains. They were agents for the packet boats and sold supplies to steamboats for their journeys. They were paid a commission by the boats for the freight they collected from farmers and others customers. When livestock was shipped, they made out bills of lading, collecting 5 to 6 cents per head.

In 1865 Sebastian married Rosalee Miles. The Albert family lived in a rambling, 14-room house with winding stairway to the third floor at 1107 Broadway, which included a barn for their cows, horses and mules with which they delivered boat freight to customers. The couple's seven children included three sons, Walter, Irvin and Lee.

In 1890, Sebastian bought out his brother John, incorporated, and changed the name of the business to S. Albert.

Besides the commission business, Sebastian was a partner in the Cape Foundry with Louis Klostermann. He also owned interest in the Cape Lime and Marble Co.

Sebastian, known as "Bass," died Nov. 30, 1895. He and his wife are buried in Old Lorimier Cemetery.

At some time or other, all the brothers were involved in the Water and Themis Street business and were official river observers for the U.S. Weather Bureau beginning in 1880. In 1900, Lee inherited the job of posting the river stages two times a day. His last reading was in 1965.

Lee Albert grew up on the river. As a child he spent many hours at his father's wholesale grocery commission business, becoming a lover of all kinds of people who darkened their door.

It was Lee's parents' dream for him to become a priest, sending him off to the Albany Seminary at age 17. Shortly, Lee sold all his new clothes to his roommates and bought a train ticket back home.

He enrolled at St. Vincent College and the Normal School before going into a number of business ventures, before settling into the family one.

Lee married Suzannah Giboney in 1915. They had one daughter, Virginia Lee Margraf, and granddaughter, Suzie, the apple of his eye.

In May 1959, the grocery buildings were razed for the Cape Federal Savings and Loan parking lot.

Lee passed away Sept. 27, 1972.

I'm sorry I never had the pleasure of knowing Lee L. Albert. He was a student of the Mississippi River, lover of Cape Girardeau, its history and its variety of people.