The following article appeared in the Deseret News on 8 August 1860. Zemira Palmer is the grandfather of William Zemira Palmer.
Zemira was born in Canada in 1831 to George and Pheobe Palmer. His father died when he was a toddler. His mother moved to Kirtland, remarried to Ebenezer Brown, and when he was 15-years-old, the three of them joined the Mormon Battalion. They were all at Sutter's Mill in California when gold was discovered in the stream there.
Zemira later helped rescue the members of the Willie and Martin Handcart companies, helped defeat Johnson's army, married Sally Knight and helped to establish the United Order in Orderville, Utah. He died 22 Oct. 1880 in Orderville.
2 comments:
Hi, Necia. Where did you see Zemira's name listed as a rescuer of Willie and Martin Handcart Companies? I hadn't heard that before.
Dad had heard it, I found a Z. Palmer listed in the book The Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie & Martin Handcart Story, by Heidi Swinton and Lee Groberg.
Also, I found a history online about Gurnsey Brown, Zemira's half brother that speaks of going with family members to help rescue them.
The following is from www.historyofmormonism.com: "Ephraim Hanks was a man renowned for his skills on the plains. He made the journey across the frontier nearly 60 times during his life. When he heard about the Saints stranded in the severe winter weather in handcart companies, he responded immediately to the call, leaving before the others were prepared to leave Salt Lake. He was far from Salt Lake the night before Brigham Young issued his call for help, but relates his experiences in his own words of how he heard of the situation and what he did to help.
Friday, October 24, 1856, Draper, Utah
In the fall of 1856, I spent considerable of my time fishing in Utah Lake; and in traveling backward and forward between that lake and Salt Lake City. I had occasion to stop once overnight with Gurnsey Brown, in Draper, about nineteen miles south of Salt Lake City. Being somewhat fatigued after the day’s journey, I retired to rest quite early, and while I still lay wide awake in my bed I heard a voice calling me by name, and then saying: “The handcart people are in trouble and you are wanted; will you go and help them?” I turned instinctively in the direction from whence the voice came and beheld an ordinary-sized man in the room. Without hesitation I answered, “Yes, I will go if I am called.” I then turned around to go to sleep, but had laid only a few minutes when the voice called a second time, repeating almost the same words as on the first occasion. My answer was the same as before. This was repeated a third time. When I got up the next morning I says to Brother Brown, “The hand-cart people are in trouble, and I have promised to go out and help them,” but I did not tell him of my experiences during the night. I now hastened to Salt Lake City."
There's more, but I have to find it again. Then I'll post it.
Love, Necia
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