Summers, III John

Notes:

An excellent summary of John Summers' information is on Find-A-Grave at https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23784230
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Obituary in the 9 December 1790 issue of the Alexandria Gazette:

Died--Mr. John Summers, in the 103d year of his age. He was born within thirty miles of this place, in the State of Maryland, and settled in the year 1715 in this County, where he resided ever since. He has left children, grand-children, great grand-children, and great-great-grand-children to the number of near four hundred.

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"Tombstone Inscriptions of Alexandria Virginia", vol. 3; Wesley E. Peppenger, November 1992, Published by Family Line Publications, Westminster, Maryland; page 192

Summers Family Cemetery (c. 1790) Off Deming Avenue and Lincolnia Road

In a private cemetery located between Barnum Lane and Demming Avenue on Lincolnia Road, are the graves of the family of John Summers, an original owner of a large tract covering the area now known as Lincolnia Hills. The burial ground is located outside the western Alexandria city limits by about two blocks.

The homestead of Summers was known as "Summer Grove." Summers was a son of John Summers of Middlesex County, by his first wife Elizabeth Thompson (d. c. 1702), the former testator leaving a will dated 8 JAN 1702/3 which named John as one of his four children. The son John was a man of very robust constitution, broad in the chest, powerful in limb, and about 5 feet 10 inches in height. He was too far advanced in years to take part in the Revolutionary war, but many of his descendants were in the army, some as officers, others in the ranks. Summers is credited with having built the first tobacco warehouse on Hunting Creek. Because of his age and length of residency in the Alexandria, John Summers (Sommers, Sumers, Symmers) was called many time to give deposition for land disputes.

Accounts can be found where John Summers described how he in 1715 moved from Dogue Neck to a spot near the present Christ Church; later in 1723, he moved to the "forest" near present-day Bailey's Crossroads, and much later in 1773 he moved further into the "forest" to his son's house. Little is found in regard to the wife of John Summers, but it is believed he married Seth, the widow of Henry Lucas who died in 1716.

Styled as John Summers of Prince William County, on 4 SEP 1731 he obtained a patent of 201 acres located in Holmes Run and Turkey Cocke Branch, adjacent to the lands of Gabriel Adams and Capt. Thomas Harrison/ Of this tract, Summers deeded on 19 FEB 1761, half to his younger son Francis (1732-1800) and half to his son Daniel.

By 1740, Summers had obtained an additional 359 acre tract located between Accotink and Holme's runs, and adjacent to lands of Messrs. Harrison and Pearson, William Harle, Madam Broadwater's Rolling Road, and Major John Fitzhugh. A newspaper announcement of Summer's death indicated that he had been born within 30 miles of this place in the state of Maryland and settled in the year 1715 in this county, where he has resided ever since.

The burying ground was reserved when William Walker conveyed an adjacent parcel on September 16, 1847, to Robert W. Henderson, mentioning the transaction was for the same conveyed to Walker by Owen Summers by deed of May 22, 1844, except 1.8th acre for the use and purpose of a burying ground.

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Fairfax Herald, November 8, 1907

HISTORICAL SKETCH

John Summers
Born 1687 Died 1790

It has been a difficult matter to procure much authentic information relating to the period in the history of Fairfax county between its first settlement and the date of its formation in 1742. The oldest resident of whom we have any record was Mr. John Summers, whose long life began in 1687 (just 220 years ago) and closed in 1790. He died at the old family homestead, "Summers Grove," near Ananndale, aged 103 years, and his tombstone can still be seen in the family burying ground at that place.

Some of his descendants, to whom we shall allude in future articles, were men of great distinction, and ability, who reflected honor upon their native county. The Summers family was of Flemish origin and was known in England at the time of the Reformation, when property was granted them a short distance from the city of Worcester. This became their family seat, and here they received and entertained Queen Elizabeth in 1585. The bed in which she slept and the cup from which she drank were preserved by them as precious relics for many generations and among its members were men of distinction and renown. Sir George Summers, Lord High Admiral, and Lord John Summers, Lord High Chancellor of England and Keeper of the Privy Seal to William III belonged to the family. The Summers family of Fairfax descended from Sir George Summers, who commanded the "Sea Venture," one of the vessels which brought over the Jamestown colony in 1607, and Col. Louis Summers commanded the first body of English soldiers sent over for the protection of the little body of settlers.

From a sketch written by Judge Lewis Summers, (a great grandson of John) between the years 1835 and 1840, we learn that John Summers, the son of an English Protestant family, was born in Maryland in 1687. He came to Virginia when quite a young man and built a cabin on the Potomac where the city of Alexandria now stands. The land was then vacant, appropriations by grant not having extended far from the bay and the mouths of the principal rivers. The country between the present site of Alexandria and the Blue Ridge was then the hunting ground of the Indians, abounding with deer, bear, wolves, &c., and wild turkeys and other game.

John Summers' early years were spent in hunting, but as immigrants began to flock in the usual struggles commenced between the settlers and the aborigines for the occupancy of the country, and Mr. Summers was an active leader and pioneer of the whites in the various campaigns undertaken for the removal of the Indians west of the Blue Ridge. When the country began to receive some population he married a Mrs. Blake, by whom he had five sons and five daughters.

