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BOX ONE: Correspondence and Personal Papers 30 Folders
John W. Boyd
Folder 1-1 Correspondence 1854 2 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: A visit by Palmer; reminiscing about mutual friends in Philadelphia.
Isaac Clothier
Folder 1-2 Correspondence 1859 2 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: Personal letters from a Quaker friend; a vacation taken by Clothier.
Friends & Associates of William J. Palmer
Folder 1-3 Correspondence 1852-1859 10 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
FROM: G.R., I.E. Hooper, Charles Elles, Robert Forster, Joshua Jenkins, Patti Kimber, George Edelman, John Yeakley, George Curtis
RE: Purchase of land; job inquiry for William; inquiry about cost of a trip; request for loan payment; reply to a lecture on slavery.
Folder 1-4 Correspondence 1860-1869 15 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
FROM: T.A.S., John Newkumit, Rebecca Boyle, Felix Boyle, A.T. Schnell, Charles Scheide, A. Carnegie, J. Perry, Samuel Wigfall, Mrs. McCreery
RE: Pennsylvania Railroad; reference to new engine; military supply request; itinerary of a trip to Leesburg, request for Army discharge, telegrams, invitation to dine.
Folder 1-5 Correspondence 1870-1908 5 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
FROM: Scott Elliot, Edwin Wattson, Charles Hinchman, Mr. Elm, Louis Scott Elliot
RE: A visit; request for Palmer to run for Governor; inquiry about Palmer’s injury. (6 pieces)
Charles B. Lamborn
Folder 1-6 Correspondence 1859 5 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: A visit by Palmer; a check to Palmer; request for money by Lamborn.
Robert H. Lamborn
Folder 1-7 Correspondence 1855-1881 33 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: Advise on education; trips to Belgium and Rome by Lamborn; studies in Frankfort; request for money; declining a job offer; business in Mexico; poetry. (64 pieces)
William Lower
Folder 1-8 Correspondence 1855-1857 3 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, William Milnes, Thomas Thompson
RE: Personal letters of introduction for Palmer.
Gerald Ralston
Folder 1-9 Correspondence 1855-1865 4 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: Letters of introduction for Palmer; money to Palmer; Palmer’s role in war.
C.P. Bliss
Folder 1-10 Correspondence 1859 1 Item
TO: John Palmer
RE: Payment of loan to John.
Clu Elwiss
Folder 1-11 Correspondence 1918 1 Item
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Reminiscing about visit to Glen Eyrie.
Count Enzenberg
Folder 1-12 Correspondence 1872 3 Items
TO: Unknown
RE: Book and invitation to dine (Letters written in French with English translation). (4 pieces)
George Krause
Folder 1-13 Correspondence 1926-1930 5 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers, Mr. Fisher
RE: Location of Dr. Bell’s portrait; collection of papers to and from Palmer; business relating to Antler’s Hotel, Colorado Springs Company and interest in Edison’s telegraph patent. (10 pieces)
M. H. M.
Folder 1-14 Correspondence 1864-1865 2 Items
TO: Matilda Palmer
RE: Visits with friends; inquiry for accommodations by Matilda Palmer.
Frank MacNeagh
Folder 1-15 Correspondence 1928 1 Item
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Visit by Elsie to North Hampton.
George F. Peabody
Folder 1-16 Correspondence 1926-1931 17 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers, Reverend William Chase, Walter Hinchman, Horton Butchelder, Isaac Clothier
RE: Biography on Palmer; collection of correspondence to and from Palmer; placement of bas relief plaques to honor Palmer. (29 pieces)
Anne Lamborn Polk
Folder 1-17 Correspondence 1929 1 Item
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Renewal of friendship (8 pieces)
W.W. Postlehwaite (Treasurer Colorado College)
Folder 1-18 Correspondence 1936 3 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Arrangements for William J. Palmer’s 100th year birthday celebration; minutes of committee meeting for celebration.
T.H. Smith
Folder 1-19 Correspondence 1906 1 Item
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Thirty-fourth reunion of the Society of Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. (2 pieces)
Frank Trumbell
Folder 1-20 Correspondence 1919 1 Item
TO: Mr. and Mrs. Myers
RE: Mutual friend, Dr. Slocum
Henry Russel Wray
Folder 1-21 Correspondence (no date) 2 Items
TO: George Krause
RE: Reminiscing about Colorado Springs; references to corrections needed on a manuscript. (4 pieces)
Belle Mellen and Horace Clark (Queens’s sister and cousin)
Folder 1-22 Correspondence 1853-1870 2 Items
TO: Charlotte VanCleve from Queen’s Mother, Belle
TO: Queen from Cousin Horace Clark
RE: Request to Queen to visit; visit to the country by Horace.
