Our Somers Family Heritage

Photo of my parents, Jess and Marsha (Lawson) Somers, with brothers Terry, Kenny and me (Taken in approximately 1958 or 1959). I don't remember ever seeing this family photo before, but after receiving it in the mail from my cousin yesterday, many fond memories have been going through my mind... I remember as a child thinking my father was the most handsome man in the world and my mother the kindest woman on earth. I also remember crawling over pillows my mother had placed around me (as a barricade?) to get to my brothers who were playing with toy army men. Sadly, they didn't appreciate my company as I remember knocking over their battle scene. :) I love my parents - mom went to be with the Lord in 1995 and Dad is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. A few months ago he told me I worried about him too much and that he has lived a good life. He then assured me he is in the Lord's care... I truly hope so. Thank You, dear Lord, for the family I was born into. Pleas...

Since I learned of my father's Alzheimer's Disease in 2014, I've been blogging his memories/stories about his family and finding more information about our NA and Scottish roots. I remember researching our family with my cousin Sheri years ago (early to mid 1990's) and we couldn't get past Grandfather; he was part Native American and had hidden his family background... Or so he thought, because through the internet I've traced our line back to Scotland. It really is a noble heritage and one I hope to pass on to my sons. As it is believed that our Somers family roots originated in Scotland, I think it might be helpful for us to learn more of its forgotten Christian history. Here is a link to two brief videos that will eventually become a series of Scotland's Forgotten History. I hope you'll enjoy them and develop a love and connection to our Scottish heritage. It's one of bravery and heroism of a people who lived and died for the glory of ...

David Brainerd on horseback. He travelled over 3000 miles on horseback as a missionary. Wikipedia The title of this blog is "Tracing My Christian Heritage" and I love to read about the early Christian missionaries in America who shared the gospel with the natives. I often wonder if David Brainerd or perhaps a lesser known missionary shared the gospel with one of my ancestors; and if the good Lord will reveal how His grace was woven throughout the tapestry of the Somers family with all of it's branches and offshoots when I am with Him in Glory. Here are some links to articles regarding the evangelism of Native Americans I recently found at Baptist Press that I think you will be blessed to read: Pocahontas - Wikipedia 400 years: Pocahontas conversion discussed JAMESTOWN, Va. (BP) -- Four hundred years after the death of one of the most well-known Native Americans in history, scholars say Pocahontas' profession of faith in Christ is among the few fact...

Smoky Mountain View I've been researching my father's family for years and when I find a new piece of information regarding an ancestor, I count it as a gem in our family treasure ( my father came from a humble background and his family stories were my treasure as a child growing up.). Sometimes I find myself going down a dead end path and get discouraged because the lead didn't work out... But, the good Lord is faithful to renew my resolve and offer encouragement in my quest to share our family story. This excerpt from a sermon by the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon , posted at Tried By Fire , comes at just the right time! Please be encouraged that you aren't a creature haphazardly placed in your family - but know that the very hairs of your head are numbered by a loving heavenly father who placed you right where He wants you to be. THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30.  Ho...

Editor's Note: While I cannot definitively state our Native American Heritage as Cherokee, I am certain we are from an Eastern Tribe that experienced injustice due to racial discrimination and persecution. Our ancestors hid their NA heritage; family stories were told to me by my father that we had ancestors on the Trail of Tears and that a set of twin boys were orphaned and adopted by a white family. I have no reason to doubt this as being true. So, while our tribe may be  a mystery, let's never forget this tragic history in order to honor those who suffered and to do all we can to resist such future evil. - AW -------------------------------------------------------------- Map of United States Indian Removal , 1830-1835. Oklahoma is depicted in light yellow-green. ( Wikipedia ) U.S. Army Rounds Up Cherokees, 1838 Posted at NC - Natural and Cultural Resources : On June 12, 1838, Gen. Winfield Scott ordered troops to begin rounding up Cherokee Indians for internment at ...

  "Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."   Ephesians 6:2,3 (AKJV) The following caption appears under the original image: Above is shown the last photograph ever taken of the remaining members of the famous Thomas Legion, composed of Cherokee Indians in the Confederate Army. The photograph was made in New Orleans at the time of the New Orleans Reunion of Confederate Veterans. The inscription on the banner, displayed in the photograph, is as follows: "Cherokee Veteran Indians of Thomas Legion. 69 N. C. Regiment. Suo-Noo-Kee Camp U. C. V. 4th Brigade, N. C. Division." Reading from left to right, those in the picture are: front row, 1 Young Deer; 2 unidentified; 3 Pheasant; 4 Chief David Reed; 5 Sevier Skitty; back row, 1 the Rev. Bird Saloneta; 2 Dickey Driver; 3 Lieut. Col. W. W. Stringfield of Waynesville; 4 Lieutenant Suatie Owl; 5 Jim Keg; 6 Wes...

Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers Indications are I'm Scottish through my mother's family line (the Lawson's) and the oral family history from my father's side handed down from my Great Grandfather Henry Francis Somers to his son, my Grandfather, William Henry Somers, and to my father, Jesse Cecil Somers, is that we are descended from both the Scots and the Cherokee.  So, I'm sharing these informative excerpts and resources for the Somers family researchers. The Cherokee Indian Nation (Scottish Tartans Authority) : It may seem strange to link tartan with some of the great tribes of north American Indians and you could be forgiven for querying the link. It is however, part and parcel of the legendary global spread of the early Scots adventurers who permeated all walks of life and all cultures. The modern appeal of tartan as a unique identifier with those adventurers - whether the links are by nature or nurture - is a fascinating phenomeno...

