John Wesley "Jock" Somerlott (October 26, 1882 – April 21, 1965) was an American

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

who played for the Washington Senators from 1910 to 1911. In 29 career games, he batted .204, scored eight runs, and had four stolen bases.

Personal life

John Wesley Somerlott was born in Flint, Indiana, to Jonas C.J. and Elmira (née Mabie) Somerlott, in 1882. He married Bertha Louisa Williams, and they were married at the parsonage of the Church of Christ in Metz by the Rev. F. D. Durham on October 18, 1906, and lived most of their lives together in

Steuben County, Indiana Steuben County is a County (United States), county in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census the county population was 34,435. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Angola, Indiana, Ango ...

. For a time after their marriage the Somerlotts lived in

Garrett, Indiana Garrett is a city in Keyser Township, DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,286 at the 2010 census. History Garrett was platted in 1875 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for J ...

, where he was employed as a fireman on the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

, from which he retired in 1912. He divided his time between baseball and farming until 1937, when the family moved to

Bronson, Michigan Bronson is a city in Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,307 at the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1934, Bronson is mostly surrounded by Bronson Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Histo ...

, where he engaged in business until his retirement in 1947. The Somerlotts moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then California, returning to Steuben County in 1951 until the death of Bertha in 1960, and finally moving to DeKalb County before John died. The couple had one son, John Francis "Jock" on September 1, 1908, in Metz, Steuben County, Indiana.

Career

John Somerlott, or "Jock", as he was familiarly called by the old timers, was in professional baseball in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, in the Southern Cooper County League. Somerlott went into the major league in the summer of 1910, with the Washington Nationals (now the Washington Senators), where he played for nearly a year, until he came back to Indiana late in 1911, taking over the Terre Haute ball club as playing manager, presumably he retired from baseball after the season of 1914, when he bought a farm in Steuben County. However, the baseball urge remained, and when Angola was in its heyday in baseball, and in the days when

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 Detroit Tigers season, 1924 to 1943 Det ...

was "farmed out" to Angola by the Detroit Tigers, John became the player-manager for the high-rating Angola team. Professional career statistics

References

* Personal information from an October 10, 1956 50th Anniversary write up in The Steuban Republican

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Somerlott, John Jock 1882 births 1965 deaths Baseball players from Indiana Major League Baseball first basemen Washington Senators (1901–1960) players 20th-century American sportsmen Winnipeg Maroons (baseball) players Tecumseh (minor league baseball) players Terre Haute Hottentots players Terre Haute Stags players Terre Haute Miners players Evansville Yankees players Troy Trojans (minor league) players Pittsfield Electrics players People from Steuben County, Indiana People from Branch County, Michigan