As the culture of tobacco began to spread to this quarter of the colony he built and owned several tobacco houses. Hunting continued to be a favorite employment, and in his latter days took pleasure in regaling his friends with anecdotes of the chase and of his Indian campaigns and other incidents connected with his early life.
He seems to have been like Daniel Boone, regardless of the acquisition of land, thinking the taxes, quit-rents, &c., more burdensome than the land would be beneficial, which he illustrated by the refusal of a deed from the patentee for the land on which Alexandria now stands and on which he resided, in exchange for his favorite rifle. In after years he was much engaged by locators and surveyors in pointing out the best pieces of vacant lands and in conducting them through the forest districts with which he was familiar, and was at length prevailed upon by his friend, Capt. West, the surveyor of the county, to locate large tract for each of his sons, containing from four to six hundred acres, but no persuasion could induce him to cur the expense and trouble of securing land for his daughters.

The first concentration of the trade was at the Hunting Creek tobacco warehouse, at the head of the tide, where the old Colchester road crossed the creek. In 1748 an act was passed for laying off a town at Hunting Creek Warehouse, but the site now occupied by Alexandria being found more eligible, the town was located there and called Belle Haven. It was afterwards changed, in compliment to the family of Alexanders who owned the surrounding lands, to Alexandria, and the legislature recognized the name in 1762. John Summers lived to see Alexandria become a place of considerable commercial importance and frequently adverted to his cabin being the first building ever erected there, and that the first frame house ever put up on the place was prepared and framed on his land above the "Trough Hill," and hauled to the site which it was to occupy.

He was a man of very robust constitution, broad in the chest, powerful in limb, and about 5 feet 10 inches in height. He was too far advanced in years to take part in the Revolutionary war, but many of his descendants were in the army, some as officers, others in the ranks. He retained his faculties and strength in remarkable degree, and was appealed to on all questions of corners and boundaries of the early surveys. He exercised freely on foot until within about a year of his death when from a fall he dislocated his hip, and was afterwards confined to his bed, where the recital of the litany and the prayers of the church occupied his time when alone.

His last moments were calm and unclouded, and on the evening of his death he had supped as usual and was heard humming a Psalm and reciting the Evening Prayers. A few moments after it was discovered that his spirit had taken its flight to the bosom of his God.

In 1748 John Summers was recorded among the freeholders of Fairfax as voting for Major Laurence Washington and Col. Colville for the House of Burgesses. July 16, 1765, he and his five sons voted for George Washington and John West for the same office, and again at a general election December 1, 1768, the same gentlemen were voted for and the same number of the Summers family supported them. Within the last ten years of his life he was accustomed to walk six to eight miles in a day attended by a great grandson, Lewis Summers, afterwards a very distinguished judge, of whom we shall speak in a future article. His descendants intermarried with the Millans, Foxes, and other well-known families of the country.

Think of the great span of this man's life---from 1687 to 1790!-commencing at a time when Fairfax county was practically a wilderness, inhabited by Indians and wild animals, and closing many years after the Revolutionary war, for which Fairfax furnished the leader who became the first President of the great republic. The following notice of his death is from the 8th Volume of the American Museum, published in Philadelphia in 1790:

Died-Virginia, near Alexandria, Mr. John Summers, aged 103 years. He had left descendants of four generations, amounting to four hundred. There is in Omaha, Neb. a clock which was once the property of John Summers. It is more than 200 years old and is still doing faithful duty. It has descended to the oldest son of each succeeding generation and is now in the possession of Dr. John Edward Summers, Jr., professor of Surgery in the State University of Nebraska, who, of course, prizes it very highly.

When the county of Loudoun was settled, Francis, a brother of John and about twenty years younger, moved to that county, and married a Mrs. Lane, by whom he had one son and one daughter. The son entered the Revolutionary army and left it at the end of the war a Lieut. Colonel. Col. Summers, of Loudoun, was highly respected and frequently represented his county in the legislature. Smith, the first historian of Virginia spells the name of the same individual, Somers, Sommers, and Summers in different parts of his work. Among the papers of Mr. John Summers his name was found spelled in those three different ways, and many of his descendants use the "o" instead of the "u," but the grants issued to him for land contained his name as most generally spelled by his descendants-Summers.

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March 21-27, 1979
Lincolnia Hills Roundup
By Nancy Floyd

It's no news to the homeowner behind his bucking lawnmower that LH has roots. But perhaps not everyone knows we have the kind of roots Jim McEvoy of Chambliss recently uncovered.

Curious about the new homes being built off Lincolnia Road between Chambliss and Barnum and having read a book on our area's history, "Beginning at White Oak," Jim went exploring and discovered a small, vine-entangled cemetery up there.
Buried in this cemetery is John Summers who, according to Jim's research, was the original owner of all the land that is now Lincolnia Hills. Jim found maps showing John Summers also owned the surrounding area including Indian Run and Holmes Run in partnership with George Harrison.

Bulldozers recently cleared the area around the little gray house on Lincolnia Road and next to the cemetery. The boundary markers are visible from Morgan Street in the backyards of homes on the south side. The new development is "Ashley," a community of ten homes, built by C. Kirk Reilly and Associates and is advertised as "elegant new 4 bedroom homes on large homesites in a wooded cul-de-sac." They start at $120,000.

Jim, who's a librarian at the Library of Congress, says he's not a cemetery freak, but he was concerned about whether the company would tear down the cemetery. It appears it won't, but just in case, Jim took a picture of John Summer's headstone which says he "departed this life the 4th of December, 1790, at age 102."

John Summers was a well known figure in those days, according to a "List of Northern Neck Grants" at the county library. The records of Fairfax County include many depositions made by John Summers (Sommers, Symmers) in land disputes which were decided by the court. He told the court that in old times he used to be a good deal with the surveyors and attended many surveys in the neighborhood of Hunting Creek. When he was ninety-eight he was still giving depositions. When he was ninety-two he told how he moved from Dogue Neck to a spot near present Christ Church in 1715.

