Lake County Ohio GenWeb

Isaac Palmer

The following article is from the Painesville Telegraph, April 17, 1884, pg. 1 and reprinted in the October 1991 "LakeLines," the newsletter of the Lake County Genealogical Society, retranscribed here by Kerri O'Connor.

PIONEER SKETCH:
ANOTHER LANDMARK GONE

The subject of this sketch, Isaac Palmer, who died the 17th of February, 1884, and has just been laid to rest, was born in Thompson, Geauga Co., Ohio, August 7th, 1802, being the first white child born in that township and the oldest person living who was born in the county. His first years were spent in privation and toil incident to early pioneer life, helping on his father's farm most of the time, and going to school but very little during the year.

He obtained the most of his education after he was twenty-five years old, of Josephus Huntington, who was his idea of a perfect schoolmaster. His education was very good for those times, being almost perfect in writing and spelling, also arithmetic as far as taught by Dabol. In 1838 he was married to Lorinda, eldest daughter of the late Benjamin Scribner, of LeRoy, with whom he lived forty-six years, raising a large family of children, three sons, one of whom died while serving in the late war, and four daughters. Besides these he lost a son and daughter in their infancy. He was perfectly moral and temperate in his habits, honest and upright in all his dealings with the world. The beautiful country that we now occupy, is largely due to the hard, earnest labor of the old "land marks," who are passing away, "one by one."

Isaac Palmer's father, Dr. Isaac Palmer, is mentioned in history as being the first while settler of Thompson. He was born in Plainfield, Windham Co., Conn., in 1770. He studied for and commenced the practice of medicine before he was twenty-five years old, practicing mostly in the region where he was born, and but little after coming to Ohio. He married Lois Maltby at Goshen, Conn., about the year 1795. Early in 1800 we find them in Thompson, O. Being dissatisfied with the land holder, after two or three years he moved to Concord, O. to what was then known as Perkins Camp, remaining in that place a year or two, he then moved near the north line of the township, living there until death, which occurred in 1840. The next year after coming into this state he went back to Connecticut on business, returning he purchased, at Buffalo, several hundred dollars worth of merchandise, bringing it in a boat up the lake. While on his way, a storm coming on, he camped at night on the beach. On waking in the morning, he found the waves had washed everything away. When near the Gen. Paine farm, he planted fruit trees which are standing today. He lived for some time with neighbors no nearer than ten miles, only Indians calling at the cabin door. He died, leaving some 400 acres of land, which made a nice farm for each of his six children. He was a direct descendent of Walter Palmer who came from Nottinghamshire, England, in 1629 under a patent from the Plymouth council, settling in Stonington, Conn., then called Pawcatuck, in 1653, where he lived the rest of his life. He died Nov. 10th, 1661. His descendents still live there. Fifteen hundred of them participated in a family reunion at that place in 1881. Of this branch of the family only one son and daughter remain of a family of five sons and two daughters. Soon they will be gone, and others will take their place in the wheel of time. Isaac Palmer, Jr., was a captain in the Ohio militia; but happily there was no urgent call for troops, until he was long past middle life. He was a staunch Republican, voting first with the Whig, then with the Free-soil party. His mind was as active when first taken sick, as at forty. He died of heart disease at the age of 81 years and 6 months. He was not a member of any church, but years ago he make a profession of religion, was baptised and joined what was called the Methodist Class, there being no regular organized church near. During the first two months of his sickness he said that he did not feel quite ready to go; but at the end of that time, and about two months before he died, he called his children about him, and told them that he must die, and after giving directions about worldly affairs, turned to them with a countenance beaming with spiritual light, and said; "Now I am ready, I have prayed night and day, and the Lord has heard me." During all his sickness, he never spoke an unkind or impatient word while in his right mind. He suffered greatly, and his resignation was a wonder to all. Nothing but the Father's help could have sustained him and given him the quiet peace and joy that seemed to pervade his whole being whenever he realized his situation during the last days of his sickness. The greatest tribute that we can pay to his memory, is that he was "The noblest work of God, an honest man."