Eugene Peyton Summerson Jr. (1908 - 1981)

Born 19 Dec 1908 in Raleigh, Wake, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Died Aug 1981 at age 72 in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Lauren Hopkins [send private message]

Biography

Eugene was born in 1908. He was the son of Eugene Summerson and Rebecca "Wooda" White. ^[1] He passed away in 1981.

Eugene grew up in New York City, living with his family in Brooklyn and Queens while his father, Eugene Peyton Summerson, worked his way up in the utilities industry. ^[2] In the 1920s, Eugene, Jr. attended Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro, Virginia, as well as the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the literary society. ^[3] Following college, he moved back to New York, where he lived in the Summerson family home in Great Neck / Kensington, on Long Island. ^[4] In 1940, Eugene registered for the World War 2 draft -- on his draft card, it was noted that his employer was Winthrop, Mitchell, and Co., a stockbrokerage in Manhattan. Eugene was described on the card as having blonde hair, a fair complexion, and gray eyes. He was not called into military service. In 1941, several months before the U.S.'s entry into World War II, Eugene published a letter to the editor in LIFE magazine, opining on his predicted end of the war and the fate of Adolf Hitler (namely, that Nostradamus predicted that the war would end in 1943, and that Hitler would be imprisoned in an iron cage). ^[5] In 1946, the elder Eugene passed away from illness, and Eugene, Jr.'s stepmother, Bertha Summerson, eventually sold the family home.

Eugene was still living in New York as of 1948, according to the Tampa Times, which cited him traveling from New York to stay with friends or acquaintances in the Tampa area.^[6] About a month later, in March 1948, he was mentioned in The News Leader of Staunton, Virginia (his father's hometown) as having stopped in Mt. Sidney to see his aunt, Ada Summerson Crawford. This was while he was "en route from a motor trip to the west."^[7]

In 1956, Eugene was visiting Staunton from New York City when he was involved in a hit-and-run car accident; having borrowed a station wagon from a cousin, Eugene hit a utility pole and several parked cars before driving away. He was later charged by Staunton police and fined $47.00. ^{[8] [9]}

Following this newspaper citation, there are no other fixed addresses for Eugene Summerson, Jr. A letter to the editor about parking meters in Orlando, published in 1972, indicates that Eugene may have been living in that city. ^[10] He was never married and has no known children. As noted by relatives, Eugene was a habitual gambler, and he suffered from paranoia. ^[11]

Eugene was in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico in August of 1981 when he died of self-inflicted asphyxiation. His occupation, listed on his death certificate, was stock broker. ^{[12] [13]}

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5CR-27N : accessed 26 March 2019), Eugene P Summerson Jr. in household of Eugene P Summerson, Brooklyn Ward 24, Kings, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 682, sheet 7A, family 160, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 975; FHL microfilm 1,374,988.
2. ↑ "New York State Census, 1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9T3-X3S : 8 November 2014), Eugene Summerson, New York, Kings, New York, United States; from "New York, State Census, 1915," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); citing p. 64, line 45, state population census schedules, 1915, New York State Archives, Albany.
3. ↑ The Brooklyn Citizen, Brooklyn, NY. 10 February 1929. Accessed via https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30601916/ep_summerson_jr_at_u_pennsylvania/
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7ML-SLK : 13 March 2018), Eugene P Sumerson in household of Eugene Sumerson, Kensington, North Hempstead Town, Nassau, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 30-222, sheet 65B, line 62, family 89, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2691.
5. ↑ E.P. Summerson, Jr. "Cage for Hitler?" LIFE. 21 April 1941, p. 8
6. ↑ The Tampa Times, Tampa, Florida. 10 February 1948. Accessed via https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30601947/ep_summerson_jr_goes_to_a_party/
7. ↑ The News Leader, Staunton, VA. 13 March 1948. Accessed via https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30623706/ep_summerson_jr_on_a_road_trip/
8. ↑ "Three Cars, Utility Pole Damaged." The News Leader, Staunton, Virginia. 4 October 1956. Accessed via https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33651803/ep_summerson_jr_in_hit_and_run_car/
9. ↑ "Found on the Court Record," The Daily News Leader, Staunton, Virginia. 11 October 1956, page 13 print edition. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95868802/ep-summerson-jr-fine/
10. ↑ "Junk Penny Parking Meters," The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, Florida. 12 October 1972. Page 20 print edition. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95867182/ep-summerson-jr-letter-to-the-editor/
11. ↑ First-hand information, as told to Lauren Hopkins, December 2019.
12. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKV8-2MH : 20 May 2014), Eugene Summerson, Aug 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
13. ↑ Death certificate, original copy. Accessed via New Mexico Department of Health.

• "New York State Census, 1925," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSC1-739 : 8 November 2014), Eugene Summerson, New York, A.D. 04, E.D. 87, Queens, New York, United States; records extracted by Ancestry and images digitized by FamilySearch; citing p. 15, line 44, New York State Archives, Albany.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X78Y-DW4 : accessed 30 April 2019), Eugene P Summerson in household of Eugene P Summerson, Kensington, Nassau, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 142, sheet 5B, line 80, family 82, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1461; FHL microfilm 2,341,196.