Our Somers Family Heritage

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...

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: