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Post by wsums2 on Oct 25, 2007 11:51:05 GMT -5
It is my belief and hope that I am a descendant of William E. Summers, a member of the Gonzales Rangers, and the "Immortal 32". I'm trying to research and find who his parents, wife - if married, relatives were. I do know that a Henry C/G Summers had the property next to him in Texas and that William E. was one of eight that signed the original representation election form. William E. came from TN where my relatives originated from. Other than that, I know little about him. My ancestral line is as follows:
starting with myself, William H. Summers to Jack R. Summers, William H. Summers (Grandfather), MP Summers, James B Sumers, born about 1790 in NC, died 1855 in TN.
William E. Summers could have been related as he was born in TN about 1812 and was 24 years of age when he died in the ALAMO. Since many of you are experts on the history and peoples who died in the Alamo, I am hopeful that someone can help. If you can, it would be greatly appreciated.
Very respectfully,
William Summers
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Post by stuart on Oct 25, 2007 12:00:19 GMT -5
This is what Amelia Williams has to say about him:
SUMMERS, WILLIAM E.: Age, 24; rank, private; native
of Tennessee, resident of Gonzales, Sources: Bexar, 405, 406;
Texas Almanac, 1860, pp. 81-82. This list was made by Francisco
Ruiz. He declared that he burned 182 bodies, but he listed only
112 names.
The important reference from your point of view are the two Bexar claims 405 and 406. Others on this board should be able to tell you how to track them down. As he died at the Alamo the claims will have been made, or lodged on behalf of his heir(s) - which may provide the link you're looking for
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Post by TRK on Oct 25, 2007 12:25:47 GMT -5
Those Bexar claims seem to refer to land claims--possibly military bounty, in which case you'd have to send a query to the Texas General Land Office. Five or six years ago, there was a website where some benevolent private researcher had compiled a list of persons who applied for military bounty land during the years of the Texas Republic. The site was a real boon for researchers, but alas it is now gone. On the chance that the Bexar claims were for military service (e.g., pay due), I checked the Republic of Texas Claims at the Texas State Archives website. Although there are numerous references to William W. Summers, an officer who survived the Texas Revoultion, there seem to be none to William E. Summers. This may mean the Texas State Archives haven't gotten around to posting his claims online, or perhaps Summers didn't have any heirs to tender a claim for his military service. Go here and type in his last and first name: www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/repclaims/index.php?formType=nameGood luck in your search! |
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Post by sloanrodgers on Oct 25, 2007 15:11:17 GMT -5
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Post by stuart on Oct 25, 2007 15:36:31 GMT -5
Actually its pretty good. The last document is an 1861 petition by his brothers and sole heirs:
John C Summers
Jesse M Summers
Caley G Summers
H C G Summers
Whitfield B Summers
Albert C Summers
Eldridge Summers
Any of them crop up on your family tree William?
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Post by sloanrodgers on Oct 28, 2007 20:12:21 GMT -5
Thanx Stuart, but it does seems rather brief as Court of Claims go
or maybe I am just comparing it to the overly long and fraudulent
Henry Warnell Claim. Anyway, I do wish Summer's claim was more
helpful to Wsum and wish him luck in his Alamo ancestor research.
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Sept 7, 2009 11:38:55 GMT -5
I know this is an old thread, but I was checking here after my visit last week to the Texas Rangers Museum in Waco. My visit there was the first time I'd become aware that the Gonzales 32 were, in fact, early Rangers. I'm not sure how the search turned out for the original poster here, but I found this online a few minutes ago: William E. (F.) Summers, 24, born 1812 in TN, a resident of current LavacaCo south of current Hallettsville and Private rifleman in the Gonzales Rangers. Land grant records indicate he received a labor of land on 1 May 1835 (vol. 67, pg. 512) just south of the Andrew Kent league on the Lavaca River. Henry C.G. Summers received the league of land next and south of William's tract on the same date (vol. 67, pg. 600). On 26 Feb 1836, Summers and Isaac Millsaps, neighbors of Andrew Kent, came to the Kent home south of Hallettsville and the three departed for Gonzales. Summers, along with fellow Alamo defenders Kent and Millsaps, was among the eight voters in the "Precinct of Upper Lavaca," which was designated for the purpose of electing two delegates to the Texas Independence Convention which convened on 1 Mar at Washington-on-the-Brazos. It was in the following site: www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/gonzalesrangersa-e.htmI find this kind of stuff fascinating to dig into. Paul |
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Post by andrewkent1830 on Sept 7, 2009 16:11:10 GMT -5
Go to the Former Texas Rangers Association website. See Red Stegall's presentation.
