%eadnotat; ]> 5207pabr Palmer Brothers Civil War Letters, 1862-1845 SKM Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2001 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, May 2002. ENG Palmer Brothers Civil War Letters, 1862-1845 SKM Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2001 Descriptive Summary Civil War Letters, 1862-1845 RG 5/207 Palmer Brothers 50 letters; 1 box; 0.5 linear ft. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399
Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728 For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog 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. BIOGRAPHICAL AND 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.

 SCOPE AND CONTENT

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.

 Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series:

Correspondence from John Palmer Correspondence from William T. Palmer Correspondence from Edward L. Palmer ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

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.

 Access

Collection is open for research.

 Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

 Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], Palmer Brothers Civil War Letters, RG 5/207, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

 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.

 Related Material

See also:

Palmer, John, "Thy affectionate son...": a collection of letters of three brothers / John Palmer, William T. Palmer, and Edward L. Palmer from the 1860's; comp., ed. and pub. by James B. Stabler. [Colorado Springs]: The editor, 1993. FHL BX7796.P1755 A3 1993 Other branches of the Stabler and Palmer families are represented in a number of FHL collections including Eleanor Stabler Clarke Family Papers, RG 5/185; Charles Palmer Family Papers, RG 5/112; Samuel Copeland Palmer Papers, RG 5/114; Edgar Zavitz Palmer Meeting House Research Papers, RG 5/113; and the Stabler Family Papers, RG5/234. See also PA 87, Palmer Family Pictures, and PA 119, Stabler family pictures. SELECTED SEARCH TERMS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings: Researchers are advised to search by subject and author, when applicable.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives. Society of Friends -- History -- 19th century. Society of Friends -- Military service. Palmer family Palmer, John, 1835-1894. Palmer, Edward L., 1841-1933. Palmer, William T., 1837-1921. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below:

 Ser. 1 John Palmer, 1862-1865 Correspondence 1862-1863 1

12 letters to his family, sent mostly from Virginia, near Harper's Ferry, during nine month tour of duty

 Correspondence 1864-1865 1

7 letters to his family, sent from Cincinnati where he moved to find employment

 Ser 2. William T. Palmer, 1862 Correspondence 9-11/1862 1

3 letters to his family, describing service in Harrisburg, Maryland, and Virginia; also includes a letter from E. G. Mercer, friend of Edward Palmer, dated 3/16/1862 from Winchester, VA.

 Ser 3. Edward L. Palmer, 1864-1865 Correspondence 1864-1865 1

17 letters to his family 1864-1865, mostly from Tennessee