41. CHILIAN¹⁴ PALMER , WAR OF 1812 (MARTIN¹³, MARTIN¹², MARTIN¹¹, MARTIN¹⁰, JOANE⁹ JORDAN, SAMUEL SILAS⁸, ROBERT⁷, THOMAS⁶ JORDAINE, ROBERT II⁵, ROBERT I⁴, ROBERT³, JOHN², THE¹ JORDANS) was born 1764 in Hanover County, Virginia War or 1812, N. Orleans, and died February 1816 in Halifax County, Virginia. He married MARY PETTUS 1779 in Virginia, daughter of JOHN PETTUS and SARAH.

Notes for CHILIAN PALMER , WAR OF 1812:

The History of Halifax (County Virginia),Wirt JohnsonCarrington,statesthat Chillian Pa l m e r was descended from EdwardPalmer, a memberof theVirginia Company who wished to sta r t a u niversity in Virginia.

p. 235, "Chilian Palmer, vestryman of Antrim Parish,Halifaxcounty,Virginia, was a s o n o f M artin Palmer, of CharlotteandHalifaxcounties. This Martin Palmer was a sergean t i n th eRevolutionary war,and was a descendant of the Edward Palmer whoconceivedthe idea of fo und in g a university on Palmer's Island, apicturesque spotin theSusquehanna river. In h i s tra ns cript of theoriginal recordsNielltells us that Edward Palmer, for whom this isla n dwas n am ed, wasadistinguished London virtuoso, who on July the third,sixteenandtwenty-tw o , (Ju l y 3, 1622), received a patent of land fromtheVirginiaCompany. In his will, dated N o vemb e r 22, 1624, he leavesallhis landsand tenements in Virginia and New England, in eve n t of a llissuefailing, to remain for the founding and maintenance ofthisuniversity.He th e n pro v ides that all those who can thereafterprovetheir lawfuldescent from his grandfathe r , Jo h n Palmer, Esq.,ofLeamington, and fromhis grandmother, "being sonnes, shall be free l yadmit ted and brought upin such schools as shall be fit for their ageandlearning, and sha l l be r emoved from time to time as they shallprofit inknowledge andlearning, and furthe r m y wi l l is that theschollers ofsaid universityefor avoyding of Idleness at their houre s o frecr e ationshall have twopaynters, the one oyle cullors and the otherfor watercullors , wh ich s hall be admitted fellowes in the same collegeto the endand intent thatthe said sch olle rs s h all or may learne thearts ofpayntinge, andfurther my will and mind is that two gr inde rs t h eone foroyle cullorsand the other for water cullours and also couleersoyle andbum m e wat e rshall be provided from tyme to tyme at the chargesof thesaid collegebeseeching G o d to a d d a blessing to all these saidintents."

1 AUTH History of Jefferson County Florida, Mary Oakley McRoryandEdithClarke Barrows

1 AGNC published 1935

from History of Jefferson County, Florida

When Richard the Lion-hearted joined with Frederich of GermanyandPhilippeof Franc e i n a C r usade against the infidels of theHolyLand,there was apilgrim by the name of Ralp h i n th e v ast cavalcadeofhuman beings whoso distinguished himself in combat against theSar ace ns, th at the wasknighted upon the battlefield and thus becameentitledtopermanently beart h e pa lm , wear the black mantle embroideredwiththescarlet keys of St.Peter and devote himse l f t o r eligious study,thevisiting of shrines andthe contemplation of holy things.

