Remembering
By Joseph Celentano,
TCMM Historical Research Committee.
This year, 2004 is the Sesquicentennial
year for
Most everyone generally knows that a man by the name of Frank Summers came to this area with his loving wife, a young daughter and found gold and new wealth. Because this year a celebration is planned in September, sponsored by the Tuolumne Park & Recreation District, it would be appropriate to go into extensive detail about the Summers Family. This will be a multi-part series, continued from month to month.
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The Summers Family - Part II
At
this time we will mention how the local creek running
through Summersville-Carters-Tuolumne received its name. According to Lee Ann Summers in her book "Early
Days of California", William Trengrove,
Sr., father of Mrs. Joseph Barron, of Soulsbyville, with two
companions, in 1853, ventured into the hills east of Sonora. They traveled without charts or maps
prospecting for gold. They reached a
beautiful creek. They allege that they
were the first Anglos to visit and admire its beauty. However, upon hearing an unearthly noise some
distance up the creek, they knew they were in the vicinity of
an Indian camp. As they were concerned
for their safety, they changed direction and turned back. They inscribed their
names on a large tree on the west bank of the creek and also gave the creek the
name of "Turnback
Creek", a name that remains today.
On April 2nd, 1855 Frank and Elizabeth Summers had a
second child, John Eberle Summers.
John was the first Anglo child to be born in the area.
By early spring
of 1856, the area became the scene of a wild gold rush. Long Gulch and Cherokee sprang up almost
overnight. Frank Summers was very
successful at gold mining. He worked the
area with his brothers and all were part owners of the "Eagle Ranch"
and the Summers Quartz Mine with a five-stamp mill.
Life seemed to
become a little better now. There was
plenty of meat available from the game (squirrels and rabbits) and wildfowl in
the area. There was an abundance of wild
berries, grapes and acorns. Frank and
Elizabeth planted a garden from seeds brought with them from
Tragedy strikes
the Summers Family. A detailed account
of the murder of
Franklin
Summers at age 30, March 26, 1856.
[The following is an excerpt from the "Mining
Business of LaGrange", a journal for miners in
"A
DISASTROUS AFFAIR: A bloody affray
[sic] occurred in LaGrange (also known as French Bar) March 26, 1856, in which Frank
Summers and Martin Anderson lost their lives, and a man by the name
of Kincaid was dangerously wounded.
Ill feeling had been brooding between the Summers'
boys and the James Dickinson family for some time before, about the
location of some swamp and overflowed land in the neighborhood of Horr's Ranch, or what was then
"The
"After some
tussling and scuffling the firing commenced.
Several pistol shots were fired in quick
succession. George Summers was knocked down and shot at six times while lying on the floor. Frank Summers was shot
in the thigh, his right arm broken into splinters above the elbow, and one ball
entering his breast passed obliquely through the left lung, coming out under
the left shoulder blade.
"A bystander
says….. 'He received the last shot as he attempted to
escape through the window - that he was met by a man from the outside of the
house, and shot by him, causing instant death, the ball entering his breast.'
His body was afterwards found a short distance from
the house, lying in a ditch, where he had run before falling in the agonies of
death. Martin Anderson, a young man and
friend of
"In George
Summers account of the affray, he says: …..'I was struck
in the face. I thought one man took hold
of me by the hair of the head, pulled me about half-bent, and held me in that
position, whilst some others gave me blows.
After some little tussling they jerked me to
the floor. About this time
I heard the report of a pistol, several others in quick succession. I could see no one for the men over me. I was stamped,
beaten and shot at I suppose, as I have been creditably informed that six ball
holes were in the floor near where my head lay, endeavoring to blow my brains
out. The firing ceased, they drew me out
of the house by the hair of my head, believing me to be dead, without a doubt, and still continuing to stamp me. My deceased brother was by my side when the
row commenced. I saw him no more until I
saw him a corpse.'
"Frank
Summers left a mother, a widow and two little children to morn his loss. This lamentable affair was deplored by all
good citizens, and the loss to the family was irreparable." ----- (End of Journal article)
After news and
rumors of the murder of Frank Summers began to spread throughout the community,
the local miners threw up a cordon of protection around the home of Elizabeth
and her two children in their time of sorrow.
You must remember that during this time (1856)
In late 1856,
Elizabeth Summers gave room and board free of charge to William and James
Blakely, two brothers who were miners from
Mrs. Summers declined
the honor, but stated she would be pleased if the community was
named after her late husband, Frank Summers. All agreed and it was decided that the area
would be called "Summersville", honoring her request.
…To be continued with Part IV next month.
[Research
sources: Credits and thanks to Georgia
Kinney Bopp Family Genealogy Book "Summers Family in
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