Skip to main content

Cultivating Character Through Family Stories

By Angela Wittman

For my dear friend Dee Galyon who recently reminded me the importance of keeping our loved ones memories alive and my dad who patiently cultivated a love of family history in me.


My soon to be 80 year-old father called me yesterday and while his reason was to relay some family news, he soon began reminiscing about his years in the Air Force and travels to England and Scotland while in the service. And even though I was right in the middle of preparing dinner, I didn't mind the call or the stories. You see, I love my dad and my earliest memories are of him telling me family stories.

I cannot help but think that the stories of my grandfather and his family helped shape my character. My grandfather was the "black sheep" of his family due to a tragic divorce between his parents and the circumstances of his father's accidental death. My grandfather blamed his mother, (a strong, independent woman), for both the divorce and death of his dad. So, while Grandpa and his mother were distant emotionally, Grandpa and Grandma moved her into their modest home and took care of her in her later years.

Seeing Grandfather's family loyalty, even to those he didn't much like, made an impression on my father who was one of the younger sons in a family of 12 siblings. While others might tell of my grandfather's faults (he was quite head strong and didn't take too kindly to Government intrusion into his family's life or farm) my dad saw the man as a human being who did the best he could in the circumstances he was born into. And I strongly suspect Grandpa's family stories helped shape my dad's character.

So, in honor of Dads everywhere, let me share a bit of the Somers' family story*:

Our story in America began in the mid 1700's when a John Somers came to America and settled in Caswell County, North Carolina. His family was from Warwickshire, England, and my dad is convinced our Somers line originated in Scotland before settling in England.

John must have been an adventurist as well as a Patriot because he was right in the thick of the action during the War for Independence. It's believed he was at Valley Forge with George Washington and he was taken as a prisoner of war during the battle at Williamson's Plantation. ** For his service during the war, he was given 4000 acres in Eastern Tennessee instead of monetary payment. Records show that at John's untimely death he owned 8000 acres in North Carolina where he lived with his wife Catherine Arden Somers and their children. His oldest son is my 3rd Great Grandfather,  John Somers. Jr.

After John Sr.'s death, John Jr. helped settle his estate and left North Carolina for Eastern Tennessee. He married Rebecca Wright and they gave birth to a son named Abraham. Abraham settled in Gainsboro, Jackson County, Tennessee with his wife Dorcas, who I suspect was Cherokee. My Great Grandfather, Henry Francis was their 5th child and born in 1860 approximately one year before Tennessee seceded from the Union.

Little is known of Henry's childhood except two of his older brothers fought in the War for the Union. I'm certain the circumstances and timing of his birth helped shape him into the man God used for His Glory as a "circuit rider" or traveling evangelist for the Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri boot heel area. 

Family stories are told of how much his family and step children loved him and looked forward to his visits home to the family farm near Stringtown, Mo. It was said Great Grandma Cotney would celebrate as though it were Christmas and they would feast including roasting a hog for his homecoming, while enjoying stories Great Grandfather shared of his family and travels.

I can imagine my Grandfather, (William Henry, the oldest son of Henry and Cotney), sitting near his father and listening with rapt attention as his dad related stories of being Cherokee and having to hide one's identity to avoid persecution and the family members who traveled on the Trail of Tears. It's said there was a set of twins who were orphaned and a white family took them in and raised them as their own. Then there was the story of two brothers who differed on theology so much, one even changed his last name from Sommers to Somers.

I know these stories influenced Grandfather's character - he was a man's man and from what I've read of the Cherokee culture, he lived it with my dear Grandmother Lillian and their 12 children; he was fiercely independent, knew how to hunt and trap his own food and wouldn't take a dime of Government money, nor tolerate their imposing some foolish rule on how much cotton he could grow on his own land, mind you! Dad tells the story of a Government official coming out to the farm during WWII and checking Grandpa's crops. It seems he had planted a few rows of too much cotton which was already in bloom and wanted Grandpa to destroy it. Grandpa pulled out his shotgun and the government agent took off lickity-split never to darken the Somers' doorway again! Grandma was afraid they would put Grandpa in jail, but they didn't.

Now, dear friends, if you are in Christ you also have a treasure trove of family stories to share. Let's not forget the stories of valiant men and women, who though imperfect, were used mightily for God's Glory. Hebrews, chapter 11 is a good place for you to start learning your family His-Story in order to tell character building stories to the next generation.

May the good Lord bless His people as they tell their children and grandchildren of their rich Christian heritage found in Holy Scripture. In Lord Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

* Much of this is oral tradition and while I haven't been able to document all, I trust that the stories told to me are based upon fact, even though some details are missing or faded by memory.

**Capt. John Somers (or Summers) fought at the battle at Williamson's Plantation where it is believed he was captured and held as a POW.

Comments

  1. Please know I have a treasure trove of family stories and plan to share more as time and memory permit. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts:

Kent State, the Summer of 1970 and the Grace of God

  Me in 1975 - Seeking God. Al Baker recently wrote an article on the tragedy of the Kent State demonstrations and the killing of four students in May of 1970:  Four Dead in Ohio ( FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS )  . I remember being 12 years-old at the time this happened and the disagreement between my father (a full-time Air National Guardsman) and myself. I could see that he was pained over the event, but he defended the soldiers who fired on the students and I was shocked at his defense of their actions. I also remember that my friends and I embraced the rebellious culture of the time and soon found ourselves acting like our "heroes;" while we were only in our early teens we became somewhat jaded and mistrusted those in authority. By the time I turned 17 years-old, I began to have a yearning in my heart to become a Christian - I wanted to become a new creation, but I didn't know how. (As a child I remember watching televangelists and reciting the "sinner's praye

Is Satan Real? Here's My Story.

Is Satan real? I think so and here's my story of a frightening experience that drove me straight toward  Christ. My story begins in the early 1970's while visiting the Wisconsin Dells area with my parents, I had brought a friend on vacation with us and she and I decided to walk around the local town square while my parents shopped for food and other items for our two week camping trip at Castle Rock Lake .  Historic Juneau County Courthouse on the town square in Mauston, WI Image Source:  Juneau County Courthouse - Juneau County Courthouse - Wikipedia My friend and I were both in our early teens; but we looked older. So, we were quite flattered when some local teenaged boys sitting on the lawn of the Courthouse noticed us, and we stopped to talk to them. We told them we were from Missouri and would be camping at Castle Rock Lake for the next couple of weeks.  Source:  Castle Rock - Juneau County Government (wi.gov) I explained that my dad was in the Missouri Air National Guard

Dementia - Seeing through a glass darkly....

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  ~1Corinthians 13.12 KJV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I came across this article by Dr. Barry York written in 2014 and posted at Gentle Reformation , which I never read until today. If you have a parent/spouse/friend etc. with dementia and you aren't certain of their salvation, please read this. I think you will find it encouraging. It gives me great hope as my father suffered from dementia before his death earlier this year and who assured me he had asked the Lord for forgiveness while being ill. Salvation in a Dementia Ward Walking down the long hospital hallway, I approached the room in the emergency area where they had told me she would be found. As I came near the door, I found a security guard sitting there. He looked at me with sympathy as I identified myself and, with a warning and sad shaking of his head, gave me permission to enter.