The book states:

"In 1723 John Summers moved to the 'forest' near present-day Bailey's Crossroads and in 1773 he moved further into the 'forest' to his son's house. Summers died in 1790, aged 102, and is buried at the corner of Beauregard and Burnum off Route 236. In 1716 he was a tenant to John West, as was Gabriel Adams, and he stated that their houses and two tobacco houses were the only houses on one hundred acres of land which was later part of Alexandria."

In addition to John Summers, his wife Jane who died in 1814 at the age of 79, and numerous family members, the following early settlers' monuments are there: Thomas Cowling, Jan. 1797-April 1864; his wife Mary C., March 1796-August 1877; Stephen G. Cowling, August 18-June 1911; his wife Jane, 1887, and Edward W. Crump, 1819-1900.

On the monument to the Duty family are the names of several children: Charles 1894-1895; John, 1898-1900; Ira, 1902-1902; Jannet F., 1906-1906; Emory, 187-1888; and Blanche, 1889-90. The parents were Charles, 1860-1934 and Ida, 1863-1918. Jim says he read that there was a small pox epidemic about that time.

"Beginning at White Oak" is available in the lobby of the Massey Branch of the Fairfax County library for $5.00. The number to call is 691-2974.

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West Virginia and its People, Volume 3 by Thomas Condit Miller, Hu Maxwell, Lewis Publishing Company, 1913, page 951-953

The Summers family is said to be of Flemish origin, SUMMERS and to have been first known in England at the time of the Reformation. Property was granted to them at a former religious seat a short distance from Worcester, and this became the family seat. Here they resided and here they entertained Queen Elizabeth in her progress through Worcestershire in 1585. Many of the members of this family became men of distinction and renown. One branch of the family moved into Dorsetshire, England, and it is from this branch that the Virginian family is descended. The name is variously spelled Somers, Sommers, Sumers and Summers, but the Virginians of this stock have in general used the form Summers. As is well known, the tracing of ancestries in Virginian families is attended with much difficulty and many dangers of error, so that the results are often incomplete or uncertain, if not both. In the present case there is much more material for judgment than in many, and the following account is based on good evidence and confidently believed to be correct from the time of the settlement of the family in Virginia, which cannot have been greatly posterior of the coming of the family to America.

(I) John Summers, the first member of this family about whom we have definite information, was born in Maryland, in 1687, died near Alexandria, Virginia, December 4, 1791. Coming early into Virginia he settled on the Potomac, where the city of Alexandria now is, and his cabin was the first building erected on the site of this city. The first framed house ever put up at this place was prepared under his direction and on his land, being afterward hauled therefrom to its intended site. The country abounded at that time in deer, bears, wolves, wild turkeys and other animals, and his earlier years were largely passed in hunting. He became an active leader of the white settlers and a pioneer in the campaigns against the Indians west of the Blue Ridge. Hunting, however, was still a favorite employment. So little did he care about the acquisition of land that he refused a deed from the patentee for the land on which Alexandria has been built and on which he lived in exchange for a rifle. In his later years he was much engaged in pointing out the best vacant lands and in conducting surveyors and others through the forests. At last he did acquire from four hundred to six hundred acres of land for each of his sons, but he did not do this for his daughters. He lived to see Alexandria become a place of some importance. The home, on the Little river turnpike, about four miles west of that city, which he bequeathed to his son Francis was long known as one of the finest estates in Fairfax county. At the time of the revolution John Summers was too old to take a part. He was a man of robust constitution, broad of chest and powerful, and retained his faculties to a remarkable degree, although he lived to be more than one hundred years old, but about a year before his death he was disabled by a severe fall. He was a member of the Church of England. The name of his wife is not known, but among his children the youngest son was Francis, of whom further.

(II) Francis, son of John Summers, was born in Fairfax county, Virginia, March 3, 1732, died at "Summers Grove," October 14, 1800. "Summers Grove" is the estate which he had inherited from his father, four miles west of Alexandria. His life was the quiet and uneventful life of a Virginia planter. For many years he held the office of magistrate. Being, like his father, a member of the Church of England or Protestant Episcopal church, he was a vestryman of Christ Church, Alexandria. He married Jane (Watkins) Charlton, born in 1735, died August 22, 1814. Children, so far as known to us: George, born October 5, 1758, died January 10, 1818, married, in 1776, Ann Smith Radcliffe; Thomas, of whom further; Francis; Samuel. All these sons settled in the Kanawha valley in 1810; George, accompanied by his daughter Jane, made an exploration of the Kanawha valley and of the Ohio valley between Wheeling and Guyandotte, and settled three years afterward at Walnut Grove, Kanawha county, Virginia, to which he brought his family in the winter of 1813-14. From him has come a prominent family of West Virginia.

(III) Thomas, son of Francis and Jane (Watkins-Charlton) Summers, came from Fairfax county, Virginia, and settled on the Kanawha river, in Mason county, Virginia, one mile above Winfield; according to the best information his settlement was made about 1816. He was a farmer. He married Hooper. Child, George W., of whom further.

(IV) George W., son of Thomas and (Hooper) Summers,

was born, probably in Fairfax county, Virginia, January 17, 1812. He was a farmer, and about 1838 became a member of the state militia. He was a Democrat and a Methodist. He married, January 29, 1835, Sarah A., born in Cabell county, Virginia, May 12, 1813, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Cockburn) Black. Children: 1. Quintilian L., born March 12, 1836, died September 28, 1842. 2. Sylvester Adams, born January 23, 1838, died May 8, 1912; a Confederate soldier. 3. John William, born May 15, 1840. 4. Constantine Ruf us, born October 9, 1842; Confederate soldier. 5. Edgar Lewis, born October 29, 1844. 6. Thomas Bascom, born March 11, 1847. 7. Tyra Campbell, born November 6, 1849. 8. Matthew James, of whom further.