Indications are our branch of the Somers family tree has some connections to the Netherlands through the Arden/Beekman and Casteal ancestry. Please be blessed as you learn more about the Dutch Reformation and Protestant history presented by W. Robert Godfrey at Ligonier Ministries . - Angela (Somers) Wittman, ed. The Dutch Reformation The success or failure of the Reformation in a particular region often depended on whether the ruler of the region supported or opposed it. However, the Dutch Reformation was an exception to this tendency. Though bitterly opposed by the Habsburg monarchs, Protestantism attracted a large following in the Low Countries. As religious and political tension led to upheaval and war, the courage and persistence of the Dutch people prepared the way for a free Dutch Republic and the rise of the Dutch Reformed Church. From the series A Survey of Church History, Part 3 by W. Robert Godfrey Source: http://www.ligonier.org/learn/daily-video/2016/10/12/the...

Grandmother Lillian Mae Weaver/Somers Grandmother Lillian Mae Weaver/Somers told me as a child our ancestry was "Black Welsh" and "Blackfoot Indian."  I remember asking her what is a "Black Welsh"? And Grandma replied that it simply meant we had dark hair and dark eyes. Here are my notes regarding Grandma's family surnames and their origin: Weaver - English origin. (Father's surname) Wright (Mother's surname) - English or Scottish origin. Casteal or Casteel (paternal Grandmother) - Dutch or Spanish origin. Jones (maternal Grandmother) - Welsh origin. Burdett (paternal Great Grandmother) - French or English origin. The Jones name certainly points to our Welsh ancestry, but what does "Black Welsh" mean?  Wikipedia has a stub article which says: Black Welsh people are inhabitants of Wales who have an African or a Caribbean background. Wales is home to one of the United Kingdom's oldest Afro communities, an...

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)

Mamie Irene Shepherd, daughter of William Henry Somers and Lillian May Weaver Somers was born October 30, 1921 in Thruman, Ark. She departed this life on February 14, 2011 at the Mark Twain Caring Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She enjoyed cooking, gardening, sewing, and her church work.  On November 20, 1936 at Poplar Bluff, Missouri she was married to Rev. John B. Shepherd. He preceded her in death on May 5, 1996. She is survived by eight children, Luther E. Shepherd of Naylor, Missouri, John E. Shepherd, Neelyville, Missouri, Phillip Shepherd, of Doniphan, Missouri. Daughters, Lou Lundry, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Janet Shepherd Graham of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Thelma Eldridge of Pollard , Arkansas, Laveda Ellis of San Jose, California and Martha Shipman of Fairdealing, Missouri, and brother Jesse C. Somers of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.   Mrs Shepherd was preceded in death by her parents as well as 2 sisters, Lorene Pickard and Daisey Mae ...

My aunts - Minnie Lorene (Somers) Pickard, (11.07.1926 - 4.28.2006) and Mamie Irene (Somers) Shepherd, (10.30.1921 - 2.14.2011) - Photo taken 10.29.2000 One of my most recent memories of Aunt Lorene is attending Worship with her at a Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, Mo., while she sang this Baptist Hymn solo:

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 ...

A Rare List of Covenanter Baptisms #History #Scotland #genealogy By Dr. Mark Jardine - Posted March 30, 2016 Image from Jardine's Book of Martyrs Excerpt: A remarkable document survives from the field preachings of the late 1670s. It is a list of baptisms conducted ‘in Fields and other places’ in Torphichen parish, Linlithgowshire, between 1675 and 1679.  One of the things that makes individual Covenanters of the 1680s and their children hard to trace is their withdrawal from the established church that produced records of births and marriages.  Among those who had children baptised were two individuals of particular significance, Edward Marshall , who was hanged in 1685, and George Hill , one of the leaders of the United Societies. A third name, Patrick Walker in Slamannan parish is probably Patrick Walker ‘in Drumcria’, aka. Drumclair. He may be the Patrick Walker who wrote the lives of Cameron, Cargill etc. Walker did know people in Torphichen parish and ...

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...

Grandfather William Henry Somers (43 yrs. old) with my father, Jesse Cecil, (2 yrs. old) riding his horse named "Sunday." This photo was taken in May or June of 1937 at their farm in Neelyville, Missouri.

I know very little of my Grandmother Somers family, except what she recorded in her Family Bible and the tidbits of information I've found scouring the internet. But, I am curious to learn more as I believe there might be a Scots Irish connection through the Wright family. From what I've been able to discern, my GG Grandfather is the son of George Washington Wright as documented at:  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ajobebrown/wright/phil/gw.html George Washington Wright Jr.  --b. June 22, 1857 Paragould, Greene Co., AR --d. April 29, 1937 Corning, Clay Co., AR ----buried Williams Cemetery, Corning, Clay Co., Arkansas -- m. Nancy Elizabeth JONES --February 18, 1875 Little Black Twp, Randolph Co., AR ----b. February 7, 1860 Mill Spring, Wayne Co., MO ----d. August 18, 1934 Corning, Clay Co., AR ------buried Williams Cemetery, Corning, Clay Co., Arkansas This is their headstone where they are buried at Williams Cemetery (image courtesy of...