Collection temporarily closed
A holding of:
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Starsmore Center for Local History
215 South Tejon Street
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903
Processed by Elissa Arnesen, August 2002
© 2002 The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Starsmore Center for Local History
The Tim Nicholson Collection
S997.97 and S2000.121
Extent: Approx. 7.5 cubic feet
Finding Aid Prepared By: Elissa Arnesen
Provenance: The Museum acquired the collection from Mr.Tim Nicholson of London, England. The first portion of the materials arrived at the Museum in 1997, and the accretion in 2000. Mr. Nicholson is the great-grandson of General William Jackson Palmer and Queen (Mary Lincoln) Mellen Palmer. His mother was the late Elsie Queen (Myers Hamilton) Nicholson, and his maternal grandmother was Elsie (Palmer) Myers, the eldest daughter of General and Mrs. W.J. Palmer.
Arrangement: The materials arrived without original order and have therefore been arranged into topical series and ordered chronologically. The two accessions have been blended to create cohesiveness within the collection.
Copyright: The materials in the collection may be assumed to be copyrighted by the creator of those materials. The museum advises patrons that it is their responsibility to procure from the owner of copyright the permission to reproduce, publish, or exhibit these materials. The owner of the copyright is presumed to be the creator, his or her heirs, legates, or assignees. Patrons must obtain written permission from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History to reproduce, publish, or exhibit these materials. In all cases, the patron agrees to hold the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum harmless and indemnify the museum for any and all claims arising from the use of the reproductions.
Restrictions: The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum reserves the right to examine proofs and captions for accuracy and sensitivity prior to publication with the right to revise, if necessary. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum reserves the right to refuse reproduction of its holdings and to impose such conditions as it may deem advisable in its sole and absolute discretion in the best interests of the museum. Oversized and/or fragile items will be reproduced solely at the discretion of the Archivist.
Credit: Reproduction, publication, or exhibition of this work must include the following credit in proximity to the image or in a special section of credits:
The Tim Nicholson Collection
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Starsmore Center for Local History
Biographical Note: William Jackson Palmer 1836-1909
William Jackson Palmer was born September 17, 1836 to John Palmer and Matilda Jackson in Kent County, Delaware. His mother was a devout Quaker, therefore he was raised as a Quaker until at the age of about 18 when he joined the engineering corps of the Hempfield railroad at work in the Pennsylvania mountains. From there he took his first trip to England in 1855. When he returned to America he joined the Westmoreland Coal Company until he volunteered to join the Union Army in 1861. He served as a Captain until he was taken prisoner by the Confederacy and held at Castle Thunder for nearly a year in Richmond, Virginia. Shortly after his release he was reclassified as a Colonel and continued to serve in the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry until near the end of the Civil War when he was made a General and sent on a mission to capture Jefferson Davis. The mission failed, but the Cavalry put up a good chase.
After the war he got back into the railroad business. In 1869, he was on the Kansas Pacific railroad to survey routes through the Colorado Territory to Denver when he met William Proctor Mellen and his daughter Mary “Queen” Mellen. Shortly thereafter, he started courting Queen and at the same time continued making business connections to further his railroad career. One of these connections was William A. Bell, a young man who started out as a photographer (something he knew nothing about) just to be able to work for the railroads.
On November 7, 1870 William J. Palmer married Mary “Queen” Mellen in Flushing, Long Island, New York. They then went to England for their honeymoon and stayed with the Bell Family. Also in 1870, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was incorporated with capital stock of $2,500,000. The Chairman of the Board of Directors was William P. Mellen (Queen’s father). On their return from England, William J. Palmer became the president of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.
General Palmer had a vision of building a resort town on the frontier. He started buying land at the base of Pikes Peak for around 80 cents an acre and on July 31, 1871 the first stake for the Fountain Colony (one of the original names for Colorado Springs, the other being Little London) was placed at the intersection of Pikes Peak and Cascade Avenue.
1872 was a year of firsts for General Palmer and Queen and for Colorado Springs. On January 1st , the first Colorado Springs Hotel was opened to accommodate the travelers who came to the fledging town. In February the first Glen Eyrie cottage was finished, in April the first railroad made its way to Colorado Springs under the direction of General Palmer, and in October the Palmer’s first daughter, Elsie, was born in New York.
General Palmer continued to shape his ideal town while still keeping his railroad ventures and in 1874, Colorado College was opened, it was built on land that he donated. 1878 brought the Railroad Wars over who got control of the Royal Gorge. It was a long, violent battle, but in 1880 the Denver & Rio Grande railroad won by order of a judge. In October of that year, the Palmer’s second daughter, Dorothy, was born in Colorado Springs and a year later in November, their third daughter, Marjorie, was born in England.
1883 was a hard year for General Palmer. Due to heart problems and her failing health, Queen decided to take the girls to go live in New York, and then she took them to England two years later while General Palmer stayed behind in his developing town. That same year, General Palmer was forced out of the Denver & Rio Grande by some of his rivals within the company. However, he continued on in the railroad business and with the help of the Mexican government, in 1885 he helped create the Mexican National Railway through Mexico.
In 1894, Elsie Palmer returned to America to travel with her father. By this time Colorado Springs was booming, due partly to the discovery of gold in Cripple Creek in 1891, and General Palmer had become fairly wealthy. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Palmer family near Christmas when Queen died at the age of 44 in England. In 1895 the girls came back to Colorado Springs to live with Palmer at Glen Eyrie.
Life at Glen Eyrie picked up once the girls arrived. They helped General Palmer entertain guests and kept him on his toes. General Palmer decided to revamp Glen Eyrie to a design that Queen had come up with before her death. The “honeycomb castle” design was built around the existing cottage while he and the girls traveled around the world.
On October 27, 1906 tragedy struck again when General Palmer, who was an experienced horseman, was thrown from his horse somewhere near the Garden of the Gods. His neck was broken and he was paralyzed. No one thought that he would live but to everyone’s surprise he recovered to an extent and was able to continue his life confined to a wheelchair.
In 1907 the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry was going to hold their reunion back east. Since General Palmer would not be able to attend due to his condition he decided to bring the group to Colorado Springs. By all accounts, it was most likely the best time most of the men had had in a long time.
General Palmer’s eldest daughter, Elsie, married Leo Hamilton Myers at Glen Eyrie in 1908. The family then traveled to England where Marjorie was engaged to marry an Englishman, in June of 1908. General Palmer was transported on a litter because of his inability to move himself. On the way over Marjorie decided that she did not want to marry the Englishman, instead she was in love with and wanted to marry, her father’s young doctor, Henry Charles Watt. Elsie Queen Myers Hamilton, known as EQ was born later that year in England. She was General Palmer’s first grandchild, and the only one he would live to see. Elsie and Leo brought her to Glen Eyrie in early 1909.
On March 13, 1909 at the age of 73, William Jackson Palmer died. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs and eighteen months after his death, Queen’s ashes were interred from a cemetery in England and placed next to General Palmer’s.
William J. Palmer contributed many things to the city of Colorado Springs; most of it was in the form of land gifts. In 1901 he donated the land now known as Palmer Park, he also had roads built through it for easier access. He had trees planted along popular city streets, a road built across the Mesa and a road from Bear Creek to North Cheyenne Canon named Highline Mountain Drive. He also donated the Chamberlain Acres overlooking Helen Hunt’s Seven Falls, made miles of bridle paths and trails through the mountains and donated land for Monument Park, Acacia Park, Alamo Park, and Antlers Park. Land was also donated for institutions such as the public library, Colorado College, Cragmor Sanitarium, and the Deaf and Blind school. Palmer and Dr. William A. Bell gave 10,000 acres at Manitou Park for Colorado’s first School of Forestry. Outside of Colorado Springs, he donated money for a wing at the School of Mining and money to be administered and invested on behalf of the Hampton Institute for Colored Students in Virginia.
Sources:
Bueler, Gladys R. Colorado’s Colorful Characters. Boulder: Pruett Publishing Company, 1981.
Fisher, John. A Builder of the West. Caldwell: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1939.
Sprague, Marshall. Newport in the Rockies. Athens: Swallow Press / Ohio University Press, 1987.
Biographical Note: Mary “Queen” Lincoln (Mellen) Palmer 1850-1894
Mary Lincoln Mellen or “Queen” as her father nicknamed her, was born March 26, 1850 to Isabel and William Proctor Mellen in Prestonburg, Kentucky. Queen was the only child born to Isabel and William and when she was four years old her mother died of “brain fever” at age 25. William Mellen later married Isabel’s sister Ellen Clark who was 22 years his junior and they had six children. When Queen was 16 years old the family moved to Flushing, New York.
The Mellen’s were a prominent family, they gave Queen a good education and she was able to live as a modern woman in the nineteenth century. She was said to have a beautiful singing voice and sang for groups and special events on more than one occasion. She was very close to her father and while she was travelling with him by train in 1869 through the Colorado Territory she met William Jackson Palmer. She was about 20 years old at the time and General Palmer who was 32 took an almost immediate liking to her. Shortly after their first meeting they began a courtship that ended in marriage on November 7, 1870 in Flushing, Long Island, New York.
Queen was used to modern conveniences and a somewhat pampered lifestyle. She was excited however, at the prospect of creating a new frontier town with her new husband. They sailed to England for their honeymoon where they had many friends and acquaintances, upon their return to America, General Palmer was made the president of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He left Queen in New York while he started plans for his frontier town at the base of Pikes Peak. He knew that the current state of the territory was too rough and not yet acceptable for his refined young bride. He promised to send for her when a suitable residence was built. Queen and General Palmer corresponded frequently and discussed their plans for the future and their ideal little town. General Palmer let Queen name many of the streets, rock formations and other natural sites within and around Colorado Springs, and many of them are still named so today.
Queen arrived in Colorado Springs in late October 1871 accompanied by her father, stepmother, and six half brothers and sisters. Since Glen Eyrie was not yet finished they had to live in tents and later in the Manitou Hotel which really was nothing more than a shed. Eventually they moved onto the grounds of Glen Eyrie and stayed in the stable and hayloft. The original Glen Eyrie cottage was built of wood from the Pinery, which later became known as the Black Forest. The later Glen Eyrie was built over the original cottage after Queen’s death. It was made of stone and General Palmer used the “honeycomb design” that Queen created.
To occupy her time, Queen decided to open a school for the children of the fledgling town because she believed that education was very important. She rented a three-room house on Cascade Avenue and taught the children until a proper school could be built. The school was later moved from the rented house to the second floor of the newspaper office, on the northeast corner of Tejon and Colorado. Mrs. Liller, the editor’s wife, took over as teacher, with her salary paid by the Palmer’s.
In February 1872, Glen Eyrie was finished and the Palmer and Mellen families started moving in. Queen accompanied General Palmer on a trip to Mexico in early March of that year and while travelling she discovered that she was pregnant with their first daughter, Elsie. They traveled from Mexico through Cuba and then to Florida and back up to New York where Queen stayed to give birth. Elsie was born October 30, 1872.
Queen came back to Glen Eyrie with baby Elsie in late 1872 or early 1873. The Mellen’s were still living at Glen Eyrie and her stepmother Ellen Mellen had given birth
to a baby around the same time that Elsie was born. The two women raised their babies together on the frontier. That same year, William Proctor Mellen, Queen’s father, died, and General Palmer became a surrogate father to the Mellen children.
Queen enjoyed being the hostess of Glen Eyrie, but when hard times fell on the Palmer’s they could not afford to keep it open and they had to move to a small cottage on Cascade Avenue.
In the summer of 1880 while travelling back from Leadville with her friend Alma Strettell (soon to be Harrison in 1890 when she marries L.A. “Peter” Harrison), Queen suffered her first heart attack, she was only 30 years old. Later that year on October 29, she gave birth to her second daughter, Dorothy, at Glen Eyrie. The next year the family went to England and Marjorie was born on November 12.
In early 1882, General Palmer returned to America leaving his daughters and wife in England. He corresponded with them on a regular basis and kept abreast of how his daughters were growing up. In May he returned to England with his mother, Matilda, and after a stay of several months the entire family returned to Glen Eyrie. That same year, 1883, Queen realized that she could not stay in Colorado due to the thin air and dry climate, which was making her health worse. She decided in 1884 to take the girls and move to New York. After two harsh winters and no improvement she decided to move with the girls to England because of its relatively moderate climate. General Palmer visited his family in England once or twice a year.
Despite Queen’s failing health, she loved to travel. She and General Palmer decided to take a trip to France and Italy in 1889, in March of 1891 Queen and Elsie traveled to Paris together, and in the summer of 1893 Queen and the girls went to Germany and Scotland. Although living in England improved her health in general, she was still very ill and worried that she would die while the girls were still young. She wrote them a letter to read in case of her untimely death and signed it “Motherling”, an affectionate nickname the girls gave to her. She also wrote a letter to General Palmer
begging him to come and live with her and the girls in England, it is not known if she ever sent it or what his response would have been.
Elsie Palmer went to America to visit and travel with her father in 1894. She returned to England in September and as Christmas approached Queen became very ill. She confined herself to her room so the girls would not see how much she suffered and news was sent to General Palmer of his wife’s failing health. He booked passage to England but did not arrive in time. Queen Palmer died on December 28, 1894 at 6 o’clock at the age of 44. She and General Palmer had been married 24 years. Eighteen months after General Palmer’s death in 1909, her ashes were interred from the cemetery in England and moved to Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs and put next to his grave.
Sources:
Black, Celeste. Queen of Glen Eyrie. Colorado Springs: BlackBear Publishing, 1999.
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center For Local History.
Tim Nicholson Collection: Elsie Palmer Diary 1894
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center For Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Palmer, Queen
Biographical Note: Elsie Mellen (Palmer) Myers 1872-1955
Elsie Mellen Palmer was born October 30, 1872 to Queen and William J. Palmer in New York. She was the first of three daughters born to the Palmer’s and was eight years older than her sister, Dorothy, and nine years older than her sister, Marjorie.
Her mother, Queen, discovered that she was pregnant with her while travelling with her husband in Mexico. The party then traveled through Cuba to Florida and then up the east coast to New York where she was born.
Shortly after her birth, Queen and baby Elsie came back to Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs. Her father, William Palmer, was the president of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and was in the process of creating a fledging frontier town at the base of Pikes Peak. She grew up in Colorado Springs with Queen’s half brothers and sisters (Elsie’s aunts & uncles) who her father was a surrogate father to after the death of William Proctor Mellen (Queen’s father and Elsie’s grandfather).
In 1880, her sister, Dorothy, was born at Glen Eyrie. Shortly after, the family traveled to England where her sister, Marjorie, was born the next year. General Palmer left his wife and girls in England for awhile and corresponded with them on a regular basis by telegraph and mail. He returned in 1883 with his mother, (Elsie’s grandmother) Matilda, and after a stay of several months they returned to America and to Glen Eyrie.
Unfortunately, her mother’s health was not good, and the thin air and dry climate of Colorado was making it worse. In 1884, Queen moved her daughters to New York, but after two harsh winters with no improvement they moved to England where the
climate was relatively moderate. Queen and the girls stayed in England for ten years, and General Palmer came to visit his wife and daughters once or twice a year.
In 1891, when Elsie was 19 years old, she went to Paris with her mother on what was most likely a shopping trip. Then in 1894, she went to America to visit and travel with her father. They traveled by railroad in General Palmer’s private car named the Nomad. When she returned to England in September of that year, her mother’s health had started to fail. By Christmas, Queen had confined herself to her room so her daughters would not see her suffering. Elsie wrote her little notes to keep her updated while she was in her confinement. When Queen died on December 28, 1894, Elsie wrote in her diary: Mother died ? six o’clock ? beautiful morning. Sunrise ? Dos ? Marge ? Fred ? Alma, Nelly & Peter. Over to Sax ? Peter ? Dr. Bell ? Grandmother ? Mand.
The girls returned to Glen Eyrie in 1895 to live with their father. Elsie looked after her younger sisters and the three girls took over the entertaining duties for the guests that came to visit. In 1906, tragedy struck the family again when her father was thrown from his horse and suffered a broken neck at the age of 70. No one expected him to live, but he pulled though and lived for another 3 years, confined to a wheelchair.
Elsie married Leopold Hamilton Myers, who was a writer, at Glen Eyrie on January 20, 1908. The newlyweds then went to England where their first daughter, Elsie Queen “EQ” Myers Hamilton, was born on November 4, 1908. Elsie and Leo brought her back to Glen Eyrie in early 1909 so that William Palmer could see his first grandchild. She was the only grandchild he would get to meet, he died on March 13, 1909.
The Myers family moved to England where their second daughter, Eveleen Myers Hamilton, was born in 1910, she was named after Leo’s mother Eveleen (Tennant).
Accounts given by EQ and Eve are that their parents had a somewhat stormy marriage, but despite that, both girls always felt loved and cared for, especially by their mother.
Tragedy struck the Myers family in 1944 when Leo Myers committed suicide. Elsie (Palmer) Myers outlived her husband by 11 years, she died on September 17, 1955 in England at the age of 83.
Sources:
Black, Celeste. Queen of Glen Eyrie. Colorado Springs: BlackBear Publishing, 1999.
Creed, Louisa. Memories of EQ and Eve. York: Creede, 1994.
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Tim Nicholson Collection: Elsie Palmer Diary 1894
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Palmer, Elsie (Myers)
Biographical Note: Dorothy Palmer 1880-1961
Dorothy Palmer was born October 29, 1880 to Queen and William J Palmer in Colorado Springs. She was the second of three daughters born to the Palmer’s and was eight years younger than her sister, Elsie, and one year older than her sister, Marjorie.
Shortly before Dorothy’s birth, Queen suffered her first heart attack. This was the first indication of her health problems that would plague her until her death at the age of 44. Dorothy lived at Glen Eyrie for less than a year before the family went to England where her sister, Marjorie, was born the next November. General Palmer left his wife and girls in England for awhile and corresponded with them on a regular basis. He returned in 1883 with his mother, (Dorothy’s grandmother) Matilda, and after a stay of several months they returned to America and to Glen Eyrie.
