William John (White) Summers (1871 - 1903)

Born 1871 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Rose Ellen (Towers) Dee — married 22 Dec 1896 in Hawera, Taranaki, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 16 Apr 1903 at about age 32 in Taranaki, New Zealand

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Biography

William was born in 1871.^[1] He was the son of Thomas White and Emily Gay.

William and mother Emily followed her mother, brother and sister emigrating to New Zealand aboard the Isle of the South landing at Lyttelton on 2 February 1874. They settled with Christchurch.

Emily married for a second time to George Summers in Christchurch in 1875.^[2] William took his stepfather's surname - becoming William Summers.

William married Rose Ellen Towers on 2 December 1896 in Hawera.^[3]

They had three children:

1. Horace Albert Summers (abt.1899-1970)
2. Alexander George Summers (1900-1979)
3. Grace Summers (1901-)

He drowned in the Waingongoro River in 1903^{[4][5][6][7][8]} and is buried in Waihi Cemetery. Normanby.^[9]

Research Notes

• Death registration gives his age as 26; death notice 34y; newspaper report of the drowning 29y. He was actually aged about 32.

Sources

1. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915; William John White, Apr-Jun qtr 1871, Stroud, Vol 6a, pg 307
2. ↑ https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz - NZBDM - Marriage 1875/3029; Emily Gay & George Summers
3. ↑ NZBDM - Marriage 1896/3281
4. ↑ NZBDM - Death 1903/2752
5. ↑ Death Notice - Hawera and Normanby Star, 20 Apr 1903, pg 2 [1]
6. ↑ Death Notice - Lyttelton Times, 20 Apr 1903, pg 1 [2]
7. ↑ Drowning Accident - Hawera and Normanby Star, 20 Apr 1903, pg 2 [3]
8. ↑ Inquest Report - Hawera and Normanby Star, 21 Apr 1903, pg 2 [4]
9. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190746286/william-john-summers

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 08 April 2023, 01:41), entry for William John Summers (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LVTX-BKK ); contributed by various users.