Repository: The Historical Society of Montgomery County
Title: William Summers Collection
Creator: Summers, William, 1833-1921
Dates: 1900-1920
Accession number: 2016.109
Extent: 1 linear foot, 6 linear inches
Language: English
Biographical Note:
William Summers was born on May 30, 1833 in Norristown, Pa. He attended Norristown public schools. In 1851 he began a job as a clerk in a general store in Conshohocken, later opening his own store in 1858. In 1880, he built a new three story store at the corner of Fayette and Elm. It was the largest store in Conshohocken at the time.
In 1900, he retired from his store and began to work on genealogy. He was a member of the Historical Society of Montgomery County and served as its librarian for several years. He also served as Burgess and on the town council in Conshohocken. He was a member of the school board, and personally advanced money to pay the teachers when school district was short of funds.
Mr. Summers was a charter member of Washington Fire Company #1. He also served as the secretary of the Pennsylvania - German Society.
He married Henrietta Yost in 1858. They had two daughters, Lillian, and Clara S. Summers Murray. He died in 1921 at the age of 87.
Scope and content: This collection consists primarily of genealogical research conducted by William Summers, who served as the librarian of the Historical Society of Montgomery County in the early twentieth century. The research includes many families, especially the Summers, Yost, Casselberry, and Heiser families. Other families included Supplee, Brooke, Spare, Schwenk, Whitby, Berkeimer, Bull, Harner, Wentz, Trump, Hertlzer, Knipe, Custer, and Gouldy.
Letters to William Summers are also part of the collection as well and several letters written to J. Irvin Yost. There are wedding invitations and announcements addressed to Lillian Summers.
Mr. Summers address book is also an item in the collection.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in ten series:
A. History of the Casselberry family
B. Heiser family of Montgomery County
C. Miscellaneous research
D. Yost family research
E. Summers family research
F. Address book
G. Correspondence
H. Supplee family research
I. Spare family research
J. Miscellaneous genealogy notebooks
K. Schwenk family research
Administrative information: This finding aid was prepared by Nancy Sullivan.