Essentials
Born: 9 August 1831; East Loughborough, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada
Son of: George PALMER Jr. and Phoebe DRAPER
Baptized: 1 March 1850
Married: 1. Sally KNIGHT; 1 December 1851; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah; 2. Caroline JACQUES; 30 March 1856; Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Died: 22 October 1880; Orderville, Kane County, Utah

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BY DARYL JAMES
FROM 'JAMES/HATCH ONE MINUTE HISTORIES' (1994)
     Zemira Palmer was born Aug. 9, 1831, at West Loughborough, Ontario, Canada, the sixth child of George Palmer Jr. and Phoebe Draper.
     Zemira's mother joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada when Zemira was 2, and Zemira inherited his religion from her. He remained faithful to its cause throughout his life. However, his father did not join the Church and died shortly after Phoebe's conversion.
     About 1834, after his father's death, Zemira came with his mother from Canada to join the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio. He remained in Kirtland until age 7, when he moved again with his mother to Illinois.
     In 1846, Mormon persecutors forced the Saints out of Illinois under bloody and miserable circumstances, and Zemira moved westward with his mother and new stepfather, Ebenezer Brown.
     On their way through Iowa, the Saints received a call from Captain James Allen to furnish 500 able-bodied men to march against Mexico with an army under the command of Colonel Stephen L. Kearny.
     When Ebenezer volunteered as a soldier for the battalion, Phoebe joined as a laundress in order to remain with her husband. Zemira, at the age of 14 or 15, was too young to join as a soldier, so instead joined as an orderly to Captain Allen.
     The Mormon battalion marched more than 2,000 miles to San Diego, Calif. Although the soldiers never saw battle, many died of thirst, hunger, and exhaustion along the way. After the ordeal was over, Phoebe confessed that she sometimes burned a little bread purposely to make it look inedible so she could give it to Zemira.
     After Zemira's service in the armed forces ended, he was among the battalion members who found work at Sutter's Mill in northern California. By this time he was 17 and stood about six feet high. He was present when gold was discovered and did some washing of gold on his own. He found a spot rich in gold dust and came out with enough to begin life for himself in Utah.
     He settled at Willow Creek in 1850, and forthwith became the second counselor in the first bishopric of the Draper ward. His uncle, William Draper, was the bishop and his other uncle, Zemira Draper, was the first counselor. Not long after this he met Sally Knight and married her on her 15th birthday, Dec. 1, 1851, at Provo, Utah. Sally was the oldest daughter of Newel Knight and Lydia Goldthwaite.
     Zemira and Sally lived in Provo until about 1861, when they moved to Heber City, Utah. Two or three years before this, Zemira married as his second wife Caroline Jacques. By these two women Zemira had 20 children, 16 of which lived to adulthood.
     While at Heber City, Zemira served a term as Constable of Wasatch County. However, he never stayed in one place long. After six or seven years he took his family to Nevada, living first at Panaca and then at Eagle Valley. Although his motives for moving to Nevada are uncertain, he may have been lured there by the active mining industry, hoping to duplicate the success he had in California.
     However, after a few years the Church called him back to southern Utah to assist in promoting the cotton industry there. He operated from Springdale and Santa Clara in Washington County, but finally settled in Orderville, where he and Zemira Draper organized and supervised branches of the United Order.
     He loved poetry and often wrote lyrics to songs and performed them in public. He suffered ill health several years before his death and died prematurely at 49 in Orderville on Oct. 22, 1880.

-- Sources: 1. "Phoebe Draper Palmer's Children." The Mormon Drapers, pps. 53-58 (On record at Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah). 2. Descendants of George Palmer and Phoebe Draper, pps. 445-461 (On record at Harold B. Lee Library).

