William H. Somers (1830-1912)
William H. Somers was an early pioneer of the county. He settled in Urbana in 1842, and started farming with his brothers. In the winter, Somers would attend school, a privilege of the time. He had a good common school education and eventually went to M. E. Seminary in Danville. At the end of his schooling, he ran a drug business with his brother, James, and father, Dr. Winston Somers.
He married Hattie L. Mead in August 1856 in Urbana. The two had four children together. That same year, Fielding L. Scott, described as a warm friend of Somers, encouraged him to run for Circuit Clerk. Somers was elected in 1856 and reelected in 1860 to the same position.
When his father died in 1872, the drug business closed, and Somers moved his family to Nebraska. He was elected to the Nebraska legislature in 1875 and served one term. Somers wrote the Centennial History of Gage County in 1876 to advertise his love of the area. His wife Hattie died in 1876. Somers married Sarah S. Hawley two years later, in 1878, in Lincoln, Nebraska, and had two children with her. Finally, the Somers moved to San Diego, California, where they owned a large vineyard and fruit ranch.