Susan Goss Johnston

     1. Abraham¹ Palmer was born circa 1775 in VT;^1,2,3 married Hannah (--?--) say 1800;³ he died 2 August 1850 in Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., PA;⁴ buried in Palmer-Pease Cemetery, Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., PA.⁴

     Abraham Palmer is the youngest of the three Palmer progenitors in Bradford Co. He is listed on the Canton Twp. tax list of 1813 (the first available in Bradford Co.) with fifty unimproved acres of land and one cow⁵ and is probably the Abraham Palmer who is enumerated in Ulster Twp., Lycoming Co., PA, in 1810.⁶ All census information is consistent in stating that he was born in Vermont and son Reuben's brief biography, the source of most of the information published on this family, states simply that he "removed to Bradford county at an early day."⁷ His age at death on his tombstone yields a birth date of 27 April 1779, but census ages are more consistent with the 1775 date derived from his age of 75 years entered in the 1850 federal census of Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., PA.³

     A keyword search for "Palmer family" in the Library of Congress catalog yields 85 titles. Few of these are found online, and being a lazy person at heart, I haven't investigated any of these works at their source. One online volume, Palmer Families in America, by Horace Wilbur Palmer, does include some information on Abraham Palmer and his family. The above-cited Tioga County history is obviously the source for most of the information. The author tentatively identifies Abram as the son of Asa Palmer, born 10 November 1790, and married to Elizabeth Tower.⁸ Given the large disparity in age, this identity must be incorrect. Although Reuben Palmer's biography does call him "Reuben Tower Palmer", his mother is identified as Hannah, not Elizabeth. Palmer does suggest the possibility that Abram may actually be related to Jareb Palmer of Canton Twp., perhaps his nephew. Despite the geographic proximity, no evidence has been found to support any relationship between Abram and either Jareb or David Palmer.

     1819 is the last year that Abram Palmer appears in the Canton township tax lists. The year 1820 is missing, but he does appear in Canton Twp. in the federal census that year. The Tioga County History states that he removed to Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., about 1830, but he has not been located in the federal census in 1830 in Tioga or Bradford County. He is still enumerated in Canton Twp. in 1840.⁹ Abram Palmer died 2 August 1850 and is buried in the Palmer-Pease family cemetery in Middlebury (or Farmington) Twp. in Tioga County.⁴ He and wife Hannah do appear on the 1850 federal census enumerated in the household of Hathaway and Hannah Losey.¹⁰ Daughter Phebe and her family live next to them; sons George and Reuben only a few houses away.

     Children. In order to differentiate the Nathans, Stephens, Davids, and Reubens in the region's Palmer families, it's necessary to identify each progenitor's children as surely as possible. The History of Tioga County states that Abram and wife Hannah were the parents of thirteen children, Reuben Palmer being the eighth child. An analysis of the data found in the 1810, 1820, and 1840 censuses supports the existence of twelve children: six born between 1800 and 1810, four more between 1810 and 1820, and two born between 1820 and 1840. Ten of these have been tentatively identified. (See Abraham Palmer census table).

     A few items link members of this family and should be noted here. First, from 1850 to about 1880, most of the members of the extended Abraham Palmer family live in Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., in close proximity. Abraham and Hannah Palmer are buried in what is called the Palmer-Pease cemetery in Middlbury Twp. Land for this cemetery was sold by Joseph Guiles and his wife Susan to George Palmer, Hathaway Losey, Harris [sic] Pease, Griffin Palmer, R. T. Palmer, Anson Palmer, Hannah Palmer, and Henry Scofield for only $5.00 in a deed dated 10 September 1859.¹¹ The Civil War exacted a high toll from this family, leaving linking records in Civil War pension and service files and newspaper notices. Sons Reuben, Anson, Abraham, and Griffin all served in the war, the last three dying in that service.

     Three boys and three girls were born between 1800 and 1810. The oldest is probably George Palmer, born in Vermont circa 1800. George appeared first on the Canton tax lists in 1826, taxed on one horse and one cow.⁵ He is one of the "Middlebury Palmers" and is enumerated in dwelling no. 90 in 1850. Reuben T. Palmer appears in dwelling no. 92; Abraham Palmer in dwelling no. 95.¹⁰ George's son, Vine Palmer, provides an affidavit in 1883 stating that he is a cousin of Reuben T. Palmer's son, Otis; therefore, George and Reuben must be brothers.¹² Joel M. Palmer is the second male in this generation to appear on the Canton tax lists. He is taxed on one cow in 1828 and 1829, placing his birth before 1807 and suggesting that he was married by 1828.⁵ Joel has not been found in any census in Bradford or Tioga counties, but may be the Joel M. Palmer, born circa 1804 in Vermont, who appears in Lapeer Co., Michigan, in 1860. George Palmer names his first son Joel M. Palmer, supporting the alleged sibling relationship. The third boy is probably Orrin Palmer who first appears in the 1840 federal census in Canton Twp. He is enumerated on line 24 and Abraham appears on line 21 on the same page. Orrin is 30 to 40 years old in 1840.⁹ He is also one of the Middlebury Palmers, but in 1850 he is listed as 30 years old, born in Vermont.¹⁰ He probably dies before 1860 as his children are scattered among neighbors in the federal census that year. Orrin's son, Joseph Palmer, served in the same Civil War company with Otis G. Palmer, Reuben's son, and provides an affidavit supporting Otis's pension claim.¹² Unfortunately, that affidavit does not include any statement of relationship, but it does add weight to the hypothesis that Orrin is the third boy born between 1800 and 1810.

      Three Palmer daughters were born between 1800 and 1810. Only one of these has been identified: Therza, or Theresa, born June 1806 in Vermont. Therza was the second wife of Abijah Ayres, Jr., of Canton Twp., and is called Therza Palmer on her Windfall Cemetery tombstone.¹³ Again, no direct evidence connects her to Abraham, but her husband is enumerated next to Reuben T. Palmer in 1840 and there is no room for her in any other area Palmer family.

     Four new children appear in the Palmer household in 1820, three boys and one girl. These children have been identified as Reuben T., born March 1814, Anson, b. 1816, David F., born 1818, and Phebe, b. May 1820. All four are "Middlebury Palmers" and are enumerated in neighboring households at least once in the 1850 through 1880 censuses. Anson is enumerated in the Hathaway Losey household in 1860, the same family that housed Abraham and Hannah Palmer in 1850. Anson died during the Civil War and his interment sheet notes that his body and effects were sent to "his brother, David F. Palmer, at Middlebury Centre, Tioga Co. Penna."¹⁴ Several members of David's family are buried in the Pease-Palmer cemetery, Abraham's burial place. Better yet, he calls himself the brother of Reuben T. Palmer in an affidavit found in the latter's Civil War pension application files.¹⁵ Phebe Pease, wife of Horace Pease, is identified as Phebe Palmer in son-in-law Elijah Ames's biography.⁴ Horace is enumerated next to Abraham Palmer [Hathaway Losey] in 1850, David F. Palmer in 1860, and Griffin Palmer's widow in 1870.

     Two new sons were born between 1820 and 1840. Griffin, b. Feb 1826, is living with Abraham and Hannah in 1850 in the Hathaway Losey household.¹⁰ He appears next to older brother George in 1860 and his widow's household appears in the midst of the "Middlebury Palmers" in 1870. Abraham Palmer, born circa 1823, is probably the second of these boys. He has not been found in the 1850 or 1860 census enumerations, but Abraham Palmer, "late of Middlebury", died in Alexandria, Virginia, 20 May 1865, aged 42 years.⁴ His widow, Nancy (French) Allen applied for a widow's pension. This pension is meager as Nancy remarried in 1867, but one affidavit was filed by Solomon Day, Abraham's contemporary and a resident of Keeneyville, attesting to Abraham's first marriage and children.¹⁶ A government marker supposedly marks his burial in the Palmer-Pease cemetery. Although the application for this marker was not found in the original file, "Applications for Headstones in Private Cemeteries", an index card does show a contract for the stone dated 9 June 1888. A marker for Anson Palmer, known to be Abraham's son, was ordered the same day. Both men were buried in a "cemetery at Middlebury, Tioga Co., Pa."¹⁷ Age, name, geography, and circumstance all tie this Abraham Palmer to the "Middlebury Palmer" family of Abraham and Hannah.

     I will probably make no further effort to identify the two Palmer daughters born between 1800 and 1810. The alleged thirteenth Palmer child is still unknown. In this analysis, Reuben T. Palmer appears as the seventh child, not the eighth as stated in his biography.⁷ If the bio is correct, the thirteenth child was probably born circa 1812 and may have died young. If the bio or Reuben's birthdate is incorrect, the thirteenth child may have been born sometime after Phebe's 1820 birth or may have died before a census enumeration. One candidate may be Hannah, wife of Hathaway Losey, who was born circa 1824. There is a close relationship between the Abraham Palmer family and that of Hathaway Losey, but its exact nature is unknown. Alternatively, Hannah may be a granddaughter, daughter of one of the two unknown Palmer daughters. The possibility that Ann, wife of Henry Schofield, is a child of Abraham Palmer was considered but discarded. Henry Schofield was one of the grantees named in the deed for what would be later called the Palmer-Pease Cemetery. He and his wife and some family members are also buried there. Unlike the Middlebury Palmers, however, Ann was born in New York and the birth pattern of the Schofield children show that the family came to Pennsylvania about 1850. If her tombstone information is correct, she was born in August 1820. Phebe Palmer was born in May that same year making it impossible for the two women to be sisters. It's possible, but unlikely given her age, that Ann is a Palmer granddaughter.

     Hannah (--?--) was born circa 1781 in NY.³ She died 16 March 1869 in Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., PA.⁴ She was buried in Palmer-Pease Cemetery, Middlebury Twp., Tioga Co., PA.⁴

     Known children of Abraham¹ Palmer and Hannah (--?--) were as follows:

• 2. i. George² Palmer, born circa 1800 VT; married Sylvia White.
• 3. ii. Orrin Palmer, born between 1800 and 1810; married Harriet (--?--).
• 4. iii. Thersa Palmer, born 17 June 1806 VT; married Abijah Ayres Jr.
• iv. Joel M. Palmer was born before 1807.⁵
• 5. v. Reuben T. Palmer, born 4 March 1814 Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA; married Mary Ayres.
• vi. Anson Palmer was born circa 1816 in Canton, Bradford Co., PA;^18,14 he died 31 March 1863 at 10 p.m at the Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.¹⁴
       Anson Palmer enlisted as a private in Co. A, 136 Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry, and joined for duty 2 August 1862 in Middlebury, Tioga Co., PA, for a period of nine months. He received a bounty of $25 with a premium of $2. He was present on the company muster rolls until the November-December 1862 roll when he appears as "absent sick." The January-February 1863 roll is more explicit stating that Anson was "absent sick since Jan. 2, 1863." He spent the next three months in Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia with chronic diarrhoea. He was discharged just a week before his death; the disability described as "chronic diarrhoea with great emaciation". Evidently, he never left the hospital. His death occurred at 10 p.m. on 31 March 1863. A memorandum states: "Anson Palmer requested his body and effects sent to his brother, David F. Palmer, at Middlebury Centre, Tioga Co. Penna. This was done, by the ward-master of ward 9, A. E. Corey who rec'd the request and instructions."¹⁴
       Anson Palmer enlisted in July 1862, in Harrisburg, PA, as a private, Captain John C. Hammond's Company A, 136th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, to serve nine months.¹⁴ He was discharged from military service on 23 March 1863 Philadelphia, PA.¹⁴
• 6. vii. David F. Palmer, born circa 1818 Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA; married Melissa (--?--); married Mary J. (--?--).
• 7. viii. Phoebe Palmer, born 6 May 1820 Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA; married Horace Pease.
• 8. ix. Abraham Palmer, born circa 1823 Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA; married Mary Reed; married Nancy A. French.
• 9. x. Griffin Palmer, born 2 February 1826 Canton Twp., Bradford Co., PA; married Amy Losey.