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Longer Biography

AUTHOR AND DATE UNLISTED
     Zemira Palmer, the sixth child of George Palmer Jr. and Phebe Draper, was born in West Loughborogh, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada, in 1831. He inherited his religion from his mother at the age of two years, when his mother joined the church in 1833. At no time did he falter in his belief or his attempt to live up to its most exacting teachings to the best of his ability. After his fathers death, he came with his mother from Canada to join the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio. He left Kirtland at the age of seven years in 1838, and during his most impressionable years felt hunger and want. He saw men, women, and children abused and sometimes killed, and he and his people despised, and driven from place to place.
     In 1846, when he was fifteen years old, a group known as the Mormon Battalion was formed from members of the church. Zemira even at his tender years was determined to join this group. It was being formed to help settle the affairs in the Mexican war. It latter became known as the longest March in history.
     Zemira, because of his age was listed as having been among the servants to officers in the Mormon Battalion. He was assigned to Colonel James Allen, until Allens’ death, then to Dr. George B. Sanderson, from Ft. Leavenworth to Santa Fe, then to Lieutenant Lorenzo Clark until the corps was discharged.
     Zemira carried a gun and ruck sack the same as all other soldiers. Food was scarce, at times they were forced to kill some of their horses for food. Because Zemira was young and small of stature, his mother would purposely burn the bread so the Officers would cut it off, and this she would take to Zemira. He said they were better to him than pie would be years later. Zemira’s mother, who had married Ebenezer Brown, went all the way with the Battalion as a cook.
     The Battalion encountered many very severe hard ships, lack of food, clothing, and water at times. They traveled through mud, dry sand, snow and rain. However the only need they ever had for their guns was for protection, near what is now Tucson Arizona, a herd of wild bulls charged their camp. Much destruction was done before they were able to kill enough bulls to turn them away. After Zemira’s service in the armed forces ended in California, he, as did many of the others found employment before going on to Utah. He was among the Battalion members who found employment at Sutters Fort on the Mill in California. He was present when gold was discovered in California. He was now seventeen years old, six foot tall with curly black hair and flashing black eyes. He had the courage of a veteran soldier, he found a rich vein of gold, and was successful in obtaining $500.00 worth of gold dust--enough to begin a life for himself in Utah. Some of the men who were not so lucky, were inclined to try to take over his claim. One man asked one of the previous officers if he thought Zemira would shoot if they pressed him, the answer “I wouldn’t advise you to take a chance.”
     He settled in Willow Creek, now Draper, Utah, and was soon chosen as the second counselor to his Uncle, Bishop William Draper, with his Uncle, Zemira Draper, as first counselor. In 1849, Zemira Palmer in company with nine men to ferry the California and Oregon Emigration over the Green River.
     Zemira began going to school and worked as a carpenter to help himself. He wrote many songs and poems for different occasions and was a great social leader. He loved to dance the Old Reels and Quadrills. He made a fine figure on the floor, being straight as an arrow and moving with grace and ease. While at school he became acquainted with a Sally Knight, who was very timid and bashful. In order to draw her attention to him, he wrote an Acrostic (verse which rhymes and the first letter of each line is part of a name.) The problem in this case was that he used Martha, (Sally’s cousins) name instead of Sally, thinking that was Sally’s name. Sally was to bashful to try very hard to find out for whom the Acrostic was meant. Soon Zemira found out his mistake as did every one else, but again his persistence prevailed and he wrote the following to Sally--

          Success to thee during life,
          And may you be some good man’s wife.
          Long may you live with plenty blest
          Like a fair Queen enjoy the best
          Young youth and age by friend caressed.