Mark
that is, if you Want to.
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Post by sloanrodgers on Sept 12, 2009 3:39:59 GMT -5
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Sept 12, 2009 11:34:47 GMT -5
Thanks Rod -- I didn't have much luck searching out the Former Texas Rangers Association website.
Paul
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Post by sloanrodgers on Sept 12, 2009 15:47:20 GMT -5
Your welcome Paul, but it's easy to locate the Former Texas Ranger Foundation and Association website on yahoo's search engine just by typig their name. Here's the link with a lot of cool features. www.formertexasrangers.org/ |
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Post by Del Groves on May 31, 2010 15:03:34 GMT -5
Hello All, I am happy to have found this forum today! I am a Summers [from Maryland] researcher and believe that I am related to William E Summers d. at the Alamo, in fact, a 2nd cousin 7x removed. Our Summers kin began with John Summers who was transported 1671 [presumably from England] into Maryland. Just before and following the Rev War, descendants began migrating into other states, namely NC, SC, TN and elsewhere. Rev. Joseph Summers m. Eleanor Clary had migrated to SC and one of his sons was Jesse Summers m. Sarah Coate(s) and is my 1st cousin 6x removed. I descend from Rev. Joseph's brother Dent Summers. My particular Summers migrated about 1805 into Monongalia Co, (W)VA where I was born. Jesse & Sarah had several children: I have not identified any daughters but the sons are those listed in the 1861 document previously noted wherein they were making claim to any land bounty awarded William E for his service at the Alamo. Jesse & Sarah were in Edgefield District, SC in 1800 & 1810 census; by 1820 they had moved to nearby Newberry District and between 1820-1830 they had relocated to Clarke Co, AL. Some of their sons, including William E and Henry C G (and others) migrated to TX. All their sons would have been born in SC including William E so the official accounts of him being from TN are erroneous although understandable considering all the TN folks who came to the area and were at the Alamo. William E & Henry CG received Mexican land grants in 1835 in Lavaca Co; I'm not certain if they were part of the DeWitt Colony? As has been established. Henry CG was the Clerk for the elections in 1836 of delegates to the convention regarding succession from Mexico to form the Republic. Also, William E was a member of the Gonzales Mounted Rangers who answered Travis' call for reinforcements. Shortly after the fall of the Alamo, the Runaway Scrape took place as Anglos fled, most toward the relative safety of the NE corner of Texas where there was a concentration of Anglos and military. Also, Henry CG quickly sold his plot in Lavaca Co and thereafter, his trail has gone cold; I found a 1901 Federal court case brought by descendants of the man who purchased Henry CG's plot and it mentions Henry CG and William E. There are many descendants of this Summers family in Texas. Interested persons may view my genealogy gedcom online at this link: wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=delgrovesI have been in contact with another Summers researcher who has been in contact with the folks at the Texas State Archives. He questioned them about the 1861 document of the heirs (brothers) inquiring if was genuine and in the State's opinion it is. Of course, there is always the remote possibility that the claim itself was fraudulent i.e. the brothers heard of someone named Summers who had died at the Alamo. However, the details in their claim support that they are genuinely related. This document thus serves as further proof that William E Summers is a son of Jesse & Sarah Coate(s) Summers and that he no doubt was born in SC (probably in Edgefield District). .
Another question was asked of the Texas State Archives concerning the 1861 claim by the brothers; does the listing of all the brothers mean that they were necessarily alive at the time the document was filed? The State thinks they likely were which was an important element in my search for Henry CG and his descendants.
Based upon the number of acres of their respective 1835 land grants, it is presumed that William E was single and that Henry CG was married (and, may or may not have had children).
It is unknown what happened to William E's orginal grant; there is some info online that it was sold or that descendants were swindled out of it by an unsavory character.
