Jock Somerlott

John Wesley "Jock" Somerlott (October 26, 1882 – April 21, 1965) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball 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, Steuben County, Indiana to Jonas C.J. and Elmira (Nee Mabie ) Somerlott, in 1882. John married Bertha Louisa Williams, 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. For a time after their marriage the Somerlott’s lived in Garrett, Indiana where he was employed as a fireman on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, from which he retired in 1912. John divided his time between baseball and farming until 1937, when the family moved to Bronson, Michigan where he engaged in business until his retirement in 1947. John and Bertha moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana and then California, returning to Steuben County in 1951 until the death of his wife in 1960, and finally moving to DeKalb county before John died. John and Bertha had one son, John Francis “Jock” on Sept 1 1908 in Metz, Steuben County, Indiana.

Career

John or “Jock” as he was familiarly called by the old timers was in professional baseball in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the Southern Cooper County League. John 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 John 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 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

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• John Wesley "Jock" Somerlott at Find a Grave