Mary Summeral

Mary married Oliver Whitaker on 2 Feb 1799. Oliver (son of Ambrose Whitaker and Rachel Leake) was born on 10 Sep 1775 in New Jersey; died on 11 Dec 1831 in Gloucester County, New Jersey; was buried in Vernon Baptist Cemetery, Vernon, Clinton, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Spelled "Summerill" on his New Jersey birth record.

Posted to familysearch.org, "Excerpt from Lucinda, a book of Lucinda Sarvis' memories as told to her granddaughter Mildred (Boddy) Reed":

A wave of excitement swept over the country with the discovery of gold in California. Sumeral Whitaker was caught up in it and left for the gold fields in May 1840. It took him 5 months to go from Iowa to California. A young neighbor, Ephraim Bowles, was anxious to make the trip. His father finally gave his permission to go under the supervision of Father Whitaker. The Indians made considerable trouble for the caravan. One night when Ephraim was on guard, the cattle were stampeded by Indians. Ephraim was killed and scalped. It nearly broke Sumeral’s heart to send this sad news back to neighbor Bowles. [...]

Sumeral kept a diary of his experiences, but it was stolen. Wouldn’t we treasure it if we had it now? He hunted gold with two men from Pennsylvania. They struck a find—a gold vein—and they staked their claim. I don’t know if anyone knows what he was worth when he came back in 1852 by the way of Panama and New York, but Lucinda said he was considered wealthy. He told of living on jerked steer and black coffee for weeks.

Sumeral married Sarah Brown on 28 Nov 1822 in Clinton County, Ohio. Sarah died in 1823. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sumeral married Mary Bloom in 1824. Mary was born about 1801 in New Jersey; died in 1856. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Sumeral married Eliza Lyons about 1858. Eliza died in 1864. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also called Syntha.

From the unusual name of her son Willis Sumeral Evans, it seems circumstantially likely that she was a daughter of Sumeral Whitaker, who was born 12 May 1801 in Fairfield, New Jersey and died 18 Sep 1864 in Mahaska County, Iowa, and his wife Mary Bloom.

According to the research notes of Robert Evans posted 4 Dec 2014 to ancestry.com, the "1850 Census of Mahaska County, Iowa lists: John J. D. Evans age 24 bn England, cabinet maker; Cynthia age 19 bn OH, married with the year; Willis F. age 1 bn IA. (Two doors down in dwelling 753 are Jacob and Rachel John -- Rachel is Cynthia's aunt. Father Summerel is in dwelling 810 on page 214)." This would seem adequate proof that Cynthia Whitwaker was a daughter of Sumeral Whitaker.

Cynthia married John James Evans on 13 May 1848 in Mahaska County, Iowa. John (son of John Evans and Rachel Dickinson) was born on 26 Feb 1826 in Liverpool, Lancashire, England; was christened on 12 May 1826 in St. Peter, Liverpool, Lancashire, England; died on 4 Dec 1885; was buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Morrowville, Washington, Kansas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Willis married Elizabeth Ann "Betsy" Mayberry on 3 Mar 1867 in Pleasant Grove, Des Moines, Iowa. Elizabeth (daughter of Richard Mayberry and Alice Moore) was born on 14 Feb 1843 in near Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio; died on 23 Apr 1908 in Nickerson, Reno, Kansas; was buried on 26 Apr 1908 in Wildmead Cemetery, Nickerson, Reno, Kansas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]