Remembering Tuolumne…

Remembering Tuolumne…

By Joseph Celentano,

TCMM Historical Research Committee.

This year, 2004 is the Sesquicentennial year for Tuolumne. This means that 150 years ago, in 1854, the first Anglo family settled in this community, which we now know as Tuolumne. The area was populated for thousands of years by native peoples, referred to as the Miwok, or Me-Wuk, (meaning "the people").

Because this year a celebration is planned in September, sponsored by the Tuolumne Park & Recreation District, it was deemed appropriate to go into extensive detail about the Summers Family. This is a multi-part series and concludes with Part IV in the September Newsletter.

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The Summers Family - Part III

In the last issue (June 2004) we left off with the year 1857, when a controversy arose over the employment of Chinese labor in the placer diggings near Turnback Creek. A vote was taken in the C.H. Carter store. The losing side walked out and then turned around and, without any warning, opened fire on the wooden building and those inside, instantly killing Bob Clod with a bullet through his heart and critically injuring many others. According to Lee Ann Summers, the Carters store resembled a slaughterhouse with shattered windows.

One of those seriously injured was William Charles Connally, the future husband of the widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Summers. The other seriously injured gentleman was Ben Edmondson.

Both Mr. Connally, who was shot through both shoulders, and Mr. Edmondson, who was shot through the thigh, were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to recover from their serious wounds under the care of Mrs. Summers. They lived in Mrs. Summer's boarding house as tenants. It took several months for them to fully recover.

The owners of the Eureka Mine, William and James Blakely continued to live at Mrs. Summer's boarding house until they sold their mine. Mrs. Summers had a busy boarding house. Her daughter, Lee Ann, was of the utmost help in raising her brother, John E. Summers.

At this time, Elizabeth was living near her brother-in-laws, John and James Summers and their families.

A number of events were happening in the newly named settlement of "Summersville" at the same time. In 1857 a street ditch was prepared to furnish water to all East Belt miners. William and Penn Price brought dairy cows to Jack Fry's ranch, which was also called Buckhorn. The rich Lady Washington, Grizzly and Bonito mines were developed.

Lee Ann Summers reported that the famous Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) arrived in Summersville. He dined on home-style Missouri cooking and boarded at Mrs. Summer's boarding house. During these hard times, even Missouri style biscuits and gravy with pig sausage were a sought after delicacy.

Mr. Clemens was also from Missouri. After a lengthy discussion between Elizabeth Summers and Mr. Clemens of their ancestors, in true Missouri style, they decided that to all the rules and laws of Missouri, there were cousins.

After William Connally's recovery from his gunshot wounds, Mrs. Elizabeth Summers, who by now had developed a close relationship with her boarder and patient, married Mr. William Connally on August 26^th, 1858.

Mr. & Mrs. William C. Connally had four sons (George, Frank, Charles, and William Jr.) and one daughter (Alice Lee) from their marriage. Those children, together with Lee Ann and John Summers made a large family. They moved to what was then known as the Connally Ranch in Long Gulch, at the foot of Mt. Eaton.

Mr. William C. Connally Sr. (now Lee Ann's stepfather) was an early pioneer and a native of Alabama. After his arrival and marriage in California, he was elected to the California State Assembly. He died in Sacramento. We do not know his date of death. He was brought home and buried in Summersville at Carters Cemetery.

Frank and Elizabeth's son, John Eberle Summers, was born April 2, 1855 near Turnback Creek, and what is now known as Tuolumne. In 1877, John married Ida Lee Patterson, (born 1858 in Iowa) in Mono County, CA. John and Ida Summers children were Mertha, born in 1878 and Robert, born in 1879.

Just prior to the arrival of the Summers Family, the local creek running through Summersville-Carters-Tuolumne received its name. According to Lee Ann Summers, 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 or 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.

In 1858 or 1859, the first school was established. It was a three-month school, but did not last long. The teacher was a lady from Boston. She disliked the Summersville area, the ways, the people, and classed everyone as ignorant. Lee Ann Summers reported that the first day the teacher brought a rawhide whip; the second day she taught several pupils its proper use.

Around 1859-1860, placer mining was beginning to wane. Quartz mining was now profitable. Times were changing. Families were making permanent homes; small orchards and household gardens were in evidence. Comfortable family residences were being built.

…To be concluded with Part IV next month.

[Research sources: Credits and thanks to Georgia Kinney Bopp Family Genealogy Book "Summers Family in California", and Ruth Hansen Brown. Both are descendents of Samuel and Elizabeth Summers.

"Early Days in California", by Mrs. L. Haslam, published in 1928.]

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