Elizabeth Martin was the second daughter and third child of the nine children of Jonathan Martin and Lydia Read. She was probaly named after her grandmother Elizabeth Ogden Read Wintersteen. Elizabeth was born 23 October 1825 in Warren County, New Jersey (Kern 1938; Lackawana County Genweb), and was the first Martin child born after Warren County was created from a part of Sussex County by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on 20 November 1824 (Snell 1881:474). She was probably born in Hardwick Township as her father was listed as a resident of the township on the 1830 and 1840 census. Elizabeth appears on the 1830 census as a female child under the age of five, she would not turn five until October of that year (1830 United States Federal Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 438). She also appears on the 1840 census as a female between the ages of 10 and 14 on the 1840 census. She was 14 at the time that the census was enumerated, her 15th birthday would occur in October of that year (1840 United States Federal Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 380).

Table 1: Household of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Martin) Summberbell in 1850
1850 United States Federal Census
Town of Greece, Monroe County, New York, page 148A

By 1852, the Summerbell family was in Rensselaer County, New York. The diary of George Holcomb of Stephenstown, New York included this entry on 7 March 1852: "Funeral of S. Govenier Carpenter, son of Calvin Carpenter, at the Chapel. Elder Summerbell preached." Siderio Govenier Carpenter had died on 4 March 1852, age 26 years and 5 months (Rensselaer County GenWeb). In early February 1853, Elder B.F. Summerbell married Justina F. Green to Lorenzo Carpenter in Berlin (Durham Center Museum). Where the Benjamin was between 1853 and 1856 is currently unknown. He was the pastor of the Christain Church in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts in 1857 (Hurd 1883:670). The Summerbell's daughter, Lydia Frances was born there on 13 March 1857 (LDS Batch #8832004 and #8926902). Elder Jonathan Thompson had also served as the pastor of the Swansea Christain church from 1843 to 1848 and then again during 1850 and 1851(Hurd 1883:670).

The family probably left Swansea, Massachusetts for a church in Randolph, Vermont. In 1860, Benjamin and Elizabeth and their three children resided in the Town of Randolph in Orange County, Vermont. This was one of the few places where they purchased property. According to the 1860 census B.F. Summerbell held real estate valued at $1,300. The family had a personal estate valued at $400. In 1860, the Summerbells shared their home with Charles and Mary Pratt (Table 2). The Pratts were natives of Rhode Island. Charles was 41 and was employed as a carpenter. Mary Pratt was 28 years old. The Summerbells also had a servant, 18 year old Ellen Riley, who was a native of Vermont (1860 United States Federal Census, Town of Randolph, Orange County, Vermont, page 356, 11 August 1860, Post Office West Randolph). The family probably resided in Vermont until late 1861 or early 1862 when Benjamin took a church in Rhode Island.

Table 2: Household of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Martin) Summberbell in 1860
1850 United States Federal Census
Town of Randolph, Orange County, Vermont, page 356

The Summerbells lived in Rhode Island during the Civil War. Elder B.F. Summerbell was the pastor of the Pawtuxt Street Christian Church in Providence, Rhode Island between 1862 and 1865 (Bayles 1891:466-467). These years must have been particularly hard for Elizabeth as two of her brothers, David and John Ogden Martin, both died during the war. David died at Camp Nevin, Hardin County, Kentucky in November 1861 and John Ogden in battle near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia in May 1864 (NPS; Stevens 2004; Union Brick Cemetery).

The location of the family between 1866 and 1869 is unknown. By 1870, Benjamin and Elizabeth Summerbell were residents of the town of Milford in Ostego County, New York. Lydia was the only Summerbell child who still lived at home. Their oldest son Martyn was a minister in Brooklyn, New York (Stiles 1891:1080). Their daughter Mary was 20 years old, but she was not a resident of their household. The 1870 census shows Benjamin, Elizabeth and 12 year old Lydia in Milford (Table 3). The family did not own a home, but they had a personal estate valued at $1,455. Lydia was in school (1870 United States Federal Census, Town of Milford, Ostego County, New York, page 276, 12 July 1870, Post Office Portlandville). On 18 October 1870, Rev. B.F. Summerbell and several of his colleagues (the reverends C.E. Peake, D. Grant, William Case, Allen Hayward and J. Wells) conducted the dedication services of the new Second Christian Church of Ostego at Centre Brook, New York (Hurd 1878).

Table 3: Household of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Martin) Summberbell in 1870
1870 United States Federal Census
Town of Milford, Ostego County, New York, page 276

The 1880 United States Census lists Benjamin Summerbell as a "dealer in dry goods & groceries," not as a clergyman. He had settled in Madison Township, Lackawana County, Pennsylvania. The Summerbell household in 1880 included Benjamin and Elizabeth, their daughter Lydia, their 5 year old granddaughter Flora (who was also listed as a member of her father Martyn Summerbell's household in Brooklyn), a servant named Mary A. Long, and Will S. Rhodes who was a clerk in a store—probably the store run by Benjamin Summerbell (Table 4). Mary Long was the 24 year old daughter of Irish immigrants. Will Rhodes was the 19 year old son of English immigrants (1880 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 161, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, 7 and 8 June 1880; Enumeration District 49, Madison Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, page 454B, 29 June 1880). Although Benjamin was running a grocery store in Lackawana County, he does not seem to have left the ministry completely. On 6 May 1882, he married Simon A Beler and Lizzie A. Olsomer in Moscow, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania (Olsommer Documents). He probably performed the wedding ceremony of his daughter Lydia, who married Seldon S. Yeager in Moscow Pennsylvania on 16 August 1882 (LDS IGI).

Table 4: Household of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Martin) Summerbell in 1880
1880 United States Federal Census
Enumeration District 49, Madison Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, page 454B

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