Unfortunately, her mother’s health was not good, and the thin air and dry climate of Colorado was making it worse. In 1884, Queen moved her daughters to New York, but after two harsh winters with no improvement, they moved to England where the climate was relatively moderate. Queen and the girls stayed in England for ten years, and General Palmer came to visit his wife and daughters once or twice a year.
By Christmas 1894, Queen had confined herself to her room so her daughters would not see her suffering, she died on December 28.
The girls returned to Glen Eyrie in 1895 to live with their father. Dorothy and Marjorie were looked after by their older sister, Elsie, and the three girls took over the entertaining duties for the guests that came to visit.
In 1906, tragedy struck the family again when her father was thrown from his horse and suffered a broken neck at the age of 70. No one expected him to live, but he pulled though and lived for another 3 years, confined to a wheelchair.
After her father died on March 13, 1909, Dorothy decided to go back to England where she lived for the rest of her life.
Dorothy never married, but various photographs and written materials show that she had a very close relationship with a painter named Lawrence Alexander Harrison who went by the name Peter. Unfortunately for her, Peter Harrison was married to an
writer named Alma (Strettell) who was a friend of her mother’s. Dorothy, Peter, Alma, and a number of their friends, including the painter, John Singer Sargent, traveled all over the world together.
Dorothy was fairly well known throughout England for her charity work and monetary donations to the needy, the World Federation was her greatest love.
Dorothy Palmer died on September 9, 1961 in England at the age of 81. She was the last living member of William J. Palmer’s immediate family.
Sources:
Black, Celeste. Queen of Glen Eyrie. Colorado Springs: BlackBear Publishing, 1999.
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Palmer, Dorothy
Biographical Note: Marjorie (Palmer) Watt 1881-1925
Marjorie Palmer was born November 12, 1881 to Queen and William J. Palmer in England. She was the youngest of three daughters born to the Palmer’s.
Shortly before her sister Dorothy’s birth, Queen suffered her first heart attack. This was the first indication of her health problems that would plague her until her death at the age of 44. Marjorie spent most of her childhood in England, she visited Glen Eyrie briefly when she was a toddler, but her mother’s health continued to worsen in the thin air and dry climate of Colorado.
In 1884, Queen moved her daughters to New York, but after two harsh winters with no improvement, they moved to England where the climate was relatively moderate. Queen and the girls stayed in England for ten years, and General Palmer came to visit his wife and daughters once or twice a year.
By Christmas 1894, Queen had confined herself to her room so her daughters would not see her suffering, she died on December 28.
The girls returned to Glen Eyrie in 1895 to live with their father. Their older sister, Elsie looked after Dorothy and Marjorie, and the three girls took over the entertaining duties for the guests that came to visit.
In 1906, tragedy struck the family again when her father was thrown from his horse and suffered a broken neck at the age of 70. No one expected him to live, but he pulled though and lived for another 3 years, confined to a wheelchair.
Marjorie was engaged to marry an Englishman, and in June of 1908 she traveled to England with her sister and her father who was transported on a litter because of his inability to move himself. On the way over she decided that she did not want to marry the Englishman, instead she was in love with and wanted to marry, her father’s young doctor, Henry Charles Watt. General Palmer died on March 13, 1909 shortly after they returned to Glen Eyrie, he did not get to see his youngest daughter’s wedding.
On September 24, 1909 Marjorie and Dr. Henry Watt were married. They lived in a house at 1801 Culebra Avenue in Colorado Springs. Although the Watt’s never had any children of their own, after Henry died at the age of 45 on December 1, 1917, Marjorie turned the house into a nutrition camp for undernourished children. The camp was credited with helping over 80 children get the health and nutrition they needed. Marjorie was also a great supporter of the Sunnyrest Sanatorium
Marjorie had always had very fragile health like her mother. She eventually went back to England where she died on December 27, 1925 of tuberculosis at the age of 44. Coincidentally, her mother, Queen, also died at the age of 44 in England on December 28, 1894, 31 years earlier.
Sources:
Black, Celeste. Queen of Glen Eyrie. Colorado Springs: BlackBear Publishing, 1999.
Fisher, John. A Builder of the West. Caldwell: The Caxton Printers, 1939.
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Ormes Index: March 23, 1872 ? December 31, 1929
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Palmer, Dorothy
Biographical Note: Lawrence “Peter” Alexander Harrison 1866-1937
Lawrence Alexander Harrison, known to his friends as Peter, was born October 23, 1866. He married Alma Strettell, a writer and close friend of Queen Palmer’s, on December 18, 1890 and also became a close family friend of the Palmer’s.
By many accounts, Peter had very frail health and was plagued with sickness and fatigue his whole life. He was a fairly well known painter in his time, and he and his wife socialized in the art and literature circles in America and London. He also instructed Elsie, Dorothy and Marjorie Palmer in the arts, and had a very close relationship with Elsie after her mother’s death in 1894 and developed a very close relationship with Dorothy when she was a teenager. Both girls moved to England after their father’s death in 1909 where many family friends and relatives, including the Harrison’s, lived.
Elsie married Leo Hamilton Myers in 1908, but continued corresponding with Peter. Dorothy never married, it has been speculated this is because Peter was the love of her life. Various photographs and written materials show that Dorothy, Peter, Alma, and a number of their friends, including the painter, John Singer Sargent, socialized and traveled all over the world together.
Peter continued his correspondence with Dorothy and Elsie until his death on March 17, 1937 in England at the age of 70.
Sources:
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Tim Nicholson Collection: Box 2 (IV)E:14 ? (IV)E:21
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Harrison, L.A.
Biographical Note: Dorothy Comyns Carr 1878-1918
Dorothy Catherine Comyns Carr was born in 1878 in England to Joseph William and Alice Laura Vansittart Comyns Carr. The Comyns Carr family was fairly prominent in England.
Dorothy’s father was a well-known writer and critic and her mother was an artist, Dorothy also became an artist. She was the niece of Alma (Strettell) and Peter Harrison and through them she met and became friends with Dorothy Palmer.
When she was 24, she came to America with Dorothy Palmer and spent 9 months at Glen Eyrie during 1902-1903. Her diary is included in the collection and notes many of the interesting daily happenings at Glen Eyrie as well as giving insight into the personality of General Palmer. She returned to England in 1903 and remained a family friend until she committed suicide (drowned herself in a pond while she was temporarily insane) on May 10, 1918 in Turvey, Bedford, England at the age of 40.
Sources:
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Tim Nicholson Collection: Box 4 (V)A:4
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Starsmore Center for Local History.
Vertical File Collection: Comyns Carr, Dorothy
Chronology of the Palmer Family and Early Colorado Springs
1836 ? William Jackson Palmer born in Kent County, Delaware.
1850 ? Mary “Queen” Lincoln Mellen born in Prestonburg, Kentucky.
1853 ? William joined the Engineering Corps of the Hempfield Railroad at work in the Pennsylvania mountains.
1855 ? William’s first trip to England.
1856 ? William joined the Westmoreland Coal Company, under James Magee.
1858 ? William served as secretary to the President of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
1861 ? William joined the Union Army as a volunteer, and served as a Captain.
1862 ? William taken prisoner and held at Castle Thunder in Richmond, Virginia, under the aka John Peters.
1863 ? William is released from Castle Thunder and promoted to Colonel.
1865 ? William is promoted to General and sent to capture Jefferson Davis. When the mission was over (unsuccessfully) returned to the railroad business with Union Pacific.
1866 ? Mellen family moves to Flushing, New York.
1869 ? William Palmer met William Proctor Mellen and his daughter Queen on the Union Pacific railroad while scouting the Colorado Territory.
1870 ? Mary “Queen” Mellen and William Palmer married in Flushing, Long Island, New York, and then honeymoon in England.
1871 ? Queen and William return from England and William is made president of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. First stake for the Fountain Colony is placed and first school is opened by Queen.
1872 ? Colorado Springs Hotel opened, Glen Eyrie finished, Liller’s Out West first edition, First railroad in Colorado Springs is finished, Queen and William travel to Mexico, and Elsie Palmer born in New York.
1873 ? William Proctor Mellen dies and William Palmer becomes a surrogate father to the Mellen Children.
1874 ? Colorado College opens.
1878 ? Railroad Wars over the rights to the Royal Gorge.
1880 ? Denver & Rio Grande wins the rights to the Royal Gorge by order of a judge, Queen suffers her first heart attack, and Dorothy Palmer born in Colorado Springs.
1881 ? Palmer family travels to England, and Marjorie Palmer is born.
1883 ? William is forced out of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad, and assumes leadership of the Rio Grande Western, Queen decides to take the girls and go to New York due to her health.
1884 ? Queen and the girls move to New York and live at the Dakota Hotel.
1885 ? Mexican National Railway is created by William and the Mexican Government, Queen and the girls return to Glen Eyrie for 4 months.
1886 ? Queen and the girls move to England.
1887 ? Queen and the girls move to Igtham Mote in England.
1889 ? William and Queen travel to Italy and France with Alma Strettell, William then travels to Switzerland with Elsie, Elsie sits for John Singer Sargent portrait.
