- HENRY SOMMERS, a successful farmer and stock raiser of Greenville township, operating on 120 acres of well cultivated soil, was born in this township, October 6, 1858, and is a son of Edward and Anna (O'Leary) Sommers. Mr. Sommers' parents were born in County Wexford, Ireland, and on coming to the United States, in 1857, located at once in Greenville township and purchased a tract of ten acres in the western part of the township. Edward Sommers cleared this little tract and in the meantime worked for other farmers of his vicinity until he was able to purchase the present farm of Henry Sommers, on which he spent the balance of his life, dying June 1, 1901. He was a hard and persevering worker all of his life and arose to a position of prominence among the farmers of his community. He and his wife, who died January 25, 1909, had seven children, of whom three survive: Henry, Ella, the wife of George M. Bishop, an Idaho mining man; and Johnnie, a cement worker and farmer of Ellington township. Henry Sommers attended district school No. 4, in Greenville township, and worked at home on his father's farm until twenty-two years of age, at which time he began working on the river as a log driver during the summer months, and in the woods in winter. After about two years he returned to his home and worked on the farm in summer and woods in winter for about eleven years, after which he remained on the homestead until about 1899, when he purchased a sixty-acre farm adjoining the homestead. Subsequently he purchased the Barkley homestead, a tract of seventy acres, but he later turned this over to his brother as his share of the land accumulated while in partnership, Henry taking the homestead. He has continued to live on this farm to the present time and now has a fertile tract of 120 acres which he devotes to general farming, and also feeds a number of steers for the market every winter. His place is well equipped with modern, substantial buildings, and its appearance denotes the presence of able management. Mr. Sommers is a member of the Roman Catholic church at Stephensville. He is a democrat in his political views, and has served as supervisor of his township for six years. On January 5, 1899, Mr. Sommers was united in marriage with Miss Anna Heiderman, who was born at Neenah, Wisconsin, December 14, 1873, daughter of John and Mary (---------------) Heiderman, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Scotland. They were early settlers of Neenah, and are now actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in Bovina township. Mr. and Mrs. Sommers have had six children, born as follows: Edward, October 18, 1900; Nellie, October 19, 1902; James, December 6, 1904; Frankie, January 28, 1906; Henry, December 12, 1908, and Willie, January 5, 1911.
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1859 - 1932 (72 years)
1870 Census
