Our Somers Family Heritage

Editor's Note : I'm so happy to share this bit of America's Christian history with you! Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers was a "Circuit Rider" for the Baptist Church in the Southern Missouri/Tennessee/Arkansas region and areas beyond! What a wonderful legacy he has left for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;... Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)

A story my father has often told me, which he learned from his father, is that our branch of the Somers family was involved in a "family split over religion" between two brothers.  I'm not certain which generation this happened during, or if it's just a family story handed down through generations that was elaborated on with little truth left in it. But, as my grandfather was not known to be a liar or inventor of tall tales, I believe it is based on fact. So, please bear with me as I give you my theory as to what might have happened. Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers was a popular evangelist around the turn of the 20th century and into the early 1900's. He preached at tent meetings and outdoor revivals in the Southern Missouri and Arkansas area. How far his travels took him, I really don't know except they must have been extensive as Grandpa's half sister, Amanda Tidwell, told my father that Great Grandfather Henry was a circuit rider gone for ...

3rd Great Grandmother Mary Ann Jones, 2nd Great Grandmother Nancy Jones Wright, Great Grandmother Maggie Lenoa Wright Weaver, Grandmother Lillian Mae Weaver Somers with oldest daughter Mamie Irene. Taken in the 1920's, Clay Co, Arkansas By Angela Wittman Some of my earliest memories are of my parents talking about our native ancestry, and I grew up with stories of being part Cherokee and how my Grandfather lied about his native ancestry to avoid discrimination. It was always taken for granted by my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. on the Somers side that we are part Native American. So, when a cousin (now deceased) and I began looking for a “paper trail” of the Cherokee ancestry approximately 25 years ago and we couldn’t find documentation, I continued the research. I believe there is evidence that will lead to our native ancestry and I hope to present some of that evidence here. Henry Francis Somers I’ll begin with physical appearance: My Great Grandfather, Hen...

By Angela Wittman For my dear friend Dee Galyon who recently reminded me the importance of keeping our loved ones memories alive and my dad who patiently cultivated a love of family history in me. My soon to be 80 year-old father called me yesterday and while his reason was to relay some family news, he soon began reminiscing about his years in the Air Force and travels to England and Scotland while in the service. And even though I was right in the middle of preparing dinner, I didn't mind the call or the stories. You see, I love my dad and my earliest memories are of him telling me family stories. I cannot help but think that the stories of my grandfather and his family helped shape my character. My grandfather was the "black sheep" of his family due to a tragic divorce between his parents and the circumstances of his father's accidental death. My grandfather blamed his mother, (a strong, independent woman), for both the divorce and death of his dad. S...

Notes on Cotna (Cotney, Coatny, Cortny) Lisbeth (Elizabeth) Cole (Harris/Tidwell/Somers) and Henry Francis Somers Cotna was born 1854 in Jackson County, Arkansas Her father and mother are listed in the 1900 Butler Co., Mo. Census as being born in Tennessee. Cotna married Henry F. Somers in 1893. Henry’s father Abraham (Born 1820) is from Tennessee, his mother Darcus (Born 1824), is from North Carolina. Henry F. was born in Jackson County, Tennessee in 1860. According to the Jackson Co. Tennessee 1860 Census, the Summers family is listed as: Abe – 39 yrs. Male/white Aner – 16 yrs. Female/white Archibald - 10 yrs. Male/white Darcus – 36 yrs. Female/white Henry – 2 mos. Male/white John – 14 yrs. Male/white Nancy – 12 yrs. Female/white Another possible sibling is Matthew A. Summers who is listed in a Census as being born in 1866. Also, I found a John Summers in the 1840 Jackson Co., Tenn. Census who could be Abe’s father. Henry F. Somers and Cotna (or Cotney)...

As recorded in the Somers Family Bible: Father's Name: William Henry Somers (Born August 2nd, 1894 - Tuckerman, Jackson Co., Arkansas - Passed Away March 7, 1976, Poplar Bluff, Butler Co., Missouri) His Father: Henry Francis Somers (Recorded as Henry Summers in the 1860 Jackson Co. Tennessee Census) His Mother: Cotna (Cotney) Lisbeth (Elizabeth) Cole (also listed as Harris and Tidwell) Henry Francis Somers Family Line Father - Abraham Somers (Birth: Approximately 1820, Jackson County, Tennessee) Mother - Darcus Somers (Birth: Approximately 1824, Listed as both Alabama and North Carolina) Grandfather - John Somers (Birth: Approximately 1782, Caswell County, North Carolina - Death: Approximately 1856, Jackson County, Tennessee) Grandmother - Rebecca Wright (Birth: Before 1786) Great Grandfather - Captain John Somers (Revolutionary War) (Birth: September 7, 1750 - Death: April 1, 1803 Caswell County, NC) Great Grandmother - Catherine Arden (Birt...