1890 ? Queen and the girls move from Igtham Mote to Blackdown and then to Oak Cottage.
1891 ? Gold is discovered in Cripple Creek, Queen and Elsie travel to Paris, William sells the Rio Grande Western to the Denver & Rio Grande.
1892 ? Queen and the girls move to Losely Park in England.
1893 ? The Palmer family travels to Scotland and Germany, Queen and the girls move back to Oak Cottage.
1894 ? Elsie returns to America to visit and travel with her father in the Nomad, Queen dies at the age of 44.
1895 ? Girls go back to America to live with William at Glen Eyrie.
1901 ? William donates lots of land to Colorado Springs, including Palmer Park.
1906 ? William is thrown from his horse and is paralyzed.
1907 ? William brings the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry to Colorado Springs for a reunion.
1908 ? Elsie marries Leo Hamilton Myers at Glen Eyrie, they went to England and Elsie Queen “EQ” Myers Hamilton is born, William travels to England for Marjorie’s wedding to an Englishman. (it was called off by Marjorie upon arrival)
1909 ? Elsie brings EQ to Glen Eyrie so William can see his first grandchild, William dies at the age of 73, Marjorie marries Dr. Henry Watt.
1910 ? Eveleen Myers Hamilton is born in England.
1911 ? Queen’s ashes interred from a cemetery in England and placed next to William’s grave in Colorado Springs.
1917 ? Dr. Henry Watt dies at the age of 45 (in Colorado Springs?)
1925 ? Marjorie (Palmer) Watt dies in England of tuberculosis at the age of 44.
1931 ? EQ Myers Hamilton marries Christopher “Kit” David George Nicholson.
1933 ? Approx. year that Eve Myers Hamilton marries Eric “Ricco” Clarke.
1936 ? Jane Nicholson is born to EQ and Christopher in London.
1937 ? Louisa Nicholson is born to EQ and Christopher in London (probably), and Laura Clarke is born to Eve and Eric.
1939 ? James Clarke is born to Eve and Eric.
1940 ? Timothy William Nicholson is born to EQ and Christopher.
1944 ? Leo Hamilton Myers commits suicide.
1948 ? Kit Nicholson is killed in a gliding accident.
1955 ? Elsie (Palmer) Myers dies in England at the age of 83
1961 ? Dorothy Palmer dies in England at the age of 81.
1982 ? Eric “Ricco” Clarke dies of cancer.
1991 ? Laura (Clarke) Kane dies of cancer at the age of 54.
1992 ? EQ (Myers Hamilton) Nicholson dies at the age of 83 in England.
1993 ? Eve (Myers Hamilton) Clarke dies at the age of 83 in England.
Series Description
I. Books
A. Belonging to William J. Palmer
B. Belonging to Queen Palmer
C. Belonging to Elsie (Palmer) Myers
D. Belonging to others
E. No inscriptions
I. Photographs
A. William Jackson Palmer Family
B. Leo Myers Family
C. Henry Watt Family
D. Relatives & Friends
E. Travel
I. Ephemera
A. Printed Items
B. Handmade Items
C. Other Items
I. Correspondence
A. William J. Palmer
B. Queen (Mellen) Palmer
C. Dorothy Palmer
D. Marjorie (Palmer) Watt
E. Elsie (Palmer) Myers
F. Other Correspondence
I. Handwritten Bound Materials
A. Diaries
B. Common Place Books
I. Albums
A. Photographs
B. Printed
C. Written
I. Oversized
A. Photographs
B. Albums
Scope Note: The Tim Nicholson Collection consists of materials related to the William J. Palmer Family and its descendants. Tim Nicholson is the son of Elsie Queen “EQ” (Myers Hamilton) Nicholson, who was the daughter of Elsie Mellen (Palmer) Myers. Elsie (Palmer) Myers was the first born daughter of Queen (Mellen) and William J. Palmer. William was one of the founders of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The collection consists of materials that belonged to the Palmer family. Books, photographs, albums, correspondence, diaries, ephemera, and scrapbooks, depicting and relating to the family circa 1870 to the mid-1950s.
The bulk of the collection focuses on the Palmer daughters just before, and after the death of their parents. The collection has been divided into seven series to reflect the content and materials involved.
Contents:
I. Books
Scope note: This series consists of books owned and most likely read by the Palmer family at Glen Eyrie. Many are inscribed on the inside cover, most of them belonged to William & Queen Palmer and Elsie (Palmer) Myers. The dates the books were published range from the 1850s to the 1920s.
A. Belonging to William J. Palmer Shelf BC4
(I)A:1 The Iliad of Homer Rendered into English Blank Verse by Edward Earl of Derby, Vol. I, n.d.
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1880 Glen Eyrie
(I)A:2 The Iliad of Homer Rendered into English Blank Verse by Edward Earl of Derby, Vol. II, n.d.
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1880 Glen Eyrie
(I)A:3 The Mystery of Edwin Drood The Works of Charles Dickens, 1880
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1880 Glen Eyrie
(I)A:4 Bleak House The Works of Charles Dickens, 1880
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1880 Glen Eyrie Nicholson Shaftsbury House
(I)A:5 Our Mutual Friend The Works of Charles Dickens, 1878
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1880 Glen Eyrie
(I)A:6 Essays, Classical by F.W.H. Myers, 1853
Inscription: Wm. Palmer Glen Eyrie 1883
(I)A:7 The Meaning of Good-a Dialogue by G. Lowes Dickinson, 1906
Inscription: Wm. Palmer 1906
(I)A:8 The Gentle Art of Making Enemies by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903
Inscription: Wm. P London 1890
(I)A:9 The Story of “Primitive” Man by Edward Clodd, 1901
Inscription: Wm. J. Palmer from Jas. K. Caird Glen Eyrie Oct. 21/ 1903
(I)A:10 The Swiss Family Robinson, n.d.
Inscription: William J. Palmer N.W. Cor of ?
(I)A:11 Saxon’s Everybody’s Bible Dictionary, n.d.
Inscription: Wm. J. Palmer Glen Eyrie 1903
(I)A:12 The Ideals of the Republic or Great Words From Great Americans, n.d.
Inscription: Wm. J. Palmer Glen Eyrie Colorado May/98
(I)A:13 The Poems of George Herbert by Ernest Rhys (prefatory notice), 1885
Inscription: Dear Papa, with much love & a merry Xmas from Elsie & Marjorie
B. Belonging to Queen Palmer
(I)B:14 Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt, translated into English by Francis
Hueffer, Vol. I, 1841-1853, 1888
Inscription: To Queen M. Palmer from Fred Jameson Xmas 1880
(I)B:15 The Marquis of Lossie by George Macdonald, 1879
Inscription: Q.M.. Palmer
(I)B:16 The Gamekeeper at Home by Richard Jeffries, 1889
Inscription: Q M. Palmer Black Down House 1890 June
(I)B:17 A Gentleman of France by Stanley J. Weyman, 1894
Inscription: Queen Palmer Oak Cottage Aug. 1894
(I)B:18 Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth by George Meredith, 1883
Inscription: QMP Loseley April 1892
(I)B:19 Ballads and Poems of Tragic Life by George Meredith, 1887
Inscription: QMP Loseley April 1893
(I)B:20 Key to the Genera and Species of British Mosses, no author, n.d.
Inscription: QMP
(I)B:21 A Reading of Earth by George Meredith, 1888
Inscription: QMP Loseley April 1893
(I)B:22 The Camelot Series, The Story of the Volsungs, translated by H. Halliday
Sparling, 1888
Inscription: QMP Nov. 1889
(I)B:23 Essays Modern by F.W.H. Myers, 1883
Inscription: Q M Palmer Glen Eyrie 1883
(I)B:24 Phantastes, A Faerie Romance for Men and Women by George Macdonald, n.d.
Inscription: Q.M. Palmer
(I)B:25 German, Flemish and Dutch Painting by H.J. Wilmot Buxton and Edward J. Poynter, 1881
Inscription: Q.M.P. from F-J with but birthday wishes March 26th 1889
(I)B:26 American Actor Series, Charles Albert Fechter by Kate Field, 1882
Inscription: QM. Palmer Glen Eyrie 1883
(I)B:27 My Religion by Leo Tolstoi, 1885
Inscription: Q.M. Palmer
(I)B:28 The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1862
Inscription: QM. Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:29 The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1876
Inscription: QM Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:30 The Marble Faun or the Romance of Montebeni by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Vol. II, 1879
Inscription: QM Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:31 The Tale of Chloe: An Episode in the History of Beau Beamish by George Meredith, 1890
Inscription: Q.M.P.
