Curtis Palmer

Birth: He was born around 1874 in Wisconsin.  

Family Information: Husband of Mary Palmer.

Father of Ted, Maxine, Alford, Jesse, Marie, Lue and baby Lile Palmer.  

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: He first came to the colony in October 1929 with his wife and their children and there were a lot of them -- possibly 10-11 in the group. They arrived in a covered truck which might be called a house, that Comrade Palmer had built for himself.

In 1932, the Palmer family is reported to have returned to the colony after having left almost two years before -- this time the group included the parents and six children. They came from Minnesota.  

Home in Colony: In May 1930 the family moved to one of the poultry farms.  

Job in Colony: He worked with Ben Roe at various farm work jobs; helped gather fire wood.

In June 1930 he reported that his soy beans had grown six inches after a rain, though some speculated that maybe the beans had grown four inches and Palmer had been so elated that they'd grown two more while he waited.

In October 1930 he, having been somewhat indisposed, was hauling brickbats for the floor of a new poultry house. (NOTE: "brickbats" are pieces of broken bricks; since these pieces were often used as a weapon or missile to be thrown at others, the term came to refer to anything, including unfavorable remarks, that were thrown at an enemy.)  

Other Info: In 1930 he successfully devised a mechanism of his own invention which would be hitched to a team of mules and used to clear weeds on both sides of a garden row.

In March 1931, Comrade Neill had taken his place at the poultry farm, so apparently the family had left the colony at that time.  

Post-Colony History:  

Death:  

Sources: "Llano Colonist": November 2, 1929, November 23, 1929, November 30, 1929, January 11, 1930, January 18, 1930, January 25, 1930, April 19, 1930, May 3, 1930, May 24, 1930, June 7, 1930, June 14, 1930, June 28, 1930, October 4, 1930, March 14, 1931, November 12, 1932; US Census: 1930