Amanda M Summers continues to be somewhat of a mystery in my family. I am hoping that by posting what I know about her someone will turn up that may have more information for me.
The information I have on her outright is that she was born in Tennessee in 1850 to Basil Pinkney Summers and Emily Jane Duffel. She first shows up in the 1860 census as Amanda Sommers, age 9, living with her parents “Pinkney” and “Emaly” (seriously, way to go with correct spelling) residence in Stewart County, Tennessee. This would mean she had been born in 1851, however.
The next census, 1870, shows her as Amanda Summers, age 18, living with her parents “Pink” and “Emaly”, residence in Stewart County, Tennessee.
The last census she is on is 1880, as “Amanday” Summers, age 28 (again, setting her year of birth at 1852) living with her mother “Emley”, residence in Houston County, Tennessee. At this time she also had three children, Elizabeth (Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers, 1870-1852), age 10; Leona (Leona A “Lonie” Summers 1873-1956), age 6; and Infant (Leon Edward “Ed” Summers 1880-1944), age 1 month. This census also lists her marital status as Single.
After the 1880 census was performed Amanda married James Anderson Proctor in Houston County, Tennessee on December 11, 1880.
There are no other records that I can find regarding Amanda. She apparently died in 1889. Before her death she had three children with JA Proctor: Richard Pinkney Proctor 1882-1952, Earl Parker Proctor 1884-1953 and Zana Frances Proctor 1888-1958.
James Anderson Proctor married for the third time to Sarah J Hamm sometime in 1889 or 1890. He had four more children with her.
I saw on one personal family tree on Ancestry that Amanda died in 1917, but the general consensus is that she died in 1889.
The general consensus, also, is that James Anderson Proctor is the father of her first three children, Lizzie, Lonie and Ed. However, I recently came across Lizzie’s death certificate and it says that James Franklin Summers was her father. James Franklin Summers was Basil Pinkney Summers’ brother.
If this is the case then I have some questions: is Amanda a blood descendent of Basil Pinkney Summers or was she perhaps adopted? Was she really having relations with her uncle? If James Franklin Summers is the father of her oldest child does this mean that he is also the father of her other two illegitimate children? Was there maybe another James Franklin Summers that lived in Stewart County (her uncle lived in Humphreys County, Tennessee at the time).
I’m hoping someone will have some other proof of who the father of Amanda’s first three children are. I’m also hoping someone can help me with how, and exactly when and where, Amanda died. And what was her middle name, what did the “M” stand for? Any other information/stories about her is more than welcome! And if anyone has any pictures that would be fantastic, too!