Sally's family highly involved in early church history

When Zemira fell in love with and married Sally Knight, he married into a family inextricably tied to the birth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sally's parents, Newel and Lydia, were the first couple married by the prophet Joseph Smith. Newel's family backed Joseph when others wouldn't. Despite the challenges of those early pioneer times, the Knights never faltered in supporting the prophet. Go to www.lds.org and simply type in "Knight" in the search bar on the right hand side of the page and discover how many times the Knight family's example and experiences are recounted for our benefit through the publications of the Church.

(37) Zemira marries Sally Knight in 1851

* * * * *

Now back to Zemira Palmer’s story, much of which was taken from Sarah Collinwood’s book, Descendants of George Palmer and Phebe Draper. Page numbers may be indicated for your convenience in reference.

“While at school in Salt Lake City, Zemira became acquainted with Sally Knight, who was very timid and bashful.  To show his interest in her he wrote an Acrostic (verses which rhyme, and the first letter of each line spells a name).  He had mistaken her first name as Martha, her cousin’s name.  Sally found the note and it worried her because she liked Zemira but was too bashful to inquire for whom the Acrostic was meant.  The mystery was solved much to the amusement of the school, and later Zemira wrote the following Acrostic to Sally–

Success to thee during life,

And may you be some good man’s wife.

Long may you live with plenty blest

Like a fair queen enjoy the best

Young youth and age by friends caressed.    

(Which spelled the name Sally instead of Martha)⁶⁰

“Zemira was a great social leader. He loved to dance the old Reels & Quadrilles, and made a fine figure on the floor, being straight as an arrow and moving with grace and ease.  He wore a mustache which he kept trimmed very neatly” See p. 863 (Sarah Arletta’s history).  “Sally was a young lady from Provo, Utah, with auburn hair, soft brown eyes flecked with yellow, who had a background that was all that a budding young man could desire.”  See p. 447 (Sally’s history).

At age 20, Zemira married Sally on her 15^th birthday, December 1, 1851.  

60- Dec. of G. Palmer & P. Draper, p. 447 - Sally’s acrostic

(38) Sally Knight short history

"Winter Quarters" from http://winterquarters.byu.edu/pages/Other.aspx

Sally was the daughter of Newel Knight and Lydia Goldthwaite of Kirtland, Ohio.  Newel’s parents were Universalists living at Colesville, Broome County, N.Y., who became interested in Joseph Smith’s teachings, Newel having had the first miracle performed on him by the Prophet Joseph.

        Sally went through the struggles of the early pioneers.  Her folks had crossed the plains and were camping near Winter Quarters when the little family was called to suffer a great sorrow by the death of the husband and father.  He had been taken suddenly ill in the night with an acute pain in his side.  Everything was done for him that could be done, but with no relief.  He died and was buried in a rude coffin made from a wagon box.  This left the mother with 6 children, Sally being her oldest, and one more being born seven months after her husband’s passing, making a total of seven.

Sally’s widowed mother felt the task of getting their outfit ready to move the next spring was more than she could do, though her children helped in what ways they could.  They had a struggle to live from day to day, and had to stay on the plains for three years, until they could afford an adequate mode of travel.  They didn’t reach the Salt Lake Valley until October of 1850.  That winter she and her family built an adobe cabin in the Valley.  Sally was 14 at that time. ⁶¹

61- Dec. of G. Palmer & P. Draper, p. 447 - Sally’s background

^{Mormon Monument in Nebraska.}

"A temporary settlement was established in northern Nebraska when a group of saints led by Newell Knight spent the winter with the Ponca tribe near the mouth of the Niobrara River. Knight and some others died during the winter and were buried at Niobrara. The survivors remained with the Poncas through the winter of 1846-47 and then returned to Winter Quarters to prepare for the westward trek." 

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58713/United-States-information-Nebraska.html

For more Knight history see http://www.josephknightfamily.org/history/history.html

For more info on Newel Knight and the temporary settlement near the mouth of the Niobrara River see http://winterquarters.byu.edu/pages/Other.aspx

(39) Zemira and Sally live in Draper, then Provo

According to Geneva Heaton Pace, Zemira’s and Sally’s “first home was a log cabin at Willow Creek (now Draper), Utah.  Being a carpenter, he made the furniture which was crude because a saw and hammer were his only tools.”  (Page 863 Sarah Collinwood’s book.)  Sally, having been reared in a religious atmosphere, was a great strength to her husband, Zemira. 

Zemira and Sally moved from Draper to Provo in 1853, where they lived until 1859 or ’60. Sally gave birth to six children in Provo.  They were: Alma Zemira, born in1853, twins Mary and Martha, born and died 1855, Lydia, born 1856, Phebe, in 1858, and James William, born 1860, totaling four living children.

Zemira's death (Letter written by Sally Knight Palmer to Lovina P. Munro)

Letter written by Sally Knight Palmer, 1st wife of Zemira Palmer, to Zemira's sister, Lovina P. Munro.  Letter provided by Lucile Brubaker. 

Sally Knight Palmer

Capt. Z. Palmer celebrates Pioneer Day

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.