Pressing Matters of a Sound Mind

The Palmer's are my paternal ancestors, and where my last name comes from. My great, great, great grandparents were John Palmer, Jr. and Eleanor Doves Palmer. John was born March 31, 1806 in England. He married Eleanor Doves Palmer November 20, 1829 in Lincolnshire, England. John was 23, Eleanor was 16.

When it was necessary for Eleanor to work in the fields to help provide for their growing family, Eleanor would lock the children in the house for fear they might fall into the canal, Hagnaby Lock, running behind their house or drown in the close-by ditch. She may have been particulairly concerned for her children's well-being as one daughter, Susan, died when she was 4 in an accident when she fell in to an open hearth.

According to LDS records, John and Eleanor were baptized 17 November 1849, possibly in the canal behind their home, by an Elder Charles Clark and confirmed the same day.

A family by the name of Moore, who had been close friends with the Palmer's, and had immigrated to America in 1852, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. They were very desirous of the Palmer's coming to join them in the states and offered to help pay their passage. John was an industrious farmer, but was in poor circumstances when he decided to come to America.

On 28 March 1857, John Palmer and Eleanor sailed with their family, on the ship George Washington, a sailing vessel weighing 1,759 tons registry. Captain Commings was the ship’s Master and Orson Pratt was the agent for the group. Several hundred LDS emigrants left the port of Boston, Lincolnshire, England that day. Listed were the following: “John Palmer, age 50, laborer, Eleanor, age 45, wife.” They had 9 children (Helen, Emma, John, Susan, Sarah, Phillip, Joseph, George , William Henry), as well as Eleanor’s parents who made the crossing together. I am a direct descendant of Joseph Palmer, age 8 at the time of the crossing. Joseph Palmer was born December 24, 1850, the 7th of 9 children. Joseph, and some of his siblings were all blessed on Jan 28, 1851 in the Hagnaby Lock Branch.

All were listed as ordinary emigrants, and the address they left was c/o Richard Harper, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England, which is near Hagnaby. Little is known of their voyage and there seemed to be no problems as they made land at Boston, Massachusetts, twenty-four days en route. Soon after it is assumed they relocated to St. Louis to join the Moore's. Some children stayed in Boston attending school under the care of an older daughter who worked there. Having to borrow money to reach their destination, they began their career in this country in humble circumstances, but gradually advanced by honorable and industrious efforts to a fair degree of material prosperity. After arriving in St. Louis, John worked for some time as a farm hand, and was also a farmer for about four years. John Palmer's indenture, or financial obligation, was to a Mr. Loupe, a saloon keeper, in St. Louis. This obligation was probably to cover the transportation costs for the Palmer family. This family is listed in the 1857 ship list for the SS George Washington (Liverpool to Boston, MA) and in the 1860 Missouri Census, St. Louis Co., St. Ferdinand Twp., as farmers.

In 1863, the family went by boat up the river to Omaha, Nebraska where they were compelled to wait twelve weeks on account of illness, and from that point went across the plains with ox teams in a train of twenty-six wagons to Salt Lake City.

In the fall of 1863, the family was at Smithfield, UT where they worked several years. Then, in 1868, they relocated one hundred miles north, on land about 4 miles west of Malad City, Idaho, where one of the sons-in-law [William Cole] had settled previously, and there for was engaged in farming, freighting and stock-raising.

The Palmer family arrived in the spring of 1868, in Malad, Idaho Terr. They met a man who was anxious to leave Malad and they bought his farm for a yoke of oxen. The farm was about 4 miles west of Malad and was called the "Big Bend [of the Little Malad River]." The Palmer family moved onto the land on March 25, 1868. The family consisted at that time of 5 brothers and John and Eleanor. The sisters were all married at this time. There, they built a cabin and began farming. The log cabin they built, although in bad shape, is still standing today and is said to be the oldest in the Malad Valley. My father grew up in this same house, and I have fond memories of peeking in the old windows hoping to catch a glimpse of a ghost as a child!



In the fall of 1869 the John Palmer family became discouraged because of the grasshoppers and crickets that continually ate their crops, so they left and went back to Nebraska, with the exception of my great, great grandfather Joseph & his sister Susan. Joseph was an unmarried boy of 20 when his parents and brothers left. He tells how sad and lonesome he felt as he sat on the shed watching them go. He wondered if he would ever see his parents again. (He never did, although he did make a trip to Nebraska in his later life and visited some of his siblings.) At last he felt so badly that he jumped on his pony and caught up with them and rode into Malad with them. Joseph Palmer stayed on the Idaho farm. 1868 was the last year for wagon trains and after that date travelers boarded the train at Corine, UT; so the Palmer family probably went by train back to Nebraska. It is 45 miles from Malad to Corine. John and Eleanor farmed the rest of their life in Nebraska. John died October 13, 1888 at the age of 82 in Nebraska. Eleanor Doves Palmer, died shortly thereafter, October 20, 1888 in Peru, Nebraska at 80. Both were buried in Mt. Vernon cemetery.

Joseph Palmer & Wm. Henry Palmer (standing) Helen Palmer Moore & Emma Palmer Camomile (seated) about 1912

Joseph and his brother-in-law, William Cole (by some reported to be Jesse James, the notorious gunslinger, though my research proves otherwise) bought the ranch from John. It wasn't long until Cole became discouraged too, so he packed up and left his wife & children in the latter part of 1870. Susan then sold her part of the farm and went back to Nebraska to be with her folks. So, Joseph was left alone. He soon married a Maria Gardner, and they raised 9 children.

 Children of Joseph Palmer, Sr. and Maria Gardner (my greatgrandfather Joseph, Jr. is 3rd from left) 

Sometime between June 1908 and March 1911, very late one night a knock came on Joseph’s door. Joseph got up, answered the door and found a stranger standing there. The stranger asked if he was Joseph Palmer. Joseph confirmed that he was and the man said, "I am your brother, John." Since it had been around 40 years since the two brothers had laid eyes on one another, Joseph needed proof. He said "If you're my brother John you have a scar on a certain part of your anatomy." John produced the scar and the brothers were reunited after so long a separation. It is understood that this picture is of John and Joseph and was taken in Malad during John's visit.

Joseph Palmer died April 11, 1931 at the age 80 in Malad City, Idaho. He had a son Joseph Jr. (married to Ella Colton) who had a son, George Austin, my dad, then me!