This knight, known as Sir Ralph the Palmer, bore uponhisshieldthewords "Palmer Vir t u t ute," meaning good of holy palmerandbecametheprogenitor of that Palmer who reached t h e N e w Englandcoast in1620inthe good ship Mayflower, and like his crusader ancestor waskn o w na sapilgrim. Walter was the name of this adventurer inthesailingvesselFortune, follo w e d so on by his wife Ann. OfthesePalmers,presumably Walter was the forefather of the Pal m e r fam ilyinAmerica.In 1758 Martin Thomas Palmer I appeared in Virginia,marriedtwice and b e cam e the father of several children. He was aneighbor andfriend ofthe patriots Patric k H e nr y and John Randolph, allthree ofthem havinghomes near to each other on the banks o f t h e Roanoke River,and in theearly struggle for liberty, they must have beenassociates and c o adjutators. Martin I fought in the Revolutionary Warand becameSergeantPalmer. A son o f h i s l ater wife, by the name ofChilianmarried MaryPettus in 1779 and they were the paren t s o f te nchildren,one of whomwas Martin Palmer II, born in 1787 in Charlotte,Virginia.(t h i s Martin moved to Florida)

History of Halifax County, p. 234-236.

Chillian Palmer had seven sons and three daughters, andthedescendantsofthose traced s h o w m en of talents,distinguishedprofesors,physicians,surgeons and prominent officials thro ug hou t theWouthern andWesternStates.

The will books of this county abound in various Palmerwills,someveryinteresting, givi n g e v idence of wealth and culture.Many ofthemwereRevolutionary soldiers, Elisha, Jeffre y , Tho m as,WilliamandHenryenlisting from this county, and some of themreceivedbountywarran t s f o rtheir services.

They intermarried with the LeGrandsFourqureans,Christians,Hubbards,Hartwells, Pettu s , a n d other prominentfamilies.

Mr. Henry Palmer, a brave disabled old soldier of theWarBetweentheStates, far advan c e d i n his eighties, is now living in apartofthehouse built by his grandfather, a hundre d a n d f iftyyearsago.Though very feeble, almost decrepit, his mentality wasperfectlyclea r a s h e gave us the early history of his family, as far ashe hadrecordedit,back to England.

His long silvery white hair and beard, his smooth creamycomplexionandluminous brown e y e s , that lit up or filled with tears ashetoldthestory of his young life and its disappoin t m e nts by virtue ofthewar,gave him a personality tht was irresistible, for he bore not o n lytheawounds of the enemy, but the wounds of a heart too proudtoofferitself,with its disa b l e d body, to the young woman he loved' andsohelived in the old home, and struggled on a s b e s t he could, forthosewereReconstruction days, when the South was beginning to lear n h o wt olivewithout help and to stand alone with out uttering complaint.Thefrontof th e o l d Pa lmer home has fallen to decay, but the ell,inwhichMr.Henry Palmer lives, is in goo d c o ndit ion considering itsage.It wasonce two stories, a large for that day and generati o n . Som eofthebeautiful cedar trees that once circled the yard, andborderedthedrivew a y t o the m ain road, are still standing, but manybecause oftheirintrinsic value have bee n d isp osed of , thereby addingtotheneglectedappearance of the place. An old lady told us t ha t sh ehad beenentertained there, in days gone by, when the place had averyimposingair an d t ha t man y merry parties of young people, attendingtheall daymeetings at "Hunting Creek " Chu rc h, ha d enjoyed withheritshospitality, but time, the war, the wounded soldier, the n eglec tedacres, among whichwas "God's Acre," tell a tale that needsnointerpreter,and just s o ha s m an y an old Virginia gentleman laiddownhis armms, andfought to a finishthe battles o f hi s i np overishedandruined life. Manypatrimonies in this county have fallen intoalienhan ds , a n d there arethose who know not the history of the homestheyhave bought in whichthey n o w l i ve.The history of the "once upon atime"owners whoseancestry touched the hem of royal t y un d er foreignskies andwonderinghow it happened that the dear old home seat slipped fro m the irpossession, leaving nothing they could claim but a fewgravesovergrownwith briars a n d br o ken tombstones lying prostrate amidthedense tangle.