(I)B:32 True Words for Brave Men by Charles Kingsley, 1881
Inscription: For dear Queen in memory of a brave man with his wife’s true love (signed by author?) April 1-1882
(I)B:33 Obermann par George Sand, 1874
Inscription: Q.M.P. 26 March 1879 (9 lines of inscription in French)
(I)B:34 American Men of Letters, Henry D. Thoreau by F.B. Sanborn, 1883
Inscription: QM Palmer Glen Eyrie 1883
(I)B:35 Ivan Ilyitch and Other Stories by Count Lyof N. Tolstoi, translated from the
Russian by Nathan Haskell Dole, 1889
Inscription: QMP Black Down 1890
(I)B:36 Astrophel and Other Poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne, 1874
Inscription: QMP Oct. 1894
(I)B:37 A Century of Roundels and Other Poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne, 1883
Inscription: Q.M.P. Dec. 1884
(I)B:38 The Child, Its Nature and Relations; an Elucidation of Froebel’s Principals of
Education by Matilda H. Kriege, 1872
Inscription: Queen M. Palmer Glen Eyrie Colorado March 4-73
(I)B:39 A Midsummer Holiday and Other Poems by Algernon Charles Swinburne
Inscription: QMP 1884
(I)B:40 Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1879
Inscription: Q M Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:41 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1879
Inscription: Q M Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:42 Mosses Brom the Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1876
Inscription: Q M Palmer Glen Eyrie 1880
(I)B:43 The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, 1868
Inscription: Q M Palmer Glen Eyrie 1879
(I)B:44 The Holy Bible, 1855
Inscription: Mary L. Mellen, from her father & Majs, 1857
C. Belonging to Elsie (Palmer) Myers
(I)C:45 The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith, Vol. I, 1895
Inscription: To Elsie Palmer with much love from her friend Fred Jameson Xmas 1895
(I)C:46 The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith, Vol. II, 1895
(I)C:47 The Letters of John Keats edited by H. Buxton Forman, 1895
Inscription: To dear Els from N- 24 Sept. 97
(I)C:48 Chinese Stories for Boys and Girls and Chinese Wisdom for Old and Young,
edited and translated by Arthur E. Moule, B.D., MDCCCLXXX (1880?)
Inscription: Elsie Palmer Glen Eyrie Aug. 1882
(I)C:49 Coloured Vade-Mecum to the Alpine Flora by L. Schroter and Prof. Dr. C. Schroter, 1904
Inscription: E. M. from Cess July 1912
(I)C:50 Tristan and Isolde, opera by Richard Wagner, translated by Frederick Jameson, 1886
Inscription: To Elsie Palmer from her friend Fred Jameson Feb. 14 1889
(I)C:51 The King of the Golden River or the Black Brothers by John Ruskin, M.A., 1882
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Joseph Parrish Glen Eyrie 1883
(I)C:52 Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, 1898
Inscription: To Elsie Palmer from her friend Fred Jameson Munich 28th July 1898 26th July 1899
(I)C:53 Poems of Emile Verhaeren, selected and rendered into English by Alma trettell, 1899
Inscription: To Elsie her “friend’s daughter”-from Alma. March/99
(I)C:54 Wood and Garden by Gertrude Jekyll, 1899
Inscription: Elsie from Alma Xmas/99
(I)C:55 The Research Magnificent by H.G. Wells, 1915
Inscription: To Elsie with love from Dos Oct. 30-1915
(I)C:56 The Bond of Music, an Anthology, edited by Duncan and August Macdougall, 1908
Inscription: Happy New Year 1908 from Aunt Sara for dearest Elsie
(I)C:57 Poems in Prose by Ivan Tourgueneff, 1857
Inscription: To Elsie Palmer ? My dearest friend from ? Katherine Dunham
with every wish of love for Christmas 1889
(I)C:58 Poems, The Empty Purse with Odes to the Comic Spirit to Youth in Memory and
Verses by George Meredith, 1892
Inscription: To our dear poetess Elsie from her brother in the craft Boyem
(I)C:59 Swarthmore Lecture, Science and the Unseen World by Arthur Stanley
Eddington, 1929
Inscription: Elsie Myers from Cess 1932
(I)C:60 Stories from the Greek Tragedians by the Rev. Alfred J. Church, 1881
Inscription: Elsie Palmer Glen Eyrie 1882
(I)C:61 Essays in London and Elsewhere by Henry James, 1893
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Papa ? Glen Eyrie 1898
(I)C:62 Diana of the Crossways by George Meredith Vol. I, 1891
Inscription: To our beloved Elsie on her second entry into the north ? George M.
(I)C:63 The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith, Vol. I, 1895
Inscription: Elsie Palmer with dearest love from her friend Katherine Dunham Glen Eyrie Nov. 1895
(I)C:64 The Mirror of Truth and Other Marvelous Histories by Eugenie Hamerton, 1875
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Mother Newport July 1884
(I)C:65 In Memoriam by A.H.H., 1885
Inscription: My Elsie from Motherling Xmas 1885
(I)C:66 Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Gotterdammerung, Aus der Trilogie: Der Ring des Nibelungen, operas von Richard Wagner, 1876
Inscription: Elsie Palmer
(I)C:67 The Life and Achievements of Don Quixote de Cervantes Saavedra by Motteux, mcmjj (1902?)
Inscription: Elsie Palmer Glen Eyrie Madrid June 26 1904
(I)C:68 Malory’s History of King Arthur and the Quest of the Holy Grail, edited by Earnest Rhys, 1886
Inscription: To dear Elsa from her friend Alice Carr Oct. 30th 1887
(I)C:69 The Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck, translated by Alfred Sutro, 1901
Inscription: Dearest Elsa from Dos Oct 30-1907
(I)C:70 Tales of Ancient Greece by the Rev. G. W. Cox, M.A., 1877
Inscription: Elsa Palmer Glen Eyrie Aug. 1882
(I)C:71 English Men of Letters, John Ruskin by Frederick Harrison, 1902
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from the Writer Elm Hill 18 Nov. 1902
(I)C:72 The Poetical Works of Wordsworth, n.d.
Inscription: Elsa Palmer with best love from Nellie Jameson 30th Oct. 1888
(I)C:73 Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1878
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from her Papa on her sixth birthday New York Oct. 30, of ’78
(I)C:74 Sea ? Music edited by Mrs. William Sharp, 1887
Inscription: To Elsa Palmer with best love and sincere wishes for a happy birthday from Phil
Carr Oct. 30 1887
(I)C:75 The Illustrated Birthday Text Book with quotations from Shakespeare, 1830
Inscription: Elsa Palmer on her birthday London Oct. 30th 1879
(I)C:76 The Lucy Books: Rollo’s Cousin Lucy by Abbott, 1841
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:77 The Lucy Books: Cousin Lucy’s Conversations by Abbott, 1841
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:78 The Lucy Books: Cousin Lucy Among the Mountains by Abbott, 1842
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:79 The Lucy Books: Cousin Lucy on the Sea-Shore by Abbott, 1842
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:80 The Lucy Books: Cousin Lucy at Play by Abbott, 1841
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:81 The Lucy Books: Cousin Lucy at Study by Abbott, 1841
Inscription: Elsie Palmer from Grandmother Christmas 1879
(I)C:82 Essayes of Montaigne, Vol. II, 1891
Inscription: Elsie from N.R. 3 Feb. 94
(I)C:83 Essayes of Montaigne, Vol.III, 1891
Inscription: Elsie from N.R. 3 Feb. 94
(I)C:84 Two Stories by EMP by Elsie Mellen Palmer, 1883
(I)C:85 History & Letters with Timeline by Elsie Mellen (Palmer) Myers, 1928
D. Belonging to Others
(I)D:86 Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs, set to music by J.W. Elliott, 1910
Inscription: For all the dear babies of the Myers Family from their loving Tante Glen Eyrie
April 1910
(I)D:87 Proverbs in Porcelain by Austin Dobson, 1893
Inscription: Peter from Queen Xmas 1893
(I)D:88 Some Eminent Victorians by J. Comyns Carr, 1908
Inscription: From ? Comyns Carr to acknowledge
(I)D:89 J. Comyns Carr, Stray Memories by His Wife, 1920
Inscription: ? J. Comyns Carr
(I)D:90 The Poetical Works of Mrs. Hemans, Vol. II, 1832
Inscription: Matilda J. Palmer
E. No Inscriptions
(I)E:91 The Renewal of Youth and Other Poems by Frederic W.H. Myers, 1882
(I)E:92 Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt, Vol. II, 1854-1861, translated into English
by Francis Hueffer, 1888
(I)E:93 The Greek Heroes or Greek Fairy Tales by Charles Kingsley, 1882
(I)E:94 Child Life: A Collection of Poems, edited by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1871
II Photographs
Scope note: This series consists of photographs (mostly black and white) depicting the William J. Palmer family, the Myers family, the Watt family, the Harrison family, and friends and relatives within each group. Also depicted are animals, architecture, travel, transportation and landscapes. The dates the photographs were taken range from the late 1800s to the 1940s.
A. William Jackson Palmer Family
Box 1
(II)A:1 William Jackson Palmer: Black & white photographs depict General Palmer in the garden at Glen Eyrie, in a Union uniform, in a cloak and hat, as a young man in San Francisco, on a bench at Glen Eyrie, with dogs, on a horse, and aiming a gun at a stuffed cat. Also includes numerous portraits of Palmer at various ages.
(II)A:2 Mary “Queen” Lincoln (Mellen) Palmer: Black & white photographs depict Queen posing on a couch, portraits of her in her thirties in Paris & London, of she & Marjorie at “The Dakota” in April 1886, and one of her lying in a hole along the side of the road.
