Palmer - At his residence in Blair on Sunday morning, June 5th, 1881, Orange V. Palmer, age 35 years, 3 months, and 6 days.

O. V. Palmer was well known to the people hereabouts as the senior member of the mercantile firm of O.V. Palmer & Co. He was born in Wayne Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, Feb. 27, 1846, and like many other young men came west in quest of a business location in 1867, having just then having arrived at his majority. Two years later he commenced the mercantile business at California Junction in Iowa, and in 1871 was married to Miss Emma L. Cook, and with his father-in-law, Mr. E. Cook, bought out and succeeded J. G. Smith at the old Smith and Dexter stand. When Dexter’s block was built they moved into it and continued to do business for some time under the firm name of Cook and Palmer. Subsequently Mr. Cook retired and the firm became O. V. Palmer & Co., with Mr. Palmer as the business head.

When a boy of ten years of age he had what resembled a “white swelling” on one of his limbs, which remained open for over two and a half years, but eventually healed up, and for over twenty years this limb was apparently as sound as the other. Early in January, 1879 he bruised this limb a little near the location of the old sore, and by Jan. 15th it had broken out again so that he had to give up attention to business. It soon reduced his naturally strong system, and rendered him a helpless invalid, and from that time to his death he was principally confined to the house and most of the time to his bed. He has borne his intense suffering with the greatest patience and fortitude, and no citizen of Blair has ever been called upon to experience such intense, protracted physical anguish as he.

As a man and citizen he was held in the highest respect and esteem by all who knew him. In his social and business qualifications he had no superior. He died lamented by all classes of citizens, and his family have the earnest and active sympathy of the entire community. The best of medical skill was exhausted in his treatment without avail. During his sickness his family was called upon to mourn the loss of two bright little ones, a boy and a girl, aged respectively three and five years. He leaves a wife and one child, a son aged eight years, and has two sisters, one Mrs. C. J. Baxter, a well known resident here, and one single sister, Miss Laura Palmer, who came from California a few days since in response to a telegram. The funeral was held on Monday at the Methodist Church, Rev. W. F. Warren officiating, followed by the rites and ceremonies of the Masonic Order, of which he was a member. These and the Fire Company turned out in force, the former of which took charge of the body from the church and rendered the full service of the order at the grave. A large concourse of relatives, friends and citizens followed his remains to their final resting place in the Blair cemetery.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #117917427