What remains of the dilapidated home of Dr. Moses Palmer, built morethanahundred year s a g o , is still standing on the roadsidebetweenHalifxandSouth Boston, and sleeping near b y un d e r the wavingcorn aresome ofthe family that revelled in prosperity and enjoyed ife'sl uxu r ies morethan acentury ago. There is always something tragic in anoldhouse,that, lik e d e a d men, "tells no tales." Many of the old homesinthecounty have been destroyed by fir e , a m ong them some of theoldPalmerseats, but it was years before the Revolutionary war , a n d o nsomeofthese sites have been built small, simple homes thatsatisfytheambitions an d k e e p within the means of the owners.

Chillian Palmer, vestrymn of Antrim Parish, HalifaxCounty,Virginia,wasson of Martin Pa l m e r of Charlotte and Halifaxcounties.ThisMartinPalmer was a sergeant in the Revolution a r y w ar, andwasadescendant ofthe Edward Palmer who conceived the idea offoundingauniver s i t y onPalmer's Island, a picturesque spot intheSusquehannariver. In his transcript o f t h e o riginl records Nielltellsus thatEdward Palmer, fo rwhom this island was named, wa s a d istinguishedLondon virtuoso, who on July the third, sixteen andtwenty-two,(July 3,1622) , r e ce ived patent of land from the VirginiaCompany. Inhis will,dated November 22, 1624,h ele a ve s all his land andtenements inVirginiaand New England, in event of all issue filin g , t ore main forthefounding and maintenance of this university, He thenprovides thatallth o s e wh o can therefter prove their lawful descentfrom hisgrandfather,John Palmer, Esq., o f L e amin gton, and from hisgrandmother,"beingsonnes, shall be freely admitted and brough t u p i nsuc h schoolsas shallbe fit for their age and learning, and shall beremoved from tim e t o time as they shall profit inknowledge and learning,and further mywill isthat scholle r s o f sai d universitye for avoydingof Idleness attheirhoures of recreation shall have tw o p ayn ters , theone oyle cullorsandthe other for water cullors,which shall be admittedfello we s i n th esamecollee to the end and intent that the sid schollersshall or maylearnethe ar t s o f pa yntinge and further my will and mindis that twogrindersthe one for oyle cullors a n d th e ot her for watercullours andalsocouleers oyle and gumme watershall be provided fro m t yme to t yme atthecharges of the said college beseeching God to add ablessing to allthese sa i d int ents."

Unfortunately for the youth of the province this ideal plandidnotmaterialize.

Among the worthy descendants of Chillian and Luke Palmer,hisbrother,wereDabney Palme r , w h o married, went to Mobile, Alabama,wherehe amassed alarge fortune. Having no childr e n , h e educatedseveralsorphans, and inhis will he desired most of his slaves manumitted a n d sent North, anddesired that the balance be treated humanely. IsaacPalmer,son ofChilli a n , we nt to Misouri; he married Martha Adams, ofHalifaxcounty,and his daughter married Ju d g e Ryl and, one of Missouri'smosteminentjurists. Dr. Thomas W. Palmer, president of Alab a m a College,his sonnow living in New York, who is attorney for theStandardOilCompany, hav i ng i n charge the legal end of their businessfor SouthAmerica, his workbeing entirely in S p a nis h American law. Dr.ThomasW.Palmer's brother,Dr. R.D. Palmer, is now the presiden t o f t h eFloridaMedicalAssociation, and has been honored with all the positions inthemedic a l tra ternity. These are sons of Stephen Palmer and grandsonsofChillianPalmer of Halifax C o unt y .

Martin Palmer, son of Chillian, settled in Monticello, Florida.Hisson,Martin Palmer , J r . , wrote the Constitution of Florida and wasamemberofthe Secession Convention. Sara h , t h e daughter ofChillianPalmer, Sr.married Rev.-----Chappell, and their grandson, Rev. E .B . Chappell, isthe editor of the Sunday School Magazine of the M.E.Church,South.

Frank Stockton, the eminent writer of Philadelphia, descendedfromMartinPalmer, throu g h h i s son Luke, brother to Chillian Palmer,andWilliamCabell Palmer, mentioned in Lyon G . T yle r ps genealogicalwork,is adescendant of William Palmer, the brother of Chillian.