(II)A:3 Palmer Family: Black & white photographs depict Elsie & Dorothy as small children, Marjorie & Dorothy as teenagers, the three girls as teens, and one of Elsie on a bicycle with Dorothy and Marjorie standing on either side of her. Also includes pictures of the girls with Queen and Tante, of General Palmer with Dorothy as a child, and with Elsie and baby EQ right after she was born.
(II)A:4 Dorothy Palmer: Black & white photographs depict Dorothy with EQ along the side of the road, sitting on a stone fence with General Palmer, sitting on the side of a boxing ring, portraits done in 1883 & 1886, a picture of her sitting in a chair when she’s older, as a baby with Tante, sitting on the stairs with a cap on, numerous photographs pertaining to the summer of 1925, and an unfinished painting with Dorothy as the subject.
(II)A:5 Dorothy Palmer & Friends: Black & white photographs depict Peter Harrison, Muriel Gore and Dos, the Harrison brothers with Dorothy in a swimming pool, Dorothy and Peter Harrison on a bridge, and the Harrison brothers with Mr. Ward and Dos sitting on the grass.
B. Leo Myers Family
(II)B:6 Elsie (Palmer) Myers: Black & white photographs depict a painting by John Singer Sargent of Elsie, Elsie as a child lying on the floor, as a teenager, and as a mother with EQ.
(II)B:7 Myers Family: Black & white photographs depict EQ & Eve camping, sitting with their nannies, EQ as a baby and toddler, Leo & Elsie, Elsie with EQ, EQ & Eve on lawn with dog, Eve & Elsie together, Elsie & Eve playing the piano, in the garden, skiing, on horses, at the beach, travelling and sledding. Also depicts Elsie & Leo with a group of unidentified women and Leo on a camel.
C. Henry Watt Family
(II)C:8 Marjorie (Palmer) Watt: Black & white photographs depict Marjorie as a child, with dogs, on horse, in bed at Glen Eyrie, with Queen at “the Dakota” April 1886, with Dr. Watt, a painting and a sketch possibly by John Singer Sargent and/or Peter Harrison, sitting on a porch, in front of a cabin, on a stone bench at Glen Eyrie, in a wheel chair, in the garden at Glen Eyrie, and painting on a canvas.
(II)C:9 Watt Family: Black & white photographs depict the Watt’s house at 1801 Culebra Ave. in Colorado Springs, CO, Dr. Watt and Cecile Jacobeit at the house, and Marjorie and Dr. Watt in front of a house.
(II)C:10 Nutrition Camp: Black & white photographs depict the children, nurses, and facilities at the camp. Includes a photocopied pamphlet about the camp and mounted photographs by Laura Gilpin.
D. Relatives & Friends
(II)D:11 Family: Black & white photographs depict Dos & Marjorie with family at Cedar Villa in 1884, Peter Harrison and Henry Watt, Elsie with William Palmer and EQ as a baby at Glen Eyrie, Frederick Harrison, Dr. Watt, Peter Harrison, Marjorie, Dos & children. Also depicts Eve (Hartnee?) with William, Marjorie, Elsie, Dorothy and Peter Harrison. Also contains a folder with photographs of Marjorie, Meg & Baba, and Evelyn Jameson sitting on her father’s (Fred Jameson) lap.
(II)D:12 Friends: Black & white photographs depict Cecile Jacobeit, Haus, Anne & Augusta in 1939, Tante, Coley, Peter Harrison & Mr. Ward, Meg & Sylvia, Eve (Hartnee?), Harold Roller, John Singer Sargent, Milo, Florence, Kaffee Tundtdren, 1916 Euorch, Children 1916, Loch Hourne 1916, Lainey, Peter Harrison & Frederick Harrison 1922, Mickie 1913, Jwendrich, Else Harvey, Fred Jameson, Alma Haas 1888, Lilly Solly, J.E. Kingsley 1875, and Rowena Pearce & her children.
(II)D:13 Friends (Unidentified): Black & white photographs depict various unidentified men, women and children.
(II)D:14 Harrison Family: Black & white photographs depict the Harrison brothers with various friends and family members. Includes pictures of Coley, Mel, Sylvia, Baha, Alma Harrison, Dorothy Palmer, Dr. Watt and Mr. (Nelson?) Ward. Also includes a few framed photographs of Peter and Frederick Harrison.
E. Travel
(II)E:15 Transportation: Black & white photographs depict cars, a plane (1936), and photographs taken from a plane.
(II)E:16 Travel: Black & white photographs depict Venice 1926, the Woods 1916, Loch Hourne 1916, McCrea’s House, Scotland 1926, Coley, Dos, the Harrison brothers, Gottlieben am Untersee, Switzerland, Sierra Blanco, Burro Park, Valley of the Sangre di Cristo and Peter Harrison’s travels.
(II)E:17 Architecture: Black & white photographs depict The Green Dragon camp, Twyford Lodge, Yellow Wing 1917, a broken windmill, Baker cabin, Blue Mt. Cabin, Winchell cabin and numerous unidentified structures.
(II)E:18 Palmer Family Photo Album: Black & white photocopies depict the family at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs. Copied from a photograph album that was returned to the family.
(II)E:19 Glen Eyrie: Black & white photographs depict interior, exterior, and surrounding area.
(II)E:20 Landscapes: Black & white photographs depict Pikes Peak from Palmer Park taken by Laura Gilpin and Ute Creek, Indian Creek, La Vega Creek, unidentified horizons, mountains, trees, clouds, water, cliffs, piers, and beaches.
(II)E:21 Animals: Black & white photographs depict a horse named Rose, dogs at Glen Eyrie, and at the Hound House in England.
(II)E:22 Scrapbook Pages: Black & white photographs depict events dated 1897-1906. Includes photographs of Sutton, Bromley, Ireland, Glen Eyrie,
Frederick Harrison, Mr. (Nelson?) Ward, and many unidentified men & women.
(II)E:23 Ranches: Black & white photographs depict the swimming pool, house, nannies and a boxing ring at Wagon Wheel Gap. Also includes photographs of the McCarthy Ranch, Bailey Ranch, and La Vega Ranch.
(II)E:24 Mr. Steele’s Camp: Black & white photographs depict landscapes, interior, Steele family, and cabin.
III Ephemera
Scope note: This series consists of various items that pertain to the Palmer family and its descendants. Most of the items were not created by the family, but were saved for various reasons and now tell part of the history of the family. The dates are hard to determine on most of the items.
A. Printed Items
(III)A:25 Family Keepsakes: Contains 4 prayer cards found in Queen’s bible, a small paper angel with a tree, Christmas card, postcard of a creature at the British Museum “Great Galago”, a calendar page from June 26, a blank Western Union Telegram, and a bookmark.
(III)A:26 Postcards: Hand colored lithographs depicting: Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cliff Dwellings / Phantom Canyon, Cog Railway at Pikes Peak, Antlers Hotel, Corley Mountain Highway, Cheyenne Mt., and black & white postcards depicting: the summit of Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds and the Manitou Auto Road.
(III)A:27 Newspaper Clippings: Contains an article in Spanish about Kit Carson by William J. Palmer (1870), a book review with a note to Elsie Palmer from William J. Palmer, and a history cartoon titled “First Families of the West” about the Palmer Family.
B. Handmade Items
(III)B:28 Family Keepsakes: Contains a cross stitched “Queen” marker and a cross stitched cross and grave, a note from Loseley Park about Judgement and Reform, found in Queen’s book on religion. Also includes profiles of faces drawn in black ink and a handwritten note.
(III)B:29 Map: Hand drawn map of Colorado by William J. Palmer.
C. Other Items
(III)C:30 Negatives: Peter Harrison, Palmer daughters, family in England, William J. Palmer, an unidentified girl on a swing, Dr. Watt & Cecile Jacobeit at the Nutrition Camp, Cecile Jacobeit in window and on bench at the Nutrition Camp, and unidentified women.
(III)C:31 Envelopes: Contained photographs when donated and some are sleeves returned when the family developed film. Most are hand titled with information about time frame, people and places. Includes an envelope that once contained a compass carried by William J. Palmer on his journey across America addressed to his great grandson Timmy Nicholson.
(III)C:32 Misc. Items: Blue, pleated, fabric sample, an envelope with hair in it found in Queen’s bible (probably belonged to her mother), dark blue monogrammed folder that probably belong to Marjorie Palmer.
IV Correspondence
Scope note: This series consists of correspondence pertaining to the Palmer Family and a few family friends. Most of the documents are dated between 1869 and 1936. Also included is a series of letters that L.A. “Peter” Harrison wrote to Elsie (Palmer) Myers and a memorandum program pertaining to his death.
A. William J. Palmer
Box 2
(IV)A:1 From William J. Palmer: August 24, 1905 to his daughters.
(IV)A:2 To William J. Palmer from Queen (Mellen) Palmer: October 18, 1870, September 26, ?, and various calling cards.
(IV)A:3 To William J. Palmer: From Susie E. Blow dated October 21, 1869.