Chase Mellen
Folder 1-23 Correspondence 1928-1929 9 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers
RE: Negatives of Glen Eyrie; recollections about Palmer; bas relief plaques; information about Mellen’s family. (16 pieces)
Dave _______ (Queen’s Uncle)
Folder 1-24 Correspondence 1864 4 Items
TO: Queen Mellen
RE: Queen’s Washington D.C. trip; admiration for Queen; visit by Queen.
Queen Mellen Palmer (William’s wife)
Folder 1-25 School Papers 1865, admission ticket 4 Items
TO: the Cave of the Winds.
RE: School papers: Essays on American life, women, friendship.
Cousins of William Palmer
Folder 1-26 Correspondence 1856-1867 6 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
FROM: Elizabeth Jackson, M.L. Jackson, Joseph Palmer, D.P. Cowgill
RE: Visit to Dover; commentary on countries increasing inability to deal with criminals; advice on obtaining a job; letter stating war is nothing less than murder.
Jennette Jackson (William’s aunt)
Folder 1-27 Correspondence 1856-1866 8 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer
RE: Concern about Jennette’s financial situation; concern about William’s return home from Europe; commentary on lack of morals in America; difficulty in locating a house. (14 pieces)
Frank Jackson (William’s uncle)
Folder 1-28 Correspondence 1853-1866 11 Items
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: William’s trip to England; comments on control of northern states’ governments; opposition to slavery; business transactions by Frank; suggestion that William resign from army; rebel threat to Washington.
Charles Palmer (William’s brother)
Folder 1-29 Correspondence 1861-1870 17 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer
RE: Disposition of money; illness and complaints about heat; money sent to Matilda; trips to Paris and west; illness, moving to England; list of agents for C. F. Palmer in England. (19 pieces)
Ellen Palmer (William’s sister)
Folder 1-30 Correspondence 1855-1867 12 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer
RE: Ellen’s acceptance as a teacher; Ellen’s stay in Washington; President’s speech on emancipation; references to Ellen’s illness; on-going disagreement with Matilda; stay in Baltimore; distress over arriving at wrong school; illness worse by trip to Colorado. (16 pieces)
BOX TWO Correspondence and Personal Papers 20 Folders
Frank Palmer (William’s brother)
Folder 2-1 Correspondence 1854-1859 15 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer
RE: Money concerns; Frank’s trip to England; William’s trip to England; Ellen’s schooling; an article published by William; new job for Frank; support of railroads; promise to abstain from liquor; stock purchase. (21 pieces)
Frank Palmer (William’s brother)
Folder 2-2 Correspondence 1860-1868 12 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer, Charles Palmer
RE: Closure of railroad route during Civil War; reassuring Matilda about their safe return home; battles with rebels; desire to join William’s unit; handling of William’s and Matilda’s finances; battle near Atlanta; debt to grandmother. (29 pieces)
Marjorie Palmer (William’s daughter)
Folder 2-3 Personal papers – poem 1872 2 Items
Elsie Palmer Myers (William’s daughter)
Folder 2-4 Correspondence 1908 2 Items
TO: Cousins
RE: Thank you for sympathy letter about William’s death. (6 pieces)
John Palmer (William’s father)
Folder 2-5 Correspondence 1855-1862 20 Items
TO: William J. Palmer, Matilda Palmer
RE: Concern For William; fire at uncle’s farm; family business; discussion on mining; various activities of family members; money sent to William in Europe; request William return home; regrets on being poor; lecture on counting ones blessings; disapproval of William in the army; request William resign from military; incomplete letter. (26 pieces)
Folder 2-6 Business papers 1822-1863 11 Items
RE: Payment of room and board for Ellen; extension of loan; loan agreements; purchase of property; poetry copied for John. (14 pieces)
Matilda Palmer (William’s mother)
Folder 2-7 Correspondence 1855-1856 12 Items
TO: Unknown, William J. Palmer
RE: Problems with Ellen; concern and disapproval of William’s friend; trip to Long Island; money and letters sent to William in Europe; good friend Gerald Ralston; William’s interest in mining. (24 pieces)
Matilda Palmer (William’s mother) (heading continued)
Folder 2-8 Correspondence 1857-1869 20 pieces
TO: William J. Palmer, Frank Palmer, Charles Palmer, a friend
RE: Request for visit by William; father’s illness; concern for William’s safety during war; death of William’s father; concern for Frank, alludes to bad companions; worry over Ellen; accepts a visit by one of William’s friends; request William visit at same time Charles and Emma visit; requests money from William; concern over Frank’s enlistment in army. (29 pieces)
Folder 2-9 Correspondence 1869-1881 18 pieces
TO: William J. Palmer
RE: Renting a house; employment for Charles and Frank; trip to Europe; purchase of a house; trouble with Frank; visit by Queen and her father; over drawn at bank; several notes and incomplete letters. (29 pieces)
Genealogy
Folder 2-10 Mellen Family and John Palmer’s Family 2 Items
Biographies About William J. Palmer 4 Items
Folder 2-11 BY: National Cyclopedia of American Biographies; Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania; one of William’s daughters; James T. Duncan.
