HelPeR - BYU Idaho Special Collections and Family History

Ancesto Sto ies for the Soul STORIES FROM FAMILY HISTORY WORK
The Quest
For John
Summers
By Pet e r Su m m e r s
There he was, staring out of the photograph at me…
so formal, stiff, posed, and proud in his blue uniform
of the Union Army. I was looking at John Summers,
my great-granduncle, born in 1844 and killed on 22
May 1863 at the battle of Vicksburg.
Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Civil
War, so I am certainly not unique in that. But like all
events in genealogy, it seems, when you find one of
YOUR ancestors who was involved in that event, it
is special regardless of how many others have, over
time, made similar discoveries.
The Civil War was a textbook event for me: a
“head” event rather than a “gut” event, an intellectual
event rather than an emotional one. I had read
about it, studied it even, in school, but never really
felt personally connected to it. That is, until I discovered
John, my very first ancestor who fought and died
in it. That discovery started me on a years-long quest
to gather information about him and fill in missing
facts. I certainly am mindful that the “discoveries” I
made during my search were monumental as far as
I was concerned, but no more significant or validating
than those many of you have experienced if you
have undertaken similar and ultimately successful
searches. Written here are parts of my adventure I
would like to share with you, parts of which may
even be helpful if you are on a similar quest. This is
how mine went.
How It Started
In the mid-1970s I inherited a box of “stuff” that
my aunt had collected, which included photos and
family notes. Nestled in those was some sketchy information
about John Summers, who, according to
family lore, was killed during the Civil War. I was
not especially interested in genealogy then; in fact
the subject had not even seriously crossed my mind.
I kept the box, but paid little attention to it. I was in
the military at the time and moved frequently. I saw
that box only when I moved and had to account for
it in my household goods.
But regardless of my inattention to family history
then, I like to believe that the few scraps of information
I had about John and his death during that
defining period in our history was what ultimately
brought about my interest in genealogy in general
and in my ancestors in particular.
How It Continued (the Early Years)
It was several years before I dove into the box of
“stuff” to explore John. I was able to discern that he
lived in Wisconsin just before the War (thanks to Census
documents), and that he did not show up again
in the Census after the War. This led credence to the
belief that he was, indeed, killed during the War.
My sister about this time, now early 2001, discovered
she had a picture of John. She sent it to me, and
there he was, looking out at me and appearing as I
have described above. The existence of a photograph
raised my interest and curiosity considerably. My
sister also sent me some information a genealogist
friend of hers found that identified his unit, and on
a parallel track, I got the same information independently
from a publication titled Roster of Wisconsin
Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. That source
also said “killed in action, May 22, ’63, Vicksburg,
Miss.” And another source told me he enlisted as a
private on 20 January 1862 in Company A of the 14th
Infantry Regiment. I also saw where he had been in
seven engagements counting the one in which he
was killed.
The more information I got, the more interested
I became. And, although a tenuous link, I had seen
52 © Ev e r t o n’s Ge n e a l o g i c a l He l p e r Ja n ua ry/Fe b r u a r y 2009