The Lexington County Museum is fortunate to have a rare artifact owned by the Summer (Summers) family.

This artifact, known as a fraktur, is an illuminated manuscript recording the birth, baptism and marriage of Mary Magdalene Summer and was made in 1799.

Mary Magdalene Summer was the daughter of George Adam Summer and the granddaughter of John Adam Summer, one of the early settlers of the Dutch Fork.

The Summer family lived on Crims Creek near modern-day Pomaria. In the 18th and 19th centuries, that area was divided between Lexington and Newberry Districts.

Fraktur are found in states where German immigrants settled in the 18th and 19th centuries and are rare in SC.

Only 7 are known to exist.

The Summer fraktur is written in German and was made by an itinerant artist nicknamed the “Ehre Vater” artist, who worked in the Carolinas and Pennsylvania. His nickname derives from the German words for “Honor Father,” which he usually placed in large letters at the top of the fraktur. His real name is unknown to historians.

JR Fennell is Lexington County Museum director.