B. Queen (Mellen) Palmer
(IV)B:4 From Queen (Mellen) Palmer to daughters: Ightham Mote, Ivy Hatch, Seven Oakes Kent, and Xmas 1888 to Elsie.
(IV)B:5 To Queen (Mellen) Palmer from William J. Palmer: 10 letters dated 1869, one dated April 10, 1893 and various calling cards.
(IV)B:6 Telegrams to Queen (Mellen) Palmer from William J. Palmer: 7 telegrams dated 1869, and 2 dated 1870.
(IV)B:7 To Queen (Mellen) Palmer from Henry James: 15 letters dated from 1887 to 1893.
(IV)B:8 To Queen (Mellen) Palmer: Letters from Margie & A.C. (August 10, 1860); J.C. Reiff (August 13, 1870); 3 from George Meredith (December 4, 1886; June 9, 1888 & June 9, 1890); 3 from John Singer Sargent (1890 and 2 n.d.), and one postcard announcing the arrival of Miss Marie E. Meredith.
C. Dorothy Palmer
(IV)C:9 From Dorothy Palmer: 6 letters to Elsie Palmer dated 1891, October 30, 1895, December 6, 1895, Xmas 1895, Xmas 1897, and July 31, 1904. Includes one letter to Marjorie Palmer dated November 29, 1902.
D. Marjorie (Palmer) Watt
(IV)D:10 From Marjorie (Palmer) Watt: To Elsie Palmer 1895.
E. Elsie (Palmer) Myers
Box 3
(IV)E:1 From Elsie Palmer: Xmas 1894 to Queen Palmer, “The Mote” to Queen, and to William J. Palmer (n.d.).
(IV)E:2 To Elsie Palmer from William J. Palmer: Dated December 30, 1883; February 2, 1891; May 25, 1891; February 2, 1892; April 17, 1892; one from Queen & William and 3 postcards from Greece.
(IV)E:3 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers: Letters from: Katie (June 19, 1898); Tante (February 5, 1890); Beefsteak Club / (J. Comyns?) Carr (approx. 1896); Emily Sargent (March 15, 1895); Moody (February 22, 1899); Harold Roller (September 9, 1894); P.W. Steer (n.d.); Josiah Crink (n.d.); Lucy Anne Harrison (November 1, 1893); George A. Krause (February 16, 1929); 6 from John Singer Sargent (December 24, 1891, January 2, 1895, October 31, and three cards n.d.); 3 from Fred Jameson (n.d.); 1 from Peter Harrison (n.d.); note from Peter & Alma Harrison (n.d.), and 5 from Alma (Strettell) Harrison (most dated 1887, one dated 1898 and a few n.d.).
(IV)E:4 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (1892-1895): 3 letters (1892), 1 (1894), 3 (1895), and 3 (n.d.).
(IV)E:5 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (Oct.-Nov. 1903): 28 letters dated October and November 1903.
(IV)E:6 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (Dec. 1903): 20 letters dated December 1903.
(IV)E:7 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (Jan.-Feb. 1904): Letters dated January and February 1904.
(IV)E:8 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (Mar.-Apr. 1904): Letters dated March and April 1904.
(IV)E:9 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (May 1904): Letters dated May 1904.
(IV)E:10 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (June-July 1904): Letters dated June and July 1904.
(IV)E:11 To Elsie (Palmer) Myers from L.A. “Peter” Harrison (1909-1937): 1 letter (1909), 2 (1910), 1 (1919), 1 (1934), 2 (1935), 3 (1936), 1 (n.d.), and 1 Memoriam program for Lawrence “Peter” A. Harrison 1866-1937.
F. Other Correspondence
Box 4
(IV)F:1 To L.A. “Peter” Harrison: Letters from Elsie (Palmer) Myers with June 4th & 5th but no date; Henry Tonk (November 13, 1903).
(IV)F:2 To Hamilton Aide: Letters from Mary Cholmondeley (December 11); Robert Hichens (circa 1900); Henry Irving (1905); and Henry James (October 9, 1905).
(IV)F:3 From Dorothy Comyns Carr: 1 letter dated September 1, 1897, and 3 poetry/letters to Dorothy Palmer with no date.
(IV)F:4 Misc. Correspondence: Letter to Tante from Mrs. Max Heinrich dated December 29, 1908, and from William E. Arlington to the “Misses” Palmers dated October 14, 1907.
V. Handwritten Bound Materials
Scope note: This series consists of diaries and common place books kept by Queen (Mellen) Palmer, her daughters and a friend of the family’s named Dorothy Comyns Carr. The diaries detail daily life and occurrences while the common place books serve as a place for poetry and other writings.
A. Diaries
(V)A:5 Dorothy Comyns Carr Diary (transcribed): Contains 2 typed copies of Dorothy Comyns Carr’s diary (1902-1903), and 1 set of photocopies of the original diary.
(V)A:6 Queen (Mellen) Palmer Diary: Contains 1 set of photocopies of the original diary dated 1889.
Box 5
(V)A:1 Elsie Mellen Palmer Diary 1889-1890: Starts on July 31, 1889 and talks about traveling through Europe, her dog Leo, the Mote, Dorothy Palmer’s birthday (October 29), her birthday (October 30), Tante’s birthday (November 3), what she’s reading, and then a gap until January 3, 1890 where she talks of Madame Haas her piano teacher and leaving the Mote. The diary ends on November 26.
(V)A:2 Elsie Mellen Palmer Diary 1890-1892: Programs and foreign newspapers tucked inside front cover. Diary starts in November of 1890 and talks of the John Singer Sargent portrait that he is painting of her, Alma (Strettell) & Peter Harrison’s wedding (December 18, 1890), what she’s reading, shows and concerts that she went to, her trip to Paris with Queen Palmer, and her trip to Germany. Also includes a story about John Singer Sargent burning his hands, and the move from the cottage to Loseley. The diary ends on December 4, 1892, the last day in Paris. There is a letter that is very vague tucked inside the book. Half of the diary is blank.
(V)A:3 Elsie Mellen Palmer Diary 1894: Starts on January 17 in London while she’s preparing for her trip to America. It details her journey across America with her father on the Nomad. It also gives dates of Queen Palmer’s birthday (March 26), Marjorie Palmer’s birthday (November 12), tells of what she’s reading at the time, her thoughts on Glen Eyrie and Colorado Springs, meeting prominent families in Colorado Springs and all over America such as the Jackson family, the Gilpins, McClurgs, Carnegies, and Vanderbuilts. Also includes details of her mother’s trips to London, and the time she practices playing her instrument. There are gaps in the diary in November and December. Entry on December 28 reads: Mother died-six o’clock-beautiful morning. Sunrise-Dos-Marge-Fred-Alma-Avery & Peter. Over to Sax-Peter-Dr. Bell-Grandmother-Mand.
Includes a list of supplies for America written in the back, also includes a Christmas list for friends and family in America, the Continent and in England. Following that is a short financial record, which includes her income from her allowance.
(V)A:4 Elsie Mellen Palmer Diary 1895: Talks of tobogganing in England, and how she is coping with her mother’s death by talking to Fred, Peter, Alma, Dos and Papa. Spending some resting time in her mother’s bedroom, messages from friends, preparing to go live at Glen Eyrie with her father and sisters, travelling to Colorado on the Nomad, the appearance of Queen Palmer’s watch sent to Elsie at Glen Eyrie from England with no explanation as to where it was found or who sent it, the weather, what she’s reading, how much she’s practicing her instrument, reminiscing on Queen’s birthday, and “Goodnight Ladies”. There are gaps through most of September and October, except on October 23, it’s marked “Peter’s Day”. The diary stops after November 5.
(V)A:5 Elsie Mellen Palmer Diary 1896: Empty until February 14 when Elsie & her father traveled to New York. Diary is sparse at the end of February and quite a bit through March. Includes Fred’s birthday (February 15), mention of travel back to Glen Eyrie and starting off again for California, Eve’s birthday (May 27), and what she’s reading. June through November is sparse until the entry: Where shall we be? on November 18, and then diary is blank until the end.
Box 6
(V)A:1 Queen (Mellen) Palmer Diary 1889: Diary of Mary “Queen” Lincoln (Mellen) Palmer kept during 1889. Talks of daily life, travel, and occurrences of the time.
(V)A:2 Marjorie Palmer Diary 1893: Diary of Marjorie Palmer kept during 1893 when she was 13 years old. Talks of daily life, travel, and occurrences of the time.
(V)A:3 Dorothy Palmer Diary 1893: Diary of Dorothy Palmer kept during 1893 when she was 14 years old. Talks of daily life, travel, and occurrences of the time.
(V)A:4 Dorothy Comyns Carr Diary 1902-1903: Diary of Dorothy Comyns Carr kept during 1902 and 1903 when she was about 24 years old. She kept the journal while visiting the Palmer’s at Glen Eyrie. She talks of daily life and the differences between Colorado Springs and England, travel with the Palmer’s (mostly William & Dorothy), and occurrences of the time. She also includes stories of people she met and her impressions of them. One story of note is when Artus and Anne Van Briggle came to Glen Eyrie to visit with the Palmer’s and Peter Harrison who Artus Van Briggle knew from studying with in Paris.
