Abraham Palmer, born perhaps 1775 or so, is a 5X great grandfather of my husband’s. He is also one of the most mysterious names in his family tree.

I’ve written about Abraham Palmer when his daughter, Vianna (aka Leinva) married Amos Hamby, pursuing possible connections to Isaac Palmer, to Edward and Drury Palmer, a previous bread crumb trail, Abraham’s FAN club, and, finally, with frustration expressed over the lack of research progress.

Another descendant of Abraham Palmer, through daughter Viana/Levina and Amos Hamby, suggested following two other clues. The first pertained to an Abraham Palmer of Chester County, Pennsylvania who was a Quaker shunned for marrying outside the faith by 1805. This man, I believe, can be eliminated as “my” Abraham Palmer because the 1810 census of Chester County, Pennsylvania includes an Abraham Palmer, aged 26-45 living there with a family.

The second possibility is way more tantalizing. Levina isn’t a rare girl’s name in the early 1800s, but it certainly isn’t terribly common either.

The 1820 census of Lincoln County, Kentucky includes one Levina Palmer, head of household, born no later than 1775, with three females of marriageable age in the home.

Where is Lincoln County in terms of nearness to Christian County, where daughter Viana married? Well, unfortunately, it’s more than 200 miles east of Christian County.

Can Abraham’s and Viana’s absence from the home be explained? Maybe. The Hambys were from the Carolinas and headed west to Kentucky in the early 1800s. Perhaps they met the Palmers along the way, Viana and Amos decided they wanted to get married and the Hambys tried to talk the Palmers into moving with them.

It’s possible that Abraham decided to check out Christian County, taking Viana along knowing that she was getting married.

Yes, it’s a theory – not impossible by any means – but there are no records supporting this idea.

One definite monkey wrench though – If Abraham Palmer who married Polly Parker aka Collins on 17 December 1826 was Viana’s father, did Levina Palmer of Lincoln County, if his first wife, die? What happened to the three females at home in 1820?

Are there further clues to be found about Levina Palmer, or even better about Abraham, in Lincoln County, Kentucky?

A preliminary search was quite disappointing. A quick check of indexes of land deeds, probate, marriages and a look at tax lists show no instances at all of the Palmer surname. So whoever Levina Palmer was, she must not have lived there very long.

Furthermore, there is no Levina Palmer found in anywhere in the 1840 census. The 1850 census has a Lavina Parmer, born c1767, in Virginia at home with a 31 year old (supposed) daughter, Agnes, living in Jessamine County, Kentucky.

Jessamine County is just north of Lincoln County with Garrard County in between the two.

That begs the question – Are Levina Palmer and Lavina Parmer the same woman?

At this point, Levina Palmer is just a BSO – a bright shiny object that caught my attention. However, there are no records to be found for Palmer or Parmer in either Lincoln or Jessamine County that shed more light on this lady.

Oh, well. Abraham Palmer will remain a mystery for a while longer!

RECAP from Part 1: It still continually frustrates me that I cannot find any trace of Abraham Palmer, father of Vianna Palmer who married Amos Hamby in Christian County, Kentucky on 1 January 1822.

It is important to note that Vianna was born in South Carolina, c1805 and that her husband’s family also hailed form South Carolina.

I have uncovered two facts regarding this mysterious Abraham Palmer:

1. He clearly signed his name when he gave permission for Vianna to marry Amos Hamby.
2. One Abraham Palmer married Polly Parker alias Collins on 17 December 1826, also in Christian County, Kentucky.

There is also an Alpheus Palmer living at the same time in Christian County, Kentucky. He married Obedience Cavender, 20 April 1824, died in Christian County in 1874 and apparently had no children with Obedience or his second wife.

Alpheus was born c1794 in Connecticut and migrated probably first to Virginia before heading west to Kentucky. He has no known ties to South Carolina, either.

This mystery has led me down the rabbit hole of identifying the other Palmers who lived in Christian County from 1810-1830, which have fallen into two separate family groups, apparently unrelated, but both of whom came from Virginia.

The second Palmer family, who actually settled in Christian County, Kentucky before Isaac Palmer’s kin was that of Edward Palmer, also from Virginia.

Edward Palmer’s birth year is unknown, but possible c1740 if son Drury was born c1770 and was listed third among the children named in Edward’s 1823 will.

This family appears in the 1810 census of Hopkinsville, Christian, Kentucky as:

Male – 45+
Female – 45+
Male – 16-25
Female – 16-25
Male – 10-15

There are also 17 “others” who would be enslaved persons.

Edward Palmer wrote his will on 23 February 1823 and it was ordered to be recorded in court with John Lander appointed as estate administrator, when all three of Edward’s executors (George Torian and Peter Torian along with widow Esther Palmer) declined to serve.

However, thankfully, his will was recorded as it provides a complete accounting of his immediate family. His wife’s maiden name is said to be Esther Marrow/Morrow.

Given that son Drury predeceased his father (He died no later than January 1823 per court rrecords), but Drury’s heirs are listed third among Edward’s children, it appears the children were named in birth order in their father’s will.

For those interested in images of Edward Palmer’s will, it is recorded in Will Book C:504-505, Christian County, Kentucky and viewable on FamilySearch.

