Inventory of the Palmer Family Papers MC073

Sara Gunasekara

University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections

2005

1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California

100 North West Quad

Davis, CA 95616-5292

speccoll@ucdavis.edu

URL: https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/archives-and-special-collections

Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections

Title: Palmer Family Papers

Creator: Palmer family

Identifier/Call Number: MC073

Physical Description: 0.2 linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1859-1911

Abstract: The collection contains correspondence and memorabilia of the Palmer Family. The correspondence, written during the mid to late nineteenth century, discusses the Civil War and family matters in Ohio and South Carolina. Transcriptions of most of the letters are also found in the Papers. The family memorabilia consists of an undated carte de visite and an invitation to a 1911 family reunion.

Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.

Biography

John Egerton Palmer IV (1793-1877) emigrated to the United States from England in 1819 and settled in Richland County, Ohio. In 1820, he married Mary Ward (1801-1874) and they had the following children: John Egerton V, William Joseph, Thomas Sharp, Mary Elizabeth, Jane Ward, Artamesia May, Caroline, Charles Ward, Joseph Ward, and Annie Frances. John Egerton IV was described as a strong abolitionist whose farm served as a station on the underground railroad.

However, John's son, William Joseph (1823-1862), did not share his father's abolitionist views. In 1845, William moved to South Carolina and became involved in the shipping business in Charleston. He married Catherine Reed and they had two children, Bessie (1858-1878) and Clinton Ward (1859-1935). William was a slave owner who fought for the Confederate army when the Civil War broke out. He was killed in Charleston on September 11, 1862.

While William fought for the Confederate Army, two of his brothers, John V (1821-1864) and Joseph (b. 1841) served in the Union Army. At the beginning of the war John V enlisted in Company A of the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry. He served in the siege of Vicksburg, was in the Red River expedition under General Banks, and later was transferred to the Army of the Potomac. He was killed at the Battle of Winchester on September 19, 1864.

Joseph, who served in the Union Army as one of General Kilpatrick's Raiders, survived the war and returned home to live on the family farm.

As a youth, Thomas Sharp Palmer (1825-1908) served as an apprentice in a cabinet-making business in Mansfield, Ohio. He then lived for several years in Oskaloosa, Iowa, worked for two years in the mines of California, and returned to Mansfield in 1851. In 1853, Thomas married Nancy Hale and the couple moved to Vinton, Iowa where he opened a small drug store. After selling the business to his son Walter in 1880, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived there until his death, in January, 1908.

Sources:

History of Benton County, Iowa. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1910.

Palmer, Walter S. A Genealogical History and Biography of the Palmer Family.Vinton, Iowa, 1898, located in the Palmer/Calkins/Corbin Papers, Special Collections Department, University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Scope and Content

The bulk of the collection consists of 25 letters written by or to various members of the Palmer Family during the mid to late nineteenth century. The letters discuss the Civil War and family matters in Ohio and South Carolina. Letters from William Palmer to Thomas Palmer illustrate the divisions between the brothers on issues surrounding the Civil War while the letter from J.W. McGuire to Thomas Palmer details the effects of the Battle of Cedar Creek on the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry. Other letters discuss plans for a family reunion in Ohio and estate arrangements after the death of John Egerton Palmer IV. Transcriptions of 24 of the letters are part of the Papers.

Also included are two pieces of family memorabilia: an undated carte de visite of John Egerton Palmer IV and an invitation to a 1911 family reunion.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged in two series: Correspondence and Memorabilia.

Related collection

The Palmer/Calkins/Corbin Papers held by the Special Collections Department at the University of Iowa contain materials related to this branch of the Palmer Family.

Access

Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Stephen B. Hewes Jr., Mary Hewes Tupper, and L. Virginia Hewes Holt in April 1971.

Processing Information

Sara Gunasekara processed this collection and created and encoded this finding aid.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Palmer Family Papers, MC073, Archives and Special Collections, UC DavisGeneral Library, University of California, Davis.

Publication Rights

All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives

Cedar Creek, Battle of, Va., 1864.

Richland County (Ohio) -- History

Palmer family

Palmer, William Joseph, 1823-1862

Palmer, Clinton Ward, 1859-1935

Palmer, Thomas Sharp, 1825-1908

Correspondence Series 1 1859-1897

Physical Description:

Scope and Contents note

Arranged in two subseries: Letters and Transcriptions.

Letters Subseries 1.1 1859-1897

Physical Description: 25 letters

Scope and Contents note

Arranged chronologically.

Folder 1

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1859 August 18

Folder 2

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1859 December 2

Folder 3

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 May 8

Folder 4

Catherine Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 May 15

Folder 5

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 June 18

Folder 6

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 July 19

Folder 7

Joseph Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 October

Folder 8

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 October 30

Folder 9

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1860 November 30

Folder 10

Catherine Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1861 March 1

Folder 11

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1861 March 7

Folder 12

Catherine Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1861 March 29

Folder 13

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1861 May 4

Folder 14

J.W. McGuire to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1864 October 20

Folder 15

Carolyn Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1874 May 7

Folder 16

Charles Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1877 July 29

Folder 17

Charles Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1877 August 18

Folder 18

Clinton Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1877 October 12

Folder 19

Charles Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1877 October 22

Folder 20

Clinton Ward Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1877 December 26

Folder 21

E. Macy to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1878 March 12

Folder 22

Carolyn Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1878 May 24

Folder 23

Carolyn Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer 1885 September 19

Folder 24

Thomas Sharp Palmer to Walter Scott Palmer 1897 September 9

Folder 25

John Egerton Palmer IV to Thomas Sharp Palmer undated

Transcriptions Subseries 1.2

Physical Description: 24 transcriptions

Scope and Contents note

Arranged chronologically.

Folder 26

William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer, 1859 August 18

Transcription of William Joseph Palmer to Thomas Sharp Palmer