The Palmers of the Eastern Shore, Maryland and North Carolina,andtheHalifax Virginia P a l m ers, can all be traced back to EdwardPalmerofPalmer's Island.

Boddie, HISTORICAL SOUTHERN FAMILIES, vol, X, p. 104.

Chillion Palmer of Virginia and some of his descendants.

Chillion Palmer, Southside Virginia Planter,Vestryman,miller,andsurveyor, was the s o n o f M artin palmer who died inHalifaxCo.,ca.1798. The exact date he was born is unknow n a n d th eplace ofhisbirthis likewise wrapped in mystery. Although conjectural,itisbelie v e d hew as born in 1754, in King William Co. Theassumptionisbased upon a Deed of Gift fr o m f athe r to son, dulyrecorded inCharlotteCo., an advertisement appearing in the only news p aper i n thecolony atthat time and a list of Tithes taken in 1764.

The deed written February 6, 1775, recites in part----"I, martinpalmerofthe Parish of C o r n wall and County of Charlotte, for andinconsiderationof the love and good will and affec t i o n I have and dobeartowards myson, grant---to the said Chillion Palmer, his heirs and as si gns,forever, ----," etc. The conveying land and slaves to asonordaughterupon arriv i n g o f age or when married was thehabitualpractice of themore affluent, prosperous or thri f t y o f theColonialperiod.

The place of birth is determined on the premise that MartinPalmerwasevidently of movi n g h i s family when he offered, "To beLettthePlantation whereon the Subscriber now livet h i n Ki n gWilliamCounty,very commodious---", etc., in the VIRGINIA GAZETTE of May30,1751; a nd ,a l so, because the lists of Tithes of Lunenvurg County,takenin 1764,reveal that the sai d M ar t in Palmer had been inCornwallParishsufficient time to be paying tax on land and Tith e s . This parishsoonlay in the new formed Charlotte County, cut-off fromLunenburg,1764-65 , t h e deeds of which through 1770, show that thisfamily lived onTwitty'sCreek within the pr o x i mity of present dayDrakes Branch.

Chillion Palmer m. Mary Pettus, the daughter of John Pettus,Sr.,(d.1781)and Sarah, hi s w i f e, (d. 1798), of Lunenburg. The dateofmarriage wasprior to June 12, 1781, when the s a i d J ohn Pettus bydeedof Gift gaveto his son-in-law and daughter 315 acres of land on Litt le Ro anoke Riverin Charlotte County. Here on this estate, where some,ifnot all, of thesev e r a l sons and daughters were born, lived thefamilyfor many years.Chillion continued t o p a y t ax on the 315 acresuntil1804, but in1798,he had purchased and moved to plantatio n wi t h mill onTurnipCreek,adjoining the lands of his brother, Luke Palmer, whohadremoved fr o m C ub Creek in 1793, to this district near the CountyLinebetween Charlotteand Campbell.

In 1809 Chillion again moved his family, this time to HalifaxCountywithinthe Antrim Pa r i s h and to a more opulent plantation with210acreson theDn River and 610 acres on Lawson ' s C r eek. He died atthisplantation onthe Dan River, near the present South Boston, soonaf t er writing his willFebruary 3, 1816. Mary Pettus Palmer outlivedherhusband about sixteen y ea r s. Their children as named in theirfatherswill were: Thomas, Luke,Nancy, Martin, Dab n e y , Stephen, Daniel,Sally,Rebecca, and Isaac Palmer.

