The
Highland Township Historical Society |
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Original Highland Township Landowner
John Palmer (Parmer)
There is some confusion as to the spelling of this man's last name. First Land Owners of Oakland County spells it "Parmer" and it is so indexed by the Bureau of Land Management - General Land Office web site. As this image of a portion of his patent shows, however, the issue is far from clear. While his name was initially written "Parmer," the first instance has been corrected to read "Palmer."
This is likely John Palmer who was born circa 1797; died October 16, 1859 at age 72 years; and was married to Sarah _____ who died February 7, 1855, at age 64. They were the parents of John Palmer, Jr., who was also an original purchaser of land in Highland Township. The family appears on the 1840 and 1850 Censuses, with the latter showing John Palmer born in Rhode Island. This suggests he is the same as the John Palmer, the son of Uriah and Elizabeth (Newton) Palmer, who was born circa 1797 in Exeter, Washington County, Rhode Island.