This is the first transcription of a document from the papers of Maria Lee Palmer Smith (1844-1931), my husband's great-grandmother. It is an undated record of her parent's family in Maria Lee's handwriting. Punctuation, format and spelling are retained from the original, though line breaks have been altered.
James A Palmer and Margaret M. Meredith of Lancaster County – Va. were married the 16th day of May 1842 by the Rev. John B. Randamne (sp?) at the Eutaw House Baltimore Md.
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An infant girl born dead In April 1843 at 1 o’clock of Margaret M. and James A. Palmer.
Maria Lee second daughter of Margaret M. and Jas. A. Palmer born Saturday the 9th day of March 184x4.
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John Thomas Armstead son of James A and Margaret M. Palmer born Wednesday the 21st day of Jan – 1846 –
Died on the 14th day of December 1847 James A. Palmer youngest son of Col Armstead J. Palmer
Died on the 21st of July 1889 at Clifton Lancaster Co. Va Margaret M. Palmer aged 65 years –____________
Note: This document includes the first references I have seen to another child (the stillborn daughter), to "Thomas" as another given name for Maria Lee's brother, and to the description of her father as the "youngest son". The last is of particular interest, since all the records I have seen to-date give no clues to any other children, something I have found puzzling. Since her grandfather's will names only the one son, perhaps other children died before adulthood.