     No one is sure that this was the turning point in the love affair but at fifteen years old Sally, became the wife of Zemira Palmer, on December 1, 1851. Sally was the daughter of Newel Knight, Newel married Lydia Goldthwaite, theirs being the first marriage preformed by the Prophet Joseph Smith. They settled in Provo where their first six children were born. Sally had been reared in a religious atmosphere and was a great strength to Zemira. He gave up tobacco, in order to set a proper example to his children and conform with the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Also complying with the law of Celestial marriage, remembering always his tithes and offerings. He was thoroughly honest in all his dealings, and taught his children these principles.
     In 1856 Zemira married as his second wife Caroline Jacques. By these two wives he fathered twenty children. Many trials and struggles came with the rearing of such a large family and with the great responsibilities place upon him by the Church.
     In a Deseret Newspaper article telling of a celebration on the 24th of July 1860, it said, “Zemira Palmer sang an appropriate song following the speaker, and the day was ushered in by the firing of Musketry, under the direction of Captain Zemira Palmer.”
     Zemira served in the Buchanan War. After moving to Heber City, where they spent six or seven years, he took his family to Nevada in the winter of 1864 and 1865, living first at Panaca and then at Eagle Valley in Lincoln County, as he was called to the settle this section of the country, which is situated near the head of the Muddy Creek. When they reached Warm Springs the snow became so deep that the company could not proceed further with their load so the cached their things at Warm Springs and Zemira took his family back to Beaver where lived Lafayette Shepherd, Zemira’s associate in the Mormon Battalion and also in the early days of the settlement of Salt Lake Valley. Zemira was so pleased to see him as if he had been an own brother. He left them there and went on the journey returning when the road was opened up, to get his family.
     At Panaca Zemira built a log cabin. We next moved to Spring Valley, in the same section of the country. We did not remain there long. Zemira sold his property in Spring Vally and at Panaca in Meadow Valley and bought cattle and moved to Dry Valley, where there was good feed for his stock. They lived in a dug-out for awhile, then moved the log cabin they had at Panaca to Dry Valley, a distance of 12 miles. Zemira conducted a night school for his children after the work of the day was ended. Zemira’s brother, William and family who were also pioneers joined them at this place, and lived here until they went to Panguitch. They lived in Dry Valley about five years and then decided to move because of thieves among the stock, and also the settlements in this district when the boundry line was drawn were in Nevada, due to high taxation and other hardships the leaders called him back to Southern Utah to help organize and be in charge of the Cotton Industry.
     President Brigham Young called him to the United Order at Springdale on the Rio Virgin, where they lived for 3 years. This settlement as well as the other settlements in Dixie attempted to lived the United Order but did not make a success of it. While living there Zemira hauled lumber from Mt. Trumble for use in the building of the St. George Temple. He owned land in Zions Canyon where he raised corn and had an apple orchard. He sold this land after he went to Orderville. Then, both he and Zemira Draper were called to organize and supervise branches of the United Order. This took him to Orderville in Kane County Utah. This town took the name of “Orderville” because it was one on the most successful branches of the Order ever established by the church. Zemira turned into the Order about $1600.00 worth of property, he and his family worked faithfully in the Order.
     In his diary, it was found that Zemira was truly a man of much perseverance, and the his life was filled with much activity and service to his fellow men and church. He spent much time taking care of the affairs of the United Order that were placed under his supervision, keeping up the books, posting accounts etc.. Never missing a day excepting when he was ill, he was actively engaged in some kind of work, either on the farm, for the Order or rendering service to others. He had worked at almost every kind of labor, farming, civic service, building, road work, carpentering and while doing many of these things he was in charge of the United Order.
     He wrote words to songs and poetry. One long and very interesting poem was about the hard time they gave Johnson’s army, of which he was again in the thick of it.
     He suffered with ill health several years before his death, according to his diary. January 1, 1877 he tells of severe pain in his bowels and side which increased and caused him to remain in bed for some time. He had stomach trouble caused, thought from a hurt when he was a young man in California. He was dragged quite a distance over rough country while riding broncho horse on the range. Once almost a month and this continued to cause him great distress as long as he lived. He also suffered with his eyes and head, particularly when in the hot sun. These conditions existed somewhat until his premature death at the age of 49 years. He died at Orderville, and was buried there by the side of his wife Caroline, who preceded him in death.
     Reverently there was a bronze plaque place at his grave, honoring him for the part he played in the service of the Mormon Battalion. Zemira lived a full life and left a great posterity, even though his life was cut short by todays standards, few there are that did more for his church, family, and country.
     He was greatly missed by his large family, but they were not helpless. He had been a strong guiding influence in their lives. He had taught them the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they had learned to help themselves.

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Phoebe DRAPER
John LOTHROP (aka John Lathrop or Lothropp)
Samuel LATHROP
Alma Zemira PALMER
Dora PALMER
George PALMER Jr.
Zemira PALMER

CHILDREN WITH SALLY KNIGHT

CHILDREN WITH CAROLINE JACQUES