Our Somers Family Heritage

Willliam Henry Somers WWI US Army Photo

This photo was taken shortly before Great Grandmother's death estimated to be in the late 1930's or early 1940's. My father, Jesse C. Somers, was born in 1935 and remembers his grandmother living with them before her death.

Son of William Henry and Lillian Mae Somers. Taken from Jesse Somers private family photo collection. Wm. Henry Somers Sr. with son Clyde Freeman Somers Image Source: Find A Grave Memorial BIRTH  6 Mar 1931 DEATH  4 May 1962 (aged 31) BURIAL Williams Cemetery Corning, Clay County, Arkansas, USA Source:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100169851/clyde-freeman-somers Spouse: Beatrice Brown Somers Married  October 19, 1956 BIRTH  6 Aug 1932 DEATH  9 May 2007 (aged 74) BURIAL Williams Cemetery Corning, Clay County, Arkansas, USA Source:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19499292/beatrice-somers *As recorded in Lillian Somers Family Bible ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aunt Bea, Uncle Clyde and Bea's younger sister Geraldine Here's a cute story about Uncle Clyde and Aunt Bea as told to me by Wallace Somers: Before Aunt Bea and Uncle Clyde married she worked at a resta...

Great, Great Grandparents George and Nancy Wright Source: Great Grandson Jess Somers' collection of family photos. Wiki Family Tree Links: George Washington Wright Jr. (1857 - 1937) Nancy Elizabeth Jones (1860 - 1934) Somers Family Tree For additional information, please see: George Washington Wright Jr. (RootsWeb) Obituary for George Washington Wright Jr.: PIONEER PASSED AWAY HERE LAST WEDNESDAY - 30 Apr 1937 George W. Wright, aged 79, highly respected pioneer citizen of Clay Co., passed away here last Wednesday at 6:20 p.m., at the home of his daugher, Mrs. W. F. Barnes. Mr. Wright was born on 22 June 1857 near Paragould, and removed to Randolph county when he was two years of age. He had resided in Clay county during the past 35 years. His funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon by Rev. R. L. Powell and internment was made in Williams cemetery. Mr. Wright was devout christian & a member of the Methodist church. Surviving are six ...

David Brainerd was a trailblazer in taking the Gospel to the Native Americans. The Somers family can be forever grateful for our Native American ancestors who might have heard the "Good News" and been converted to Christianity, as we look forward to meeting them in Heaven someday. David Brainerd (April 20, 1718 – October 9, 1747) was an American missionary to the Native Americans who had a particularly fruitful ministry among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey . During his short life he was beset by many difficulties. As a result, his biography has become a source of inspiration and encouragement to many Christians. Missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot , and Brainerd's cousin, the Second Great Awakening evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1801–1829) have been motivated by the ministry of David Brainerd. ( Wikipedia ) Link: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=616030646 See also: HAVE YOU READ THE LETTERS OF DAVID BRAINERD? (Log ...

Battle of Moore's Creek Re-enactment - Piedmont Trails The Trail of Liberty & Independence Posted at Piedmont Trails: The normal teachings of this period discusses the forefathers and their actions that proclaimed separation from England, but in truth, it was widely known to many settlers and pioneers of North Carolina that religious beliefs would not allow a king to overpower their livelihood and progress. Families would worship one king and that was Jesus Christ. This was the ultimate division between the colony of North Carolina and England. This allowed Christians to stand up and fight the first battle of the Revolution in Alamance, NC in 1771. ... If we visited the homes of our ancestor’s in the wake of the American Revolutionary War, we would hear the words, liberty and independence quite often. The settlers living in North Carolina were all seeking one important common denominator, and that was prosperity. In order to achieve this, one must be free of obstacl...

Here's another article from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources regarding the Christian missionary work among the native people of North Carolina: On January 21, 1881, the elders of three churches met at Burnt Swamp Baptist Church in Robeson County to form what became the Burnt Swamp Association. The formation of the group solidified what had been a strong, informal relationship. Burnt Swamp Baptist was founded in 1877 by 20 Lumbee Indians. They received encouragement from two local white churches, Raft Swamp and Clyburn Baptist. Prior to Burnt Swamp’s organization, impromptu religious meetings and revivals had been held for two decades, but no organized religion was available to the community. At their 1885 meeting, members resolved to adopt Burnt Swamp Indian Association of the Croatan Indians as their official name, the first in a series of name changes over the years. After years of struggling to gain acceptance, the Association was admitted to the B...