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| Ann Dicken Ward b. 15 Nov 1804 Repton, Derbyshire, England d.16 Aug 1865 Richland, Ohio, United States |
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| Charles Sharp Palmer b. 8 October 1796, London,England d. 30 Jan 1878, Richland County, Ohio |
I first met Jabez in February of 2010. I had been to my Mom's in July of the summer before and had scanned some letters she had from Palmer ancestors that had been written during the civil war. I, maybe I should say we, had presumed them all to be written by my double great grand-uncle (Henry) Goodsell "Good" Palmer. When I started reading through the letters I met Jabez, the author of two of these letters. But who was Jabez? An email to Mom and my sister elicited nothing but surprise on their part. They had never heard mention of him within the family and yet he referred to Annie and other children of Charles and Ann Ward Palmer as brothers and sisters.
But I was stumped. Who was Jabez and where did he belong in the family of Charles and Ann Palmer?
I went back to the letters and read them again. Jabez was in the 102nd OVI and enlisted with friends and neighbors on 1 August 1862 and remained in service until the regiment was mustered out on 30 June 1865.
In September of 1864 some members of this unit were captured while defending a fort at Athens, Alabama and were sent to Cahaba prison. They were among the released POW's aboard the ill-fated Sultana and never made it home despite surviving the horrors of being a prisoner of war. Jabez was not among them. He returned home to Richland County, Ohio.
While searching the internet for mention of Jabez, I was led to a copy of a card that listed the purchase and placement of a grave marker for Jabez Palmer of the 102nd OVI in Fairbury, Jefferson, Nebraska.