The History of Halifax (County Virginia),Wirt Johnson Carrington,statesthat Chillian Pal m e r was descended from Edward Palmer, a memberof theVirginia Company who wished to star t a u n iversity in Virginia.

p. 235, "Chilian Palmer, vestryman of Antrim Parish, Halifaxcounty,Virginia, was a so n o f M artin Palmer, of Charlotte andHalifaxcounties. This Martin Palmer was a sergeant i n th e Revolutionary war,and was a descendant of the Edward Palmer who conceivedthe idea offo und in g a university on Palmer's Island, a picturesque spotin theSusquehanna river. In hi s tra ns cript of the original recordsNielltells us that Edward Palmer, for whom this islan d was n am ed, wasadistinguished London virtuoso, who on July the third, sixteenandtwenty-two , (Ju l y 3, 1622), received a patent of land from theVirginiaCompany. In his will, dated No vemb e r 22, 1624, he leaves allhis landsand tenements in Virginia and New England, in even t of a l lissuefailing, to remain for the founding and maintenance of thisuniversity.He the n pro v ides that all those who can thereafter provetheir lawfuldescent from his grandfather , Jo h n Palmer, Esq., ofLeamington, and fromhis grandmother, "being sonnes, shall be freel y admit ted and brought upin such schools as shall be fit for their age andlearning, and shal l be r emoved from time to time as they shall profit inknowledge andlearning, and further m y wi l l is that the schollers ofsaid universityefor avoyding of Idleness at their houres o f recr e ationshall have twopaynters, the one oyle cullors and the other for watercullors, wh ich s hall be admitted fellowes in the same college to the endand intent thatthe said scholle rs s h all or may learne the arts ofpayntinge, andfurther my will and mind is that two grinde rs t h e one foroyle cullorsand the other for water cullours and also couleers oyle andbumm e wat e rshall be provided from tyme to tyme at the charges of thesaid collegebeseeching Go d to a d d a blessing to all these said intents."

1 AUTH History of Jefferson County Florida, Mary Oakley McRory andEdithClarke Barrows

1 AGNC published 1935

from History of Jefferson County, Florida

When Richard the Lion-hearted joined with Frederich of GermanyandPhilippe of France i n a C r usade against the infidels of theHolyLand,there was a pilgrim by the name of Ralph i n th e v ast cavalcadeofhuman beings who so distinguished himself in combat against theSarace ns, th at the was knighted upon the battlefield and thus becameentitledtopermanently bear th e pa lm , wear the black mantle embroideredwiththescarlet keys of St. Peter and devote himsel f t o r eligious study,thevisiting of shrines and the contemplation of holy things.

This knight, known as Sir Ralph the Palmer, bore upon hisshieldthewords "Palmer Virt u t ute," meaning good of holy palmer andbecametheprogenitor of that Palmer who reached th e N e w England coast in1620inthe good ship Mayflower, and like his crusader ancestor was kno w na sapilgrim. Walter was the name of this adventurer in thesailingvesselFortune, follow e d so on by his wife Ann. Of thesePalmers,presumably Walter was the forefather of the Palm e r fam ily inAmerica.In 1758 Martin Thomas Palmer I appeared in Virginia, marriedtwice andb e cam e the father of several children. He was a neighbor andfriend ofthe patriots Patrick H e nr y and John Randolph, all three ofthem havinghomes near to each other on the banks of t h e Ro anoke River,and in theearly struggle for liberty, they must have been associates andc o adjutators. Martin I fought in the Revolutionary War and becameSergeantPalmer. A son of h i s l ater wife, by the name of Chilianmarried MaryPettus in 1779 and they were the parent s o f te n children,one of whomwas Martin Palmer II, born in 1787 in Charlotte, Virginia.(th i s Martin moved to Florida)

Chillian Palmer had seven sons and three daughters, and thedescendantsofthose traced sh o w m en of talents, distinguishedprofesors,physicians,surgeons and prominent officials throu g hou t theWouthern andWesternStates.

The will books of this county abound in various Palmer wills,someveryinteresting, givin g e v idence of wealth and culture. Many ofthemwereRevolutionary soldiers, Elisha, Jeffrey , Tho m as, WilliamandHenryenlisting from this county, and some of them receivedbountywarrant s f o rtheir services.

