;
The Mystery of Frederick Summers of Hegins Township?
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 16, 2018
The 1890 veterans’ census of Hegins Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, shows that a Frederick Summers served in the 3rd Connecticut Infantry, Company K, as a Private, from April 1861 through July 1861.
In searching the Connecticut Civil War records, an excellent resource can be found at the Connecticut State Library, Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, a free download of a book published in 1889. A cut from page 23 of that book, shown above, indicates that an F. B. Summers of Norwich, Connecticut, enlisted on 22 April 1861, was mustered into service on 7 May 1861, and mustered out on 7 August 1861. That F. B. Summers served in Company C of the 2nd Connecticut Infantry, which was “known in State organization as Rifle Company B.” Although the information is slightly different than provided in the 1890 census, it’s the closest match.
The two versions of the Pension Index Card for this F. B. Summers are shown above. In the first, from Ancestry.com, a Fordyce B. Summers who served in the 2nd Connecticut Infantry, Company C, applied for a pension on 2 August 1892 from Connecticut, which he did not receive. Then on 4 August 1893, the widow, Harriet T. Summers, applied, also from Connecticut, on 4 August 1893. She received the pension. The second card, from Fold3, essentially gives the same information but without the widow’s application date and name. On the second card, the death date of the veteran is left bank, but presumably, Fordyce B. Summers died some time between 2 August 1892 and 4 August 1893.
So, was Fordyce B. Summers the same person as the Frederick Summers who appears in the Hegins Township census of 1890? Two factors would indicate they are not the same: (1) Frederick and Fordyce are different given names; and (2) the application of Fordyce and his widow were both from Connecticut which means they would have had to return to Connecticut in the period between 1890 and 1892.
In the 1880 census of Hegins Township, there is a Fred Summers, age 52, a farmer, born in Prussia, living with wife Julia Summers, age 48, born in Bavaria, and son Adam Summers, age 6, born in Pennsylvania.
In the 1900 census of Hegins Township, there is a Fred Summers, age 72, a laborer and widower, born in German, living with son Adam Summers, age 26, a farmer. All the information such as ages, places of birth, and name of son indicates that the 1880 and 1900 census are matches for the same person. If so, it would be impossible for Frederick and Fordyce to be the same person, since a pension was awarded to a widow after her application in August 1893, presumably because proof existed that Fordyce had died.
Furthermore, Frederick Summers appears again in the 1910 census of Hegins Township where he was enumerated as an 83 years old widower, born in Germany, living alone, who was a farmer-employer by occupation. If Frederick Summers was still alive in 1910, and still living in Pennsylvania at the time of his death, which had to occur after the 1910 census was taken, then there should be a Pennsylvania Death Certificate for him. But, as of this writing, no certificate has been located. Did he leave the state and die elsewhere? Finally, in the 1910 census, Frederick Summers did report that he was a Union Army veteran!
Perhaps some of the answers can be be found in the pension application file for Fordyce B. Summers. It was not consulted for this blog post. If any reader has access to the file, the first question that has to be asked is whether Fordyce and Frederick are the same person? If they are not, then why would someone 1890 from Hegins Township report service in a Connecticut regiment? Did Frederick serve under a different name? And, if they are not the same person, and Frederick did serve, why would someone who was still living in 1910 not apply for a pension? No Pension Index Card has been located for any person specifically named Frederick Summers who served in a Connecticut regiment.
Help in solving this mystery is requested!
Pennsylvania Death Certificates on ancestry.com indexed as Frederik Sommers
born March 29, 1829 Germany died December 28, 1913 Hegins, Schuylkill Co, Penn
Buried U B Cemetery, Barry twp, Schuylkill Co, Penn. probate March 27, 1914 Schuylkill County. Will names Adam Sommers as heir
Fordice Bond Summers born c1842 Norwich, New London, Connecticut died June 5, 1893
Wife was Harriet (née Brewster). Fordice is buried Yantic Cemetery, Norwich, Conn. grave marker notes he served Co C 2nd Regt Conn Vol
It looks like two different people. Could enlistment roll be tracked down? Is there a Company K 3rd Reg of Pennsylvania (not Connecticut) volunteers? There is a Frederick Sommers Company K 2nd Inf in the Mexican War. According to the census records Frederick arrived in the US in 1846 where was he 1850, 1860, 1870?
His son Adam was born 1874 in Valley View, Schuylkill County.