Katherine (Banks) Summerson (1907 - abt. 1950)

Born 11 Dec 1907 in Texas

Wife of William Henry Summerson — married 24 Sep 1928 in Tully, New York, USA

Died about 1950 at about age 42 in New York, United States

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Biography

Katherine / Katheren Banks was born in December 1907 in Texas, the daughter of Graham Banks and Bess Hall Davis. She had two younger brothers, John Human Banks and Graham Banks, Jr. In the 1910 United States Federal Census, she was shown as living with her family in Hunt, Texas. ^[1] At some point between 1910 and 1920, Graham and Bess Davis Banks were divorced. The 1920 Census showed Katherine living with her grandparents, John Human and Minnie (Weaver) Human, as well as her two brothers. ^[2] In 1924, she was attending North Dallas High School -- the yearbook from that year (listing her as "Kathryn Banks") stated that she "is attractive and talented and we know that someday she'll be a big success in dramatic work." ^[3]

Katherine studied acting and worked as an actress and acting teacher; she moved from Texas to New York during the 1920s, seemingly to pursue a career as a serious actress. An article in The Ithaca Journal from March 24, 1928, regarding Katherine's performance of a monologue called "Pippa Passes," provides background on her acting career up to that point. ^[4] It was noted that she "held a teaching position in Forney, Texas," was a graduate of the Cooke School of Expression in Dallas, Texas, had been a member of the Dallas Little Theater, and "was a student for a time" at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York. (The American Laboratory Theatre was a short-lived but highly notable student-run theater organization, whose members included Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. The organization taught the Stanislavski method of acting.) At the time of the Ithaca Journal article, she was cited as being a senior at the Williams School of Expression and Dramatic Art at Ithaca College. She was also working there as an assistant teacher, a position she had taken in 1927, which was the first year she had acted for audiences in Ithaca. ^[5]

In September 1928, she married William Henry Summerson in Tully, Onondaga county, New York; William was a student in biochemistry at Cornell University, also in Ithaca, New York. ^[6] The couple moved to the New York City area while William was completing post-doctoral work in biochemistry. In 1930, the couple was living in Queens, New York. ^[7] A 1932 newspaper item noted that Katherine and William "of Georgian Hall" (presumably, an apartment building, built in 1931, in Jamaica, Queens, New York) were welcoming Katherine's brother John Human Banks as a guest that summer. ^[8] In 1934, Katherine's mother Bess died in Texas. ^[9] As recorded in the 1940 Census, the Summersons were living in an apartment on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. ^[10] William and Katherine had no known children. There are also no known references to Katherine's acting career following her presumed graduation from Ithaca College in 1928.

Her name is spelled in various ways across different records -- i.e., Katherine, Catherine, and Katheren. In her high school yearbook, she is listed as Kathryn, Kathrin, and Kathryne on various pages.

Katherine died of unknown causes in 1950, and is buried in Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York. (Her gravestone identifies her as "Katheren Summerson, beloved wife of William Henry.") ^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M29H-PB2 : accessed 13 February 2019), Catherine Banks in household of Graham Banks, Commerce Ward 3, Hunt, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 132, sheet 25B, family 427, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1566; FHL microfilm 1,375,579.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MC9L-4N7 : accessed 25 June 2019), Katherine Banks in household of John Human, Justice Precinct 3, Van Zandt, Texas, United States; citing ED 127, sheet 11A, line 31, family 260, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1854; FHL microfilm 1,821,854.
3. ↑ "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: North Dallas High School; Year: 1924. p. 41. Accessed via Ancestry.com (subscription required)
4. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30601677/katheren_banks_monologue_reading/
5. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32068944/katheren_banks_in_seventeen_by_booth/ - "Seniors are enjoyed in dramatic recital at little theater," The Ithaca Journal, 25 October 1927. Accessed via Newspapers.com
6. ↑ "New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKNB-5TH6 : 25 September 2017), William Henry Summerson and Katherine Banks, 24 Sep 1928, Onondaga, New York, United States; citing ref. ID 227, county clerk offices from various counties, New York; FHL microfilm 1,014,365.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4PB-QV7 : accessed 13 February 2019), Katheren Summerson in household of William Summerson, Queens (Districts 0751-1000), Queens, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 925, sheet 8B, line 74, family 133, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1594; FHL microfilm 2,341,329.
8. ↑ https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33197607/john_banks_visiting_mr_and_mrs_wh/
9. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K344-47Y : 13 March 2018), Bess H Banks, 22 Jan 1934; citing certificate number 1356, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,115,948.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9MB-9JKB?cc=2000219&wc=QZXR-DBH%3A790105101%2C804828501%2C805134101%2C805148001 : accessed 13 February 2019), New York > New York > New York City, Manhattan, Assembly District 14 > 31-1245 New York City, Manhattan Borough Assembly District 14 (Tract 118 - part), Apartments at 1296-1304 2nd Av > image 11 of 14; citing 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.
11. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193288467/katheren-summerson

• https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32068690/katheren_banks_in_the_servant_in_the/ - "Actors Score Success in Strong Drama," cites Katheren Banks's role in "The Servant in the House" in Ithaca, New York. The Ithaca Journal, 19 November 1927. Accessed via Newspapers.com.