Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920
Biography of Sarah Summers Wilkinson Bealmear, 1858–1938
By Tina Harry, Oxford, Mississippi
Woman Suffrage Activist
Sarah Callenden Summers Wilkinson Bealmear was born on September 9, 1858, at her family's plantation Summerfield near Raymond, Hinds County, Mississippi. Her parents were George and Marie Hill Summers, pioneer settlers of the area; and she had ten brothers and sisters. She was baptized on March 22, 1868, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Raymond. She graduated from the Crystal Springs Institute in Copiah County, Mississippi. Also known as The Young Ladies' Institute and as Newton Institute, the boarding school was founded by Rev. Oscar Newton. It was in operation from 1860 until its destruction by fire in 1912, and its oldest grades were at a comparable level to a junior college.
Sarah married twice without issue, both times to widowers. Her first marriage in 1897 was to Colonel William Clemments Wilkinson of Crystal Springs, Mississippi; he was a merchant, Confederate veteran, and a member of the 1890 constitutional convention. His first wife, Gabrielle Barnes Wilkinson, died in 1886, and was the mother of woman suffrage activist Lily Wilkinson Thompson. Sarah and William remained in Crystal Springs until around 1906, when his failing health prompted them to move to Jackson, Mississippi, to live with Lily and her husband. William Wilkinson died on December 18, 1908, and was buried in Crystal Springs.
It was during her time in Jackson that Sarah became briefly involved in woman suffrage activism. In 1908, at the Fourth Annual state convention of the Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association, she was elected Treasurer. Her first and only report, printed in the Fifth Annual Report, 1909, listed the receipts and expenditures of the Association from March 1908 to March 1909. Later in the 1909 report, the minutes state that the Treasurer's report was read by Lily, and that a new Treasurer, Mrs. Lipscomb, was elected pro tem. The report also included a resolution of thanks to retiring treasurer, Mrs. Sarah S. Wilkinson.
Sarah remained in Jackson through the summer of 1910, then moved to Kentucky to help care for her ailing sister, Laura Bealmear. Laura had married Captain Samuel Beckwith Bealmear in 1867 in Hinds County, Mississippi. They stayed in Mississippi for five years before moving back to the Bealmear homestead in Nelson County, Kentucky. Laura died on September 18, 1910, and is buried in the Bardstown City Cemetery. After her death, Sarah returned to Mississippi, but remained in contact with Samuel.
On June 5, 1913, Sarah and Samuel were married in the Episcopal Church in Crystal Springs with the assistance of the Methodist Reverend. After spending their honeymoon in Memphis, the couple returned to Kentucky and remained in Bardstown for several years. They enjoyed traveling; spending winters in Osprey, Florida; and returning to Crystal Springs to visit family. Samuel died in Florida on January 29, 1916, and is buried in the Bardstown City Cemetery.
After Samuel's death, Sarah moved to Louisville, Kentucky, taking residence with other senior ladies at the Church Home and Infirmary in Louisville. Her health began to fail towards the end of 1937, and in January 1938 she returned to Jackson to spend her final days in the care of her niece, Mrs. H.H. Jayne. She died on January 24, 1938, and is buried in the Crystal Springs Cemetery.
SOURCES:
1910 U.S. Census, Jackson Ward 1, Hinds County, Mississippi, p. 10B, Enumeration District 0017. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1930 U.S. Census, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, p. 16A, Enumeration District 0015. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
Alford, Dorothy Moore. Reflections and recognitions, Crystal Springs, Mississippi, 1820-1972. Crystal Springs, Miss., publisher unknown, 197-?.
“Crystal Springs Institute.” Semi-Weekly Mississippian (Mississippi), Sept. 07, 1860, p. 1. Available through Newspapers.com.
“Crystal Springs Notes.” Jackson Daily News (Mississippi), June 07, 1913, p. 5. Available through Newspapers.com.
Fifth Annual Report, Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association, University of Mississippi Libraries Digital Collections, Lily Thompson Collection, 1909.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/suffrage/id/63/rec/8
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Gabrielle Barnes Wilkinson (1830–31 May 1886), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27305834, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Martha (contributor 46981928) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Laura Brooks Summers Bealmear (1838–18 Sep 1910), Find A Grave Memorial no. 28427929, citing Bardstown City Cemetery, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by Tams (contributor 46817837) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Lily Gabrielle Wilkinson Thompson (unknown–1942), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27301285, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Martha (contributor 46981928) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Maria Jane Hill Summers (11 Dec 1817–3 Jul 1876), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27300813, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Del Groves (contributor 47084264) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Samuel Beckwith Bealmear (8 Apr 1841–29 Jan 1916), Find A Grave Memorial no. 28427937, citing Bardstown City Cemetery, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by Tams (contributor 46817837) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for Sarah Summers Bealmear (9 Sep 1858–24 Jan 1938), Find A Grave Memorial no. 13787584, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by NatalieMaynor (contributor 46770385) .
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for William Clements Wilkinson (Mar 1836–1908), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27305841, citing Crystal Springs Cemetery, Crystal Springs, Copiah County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by Martha (contributor 46981928) .
“For the Summer.” Jackson Daily News (Mississippi), April 07, 1915, p. 6. Available through Newspapers.com.
Fourth Annual Report, Mississippi Woman Suffrage Association, University of Mississippi Libraries Digital Collections, Lily Thompson Collection, 1908.
http://clio.lib.olemiss.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/suffrage/id/16/rec/9
Harper, Ida Husted. History of Woman Suffrage. Vol. VI (1900-1920). New York, 1922, p. 328. [LINK]
“Marriage at Crystal Springs.” Jackson Daily News (Mississippi), June 06, 1913, p. 6. Available through Newspapers.com.
Mississippi, Compiled Marriage Index, 1776-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
“Mrs. Bealmer Passes Monday.” Clarion-Ledger (Mississippi), January 25, 1938, p. 2. Available through Newspapers.com.
“Mrs. S.B. Bealmer Dies Suddenly of Heart Disease.” Hinds County Gazette (Mississippi), October 07, 1910, p. 2. Available through Newspapers.com.
National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books (152 Vols.) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000.
Our Family Saga : West Virginia and Beyond. Entry on Summers, Sarah Callenden.
https://ourfamilysaga.com/getperson.php?personID=I12932&tree=ourfam001
“Prominent Man is Dead.” Jackson Daily News (Mississippi), December 18, 1908, p. 3. Available through Newspapers.com.
U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
U.S., Select Births and Christenings, 1867-1931 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.