It should be noted that the orginal land grant to William E in Lavaca Co is not the subject of the claim in 1861 by his heirs for bounty land awarded subsequently for William's service at the Alamo. Nor is it known if this subsequent bounty was actually issued or to whom (the brothers?) or what happened to it later.
I did find current (2007) state documents online of property valuations which still lists the original 1835 Lavaca Co plots in the name of William E and Henry CG. Apparently, this is the custom in Texas. I called emailed the Comptroller's Office who published this valuation but they had no additional information. They stated that original titles transactions are sent to the State level but that subsequent transactions (sales, etc) are only recorded in the respective counties. So, I guess a trip is in order to try to find out what happened to William's original land grant.
The silver bullet concerning William E's lineage would be to find birth records which likely do not exist for the time period of his birth. His grandfather Rev. Joseph Summers was a member of the Dunkards/Tunkards and I had hoped baptismal records remain but I have been unsuccessful in locating any documentation.
I welcome any comments and assistance. I especially welcome any Summers researchers to contact me.
Best regards,
Del Groves
grovesdel@gmail.com
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Post by Del Groves on Jun 3, 2010 12:34:01 GMT -5
I've given some thought to a more intimate relationship between Travis b. 1809 and William E Summers b. @1812(?), Henry CG Summers b. @1804(?) and possibly James Butler Bonham b. 1807.
If I am correct that William E and Henry C G were brothers and born in SC (Edgefield?) vs. TN as is customarily thought then these four were contemporaries and, perhaps friends (the Texas Handbook online says that Travis and Bonham were 2nd cousins).
In the book, "The Annals of Newberry" there is mention of the Barrett and Summers families grouped together; I have yet to find reference to the Travis or Bonham families in the area.
Per the Texas Handbook, the Travis family moved to Conecuh Co, AL (formed 1818) about 1818. So happens that Jesse & Sarah Coate(s) Summers [presumed parents of William E & Henry CG] moved to nearby Clarke Co, AL (formed 1812) sometime after the 1820 census.
Travis was in Texas by 1831 and received a land grant 21May1831 from Austin. In 1835 (May, I think), William E and Henry CG Summers received adjoining Mexican land grants in Lavaca Co. and I wonder if they were recruited by Travis or otherwise came to Texas because of Travis' influence?
As we know, William E was a member of the Immortal 32 and Henry CG was the clerk at Gonzales for the election of delegates to Washington-on-the-Brazos which preceded the Gonzales Rangers heading off to the Alamo.
This is intriguing to think about and (for me, at least) adds yet another dimension to the history of the Alamo and early Texas history.
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Post by Del Groves on Feb 22, 2012 16:21:48 GMT -5
Hello, Since my original posts (in this category and another), I and fellow researcher Harry Glen Windham have completed our research on the ancestry of William E Summers, Immortal 32, and his brother Henry C G Summers. Our monograph is entitled: "William E. Summers (1811-1836), History & Genealogy: Pioneer, Revolutionary, Ranger, Alamo Hero as Member of the Immortal 32" and is available for viewing at my website: ourfamilysaga.com/getperson.php?personID=I3549&tree=ourfam001Our research proves that William E Summers was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, as were Alamo defenders Travis and Bonham. Our determination of his birthplace contradicts the long-held assumption that he was born in Tennessee. William and Henry were sons of Jesse Summers and Sarah 'Sallie' Coate(s). This family moved from South Carolina to Clarke Co, Alabama about 1820/21; brothers William and Henry eventually moved on to Texas. Mr. Windham and I are cousins to William and Henry. On my website, interested persons can investigate more fully the genealogy of our Summers and related families. Our monograph has been well received. We have met with the Alamo who will soon undertake to change their museum plaques to indicate William's birthplace in South Carolina. Additionally, the Texas Historical Commission has approved and funded a roadside historical marker to be placed next year near William's and Henry's intersecting 1835 Mexican land grants near Hallettsville, Texas. I welcome any comments, feedback, or inquires either in this forum or through my website. In particular, I would like to hear from any Summers or related kin. |
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Post by TRK on Feb 22, 2012 17:55:16 GMT -5
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