(V) Matthew James, son of George W. and Sarah A. (Black) Summers, was born in Cabell county, Virginia, June 9, 1852. His home is now at Huntington, West Virginia, and he is a baggage master on the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad. Mr. Summers is a Democrat and a Methodist. He married, February 24, 1875, Elizabeth Handley, born June 6, 1855, daughter of Warren P. and (Handley) Rece. Children: 1. Gertrude Medora, born January 1, 1876. 2. Frederick Lindley, of whom further. 3. Olive June, born November 11, 1879. 4. Lewis Rece, born May 31, 1882, died December 5, 1883. 5. Florence Buffington, born June 6, 1885. 6. Harry Lee, born September 26, 1887. 7. Robert Pritchard, born November 1, 1889. 8. Herbert Sidney, born November 21, 1893.

(VI) Frederick Lindley, son of Matthew James and Elizabeth Handley (Rece) Summers, was born in Cabell county, West Virginia, near Milton, December 26, 1877. His education was received at Huntington, West Virginia; there he attended the public schools, including the high school, and he pursued also a business course at Marshall Business College in the same city. December 19, 1899, he became a stenographer at Parkersburg, West Virginia, for the Ohio River railroad, in the maintenance of way department, and in this position he remained until October 1, 1903. From that date to the first of May in the following year he was assistant cashier at Parkersburg for Armour & Company, Then he was general bookkeeper for the General Distributing Company, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, until August 15, 1906. He was secretary of the Penn Table Company, at Huntington, West Virginia, from August 15, 1906, to February 1, 1911. Since that date to the present time he has been a partner in the firm of Logan & Summers, insurance agents at Parkersburg. In this city also Mr. Summers now makes his home. He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, Council No. 35, at Parkersburg. In Masonry he is a master mason, member of Mount Olivet Lodge, No. 3, of Parkersburg; a Royal Arch Mason, being a member of Adoniram Chapter, No. 11, at Clarksburg; a member of Huntington Commandery, No. 9, Knights Templar, at Huntington; and of Beni Kedem Shrine, Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Charleston. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 198, of Parkersburg. Mr. Summers is a Democrat. He and his family are members of the Baptist church.

He married, at Parkersburg, October 26, 1904, Donna, daughter of John A. and Mary E. (Cochran) Hutchinson, who was born at Parkersburg, February 26, 1879. Her father was a lawyer of this city. Children: Frederick Lindley, born at Clarksburg, July 23, 1905; Mary Elizabeth, born at Huntington, August 1, 1909.

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Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5: Families G-P by John Frederick Dorman, Genealogical Publishing Com, 2004 ,p. 655-656:

“Elizabeth3 Thompson (Ellen2 Montague, Peter1) died 29 May 1722. She married John Summers of Middlesex County who left will 8 Jan. 1702/3-1 March 1702/3.(citation 33: Middlesex Co. Will Bk. A, pp.145-47.)

Issue: [Summers]
19.John4, baptized 8 April 1683, died young;
20.John4, baptized 14 Nov. 1686, for whom was repatented, 25 April 1702, 175 acres in Middlesex County including 150 acres which his mother had inherited as sole heir of her father William Thompson;(citation 34)
21.Elizabeth4, baptized 16 March 1689/90; 22.Francis4, baptized 14 June 1702.”

**
Page 656:
Citation 34: “Patent Bk. 9, p.450. The claim that he is the John Summers of Fairfax County who died 4 Dec. 1790 in his 104th year appears to be unfounded since his obituary (Virginia Journal and Alexandria Advertiser, 9 Dec. 1790) states that he was born within 30 miles of Alexandria in Maryland.

John Summers of Prince George’s Co., Md., in his will, 1 March 1703/4-17 Nov. 1705 (Maryland Prerogative Wills 12, p.110), named a son John.”

"Fairfax County Stories: 1607-2007." The History of Lincolnia by Mary Margaret Lewis Pence. Quoted text follows...

Prior to the Civil War, as early as 1853, Lincolnia, Virginia was called Mount Pierce. Later is was called Lebanon. In 1870, the name Lincoln was proposed by Levi Deming to honor President Abraham Lincoln. Finally the name Lincolnia stuck.

In 1740, John Summers and George Harrison obtained a grant from Lord Fairfax for land located in this area, then in Prince William County. In 1750, John Summers built a house there, later called the Cottage Farm, which is west of the Lincolnia Post Office between Barnum Lane and Deming Avenue. All that remains there today is the Summers Cemetery. Elisha Cullen Dick, George Washington's doctor, bought this property in 1814. It has been said that while Dr. Dick lived there, Lafayette visited Cottage Farm. General Winfield Scott Hancock had headquarters at Cottage Farm with General Merritt.

"Historical Society of Fairfax County, Virginia, Inc. Vol 8 - 1962-1963." Page 7

John Summers, who laid out the town of Alexandria, VA was born in Virginia in 1687. His parents had come from Scotland and settled in Fairfax County. He was an only child and lived to be 103 years old. He married a Mrs. Blake and had 10 children, 5 sons and 5 daughters. He died in 1790.

"Fairfax County Virginia: A History" Page 62.

John Sumers (Summers) is listed among several Fairfax residents and their occupations. John's occupation around 1750 was that of a "Cordwainer" or shoemaker.

