C. T. SUMERS
C. T. Sumers was born in Hesse Darmstadt, June 25, 1824, and is a son of Charles and Maria (Lap) Sumers. When he was eight years of age, his parents emigrated to America, and settled at Janesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, where they remained three years, then moved to Sandusky county, of the same State. Shortly after, they moved to Seneca county, also in Ohio, where they resided till 1850. It was in that county that C. T., the subject of this sketch, obtained his education. In 1850 he returned to Janesville, and then engaged in mercantile business, which he continued six months, then went to Lexington, Perry county, and engaged in the same business. One year later be moved his stock of goods to Zanesville and continued business two years. He then went back to Lexington and remained until the fall of 1858, then again to Janesville, and two years later, went to California. He resided in that State four and one-half years, engaged during the time, in different occupations, he returned to Zanesville, Ohio, and purchased an interest in a meat market and grocery, and remained there three years, then went to Columbus, Ohio, and within a year removed to Cass county, Iowa. He located on a farm and commenced business by breaking eighty acres. The following year be went to Atlantic and opened a meat market, which he run [ran] three months, then returned to his farm and remained one year, then again moved to Atlantic and engaged in running a a meat market, and grocery, continuing one year and then dropped the meat and put in a stock of hardware and agricultural implements. During the time he erected a large store building in that city. He occupied this building for two year[s], when he sold his stock of goods. He then rented his property here and went to Red Cliff, Colorado, where he built a hotel, which he run [ran] two and a half years, when it was consumed by fire. He returned then, to his farm in this county, upon which he lived one year, then sold and came to Lewis and engaged in his present business. Mr. Sumers was married January, 7, 1845, to Miss Rinehart, a native of Pennsylvania. They had six children, five of whom are living--Matilda, Lucinda, CharIes, Maria and Samuel. One son, George, was a member of the Twenty-second Regiment of Ohio Infantry, and was killed by sharp-shooters at Vicksburg, while engaged in digging entrenchments. Mr. Sumers was married to his present wife, Mary W. Johnson, September 18, 1865. He has been a justice of the peace, two years, and is a member of the Atlantic Lodge, No. 175, I. 0. O. F. Mr. Sumers and family, like all pioneers, endured many hardships and privations, during the early years which they spent in Cass county,, and the family, particularly his wife, were very homesick, longing to return to their home in Ohio, but this feeling gradually wore away until Mrs. Sumers declared, on returning from a visit to Ohio, that her home in Cass county was far preferable to her former one in that State, and that for no ordinary inducement would she return there to remain permanently.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pp. 541-542.
