Our Somers Family Heritage

Piedmont Trails has received a huge amount of questions and queries concerning free genealogy techniques. Due to the overwhelming response, Piedmont Trails made the decision to dedicate a blog segment covering the subject. This article will focus on the advantages and the “know-how” of researching without a paid subscription or any type of membership fee attached. Subscription fees can add up very quickly when it pertains to genealogy. Some companies charge as much as $400.00 yearly to acquire genealogy records and separate fees for DNA testing results. Family lineage software varies as well from $25.00 up to over $200.00 depending on the size and the capabilities of the software. You have to ask yourself, are the fees really worth it? Genealogy research is so much more than researching online references. It involves an adventure, an expedition, a journey that you may be totally missing. Continue reading here... Editor's Note: Please see also Piedmont Trails North Ca...

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...

Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei . Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina , United States  ( Wikipedia ) Posted at the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources : On December 27, 1752 , the survey for a Moravian settlement began in what is now Clemmons. Bishop August Spangenberg led the frontier expedition that selected the land that became known as the Wachovia tract. The original survey contained only about 73,000 acres, so five additional parcels were surveyed, bringing the total to 98,985 acres. Spangenberg judged the tract to be about 50 percent good land, 25 percent medium and 25 percent poor. He was enthusiastic, however, about the numerous springs and creeks and the promise of potential sites for mills. He was satisfied that they had identified “the best land yet vacant” in the colony. A settlement in North Carolina offered Moravians the prospect of serving their neighbors, establi...

Alfred Green Chance Weaver (Photo is from the private family collection of Harlen and Janice Buhler) Family Tree Source:  Alfred S. Weaver/Emily Little (ronulrich.com) Husband: Alfred S. Weaver Born: 14 OCT 1809 at: Tennessee Married: 2 OCT 1834 at: Died: 26 FEB 1848 at: Tennessee Father: Mother: Other Spouses: NOTES Wife: Emily Little Born: 19 SEP 1816 at: Rowan Co., North Carolina Died: 17 JUN 1889 at: Tennessee Father: Samuel Little Mother: Elizabeth Boone Other Spouses: Alfred L. Little CHILDREN Name: Winnie Jane Weaver Born: 22 MAY 1839 at: Rover, Bedford Co., Tennessee Married: at: Died: at: Spouses: Name: Margaret Caroline Weaver Born: 16 OCT 1840 at: Tennessee Married: at: Died: 28 NOV 1904 at: Spouses: Name: Alfred Green Chance Weaver Born: 6 MAR 1845 at: Tennessee Married:...