Research by Ronda Berry- has b. 14 Nov 1686 VA;

AF had married 1718/1720, Stafford Co. VA;
IGI 1993- has b. Stafford Co. VA;

IGI 1993- has children of John Summers and Susanna Adams as the same children as John Summers and Harrison- source indent.;

Researcher-Ancestral File has problem because children b. before md dates for both spouses;

Additional MARRIAGE information:
Mary West AF has married 1723/24;Ronda Berry has abt 1709
2nd Eliabeth ? (Blake) Lucus winter 1717 Northern Neck VA (Ronda Berry)
3rd Seth (Sythia) Harrison married abt 1750, Stafford Co,VA(source Ronda Berry)
AF has md 1717 Northern Neck Va

Lived in Maryland as a youg man - otherwise lived in Northern Neck area of VA - 5 miles W. of Alexandra. Founder of Old Pohick Church which later became Truro Parish in 1732. Believed to have 5 sons and 6 daughters. Fairfax County was part of Prince William county until 1742 . Records were destroyed during the Civil War, the Battle of Bull Run was nearby. John's Home was headquarters of General Hancock. There was no will at Fairfax Co. We have no proof of any of his marriages.
Source Ronda Berry.

Aug 2002
Source Ronda Berry
Notes for JOHN Summers:
Sometime after his father's death John came to the Northern Neck area of VA- 5 miles W. of Alexandria. He often referred to the fact that his cabin was the first building ever erected on the site of the town. According to the will of John West dated 16 Nov 1716, John Summers was a tenant on his land. John worked as a surveyor. In his later years he often testified in land disputes. Although alleged to have stated that "land was too plentiful to buy it", he had land " 7 July 1739/4 Sept 1739 359 acres in Prince William Co to John Summer, between Accotink & Holmes Run". Also in 1739 he and George Harrison patented 846 acres on Holmes Run. In 1748 the land was divided between them, each receiving 423 acres (Fairfax Co deed book B1 p g 373). John was founder of Old Pohick Church, which later became Truro Parish in 1732. He is believed to have had 5 sons and 6 daughters. Fairfax County was part of Prince William County until 1742. Records were destroyed during the Civil War, as the Battle of Bull Run was nearby , and John's home was alleged headquarters of General Hancock. There was no will at Fairfax County- he had provided a large tract of land for each of his sons containing from 400 to 600 acres. We have no proof of any of his wives names except that he married Henry Lucas's widow the winter of 1717 (his own words in a deposition about disputed land) and Seith Lucas was mentioned in John West's will of 1716. Then, in 1723, Seith Lucas and her 2nd husband, John summers, were given a lease for life from Thomas Harrison for either of them or their son JOHN. This could indicate a relationship, and is where I got Seith's parentage. Fairfax Co has an informal record of his marriage to Elizabeth Blake. The Prince William Co Minute Books has an Administration of the estate of John Farrow, deceased, granted to John Summers and Elizabeth his wife, 25 March 1754 (Order Book 1754-5)- I cannot place John Farrow unless this was Elizabeth Blake, and John was her 1st husband. The LDS church has a pedigree showing John with 2 wives- Seth (Sythia) Harrison (as mother of his son John, and daughter of Thomas Harrison and Seith Short), and #2 Mary West (as mother of the rest of his children). I have been unable to verify the source of this statement, but search of both the Harrison and West families fails to yield a similar marriage. I have a picture of John's gravestone. He is buried in "Summers Cemetery" behind a shopping center in Alexandria VA- the corner of Beauregarde and Barnham Lane off Hwy 236. This was apparently the site of "Summer Grove" 200 years ago .

Seth born about 1690/1700 in Stafford Co. VA and died in 1723. This marriage is per LDS, to date I have found nothing to Substantiate.(source for above is Ronda Berry)

March 22 2002
Source Ronda Berry
Do you have anything but IGI saying John Summers was married to Mary West? I saw that in LDS files, and wrote to the lady who submitted it, but she had died and her husband knew nothing. Regardless of John's wives, I have our John as son of John and Seith widow of Henry Lucas . John married the widow of Henry Lucas the winter of 1717 (his own words in a land deposition), then in 1723 Seith Lucas and her 2nd husband John Summers were given a lease for life from Thomas Harrison for either of them or their son JOHN (land records). I have listed all children with Seith, and a later marriage to Elizabeth Blake, though I have no proof for that.

John married Blake, Seth (Elisabeth) before 1717 in Stafford Co, Virginia, USA. Seth (daughter of Blake, Robert and Harrison, unknown) was born on 18 Aug 1695 in Stafford Co, Virginia, USA; died on 26 Nov 1737 in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Marriage Notes:

There is much confusion about JOhn Summers' wife(s) name(s). Names that appear in some research are:

Mary West
Seth Harrison
Elizabeth Blake

Some of this information comes from LDS records and have no other cited sources.

Information Pertaining to this:

His grandson Lewis Summers stated that John married a Mrs. Blake.
Some researchers cite that Judge Lewis Summers stated that John Summers married Elizabeth Blake.
In a John Summers deposition he states that he married the widow Lucas in the Winter of 1717.
In his will, John West made a bequest to Seith Lucas who was a tenant on his land. He also bequeathed to John, and Benjamin Blake and their father Robert Blake, also tenants on his land. Now, Judge Lewis Summers (mentioned above) stated that John Summers was married to Elizabeth Blake. Some researchers feel Seith was a nickname for Elizabeth, and it was Elizabeth Blake Lucas who married as her second husband John Summers.
There is a land transaction in 1723 from Thomas Harrison giving "Seith Lucas and her 2nd husband John Summers, and their son John" a lease for life.

Therefore, I have concluded that Elizabeth (possibly nicknamed Seth) Blake Lewis married John Summers in 1717. This conclusion is not supported by primary sources and should be regarded with significant caution.

Married:
There is much confusion about John Summers' wife(s) name(s). Names that appear in some research are:

Mary West
Seth Harrison
Elizabeth Blake

Most of this information comes from LDS records and have no other cited sources.

Information Pertaining to this:

His grandson Lewis Summers stated that John married a Mrs. Blake.
Some researchers cite that Judge Lewis Summers stated that John Summers married Elizabeth Blake.
In a John Summers deposition he states that he married the widow Lucas in the Winter of 1717.
In his will, John West made a bequest to Seith Lucas who was a tenant on his land. He also bequeathed to John, and Benjamin Blake and their father Robert Blake, also tenants on his land. Now, Judge Lewis Summers (mentioned above) stated that John Summers was married to Elizabeth Blake. Some researchers feel Seith was a nickname for Elizabeth, and it was Elizabeth Blake Lucas who married as her second husband John Summers.
There is a land transaction in 1723 from Thomas Harrison giving "Seith Lucas and her 2nd husband John Summers, and their son John" a lease for life.

Therefore, I support the conlusion that Elizabeth (nicknamed Seth) Blake Lucas married John Summers in 1717. This conclusion is not supported by primary sources and should be regarded with significant caution.

1. Summers, George was born about 1715 in Virginia, USA; was christened in in Fairfax Co, Virginia; died on 24 Mar 1802 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
2. Summers, John was born in 1718 in Of, Prince George, Virginia; died on 18 Feb 1788 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
3. Summers, Elizabeth was born about 1719 in Stafford Co, Virginia, USA; died in in Fairfax Co, Virginia.
4. Summers, Daniel was born about 1723 in Virginia, USA; died in 1799 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
5. Summers was born about 1724 in Virginia, USA.
6. Summers was born about 1725 in Virginia, USA.
7. Summers, William was born about 1725 in Virginia, USA; died on 22 Oct 1799 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
8. Summers was born about 1727 in Virginia, USA.
9. Summers was born about 1729 in Virginia, USA.
10. Summers, Francis Sr. was born on 2 Mar 1732 in Fairfax, Virginia; died on 14 Oct 1800 in Fairfax, Virginia, USA; was buried in Summers Grove, Alexandria, Fairfax Co., Va.
11. Summers was born about 1734 in Virginia, USA.
12. Summers, Thomas was born about 1736 in Virginia, USA; died on 29 Jul 1805 in Wayne, Kentucky, USA.
13. Summers was born about 1740 in Virginia, USA.
14. Summers was born about 1742 in Virginia, USA.

Notes:

Will of John Summers: Middlesex Co Will Book A 1698-1713, pg. 145

John Summers... 8 Jan 1702/1 Mar 1702... wife Elizabeth Summers. Son: John Summers.
Daughter: Catherine Summers. Son: William Summers. Son in law: Francis ___.

Exors: Son John Summers when he is 16 and friends Thomas Buford of
Middlesex Co and William Montague jr. of Essex Co VA. Wit: Thomas Buford
and William Montague Jr.

______________________________________________________
Middlesex Co., VA Order Bk. 1673-1677) Page 49. Middlesex County Order Book Third day of January 1675/6.

Know All Men by these presents that wee JOHN SUMERS & ELIZABETH MY WIFE do make & appoynt John Johnson our true and lawfull Attorney to prosecute Thomas Haslewood & John Haslewood or either of them, in an Accon of Debt for all & everything THAT I S OR MAY BE DUE TO MY WIFE OR ME AS YE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM THOMPSON lately deced, as fully as wee or either of us might doe, allowing & ratifieing what he shall doe therein.

Witness our hands this 7th day of November.
1675. /s/John Sumers /s/Elizabeth Sumers

(SOURCE: (MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ORDER BOOK ABSTRACTS, 1673-1678, by Ruth & Sam Sparacio. )

10 Jan 1675. John Summers as marrying Elizabeth Thompson, one of the orphans of William Thompson decd. Book 1, p 49.

9 Mar 1686. Administration of the estate of William Thompson is granted to his sister Elizabeth Sumers and her husband John Sumers. Book 2, p 281.

1 Oct 1694. Administration of the estate of Thomas Minns decd is granted to Jno Summers and Ann his wife, relect of the decd. Book 2, p 717.

12 Nov 1694. John Sumers and his wife Ann post bond and are granted administration of the estate of Thomas Minns deceased. Middlesex County,
Virginia, Deed Book 2, p 704, and Order Book 2, p 717.

27 Nov 1694. John Thomas discharges John Summers and his wife Ann Admx of the estate of Thomas Minns decd from any claim to any part of the
estate by his wife Eliza Thomas daughter of said Thomas Minns decd. Book 2, p 6.

28 Nov 1694. John Minns, son of Thomas Minns decd discharge John Summers & his wife Ann my mother administrix of the estate of my father, that I
have received my full part of his estate. Book 2, p 7.

4 Mar 1695. 1695 Judgement is granted to John Day against John Summers as marrying Ann Minns decd for the sum of 500# of sweet scented tobacco.
Book 3, p 31.

7 July 1705. John Somers posts bond of £120 sterling, that upon request of Gawin Corbin he shall grant that tract of land in the tenure and
occupation of John Hickey and Elizabeth his wife lately wife of John Somers decd and father of the above John Somers. Book 3, p 89-92.

19 Mar 1706. Paul Tilman & William Jones are bound to John Hickey for 1902# of good tobacco, that they shall keep harmless John Hickey from
all troubles that may accrue by reason that John Hickey paid Elizabeth Summers daughter of John Summers decd 951# of good sweet scented tobacco
being due her as part of her father's estate. Book 3, p 291.

John married Thompson, Elizabeth in 1682. Elizabeth (daughter of Thompson, William and Montague, Ellen) was born before 1659 in of, Middlesex, Virginia, USA; died after 7 Jul 1705 in Middlesex, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Middlesex Co., VA Order Bk. 1673-1677) Page 49. Middlesex County Order Book Third day of January 1675/6.

Know All Men by these presents that wee JOHN SUMERS & ELIZABETH MY WIFE do make & appoynt John Johnson our true and lawfull Attorney to prosecute Thomas Haslewood & John Haslewood or either of them, in an Accon of Debt for all & everything THAT I S OR MAY BE DUE TO MY WIFE OR ME AS YE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM THOMPSON lately
deced, as fully as wee or either of us might doe, allowing & ratifieing what he shall doe therein.

Witness our hands this 7th day of November.
1675. /s/John Sumers /s/Elizabeth Sumers

(Except where noted, SOURCE: (MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ORDER BOOK ABSTRACTS, 1673-1678, by Ruth & Sam Sparacio. )

10 Jan 1675. John Summers as marrying Elizabeth Thompson, one of the orphans of William Thompson decd. Book 1, p 49.

9 Mar 1686. Braham Brierly presnts "what he says" is the last will of William Thompson (Middlesex Virgina Wills and Inventories 1673-1812, p 184). Administration of the estate of William Thompson is granted to his sister Elizabeth Sumers and her husband John Sumers. Book 2, p 281.

6 Sep 1686 Ann Wood bound out as apprentrice to John Sumers until she is 21. p. 266 (Middlesex Virgina Wills and Inventories 1673-1812, p 183)

1 Oct 1694. Administration of the estate of Thomas Minns decd is granted to Jno Summers and Ann his wife, relect of the decd. Book 2, p 717.

12 Nov 1694. John Sumers and his wife Ann post bond and are granted administration of the estate of Thomas Minns deceased. Middlesex County,
Virginia, Deed Book 2, p 704, and Order Book 2, p 717.

27 Nov 1694. John Thomas discharges John Summers and his wife Ann Admx of the estate of Thomas Minns decd from any claim to any part of the
estate by his wife Eliza Thomas daughter of said Thomas Minns decd. Book 2, p 6.

28 Nov 1694. John Minns, son of Thomas Minns decd discharge John Summers & his wife Ann my mother administrix of the estate of my father, that I
have received my full part of his estate. Book 2, p 7.

4 Mar 1695. 1695 Judgement is granted to John Day against John Summers as marrying Ann Minns decd for the sum of 500# of sweet scented tobacco.
Book 3, p 31.

7 July 1705. John Somers posts bond of £120 sterling, that upon request of Gawin Corbin he shall grant that tract of land in the tenure and
occupation of John Hickey and Elizabeth his wife lately wife of John Somers decd and father of the above John Somers. Book 3, p 89-92.

19 Mar 1706. Paul Tilman & William Jones are bound to John Hickey for 1902# of good tobacco, that they shall keep harmless John Hickey from
all troubles that may accrue by reason that John Hickey paid Elizabeth Summers daughter of John Summers decd 951# of good sweet scented tobacco
being due her as part of her father's estate. Book 3, p 291.
Middlesex Co., VA Order Bk. 1673-1677) Page 49. Middlesex County Order Book Third day of January 1675/6.

Know All Men by these presents that wee JOHN SUMERS & ELIZABETH MY WIFE do make & appoynt John Johnson our true and lawfull Attorney to prosecute Thomas Haslewood & John Haslewood or either of them, in an Accon of Debt for all & everything THAT I S OR MAY BE DUE TO MY WIFE OR ME AS YE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM THOMPSON lately
deced, as fully as wee or either of us might doe, allowing & ratifieing what he shall doe therein.

Witness our hands this 7th day of November.
1675. /s/John Sumers /s/Elizabeth Sumers

(SOURCE: (MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ORDER BOOK ABSTRACTS, 1673-1678, by Ruth & Sam Sparacio. )

10 Jan 1675. John Summers as marrying Elizabeth Thompson, one of the orphans of William Thompson decd. Book 1, p 49.

9 Mar 1686. Administration of the estate of William Thompson is granted to his sister Elizabeth Sumers and her husband John Sumers. Book 2, p 281.

1 Oct 1694. Administration of the estate of Thomas Minns decd is granted to Jno Summers and Ann his wife, relect of the decd. Book 2, p 717.

12 Nov 1694. John Sumers and his wife Ann post bond and are granted administration of the estate of Thomas Minns deceased. Middlesex County,
Virginia, Deed Book 2, p 704, and Order Book 2, p 717.

27 Nov 1694. John Thomas discharges John Summers and his wife Ann Admx of the estate of Thomas Minns decd from any claim to any part of the
estate by his wife Eliza Thomas daughter of said Thomas Minns decd. Book 2, p 6.

28 Nov 1694. John Minns, son of Thomas Minns decd discharge John Summers & his wife Ann my mother administrix of the estate of my father, that I
have received my full part of his estate. Book 2, p 7.

4 Mar 1695. 1695 Judgement is granted to John Day against John Summers as marrying Ann Minns decd for the sum of 500# of sweet scented tobacco.
Book 3, p 31.

7 July 1705. John Somers posts bond of £120 sterling, that upon request of Gawin Corbin he shall grant that tract of land in the tenure and
occupation of John Hickey and Elizabeth his wife lately wife of John Somers decd and father of the above John Somers. Book 3, p 89-92.

19 Mar 1706. Paul Tilman & William Jones are bound to John Hickey for 1902# of good tobacco, that they shall keep harmless John Hickey from
all troubles that may accrue by reason that John Hickey paid Elizabeth Summers daughter of John Summers decd 951# of good sweet scented tobacco
being due her as part of her father's estate. Book 3, p 291.


Birth:
Based on mother's death date

Died:
based on a recorded land transaction

William married Montague, Ellen about 1659 in Virginia, USA. Ellen (daughter of Montague (Monteacute), Peter and Hannah) was born about 1632 in James City (now Surry County), Virginia; died in 1659 in Lancaster County, VA, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mention is her father, Peter Montegue's will:

"Item, I give to my daughter Ellen, the wife of Will Thompson, one thousand pounds of tobacco, and cask to be deducted, of a bill of thirteen hundred pounds of tobacco now due to me by the said Will Thompson."

Notes:

Norma Tucker, Colonial Virginians and their Mayland Relatives, Clearfield Company, Baltimore, 1994, page 195

Major Robert Thompson, died 1694. In 1655 Robert paid two tithes in Lancaster County. In 1660 he married Margaret (___) Welch, widow of John Welch, in Christ Church, Middlesex. Margaret, the wife, was probably a daughter of Robert Mascall or Miskill, who left bequests to Robert Thompson and his daughter Mary and to others.
Robert was said to have owned Land in New England. Issue:

A-Mary Thompson married Thomas Vahme; married (2) Samuel Clarke, Esq.
B-Josepb Thompson. Issue:
I-Joseph Thompson
C-William Thompson born 1624; died before 1694; spent some time in NewEngland (owned land in Gilford Connecticut, then went to Surry Co., VA. about 1642/3. One source says he returned to Braintree Mass in 1666 at age 68. That had to be another Williaml Thompson, as he would have been born in 1598.)
Willliam Thompson bought Lmcasler County, VA, land in 1636 frrom John Sharpe, sold it in 1656 and 16S8 and disappeared from the area. He mimed Ellen Montegue, daughter of Peter Montague who died 1659 Lancaster County.

Land Purchase Record, Source: :Library of Virgina

“To all &c Where ? Now Know Ye That I
the said Sir William Berkeley Knight Gov-
ernor do give and grant unto WILIAM
TOMPSON three hundred Acres of land
situate in the County of Lancaster and upon
the South side of Rappahannock River abut-
ting South East upon a Tract of land survey-
ed for Francis Brown, upon the North West
side of the Sandy Point Neck North East
upoon Rappahannock River North West up-
on the Clifts, South West into the woods. The
said land being formerly granted unto John
Sharpe by Patent dated the tenth of October
one thousand six hundred and fifty two and
by the said Sharpe sold and assigned unto the
said William Tompson To Have and To Hold
&c....Dated the nineteenth of July One thou-
sand six hundred and fifty five.”

William Thompson Death, Source: Ruth & Sam Sparacio, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ORDER BOOK ABSTRACTS, 1673-1678. (P. 49.)

“Middlesex County Order Book Third day
of January 1675/6. Know All Men by these
presents that wee John Sumers & Elizabeth
My wife do make & appoynt John Johnson
our true and lawfull Attorney to prosecute
Thomas Haslewood & John Haslewood or
either of them, in an Accon of Debt for all
& everything That is or may be due to my
wife or me as ye daughter of William
Thompson lately deced, as fully as wee or
either of us might doe, allowing & ratifieing
what he shall doe therein. Witness our
hands this 7th day of November 1675.
/s/John Sumers
/s/Elizabeth Sumers”

William married Mathews, Cicely in Of, Middlesex Co, Va. Cicely (daughter of Mathews, GOVERNOR Samuel and Hinton, Mary Francis) was born about 1613 in Of, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England; died in 1654 in Of, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Source: "George William Montegue, History and Genealogy of Peter Montegue of Nansemond and Lancaster Counties, Virginia, and his Descendants, Carpenter & Morehouse, Amhurst, MA, 1894, page 57

Peter Montague’s Wil:
l
“In the name of God amen, I Peter Montague being weak in body and perfect memory do make this my last will and testament, this the 27th of March 1659 in name and form following,
First I bequeath my soul into the hands of my redeemer Jesus Christ, and my body to be buried.
Item, my debts being first paid I give to my loving wife Cicely one third part of all my real and personal estate according to law.
Item, I give to my two sons Peter and Will Mountague all my land lying on Rappahannock river to them and their heirs forever, and the land being divided it is my will, that the elder is to have the first choice, and in case of want of heirs of either, the survivor to enjoy all the land, and in case both of them shall depart this life without heirs, lawfully begotten, then my will is that the said land be sold by the commissioners of this county after public notice given either at an outcry, or by an inch of candle and the produce thereof to be equally divided between my three daughters Ellen, Margaret, and Elizabeth, and the child of Ann late wife of John Jadwin, and in case of any of these shall died without issue, then the produce of the said land to be divided between the survivors.
Item, I give the other two thirds of my personal estate to my four children Peter, Will, Margaret, and Elizabeth to be equally divided among them.
Item, I give to my daughter Ellen, the wife of Will Thompson, one thousand pounds of tobacco, and cask to be deducted, of a bill of thirteen hundred pounds of tobacco now due to me by the said Will Thompson. Lastly I ordain my loving wife cicely and my son Peter jointly Executrix and Executor of this my last will and testament. In witness of the previous I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written 1659 interlined before the signing and sealing therof. (Signed) Peter Mountague, (Ye seal)”

Peter married Hannah before 1633 in Nansemond Co., Virginia, USA. died before 1645. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]