B. Common Place Books
Box 7
(V)B:1 Elsie Mellen Palmer Common Place Book: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches, dried flowers and plants, hair, telegrams and notes. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
(V)B:2 Elsie Mellen Palmer Common Place Book: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches, dried flowers and plants, telegrams and notes. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
(V)B:3 Elsie Mellen Palmer Common Place Book: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches, dried flowers and plants, telegrams and notes. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
Box 8
(V)B:1 Queen Mellen Common Place Book 1866: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
(V)B:2 Dorothy Palmer Common Place Book 1896-1899: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches, dried flowers and plants. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
(V)B:3 Dorothy Palmer Common Place Book 1899-1930: Contains poems, famous writings and speeches, dried flowers and notes. Book was most likely used to practice writing and develop writing skills and punctuation.
VI Albums
Scope note: This series consists of photograph albums depicting the William J. Palmer family, the Myers family, the Watt family, the Harrison family, and friends and relatives within each group. Also depicted are animals, architecture, travel, transportation and landscapes. The dates the photographs were taken range from the late 1800s to the 1950s. It also contains a Victorian scrap album, a notebook that belonged to Elsie (Palmer) Myers, a handwritten book titled The Laws of Shebang, and the Glen Eyrie Guest Book (1898-1906).
A. Photographs
Box 9
(VI)A:1 Black Photo Album / 1925-1927: Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Merri Hale, Swan Walk, Tewherder, Feuterdon, Moor, the Mote, Venice, Scotland, Dorothy Palmer & Peter Harrison.
(VI)A:2 Black Embossed Photo Album / 1904-1907: Inscription inside cover: Dorothy Palmer 1907. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Switzerland in the summer of 1905, salmon fishing at Ringwood ? April 1906-the Avon, “Red House” 1905, glaciers, Canterets Aug. 1904, and Glen Eyrie.
(VI)A:3 Green Linen Photo Album / 1922-1924: “D.P”. printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Bedford 1922, Moor Hall, Harry Friedman, Crookham 1924, Twyford 1924, Moor Cottage, Dorothy Palmer and Peter Harrison.
(VI)A:4 Green Linen Photo Album / 1921-1922: “D.P”. printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Bedford 1921, Emhurst, Moor Hall, Dorothy Palmer, dogs, the Cottage, Salcombe, Licovr Hall, Sofley, and Peter and Frederick Harrison.
(VI)A:5 Brown Photo Album / 1953-1956: “Photographs” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs. Depicts Wallaby 1953, Mickie, Holland Park 1954, Lillian Hare, Kew Sanders, Doris, Madeline, and Ted.
(VI)A:6 Maroon Photo Album / 1937-1953: Inscription inside cover: Dorothy Palmer. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Austria 1937, Oakley 1938, Swan Walk, Chiheau D?Oese, Berue 1939, Oxford 1940, Marlow 1941, St. John’s 1941, and England. Also includes photographs of various friends and family.
(VI)A:7 “Colorado Landscapes” Photo Album: Black cover with a numbered list inside the front cover of titles corresponding to the photographs. Depicts rock formations in Cheyenne Canyon and the surrounding areas.
(VI)A:8 Glen Eyrie Photo Album – Landscapes: Cloth pages, and a dark red cover with words “Glen Eyrie” emblem on front cover (broken in middle). Depicts Garden of the Gods, friends and relatives, dwellings, rock formations, carriages, horses, dogs, members of the Palmer family, bridges, interiors, children, stables and stonework. Some pages have been torn out.
(VI)A:9 Glen Eyrie Photo Album – Candid Photos: Orange with black binding covering an older orange cover. Depicts interior and exterior shots of Glen Eyrie, the Palmer daughters with Peter Harrison, rock formations, dogs, Dr. Henry Watt, dwellings, carriages, horses, Cecile Jacobeit, nuns and girls dresses as nuns, nurses, children, friends and relatives, a bowling alley & pool table, costumes, the building of a house, a boat, the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry, the Antlers Hotel, and a pictorial story with corresponding captions numbered and written on a separate piece of paper.
Box 10
(VI)A:1 Small Leather Covered Photo Album / 1915-1919: Contains black and white photographs. Depicts Marjorie and Dorothy Palmer, the beach, children, families, dogs and the Harrison Brothers.
(VI)A:2 Tan Paper Cover Photo Album / 1919: “Photographs” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs. Depicts Elsie and Dorothy Palmer.
(VI)A:3 Black Photo Album / 1906-1907: Contains black and white photographs. Depicts House in Isle of Flanet 1906, Glen Eyrie Studio, and Eastbourne November 1906.
(VI)A:4 Green Linen Album: “Clinthurst Hill 1911” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs. Depicts Glen Eyrie greenhouses, Elsie Palmer, babies, Michael and Peter Harrison.
(VI)A:5 Green Linen Photo Album / 1915: “D.P.” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Dorothy Palmer, Peter Harrison, Hound House, Twyford Lodge, EQ (1915), Evelyn (1915), Elsie, Peter & EQ, Cockly Brook, Wordsworth Cottage, Grasmere, Eskdale, and Loch Hourne.
(VI)A:6 Green Linen Photo Album / 1912-1914: “D.P.” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Hound House 1912, Quaker Perth, Clint House, Swan Walk, Portofino 1914, Lausanne 1914, EQ, Peter Harrison, Elsie (Palmer) Myers, and Dorothy Palmer.
(VI)A:7 Tan Linen Photo Album / 1917-1919: “D.P.” printed on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Swan Walk 1917, Twyford 1917, Sydmonta 1916, Hazel Hatch 1918, Woburn Sands 1919, the Cottage 1919, Bedford 1919, Glen Ely 1919, Loch Hourne, EQ & Eve, Peter Harrison, and Dorothy Palmer.
(VI)A:8 Peter Harrison’s Sketches: Black album with textured symbol on front. Contains photographic reproductions of sketches by Peter Harrison. Includes sketches of Marjorie (Palmer) Watt, Dorothy Palmer, Alma (Strettell) Harrison, Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, trees, and rock formations. Only ¼ of the album is filled.
B. Printed
Box 11
(V1)B:1 Dark Green Victorian Scrap Album: Contains Victorian designed ephemera and cards.
C. Written
(VI)C:2 Black – Gold Line Trim Notebook / 1923: Contains writings by Elsie (Palmer) Myers. (Only 1/4th of the book is filled)
(VI)C:3 The Laws of Shebang / 1906: Green with brown edges, gold text on cover: “W.J.P. Pine River Camp Aug. 1906” A story/guide titled, The Laws of Shebang. Handwritten and illustrated most likely by William J. Palmer.
(VI)C:4 Glen Eyrie Guest Book 1898-1906: Black book with fading gold text contains the signatures and dates of visitors to Glen Eyrie. Some of the signatures include: William Jackson Palmer, Ruth Washburn, Anne Parrish, Kathrine Dunham, Earnest Every, and members of the Bell Family, Gilpin family, Dodge family, Hagarman family, and the Myers family.
VII Oversized
Scope note: This series consists of photograph albums and photographs depicting the William J. Palmer family, the Myers family, the Watt family, the Harrison family, and friends and relatives within each group. Also depicted are animals, architecture, travel, transportation and landscapes. The dates the photographs were taken range from the late 1800s to the 1930s. This series also includes an album titled “America” which contains small paintings by Hamilton Aide.
A. Photographs
Box 12
(VII)A:1 Photo Album belonging to Elsie (Palmer) Myers / 1909 (photocopy): Black and white photocopies from an album containing photographs of the Palmer family at Glen Eyrie when the girls were young. (Album was returned to the Nicholson Family)
(VII)A:2 Mounted Photographs: Black and white photographs are mounted and depict Marjorie (Palmer) Watt, Dr. Henry Watt, Leo Myers, William J. Palmer, and 3 photographs of the building of the Mexican Railway in 1882.
Box 13
(VII)A:1 Encased Photograph: Death portrait of Peter Harrison in a dark brown case with clasp.
(VII)A:2 Framed Photograph: Black and white photograph is framed and depicts Peter Harrison and a small dog.
(VII)A:3 Mounted Photographs: Black and white photographs are mounted and depict William Jackson Palmer posing with a golf club (copy of a painting).
(VII)A:4 Folder Photographs: Black and white photographs are in folders and depict EQ Myers Hamilton and Eve Myers Hamilton as children. Some of the photographs depict each girl by themselves and others depict both girls together.
B. Albums
(VII)B:5 Green “America” Album: Album titled “America” contains small paintings of scenery in America done by Hamilton Aide in 1891. Each painting is labeled.
(VII)B:6 Green Photo Album / 1927-1938: “Dorothy Palmer, 3-Swan Walk-Chelsea, Photos from 1927-1938” handwritten on cover. Contains black and white photographs pertaining to the life of Dorothy Palmer. Depicts Moor Hall 1927, Twyford, Swan Walk, Merri Hale, Dame Ellen Terry, Roseman’s, Portofino 1931, Peter Harrison, Loseley 1932, Meredith, and Kauderstep.