Albrecht, Ronald Family
By Lynne Johnson
The Albrecht family moved to a farm on Olive Street Road 5 generations ago. They had 3 parcels across from Spirit of St. Louis Airport Drive west of Long Road in Chesterfield Valley. They hauled bricks all the way from Alton, Illinois with a horse and wagon to construct a farmhouse and large barn. The barn still stands just off Olive Street Road. The three plots of farmland were divided between Edwin & Zena Konneman Albrecht, George & Helen Essenbreener Albrecht, and sister Ann Albrecht Members of the Albrecht family are buried in Gumbo Cemetery on Long Road near the back by a large monument.
Edwin’s and Zona’s son Ronald, born in 1933, went to the old school in the triangle of land where Old Olive Street Road now branches off of Chesterfield Airport Road. He went to high school in Eureka. Ronald’s Uncle George and Aunt Helen Essenbreener Allbrecht later lived in the original ‘home place’, now destroyed.
Faye Poertner married Ronald in 1957. She shopped in Konneman’s Grocery in Old Chesterfield and Rinkel’s on Olive. They moved into a trailer on the middle plot, planning to build a house. Then the County decided to build a jail next door. They decided to move instead to Wilson Road. At the trailer Faye always wrote her return address on letters as Gumbo. They brought up 3 children: Danny now deceased at 65, Douglas Allen now 55 and Sheryl Ann Triplett now 45. Faye spent a lot of time in the Valley helping her in-laws while husband Ronald drove a gas tanker. She remembers loving the big brick barn which had stairs instead of ladders to the loft. Faye told her father-in-law that she would like to hold a party in the huge barn. Her father-in-law said that was impossible because of the threat of fire with all the hay in the loft. Faye drove Special School District busses for 18 years, and then she drove for Rockwood for 6 years after which she returned to the Special School District until retirement.
Albrecht’s barn. Courtesy of Faye Albrecht |
Albrecht family’s brick barn on Olive Street Road, June 2016. Courtesy of Faye Albrecht. |
Source
Faye Albrecht was interviewed by Lynne Johnson and Jane Durrell on 6 June 2016.