Franklin Palmer (1834 - 1921)

Born 15 Feb 1834 in Plattsburg, Clinton County, New York, USA

Died 24 May 1921 at age 87 in Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, USA

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This profile is part of the Clinton County, New York One Place Study.

Biography

Birth

Franklin Palmer was born in 1834 in Plattsburg, NY, son of William Palmer, and Ruth (Haynes) Palmer. ^[1]

Marriage

Married First (1) Marion Elizabeth Stetson - no Children ^[2] She dies in 1885. ^[3]

Married Second (2), Theodora Hyde Morgan

1. William Morgan Palmer b. 1887 d. 1925 ^[4]
2. Franklin Hall Palmer b. 1889; d. 1977 ^[5]

Military Service

Lt. Col. Franklin Palmer served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: May 15, 1861
Mustered out: May 22, 1863
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 16th New York Infantry

Frank enlisted as a captain in the 16th Infantry in Plattsburgh and quickly rose through the ranks, mustering out two years later as a 27-year-old lieutenant colonel. He was injured during the very last battle of the 16th’s 2-year tenure on May 3, 1863 – the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Battles of Marye’s Heights and Salem Church.

Death

He passed away about 1921 and is buried with his 2 wives, his child, parents, and 7 siblings at Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, USA ^[1]

Research Notes

The following comes from the Clinton County Historical Association Facebook page:

FRANK PALMER’S DIARY – Tuesday, May 19, 1863 – 158 years ago

“Clear fine morning – slept willful smart this morning. Nurse gave us a good breakfast – all the coffee we wanted. Mr. Haskell sent me the Plattsburgh Sentinel of the 16th inst. Hope to get some letters today. Rectified a mistake with Major Jones. Been up all day. Maj. Jones told me that Gen. Slocum says openly that Gen. Hooker was drunk during the battle. Wrote to Charley. Leg feels pretty well. No letter from home. Capt. Wood has been exchanged and has gone home.”

Frank enlisted as a captain in the 16th Infantry in Plattsburgh and quickly rose through the ranks, mustering out two years later as a 27-year-old lieutenant colonel. He was injured during the very last battle of the 16th’s 2-year tenure on May 3, 1863 – the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Battles of Marye’s Heights and Salem Church. His diary states, “We plunged into the underbrush and were greeted with a terrible fire of musketry, we returned it until the regiment was cut to pieces. I go hit in the thigh just before we fell back.” During the battle, they had 154 casualties.

His diary talks about his life in and around Washington, his visitors and, like most other soldiers, the lack of letters from home.

Frank returned to Clinton County and married twice and, at one point, had a store in Altona. He always maintained his strong connection with veterans and was a founding member of the Walter H. Benedict Grand Army of the Republic Post in Plattsburgh.

We received Frank’s diary as a gift from the Plattsburgh Public Library and it is now stored with some of the many items of his that are at the museum. The diary makes interesting reading. He only used it in the military until the end of May 1863. In later years he used it as a notebook recording transactions for his mercantile business to fill in the pages. By the way, if you hear anything about Frank’s frock coat that we no longer have at the museum since about 15 years ago, we’d like to talk with you.

You can read Frank’s obituary in Column 3 of the Plattsburgh Daily Press of May 26, 1921 at: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031094/1921-05-26/ed-1/seq-7/

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find A Grave, database and images, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67128333/franklin-palmer#source memorial page for Franklin Palmer (15 Feb 1834–1921), Find A Grave: Memorial #67128333 , citing Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, USA ; Maintained by Stephen Payne (contributor 47327291).
2. ↑ Stetson: Vol. 1, No. 3, Pg 179
3. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #67128439
4. ↑ William's Find A Grave: Memorial #67128454
5. ↑ Franklin's Find A Grave: Memorial #67128480

See Also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #67128333
• Stetson, O.F. Ed.; Descendants of Cornet Robert Stetson of Scituate, Massachusetts (Stetson Kindred of America, Inc., 1933)
• Rosters Of The New York Infantry Regiments During The Civil War—16th New York Infantry