William Bell 1 Item
Folder 2-12 Outline of proposed biography about William J. Palmer. (2 pieces).
William J. Slocum 1 Item
Folder 2-13 Chapter outline for possible biography about William J. Palmer. (56 pieces)
William J. Palmer
Folder 2-14 Correspondence 1863-1908 10 Items
TO: Unknown, George Peabody, Matilda Palmer, Committee of the Friends, Harrison
RE: Reprinting of Punches Apology about Lincoln’s assassination; note requesting price information; reorganization of cavalry unit; details of battle; justification of his enlistment in army; business matters; information about Ellen and Charles; paying for a friend’s schooling; problems in social club; supports suffrage for Negroes. (17 pieces)
William J. Palmer (heading continues)
Folder 2-15 Correspondence 1881-1903 6 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers, children
RE: Inquiry about school; trip to Utah (three letters); a gift for Elsie; winter at Glen Eyrie and discussion of book sent to Elsie. (32 pieces)
Folder 2-16 Correspondence 1907-1908 20 Items
TO: Elsie Palmer Myers, Leo Myers
RE: Visit by Elsie; Elsie’s financial affairs; payment of trousseau bills and information about William’s health; trip to Paris and Rome; concern over Elsie spending too much money; trip by William; excitement over Elsie’s pregnancy. (59 pieces)
Folder 2-17 Correspondence 1855-1870 9 Items
TO: Queen Mellen (Palmer)
RE: Trip with William’s father; affection for Queen; trip to Long Island and visit with friends; trip to Colorado (four letters); story about White’s journey down Arkansas River; visit by Ellen; postcard. (26 pieces)
Folder 2-18 Correspondence 1872 10 Items
TO: Queen Palmer
RE: Difficulties with business in Mexico; request Queen meet him in Havana; disappointment over Queen’s delayed visit; description of a party attended by William; journal about trip from Havana; hopes of returning home soon. (33 pieces)
Folder 2-19 Correspondence 1873 6 Items
TO: Queen Palmer
RE: Trip to Mexico and illness; a meeting with Don Palacio; business meetings in Mexico; describes beauty of countryside; journal of trip through Mexico. (25 pieces)
Folder 2-20 Correspondence 1881-1882 11 Items
TO: Queen Palmer
RE: Telegrams; inquiry about his daughters; possible trip to Mexico before he visits England; problems in Mexico; trip from Vera Cruz to Galveston; concern over daughter’s health; trip from Liverpool to New York. (25 pieces)
BOX THREE: Correspondence, Notebooks and Business Papers 9 Folders
Condolence Letters
Folder 3-1 Correspondence 1909 6 Items
TO: Dorothy Palmer, Elsie Palmer Myers, Marjorie Palmer
RE: Letters and telegrams offering sympathy for the death of William J. Palmer; memorial service pamphlet.
Notebooks
Folder 3-2
1. Tan mottled paper back diary – Miss Isabella Clark’s compositions at the Cincinnati Institute for young girls dated 1843. (7 ½ x 10)
2. Black leather notebook – William J. Palmer’s private memorandum and account book dated 1861. (2 ½ x 4)
3. Maroon leather notebook – William J. Palmer’s journal of his trip to Sevier Valley, dated 1895. (3 ½ x 6)
4. Black Leather Notebook with metal corners – William J. Palmer’s Christmas list dated 1901. (3 x 5)
5. Tan leather notebook – listing of qualifications of cavalry recruits.
William J. Palmer
Folder 3-3 Business and Personal Papers 1854-1870 14 Items
RE: Purchase of shares in Shoemaker, Miller and Co.; suit measurements; extension of note; debt payment; receipt for goods; agreement for expenses on board a ship; list of names; minutes of Pennsylvania Railroad Co.; cancelled checks; $8.65, $175, $160; passage agreement of Francis Palmer; seed price list. (21 pieces)
Rittenhouse Mansion
Folder 3-4 Brief history and magazine photographs 5 Items of house where William J. Palmer once lived.
