History of Somerville family

For over 160 years, the Somerville family and descendants have played an essential role in Livingston County and Fairbury's history.

The story of the Somerville family began with the birth of Robert Somerville in Warrington County, North Carolina, in 1827. He was born into slavery in North Carolina. In 1845, Robert Somerville married Esther Collins. She was also born into slavery in Grandview County, North Carolina. The parents of Robert Somerville and Esther Collins could not be determined using standard genealogical research methods because they were enslaved. When they married, both Robert and Esther were 18 years of age. They had eleven children.

The Civil War started on April 12, 1861, when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation letter, which said that if the rebels did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would be free.

The Confederacy did not end the fighting, so on January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

President Lincoln's first letter in September 1862 was likely the impetus for the Robert Somerville family to leave North Carolina and come to what is now Cayuga north of Pontiac. In 1862, when the Somerville family moved from North Carolina to Livingston County, Robert Somerville and his wife Esther were both 35 years old. 

The Village of Fairbury was created in 1857 when the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad laid its tracks from Peoria to the Indiana border. The Robert Somerville family came to Livingston County just five years after Fairbury was created.

Per the 1870 and 1880 U.S. Census, Robert and Esther Somerville farmed in the Cayuga area. No Census records exist for 1890 because they were destroyed in a fire. By the time of the 1900 Census, Robert and his wife Esther were 72 years of age. They lived in a house on Oak Street (U.S. Route 24) in Fairbury with their 30-year-old son, John Somerville.

Before he died at the age of 75 in 1903, Robert Somerville had saved enough money to purchase 160 acres of farmland. His wife, Esther Somerville, died in 1907 at the age of 80. Robert and Esther Somerville were buried in the southwest portion of Graceland Cemetery in Fairbury.

Some of Robert and Esther Somerville's 11 children moved to Chicago. A daughter, Martha "Mattie" Somerville, married Alonzo Barton (1868-1937), a barber in Pontiac. Mr. Barton was an instructor in the Pontiac Prison barber shop for 32 years.

William Somerville (1847-1893) was one of the sons of Robert and Esther Somerville. William married Julia Perkins. William Somerville died in Chicago, but one of his children, Frank M. Somerville, lived in Fairbury and married Elizabeth Shavers (1877-1958). Frank was 27, and Elizabeth was 19 when they married in 1896. They had seven children.

The oldest child of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville was Alma Somerville (1897-1952). She married Bloomington barber Charles W. Brown in 1917. Charles was 31, and Alma was 20 when they married. They had one child, Charles William Brown (1920-1990). Alma died in a tragic automobile-truck accident in 1952 north of Weston. Melvin Rutherford of Chenoa drove the truck, and he survived the accident. Alma was only 55 years old when she was killed in the accident.

Charles W. Brown, son of Charles and Alma Brown, married Betty Jean Sears in 1948. Charles was 28, and Betty Jean was 20 when they married. They had five children. These five children included Alma Brown, Lori Brown, Lisa Brown-Polnitz, Charlene Brown-Aaron, and Charles William Robert Brown (1960-2020).

Frank Leslie "Les" Somerville (1900-1984) was the oldest son of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville. Les Somerville was a scrap iron dealer in the Fairbury area. He married Marie Henley, and they had four girls. The girls attended Fairbury Township High School and were named Marion, Elizabeth, Fern, and Frankie June Somerville.

Another daughter of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville was Grace L. Somerville (1898-1973). Grace had two sons who attended Fairbury Township High School: John F. Somerville (1917-1989) and Robert L. Somerville (1921-1999). The father of these two boys was not mentioned in any of the family genealogical records. When son John F. Somerville filled out his application to collect Social Security, he noted that his mother was Grace Somerville and his father was Omer Grisson.

A third daughter of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville was Elizabeth Somerville (1903-1976). She married Joseph Bowie in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1922. Joseph and Elizabeth Bowie had three children: Betty, Lawrence K., and Joseph Bowie.

William Horace "Bill" Somerville (1905-1977) was another son of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville. Bill Somerville never married, died in Peoria, and was buried in Fairbury's Graceland Cemetery.

Aldine Somerville (1908-1987), daughter of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville, married Martin Baker. They had no children.

Robert C. Somerville (1910-1963) was the youngest child of Frank and Elizabeth Somerville. He attended Fairbury schools. Robert was a World War II veteran and served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific Theater. He married Carrie Mitchner in 1945 in Peoria. Robert worked for the City of Peoria. They had no children.

Two Somerville families were listed in the 1930 Fairbury telephone book. The Frank and Elizabeth Somerville family lived at 111 N. Eighth Street, with a telephone number of 440. Frank's occupation was listed as a teamster. The Leslie Somerville family lived at 613 W. Walnut Street, and Leslie's occupation was truckster.

In retrospect, the life story of Robert Somerville and Esther Collins is fascinating. They were both born into slavery in North Carolina. They moved to Livingston County in 1862 and became tenant farmers. They raised a large family, saved their money, and were able to purchase 160 acres of farmland eventually. The Somerville family has played an essential role in the history of Livingston County for over 160 years.

(Dale Maley's weekly history feature on Fairbury News is sponsored by Dr. Charlene Aaron and Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury)