Elmer's Story
Birth: May 24th, 1861 | male | in New York
Death: October 11th, 1862 | 1 year old | 13 miles East of Bridger, Wyoming
Memorial: Stone 11 | left column | 12th name
Elmer’s parents are Edward Jonathan Palmer and Caroline Florence Barker both of England.
They sailed to America where they resided in New York. Edward was drafted into the Civil War, where he suffered a gunshot to the leg and released from military service. It was in New York that their first child was born, they named him Elmer Edward.
The Palmer family decided to join the Henry W. Miller Company to go west with the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. They departed with the company on August 5, 1862.
According to histories of the journey west from other Saints, there was a lot of sickness the whole way, hot days andcold nights. Eighteen month old Elmer Edward passed away from one of the many illnesses that plagued the Saints.
A granddaughter of the Palmer's wrote:
“They wrapped Elmer in a blanket and buried him in an open grave. That was the saddest part of Grandmother’s life to go on and leave her baby.”
In one of the companie’s journals on the day that Elmer passed away, it says:
“Oct 11th campt on Yellow creek. We are now in the mountains.”
Elmer was laid to rest about 13 Miles East of Bridger, Wyoming.