Obediah Summers

{{Short description|American minister, Civil War veteran, chaplain (1844–1896)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Obediah Summers

| image = File:Rev. Obadiah Summers.png

| other_names = Obediah Sommers, Obadiah Summers, Obidiah Summers

| birth_date = 1844

| birth_place = Clay County, Missouri, United States

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1896|03|15|1844||}}

| death_place = Oakland, California, United States

| burial_place = Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California, United States

| occupation = Minister, war veteran

| spouse = Elizabeth L. Banks (m. 1871–1896; his death)

| children = 7

}}

Rev. Obediah Summers (1844 – 1896), was an American minister, an American Civil War veteran, and chaplain.{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Gene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tpIECwAAQBAJ&pg=PT43 |title=Legendary Locals of Oakland |date=2015-12-07 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4396-5405-7 |pages=43 |language=en}} He was born enslaved, and briefly worked in servitude within the Confederate States Army, before electing to join the Union Army. Summers served as the pastor at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California at the end of the 19th century. He later served as the California State Legislature as its first Black chaplain. His name was also spelled as Obadiah Summers, and Obidiah Summers.

Biography

Obediah Summers was born into slavery in 1844, in Clay County, Missouri.{{Cite web |date=April 11, 1892 |title=Freed from Debt, Bethel Church Pays Off a Mortgage |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-francisco-chronicle-freed-from-debt/159505746/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}}

He was forced by his enslaver to serve as his "servant" for the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.{{Cite web |last=Casey |first=Laura |date=October 18, 2004 |title=Oakland man fights for Civil War vet |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2004/10/18/oakland-man-fights-for-civil-war-vet/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=East Bay Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Evanosky |first=Dennis |date=Fall 2005 |title=Obediah Summers Joins Fellow Veterans in GAR Plot |url=https://www.mountainviewcemetery.org/mvc_fall_2005.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203042712/https://www.mountainviewcemetery.org/mvc_fall_2005.pdf |archive-date=December 3, 2011 |work=Friends of Mountain View Cemetery |publisher=The Mountain View Cemetery Association |type=newsletter}} In 1862, Summers was captured at the Battle of Marshfield (in Marshfield, Missouri) by the Union Army, and he choose to serve in company A, in the 18th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.{{Cite web |title=Summers, Obediah – Age 18, Year: 1864 – 18th US Colored Infantry |url=https://afroamcivilwar.org/soldier/summers-obediah-age-18-year-1864-18th-us-colored-infantry/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=African American Civil War Memorial Museum}}

In 1884, Summers worked for the AME church in Nebraska, and was transferred to Marysville, California. Summers moved in 1891 to Oakland, California, and opened the Old Bethel Church on 15th Street. From 1891 to 1894, he served as the pastor at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California.{{Cite news |date=April 12, 1892 |title=Rev. Summers' Success |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116823875/rev-summers-success/ |access-date= |work=The Sacramento Bee |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com |issn=0890-5738}}{{Cite news |date=July 30, 1892 |title=Smiting Hard Blows, Bitter Contention in the Second African M. E. Church |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116823467/smiting-hard-blows-bitter-contention/ |access-date= |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=5 |via=Newspapers.com |issn=2574-593X}}{{Cite news |date=March 24, 1892 |title=A Cake-Walk Battle: Society folks oppose exhibition |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5785712/a-cake-walk-battle-society-folks/ |access-date= |work=San Francisco Chronicle |pages=5 |via=Newspapers.com |issn=1932-8672}}

He served as the first Black chaplain for the California State Legislature, during the thirty-first session of the assembly in 1895.{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VEocAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA115 |title=The Journal of the Assembly During the ... Session of the Legislature of the State of California |date=1897 |publisher=California Legislature Assembly |pages=115 |language=en}}

Death and burial

He died on March 15, 1896, in Oakland, after an issue with his liver.{{Cite web |date=1896-03-18 |title=Obituary for Obediah Summers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-obituary-for-obediah-sum/159528874/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Oakland Tribune |page=2 |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web |date=March 17, 1896 |title=Died at Oakland: Rev. Summer Answers the Summons Which Came Unexpectedly |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/appeal-democrat-died-at-oakland-rev-su/159528901/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Appeal-Democrat |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web |date=1896-03-17 |title=Died: Summers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-died-su/159528952/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=The San Francisco Call and Post |language=en-US |via=Newspapers.com}} He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, and was initially placed in a section of the cemetery that was not well funded, and his headstone was misspelled as "O. Sommers"."[https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2004/10/18/oakland-man-fights-for-civil-war-vet/ Oakland man fight for Civil War vet]". Oakland Tribune. October 18, 2004. pages [https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-oakland-man-fight-for-ci/159528237/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-history-buff-seeks-prope/159528221/ 5] Retrieved 2024-11-22. – via Newspapers.com.

In 2003–2004, Dennis Evanosky, an Oakland writer, and historian, worked together with Summers' great granddaughter, Myra Adams, to provide him a proper burial. Summers received a new headstone from the U.S. federal government, and it was placed in the Grand Army of the Republic plot reserved for Civil War veterans.{{Cite web |title=Grand Army of the Republic Plot: Obediah Summers |url=http://www.oaklandhistory.com/files/gar.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020620002318/http://www.oaklandhistory.com/files/gar.html |archive-date=June 20, 2002 |website=OaklandHistory.com}}