Palmer Brothers Civil War Letters
Scope and Contents
This collection contains fifty letters written to family members by Quaker brothers, John, William T., and Edward L. Palmer of Concord Monthly Meeting during their service in the Union army. Letters from John Palmer also describe his post-military service employment in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1864. Edward's letters describe not only army life, but the immediate post-war period in Tennessee, and a related latter from E.C. Mercer, a friend, is also included with Edward's letters.
Dates
- Creation: 1845-1862
Creator
- Palmer family (Family)
- Palmer, John, 1835-1894. (Contributor, Person)
- Palmer, Edward L., 1841-1933. (Contributor, Person)
- Palmer, William T., 1837-1921. (Contributor, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
William W. Palmer (1804-1882), son of John and Beulah Palmer, and Hannah T. Trimble (1807-1884), daughter of William and Mary Trimble, were married under the care of Concord Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) in Delaware County, Pa. William Palmer was a descendent of John and Martha (Southery) Palmer, Quakers who had settled in the area in the 1680s. William and Beulah Palmer owned a farm in Concord Township, Pa. Their sons, birthright Quakers, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
The eldest, John (1835-1894) served in Virginia in 1862-1863 and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1864-1865 for employment. He was a member of Concord Monthly Meeting at his death.
William T. (1837-1921) also served in Maryland and Virginia.
A third son, Edward Livingston Palmer (1841-1933) served 1864-1865, mostly in Tennessee. He was mustered out in June 1865.
A fourth son, Merritt T. Palmer (1845-1928) who was in school during the War is represented in this collection of letters as a recipient.
Edward L. Palmer became a medical doctor and transferred to Fallowfield Monthly Meeting. He married Ellen Marshall in 1872, and they had four children, including Mary Ida Palmer. She married Charles Miller Stabler in 1895 and attended Swarthmore College for one year. Their four children, Eleanor, Cornelia, Sarah, and Charles Norman Stabler graduated from Swarthmore College. The Palmer family was a long-time Delaware County family, connected to many other Quaker lines including Trimble, Darlington, and Stabler.
Extent
0.21 linear ft. (1 box (50 letters))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Palmer brothers belonged to a Quaker family of Concord Monthly Meeting, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Three sons of William W. and Hannah Trimble Palmer, all birthright Quakers, served in the Union Army during the Civil War. This collection contains fifty letters and transcriptions of the same, written to family members by Quaker brothers, John, William T., and Edward L. Palmer during their service in the Union army. Letters from John Palmer also describe his post-military service employment in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1864.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into three series:
- Correspondence from John Palmer
- Correspondence from William T. Palmer
- Correspondence from Edward L. Palmer
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession information
Donor: James B. Stabler, 1995; Accession number: 95-039
The collection was given by James B. Stabler, the son of Sarah Marshall Stabler, Swarthmore College Class of 1922, and a descendent of the Palmer family.
Processing Information
Collection was arranged and stored in a binder by the donor, described as archival sleeves. Removed from binder, original order and sleeves retained, foldered and boxed.
Subject
- Palmer family (Family)
- Title
- Palmer Brothers Civil War Letters, 1845-1862
- Author
- SKM
- Date
- 2001
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
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