Children:

1. James, born c1766; died after February 1823; he was taxed for 330 acres in 1815, but was gone by 1816.
2. Susanna, born c1768; married Peter Torian, 23 November 1789, Virginia, with James Palmer as bondsman, probably in Halifax County, Virginia
3. Drury, born c1770; died before January 1823, Christian County, Kentucky; married Mary (MNU). His heirs were named (Drury, William, Daniel M., Esther, Catherine, Martha and Harriet) in a lawsuit against the heirs of James McDonald, deceased. (Deed Book Q:596)
4. Ursula, born c1772; married Charles McCarty, 22 January 1793, Halifax County, Virginia, who was apparently widowed by the time of the 1830 census of Christian County. He was aged 60-70, so born 1760-1770 and of an age to be married to Ursula.
5. Martha, born c1780; married George Torian, 22 September 1801, Halifax County, Virginia, who died before the 1830 census when Martha was enumerated as head of household. She was 40-49 years old, so born between 1780-1790. She might have been a second wife, as George Torian married Sally Ragland, 24 November 1794, also in Halifax County, Virginia, unless this was a second George Torian.
6. Mary (Polly), born c1774; married Abner Boyd, 26 January 1795, Halifax County, Virginia; died after February 1823. Her father must have had doubts about her husband and he specifically said her bequest was up to her to use as she saw fit.
7. Elizabeth, who married Mr. McCarty, and had a son, Edward, who was given a bequest in his grandfather’s 1823 will.
8. Arabella, born c1790; died after 23 February 1823; married Samuel Arbuckle, 19 March 1812, Christian County, Kentucky. Her father is named as Edward Palmer.

Here ends the family sketch of Edward Palmer and, once again, I am left with no clues tying this family to my Abraham Palmer. Ugh!

 

It still continually frustrates me that I cannot find any trace of Abraham Palmer, father of Vianna Palmer who married Amos Hamby in Christian County, Kentucky on 1 January 1822.

It is important to note that Vianna was born in South Carolina, c1805 and that her husband’s family also hailed form South Carolina.

I have uncovered two facts regarding this mysterious Abraham Palmer:

1. He clearly signed his name when he gave permission for Vianna to marry Amos Hamby.
2. One Abraham Palmer married Polly Parker alias Collins on 17 December 1826, also in Christian County, Kentucky.

There is also an Alpheus Palmer living at the same time in Christian County, Kentucky; He married Obedience Cavender, 20 April 1824, died in Christian County in 1874 and apparently had no children with Obedience or his second wife.

Alpheus was born c1794 in Connecticut and migrated probably first to Virginia before heading west to Kentucky. He has no known ties to South Carolina, either.

This mystery has led me down the rabbit hole of identifying the other Palmers who lived in Christian County from 1810-1830, which have fallen into two separate family groups, apparently unrelated, but both of whom came from Virginia.

The first Palmer family is that of Isaac Palmer, a Revolutionary War pensioner, who provided a clear outline of his life in his pension application.

Isaac Palmer was born in Northumberland County, Virginia on 1 November 1747. He married Ann McAuley and the family migrated from Northumberland County to Spotsylvania County and then to Woodford, Scott and finally Christian County, Kentucky.

There is no mention of South Carolina in his travels, so it is quite unlikely that he is related to my Abraham Palmer.

Isaac and Ann are said to be the parents of at least seven children:

1. Lewis D., born c1780, Virginia; died c1869, Montgomery County, Illinois; married (2) Ann H. Tutt, 22 March 1814, Woodford County, Kentucky
2. Elihu/Elisha – not sure if this is one man or two. Both names appear in the tax records from 1822-1828 in Christian County, although never in the same year. He is usually listed near Lewis D. and Isaac, but never taxed for any land.
3. ???Thomas – no evidence of any Thomas taxed with the others in Christian County in the 1820s
4. ???Nancy – There is a Nancy who married Robert McClarney on 13 December 1838, but she was born c1816 per later census records and seems more likely to be a grandchild of Isaac, not a daughter.
5. Charles C. – appears on the 1824-1827 tax lists, but owned no land. There is a Charles C. Palmer in the 1830 census of Christian County, Kentucky, born 1770-1780. He was apparently widowed with 3 males 20-29, 1 female 20-29, 1 female 15-19, 2 females 10-14, 1 male 5-9 and one female under 5. No further record and no probate records located.
6. Elizabeth, born c1794; married John Duncan, 19 May 1823, Christian County, Kentucky; bondsman was Lewis D. Palmer
7. ???John – There is no John Palmer taxed in this time period in Christian County, Kentucky, nor are any marriage records found for a John Palmer.

Although Isaac was a Revolutionary War soldier, there is little documentation found about his family. His son, Lewis, has quite a few descendants who joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, including some fairly recent members, so there is apparently sufficient proof that Lewis was a son of Isaac and Ann.

If you are descended from Isaac and Ann Palmer, not through Lewis D., more work needs to be done to complete this family sketch.

However, for my purposes, I have found not a single clue linking Isaac Palmer’s family to Abraham Palmer, father of Vianna (Palmer) Hamby, so I will end here.