52.3: Longevity; John Summers

This post is part of a project called "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" created by Amy Johnson Crow.

The prompt this week is longevity. The ancestor that immediately springs to mind is John Summers.  John Summer's provenance is a little sketchy, but I believe him to be my 6th great-grandfather. I have a clipping of unknown origin describing him here:

John Summers at age 112

I was able to locate another article, written after John's death at 116, that mentions him along with others:

Final paragraph: John Summers lived to be 116

This second clipping came from page 2 of The Evening Post, published in New York City on 18 Dec 1833.  This article notes he died in Kentucky; however, I found a census listing in 1820 that I feel sure must be this man living in Delaware County, Indiana:

1820 Federal Census Delaware County, Indiana, entry for John Summers

The census taker noted this about Mr. John Summers: "This man is 114 years old never lost sight or hearing has upward of 400 descendants and has had two wives by each had ten children."

I have a lot more work to do proving the statements about John Summers, but he is an interesting read if nothing else.