Palmer, David Wheeler, 1807-1896.

Bridgewater, Michigan school teacher and farmer.

The David W. Palmer collection, when originally received, was composed largely of the diaries of this Bridgewater Township farmer. Since then, other family papers have been added.

David W. Palmer was born in Connecticut, June 5, 1807. He moved to Lenox, New York in 1810. He was educated at Hamilton College. In October 1836, he came to Michigan and taught in Clinton, Michigan. Although he was a teacher, he also acquired 160 acres of government land to farm. He became active in the local community and when Bridgewater Township was first organized, Palmer became one of its officers and would hold the office of township clerk for thirty-six years, twenty-nine of them being consecutive. He was also justice of the peace nine years.

Emmett Newton Palmer (son of David W. Palmer) was an 1869 graduate of the University of Michigan Dept of Medicine and Surgery. He was a practicing physician in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Fred E. Palmer (son of Emmett N. Palmer) was an 1894 graduate of University of Michigan Dept of Medicine and Surgery. He was house surgeon at the University for two years and assistant to Dr. J. M. Marden for one year. He then established himself in Brooklyn, Michigan in private practice. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Palmer, in May 1898, enlisted in the Thirty-third Michigan Regiment as hospital steward. He went to Cuba with his regiment and after the battle of Aguadores assisted in dressing wounds. He was then stationed at the hospital of Siboney until August, when he was sent to Fortress Monroe, in charge of the first boatload of wounded. Two weeks after landing he was called to Washington and discharged from the Thirty-third regiment by order of the Secretary of War. Surgeon General Sternberg then appointed him acting assistant surgeon to report to Camp Alger. Soon he was transferred to Camp Meade, and then to Summerville, South Carolina, where he remained until April, 1899, when he resigned and returned to his home. On Sept. 9, 1899, he received a telegram from Surgeon-General Sternberg, asking him to go to the Philippines as acting assistant surgeon. He telegraphed his acceptance, and three days later set sail for the Philippines. He arrived at his destination on Nov. 5, and on the 9th was assigned duty at the Santa Mesa hospital, where he remained with the exception of one month, during which time he was lecturer in the hospital of instruction at Manila. Fred Palmer would remain in the military serving until his retirement with disability in 1920.

Louisa Palmer (granddaughter of David W. Palmer) was a teacher and principal for 34 years of Hanahauoli School in Honolulu. She had lived in Hawaii since 1923. She retired in 1957, then she began researching her family's genealogy which resulted in the publication of "The Palmer Letters" based on the letters written by David Wheeler Palmer and other family members.