A Summers Saga

Well, I’m finally actually writing the Summers book, working title: A Summers Saga, The Wittenberg Summers. I must admit, however, that the subtitle might be misleading. Wittenberg is Wittenberg, Missouri, not Wittenberg, Germany. The former is where John William Summers, telegrapher and station master for the Frisco Railroad, and his family lived before the family relocated following John's early death.

This book arises from a rash promise I made to my life’s companion and BFF, Mary Frances—a  promise that I would document the origins of her parents, Dale and Eloise (Wehner) Summers. With the completion of a volume (tome?) about Eloise’s origins (Bier und Brot), it’s Dale’s turn, starting with his 4^th great grandfather, Thomas Summers of Delaware.

The present book follows a single line (more or less) descending from Thomas. Were all Thomas's lines covered, the book would require decades to complete and a warehouse to shelve. I have available neither the decades nor a warehouse.

The book’s line starts with Thomas and ends with the family and descendants of John William and Verne Cumi (Crabtree) Summers (Dale’s parents). Covered is the journey of John’s antecedents from Delaware to North Carolina to Tennessee to Southern Illinois and, finally to Southeast Missouri. The proposed cover shows Tower Rock, emerging from the Mississippi near the town of Wittenberg, Missouri, the last place John, Verne, and their five children lived as a unit for any significant time. For convenience I call this family line, the "Wittenberg Summers Line." To avoid a bulky name, I am leaving out "Missouri," even though there is a danger of confusion with Wittenberg, Germany.