Philip Sommer (abt. 1834 - 1906)

Born about Feb 1834 in Wachenheim, Wachenheim an der Weinstraße, Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 30 Dec 1906 at about age 72 in Bronx, New York, United States

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Biography

Immigrant, locksmith, deputy, Justice of the Peace, inventor, scoundrel - Philip Sommer emerged as someone whose absence in the family narrative was explained as genealogical research revealed his life story.

Philip was probably born in February 1834 ^[1]probably in Wachenheim, Rhine-Pfaltz, Germany. By the age of 16, in September of 1850, Philip was engaged in the same trade as his father, Oswald – that of locksmith - in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.^[2] By 1860, Philip was married, with a family of three children (Amanda, Philip, and “Bertha” [Bertrand]) and was employed as a bookkeeper in Newark. ^[3]

Note regarding indexing of 1860 census: Sommer surname was mistranscribed in Ancestry.com database as "Semmes" and in FamilySearch.org as "Sumner."

On 29 January 1867, Philip Sommer applied for a patent from the United States Patent office. The description of his invention is as follows:

"PHILIP SOMMER, Newark, N. J. -- Wrench. -- January 29, 1867; antedated January 17, 1867. -- The two jaws slide upon each other, and lugs upon them are pivoted to the handle so that its oscillatory movement will cause lateral movement of the jaws to grip or release the nut. The pivot of connection slides within a slot in one of the lugs. Claim. -- The combination of the jaws C D, staff B, and roller e, constructed, arranged, and operating in the manner substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

Newark Essex County, New Jersey." ^[4]

By 1870, Philip is described as a Deputy Sheriff in Newark. His family now includes his wife, Nathalie, and five children. ^[5] [Note: Surname is spelled "Somer" for the family.]

By the time of the 1880 census, things had begun to change for this family. Nathalie is living with three of her children (Bertrand, Emma, and Edwin) at 447 Broad Street. ^[6] Philip is no longer living with his family, but is a boarder in a dwelling at 411 Washington Street. He is now employed as a constable.^[7] Philip Sommer appears in the 1890-1891 Newark, New Jersey Directory, described as a "justice, notary, commission deeds, real est" doing business at 46 Market Street and living at 68 Shipman.

LAW AND ORDER:

Philip made national headlines in 1893. "Grave Offenses of a Justice: Extortion and Assault Are Proved Against a Newark Dogberry,

“Justice of the Peace Philip Sommer of Newark, N. J., was convicted today [May 25, 1893] of extortion and assault. The complainant was Max Feldman, who was arrested at midnight Saturday, Aug. 18, last, Louis Blum having accused him of stealing a watch. After being in jail two days Feldman was taken to Justice Sommer's office and released on the payment of $50. He says he told the Justice that innocent men should be protected in court rather than robbed, at which Sommer hit him in the face. At the trial today Justice of the Peace Blauvelet, Constable Schraider and Edgar Hartdorn all swore that they were in Sommer's office at the time of the alleged assault and that it never happened. Sommer took the stand, and denied every allegation against him. The case went to the jury and a verdict of guilty of extortion and assault and battery was brought in against Sommer. When the case had been disposed of Sommer pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with extorting $4 in a similar manner from George Wrobel. He will be sentenced next week.” ^[8]

On 29 May 1893, Philip Sommer was sentenced by Judge Kirkpatrick to one year's imprisonment at hard labor at Essex County Penitentiary in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey on several charges of extortion.

"Justice of the Peace in Prison: Philip Sommer of Newark Locked Up for a Year for Extortion,"

“May 29. -- Justice of the Peace Philip Sommer was sentenced by Judge Kirkpatrick to-day to a year's imprisonment on several charges of extortion. He had had men brought before him on 'faked' charges of one kind and another, and extorted illegal fees from them for their release. He had ended up by violently assaulting a man who had complained about that method of doing business. The Grand Jury made a presentment against him, but it exercised no deterrent effect, and the Grand Jury at the present term indicted him on four charges. He pleaded guilty or no vult to all except one, and upon that he was convicted. A constable named Volz, who had been associated with him in his operations, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment to-day." ^[9]

"Justice of the Peace Philip Sommer of Newark, N, J., who was last week convicted of extortion and assault and battery on complaint of Max Feldman, was today sentenced to one year's imprisonment in the Essex County (N. J.) penitentiary at hard labor on each charge. Sommer was at one time a Police Captain in Newark and afterward a Deputy Sheriff. Then he became a Justice of the Peace, and for several years his practice has been a notoriously crooked one." ^[10]

By the time of the 1895 New Jersey State Census, Philip was living in Newark with a new wife named Ida. ^[11] In June of 1900, Philip was working as a notary public in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.^[12] According to the 1900 federal census, Philip and Pauline Ida had been married 13 years by then, making the approximate year of their marriage 1887. (Note: I have yet to find documentation of any divorce proceedings between Nathalie Sommer and Philip Sommer.) Philip and Pauline Ida were living in the Bronx, New York, New York by the time the 1905 New York State Census was taken. ^[13] Philip died on 30 Dec 1906 in the Bronx. ^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ 1900 Federal Census, Newark, Essex County, NJ, Sheet #2, Supervisor's District #2, Enumeration District #16.
2. ↑ 1850 Federal Census, Newark, Essex County, NJ (5th Ward) - ancestry.com, Page 440B
3. ↑ 1860 Federal Census, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey (9th Ward) Page #271, Dwelling #1677, Family #2077.
4. ↑ United States Patent Office, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1867: 40th Congress, 2d Session. Ex. Doc. No. 96. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1868), page 517; digital images, Google Books, (http://books.google.com : accessed 6 March 2010.
5. ↑ 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.; database and digital images, "1870 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009; citing Year: 1870; Census Place: Newark Ward 2, Essex, New Jersey; Roll: M593_879; Page: 199A; Family History Library Film: 552378 Description Township: Newark Ward 02
6. ↑ Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.; database and digital images, "1880 United States Federal Census," Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010; citing Year: 1880; Census Place: Newark, Essex, New Jersey; Roll: 776; Page: 28D; Enumeration District: 020
7. ↑ 1880 Federal Census, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, Page #5, Supervisor's District #1, Enumeration District #28.
8. ↑ Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL), 26 May 1893, page 2 (Footnote Image #85689075); online archives (http://www.footnote.com : accessed 6 March 2010);
9. ↑ New York TImes (New York, New York), 30 May 1893; online archives (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html : accessed 6 March 2010); New York Times Article Archive 1851 - 1980.
10. ↑ Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL), 30 May 1893, page 5 (Footnote Image #85689163); online archives (http://www.footnote.com) : accessed 6 March 2010
11. ↑ New Jersey Department of State. 1895 State Census of New Jersey. Trenton, NJ, USA: New Jersey State Archives. 54 reels; database and digital images, "New Jersey, State Census, 1895," Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
12. ↑ 1900 Federal Census, Newark, Essex County, NJ, 2nd Ward, Supervisor's District #2, Enumeration District #16.
13. ↑ New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 35 E.D. 06; City: Bronx; County: New York; Page: 6Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: New York, State Census, 1905. Population Schedules . Various County Clerk Offices, New York.
14. ↑ Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862-1948 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Index to New York City Deaths 1862-1948. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives., Certificate #36