Trinchera Ranch
Folder 3-5 Business Papers 1903-1906 18 Items
RE: Amount of acreage of ranch; envelopes used as journal for several days activities; supply list; trip from Durango to Alamosa; notes on total acreage in use; correspondence about development of ranch; problems with mills polluting rivers; building a dam. (38 pieces)
Bronze Tablets Honoring William J. Palmer 3 Items
Folder 3-6 Radio broadcast script from Palmer Hall, Colorado Springs in 1929 honoring William J. Palmer.
Radio broadcast script from Union Depot, Denver in 1929 honoring William J. Palmer.
Transcript of speech by Javier Mejorado in Mexico, dated 1930 honoring William J. Palmer. (46 pieces)
Palmer Memorial Day 1 Item
Folder 3-7 Program for annual Memorial Day celebration dated 1932.
Pamphlets 5 Items
Folder 3-8
1. Coal and Iron Industries in Southern Russia, dated 1880.
2. Bench and Bar of Missouri, dated 1867.
3. State Historical and Natural History Society dated 1920.
4. Chelsea Old Church Memorial Service for Alma Harrison, dated 1939.
5. Newsletter, dated 1919-1920.
Miscellaneous Papers
Folder 3-9 Unknown origins 5 Items
RE: Joseph Hoag’s Vision; prose; incomplete letter; a visit with Palmer. (17 pieces)
BOX FOUR: Maps and Oversized Items 33 Items
Maps
1. Routes of the Union Pacific Railroads with eastern connections. (8 x 19)
1a. Duplicate of Map #1
2. Delaware lands belonging to the Union Pacific Railroad Company, eastern division. (25 ½ x 42)
3. Topographical sketch of the environs of Murfreesboro, Tennessee surveyed in 1863. (19 x 19)
4. Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad routes in January, 1856. (24 x 38)
5. Mineral deposits in Britain, dated 1852-1855. (13 ½ x 16)
6. Route from Manchester to McMinnville, Tennessee, dated June 23, 1863. (20 x 29)
7. South Central Tennessee, vicinity of Decherd, dated July 1863. (15 ½ x 21 ½)
8. Selma, Alabama and vicinity, dated 1864.
9. Mississippi and Alabama showing approaches to Mobile, dated 1863. (24 x 25)
10. Bridgeport Alabama and vicinity, dated 1864. (20 ¾ x 14 ½)
11. Portion of Kentucky, dated December, 1861. (15 x 56)
12. Chattanooga, Tennessee and vicinity, dated July 1863. (22 x 28 ½)
13. Virginia with counties, railroads, and principal towns marked, dated 1858. (27 x 39)
14. Routes through Tennessee. (22 ½ x 25)
15. Dixon Air Line Railroad into Iowa, known in Iowa as the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad. (20 x 27)
16a. Routes of the Dayton and Cincinnati Short Line Railroad. (25 x 18 ½)
16b. Duplicate of Map 16a.
16c. Duplicate of Map #16a.
17. Portions of Missouri and Kentucky, dated January 1, 1862. (13 x 18 ½)
18. Murfreesboro, Tennessee and vicinity. (19 ½ x 30)
19. Topographical sketch of the environs of Nashville, Tennessee dated 1863. (14 x 17)
20. Portions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and Delaware showing railroad and canals connecting the Coal Estate of Donaldson Improvement and Railroad Company with the Atlantic. (19 x 29 ½)
21. Hand drawn, pencil sketch of Stevenson, Alabama, dated 1863. (15 ½ x 9 ½)
22. Great Central Trunk Line between the Atlantic cities and St. Louis, Missouri. (18 x 40 ½)
23. Rome, Georgia and vicinity, dated January 26, 1864. (14 x 12 ½)
24. Geological survey of Tennessee showing mineral and agricultural resources. (23 x 39)
26. Middle and east Tennessee and parts of Alabama and Georgia for use by the armies of the Ohio and Cumberland, dated 1862. (44 x 70 ½)
26. Virginia by Ritchie and Dunnanvant, dated 1858. Black booklet 27 x 38
27. Virginia, dated October 1864. (23 x 35 ½)
28. Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama used by 1st East Tennessee Campaign. (20 x 36)
29. Southern Mississippi and Alabama showing approaches to Mobile and the railroad lines. Blue booklet. (23 ½ x 24 ½)
30. West Tennessee. Booklet. (26 x 40 ½)
31. Chattanooga & approaches, dated Feb. 1864, (27 x 40)