They intermarried with the LeGrands Fourqureans,Christians,Hubbards,Hartwells, Pettus , a n d other prominent families.

Mr. Henry Palmer, a brave disabled old soldier of the WarBetweentheStates, far advanc e d i n his eighties, is now living in a partofthehouse built by his grandfather, a hundred a n d f ifty yearsago.Though very feeble, almost decrepit, his mentality was perfectlyclear a s h e gave us the early history of his family, as far as he hadrecordedit,back to England.

His long silvery white hair and beard, his smooth creamy complexionandluminous brown ey e s , that lit up or filled with tears as hetoldthestory of his young life and its disappoint m e nts by virtue of thewar,gave him a personality tht was irresistible, for he bore not on l ytheawounds of the enemy, but the wounds of a heart too proud toofferitself,with its disab l e d body, to the young woman he loved' and sohelived in the old home, and struggled on as b e s t he could, for thosewereReconstruction days, when the South was beginning to learn h o w t olivewithout help and to stand alone with out uttering complaint. Thefrontof the o l d Pa lmer home has fallen to decay, but the ell, inwhichMr.Henry Palmer lives, is in good c o ndit ion considering its age.It wasonce two stories, a large for that day and generatio n . Som e ofthebeautiful cedar trees that once circled the yard, and borderedthedrivewa y t o the m ain road, are still standing, but many because oftheirintrinsic value have been d isp osed of , thereby adding totheneglectedappearance of the place. An old lady told us tha t sh e had beenentertained there, in days gone by, when the place had a veryimposingair and t ha t man y merry parties of young people, attending theall daymeetings at "Hunting Creek" Chu rc h, ha d enjoyed with heritshospitality, but time, the war, the wounded soldier, the neglec te dacres, among whichwas "God's Acre," tell a tale that needs nointerpreter,and just so ha s m an y an old Virginia gentleman laid downhis armms, andfought to a finishthe battles of hi s i np overished andruined life. Manypatrimonies in this county have fallen into alienhands , a n d there arethose who know not the history of the homes theyhave bought in whichthey no w l i ve.The history of the "once upon a time"owners whoseancestry touched the hem of royalt y un d er foreign skies andwonderinghow it happened that the dear old home seat slipped fro m the irpossession, leaving nothing they could claim but a few gravesovergrownwith briars an d br o ken tombstones lying prostrate amid thedense tangle.

What remains of the dilapidated home of Dr. Moses Palmer, built morethana hundred years a g o , is still standing on the roadside betweenHalifxandSouth Boston, and sleeping near by un d e r the waving corn aresome ofthe family that revelled in prosperity and enjoyed ife's luxu r ies morethan acentury ago. There is always something tragic in an oldhouse,that, like d e a d men, "tells no tales." Many of the old homes inthecounty have been destroyed by fire , a m ong them some of the oldPalmerseats, but it was years before the Revolutionary war, a n d o n someofthese sites have been built small, simple homes that satisfytheambitions and k e e p within the means of the owners.

Chillian Palmer, vestrymn of Antrim Parish, Halifax County,Virginia,wasson of Martin Pal m e r of Charlotte and Halifax counties.ThisMartinPalmer was a sergeant in the Revolutiona r y w ar, and wasadescendant ofthe Edward Palmer who conceived the idea of foundingaunivers i t y onPalmer's Island, a picturesque spot in theSusquehannariver. In his transcript of t h e o riginl records Niell tellsus thatEdward Palmer, fo rwhom this island was named, was a d i stinguishedLondon virtuoso, who on July the third, sixteen and twenty-two,(July 3,1622), r e ce ived patent of land from the Virginia Company. Inhis will,dated November 22, 1624,hele a ve s all his land and tenements inVirginiaand New England, in event of all issue filing , t o re main forthefounding and maintenance of this university, He then provides thatalltho s e wh o can therefter prove their lawful descent from hisgrandfather,John Palmer, Esq., of L e amin gton, and from his grandmother,"beingsonnes, shall be freely admitted and brought u p i n suc h schoolsas shallbe fit for their age and learning, and shall be removed from time t o time as they shall profit inknowledge and learning, and further mywill isthat scholler s o f sai d universitye for avoyding of Idleness attheirhoures of recreation shall have two p ayn ters , the one oyle cullorsandthe other for water cullors,which shall be admitted fellowe s i n th esamecollee to the end and intent that the sid schollers shall or maylearnethe art s o f pa yntinge and further my will and mind is that twogrindersthe one for oyle cullors an d th e ot her for water cullours andalsocouleers oyle and gumme watershall be provided from t ym e to t yme atthecharges of the said college beseeching God to add a blessing to allthesesa i d int ents."

Unfortunately for the youth of the province this ideal plan didnotmaterialize.

Among the worthy descendants of Chillian and Luke Palmer, hisbrother,wereDabney Palmer , w h o married, went to Mobile, Alabama, wherehe amassed alarge fortune. Having no childre n , h e educated severalsorphans, and inhis will he desired most of his slaves manumitted a n d sent North, anddesired that the balance be treated humanely. Isaac Palmer,son ofChillia n , we nt to Misouri; he married Martha Adams, of Halifaxcounty,and his daughter married Jud g e Ryl and, one of Missouri's mosteminentjurists. Dr. Thomas W. Palmer, president of Alaba m a Coll ege,his sonnow living in New York, who is attorney for the StandardOilCompany, havi ng i n charge the legal end of their business for SouthAmerica, his workbeing entirely in Sp a nis h American law. Dr. ThomasW.Palmer's brother,Dr. R.D. Palmer, is now the president o f t h e FloridaMedicalAssociation, and has been honored with all the positions in themedica l tra ternity. These are sons of Stephen Palmer and grandsons ofChillianPalmer of Halifax Co unt y .

Martin Palmer, son of Chillian, settled in Monticello, Florida. Hisson,Martin Palmer, J r . , wrote the Constitution of Florida and was amemberofthe Secession Convention. Sarah , t h e daughter of ChillianPalmer, Sr.married Rev.-----Chappell, and their grandson, Rev. E. B . Chappell, isthe editor of the Sunday School Magazine of the M.E. Church,South.

Frank Stockton, the eminent writer of Philadelphia, descended fromMartinPalmer, throug h h i s son Luke, brother to Chillian Palmer, andWilliamCabell Palmer, mentioned in Lyon G. T yle r ps genealogical work,is adescendant of William Palmer, the brother of Chillian.

The Palmers of the Eastern Shore, Maryland and North Carolina, andtheHalifax Virginia Pa l m ers, can all be traced back to Edward PalmerofPalmer's Island.

Chillion Palmer, Southside Virginia Planter, Vestryman,miller,andsurveyor, was the so n o f M artin palmer who died in HalifaxCo.,ca.1798. The exact date he was born is unknown a n d th e place ofhisbirthis likewise wrapped in mystery. Although conjectural, itisbeliev e d hew as born in 1754, in King William Co. The assumptionisbased upon a Deed of Gift fro m f athe r to son, duly recorded inCharlotteCo., an advertisement appearing in the only newsp ape r i n thecolony atthat time and a list of Tithes taken in 1764.

The deed written February 6, 1775, recites in part----"I, martin palmerofthe Parish of Co r n wall and County of Charlotte, for and inconsiderationof the love and good will and affect i o n I have and do beartowards myson, grant---to the said Chillion Palmer, his heirs and ass i gns,forever, ----," etc. The conveying land and slaves to a sonordaughterupon arrivi n g o f age or when married was the habitualpractice of themore affluent, prosperous or thrif t y o f the Colonialperiod.

The place of birth is determined on the premise that Martin Palmerwasevidently of movin g h i s family when he offered, "To be LettthePlantation whereon the Subscriber now liveth i n Ki n g WilliamCounty,very commodious---", etc., in the VIRGINIA GAZETTE of May 30,1751; and ,a l so, because the lists of Tithes of Lunenvurg County, takenin 1764,reveal that the said M ar t in Palmer had been in CornwallParishsufficient time to be paying tax on land and Tithe s . T his parishsoonlay in the new formed Charlotte County, cut-off from Lunenburg,1764-65, t h e deeds of which through 1770, show that this family lived onTwitty'sCreek within the pro x i mity of present day Drakes Branch.

Chillion Palmer m. Mary Pettus, the daughter of John Pettus, Sr.,(d.1781)and Sarah, his w i f e, (d. 1798), of Lunenburg. The date ofmarriage wasprior to June 12, 1781, when the sa i d J ohn Pettus by deedof Gift gaveto his son-in-law and daughter 315 acres of land on Littl e Ro anoke Riverin Charlotte County. Here on this estate, where some, ifnot all, of theseve r a l sons and daughters were born, lived the familyfor many years.Chillion continued to p a y t ax on the 315 acres until1804, but in1798,he had purchased and moved to plantation wi t h mi ll onTurnipCreek,adjoining the lands of his brother, Luke Palmer, who hadremoved fro m C ub Creek in 1793, to this district near the County Linebetween Charlotteand Campbell.

In 1809 Chillion again moved his family, this time to HalifaxCountywithin the Antrim Par i s h and to a more opulent plantation with210acreson the Dn River and 610 acres on Lawson' s C r eek. He died atthisplantation on the Dan River, near the present South Boston, soonaft er writing his will February 3, 1816. Mary Pettus Palmer outlivedherhusband about sixteen ye a r s. Their children as named in theirfatherswill were: Thomas, Luke, Nancy, Martin, Dabn e y , Stephen, Daniel,Sally,Rebecca, and Isaac Palmer.

Notes for MARY PETTUS:

1 AUTH Paid tax on 315 acres until 1804

1 AGNC 1798 moved to plantation with mill on TurnipCreek,adjoiningbrother Luke

Dear Mrs. Ramsey,

Thanks for the additional information in your last message. Inthesecondgeneration o f y o u r pedigree, you have Mary Pettus whomarriedChilianPalmer as the daughter of John Pett u s ( 1 720-1770) andthehusband ofSarah, d. 1797. Based upon my research into the original re cords , I havereached some different conclusions about the identity ofyourJohn Pettus.

John's will was proved in 1781 in Lunenburg County,Virginia--not1770.Sarah's will was p r o v ed in 1797 in Lunenburg, whichagrees withyourpedigree list. John's will mentions his da u g h ter MaryPalmer,andSarah's will mentions Chilian Palmer. Perhaps you had in mindJohnPe t t us of Louisa County, Virginia, who died testate in 1770, butJohn'swillmentions his daug h t e r Mary Waters Pettus. She latermarriedCharlesBlunt or Blount.

Do you have any record of your John's birth, or is 1720 an estimateonyourpart?

Your John Pettus was the son of Stephen Pettus of HanoverCounty,Virginia,and his wif e M a r y [?] Dabney. This statement iswell-supportedbyoriginal records that are still exta n t . I a m includingathoroughanalysis of the evidence in my forthcoming book.

The identity of Stephen Pettus is still something of a puzzle;however,Ibelieve tha t h e w a s one of the grantors in the sale ofthePettusestates in James City County and New K en t Co u nty in 1700.Stephenalsohad a son Dabney, named for Stephen's father-in-law, Capt. G eorg e Dabneyof King William County, Virginia. So far as I am aware,Stephen'sson wasthe fir s t D ab ney Pettus on record in Virginia.

I offer these findings in the hope that they will shed new lightonthesubject of your in i t i al query.

Yours truly,

William W. Pettus IV

1 AUTH Paid tax on 315 acres until 1804

1 AGNC 1798 moved to plantation with mill on Turnip Creek,adjoiningbrother Luke

Children of CHILIAN PALMER and MARY PETTUS are: