Dr. Luther Morris Palmer was born July 5, 1827 at Ogdensburg, New York. He was the son of Abraham and Patience Delila Pierce Palmer. He crossed the plains in 1847; went to California at the time of the Gold Rush and preacticed medicine there for a short time. He came to Salt Lake City in the year of 1851 and began his practice there and soon afterward became the family physician of Brigham Young, while he attended at his death.

When this couple were married the country was wild and the roads were rough, thus making it very hard and inconvenient for anyone to get around. They were married in Salt Lake City, and on their way back to Payson they had a very sad experience. Their team ran away, throwing him out of the buggy. The wheel ran over his leg, breaking it. His wife bound it up the best she could and carried water in his hat from a stream of water close by, and poured it over his leg to keep it from swelling and hemorrhaging until someone came along and took him on home where they set his leg. He was always lame after this accident.

Dr. and Mrs. Luther Palmer moved to a place called Chicken Creek, Juab County, Utah. There they kept the Mail Station at the time Pioche, Nevada, was booming. They came to Chicken Creek in the year of 1864 and stayed until 1875. They moved then to Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah. From Spring City they moved to a cattle ranch south of Juab. They raised purebred horses and cattle. She made cheese and butter to sell.

Mary E. Palmer was a very good rider. She would ride the range and help look after the cattle and horses. She broke many cows to milk and broke horses to work and ride. She had a fine riding horse that she called "Dexter" and she had her side siddle and riding suit of dark green with a long skirt and waist--and a black hat something like a man's hat. She was a very graceful figure on a horse and could ride any horse they brought to her.

Mary E. was a hard worker. She had many narrow escapes with the hIndians, as she was alone on the ranch with her children most of the time. She took a boy to raise, he was about twelve years old and she kept him until he was a man.

In the year of 1882 they moved from this cattle ranch to Fayette, Sanpete Co., Utah. At this place they took a hotel to run and Mary E. Palmer worked very hard in the hotel. She also did lots of nursing, and was a very good nurse, having had lots of practice and been taught by her husband, Dr. Palmer.

In 1884 she took a baby boy, three days old, to raise.

While Doctor Luther M. Palmer was living at Chicken Creek with his first wife, he married a second wife--Elizabeth Bosh from Levan. When he brought her to his home, she was a young woman, and within a week she began dividing the many things which belonged to Mary Elizabeth. Mary E. packed Elizabeth's suitcase and ordered her out, so she lived with her parents at Levan. Five children were born to this unio: John Q. Palmer, Lola Palmer, Chancy W. Palmer, Truman J. Palmer and Adelia Palmer.

The children of these two wives were never allowed to meet or assiciate with each other.

In the year 1884 Dr. Luther Palmer took his second wife and children and went to Mexico, where they lived for some time.

When he went ot Mexico it left Mary E. Veach Palmer alone with her children to support. She got a divorce from Dr. Luther Palmer somewhere near the year 1885. She continued on living at Fayette until 1895. She supported herself and family for eleven years, until her children were old enough to support themselves. From Fayette she went to Salina, in 1895, to live with her daughter, Sarah Ann Palmer Long.
H
ere at Salina she was a nurse for Dr. C. E. West for about sixteen years. While at Fayette she had continued nursing after Dr. Palmer left. She was known affectionatly as "Aunt Libb". After she came to Salina and commenced nursing, there was an outbreak of Diptheria and she did a lot of nursing among it. Diptheria in those days was a very hard disease, often critical. She helped bring many new babies into the world.

Mary E. Palmer married Neilse C. Rasmussen of Salina, Utah in the Manti Temple in the year 1896; she lived with him until his death March 28, 1908. After his death she worked very hard taking in boarders; working in her garden raising a few chickens and a cow, making butter to sell. She sold vegetables and went out of nursing. When her granddaughter was a little girl, it was her job to help "Ma" (as Mary E. was called) on Saturdays. Mary was a wonderful cook and each Saturday she would make dozens of "Fry-cakes" (a sweet roll, twisted and fried like a doughnut). Her granddaughter would deliver large pans full of these "Fry-cakes" to many homes on standing orders, for 25 cents a pan. Mary also made soap for people - they would bring the ingredients, and she used a large square pan to set it in. This had to be cut out into nine even bars, her share for making it was one bar. Her grandaughter, Izola Long, Sarah Ann's daughter was often assigned this job.

Doctor Luther M. Palmer and his family then they came back to Colorado where his second wife died of cancer in 1901 at Ridgeway, Colo. He came back to Utah with his children in 1909 and settled in Salt Lake City, He continued in active practice until 1900 when he retired at the age of 73.

Mary E. died December 25, 1911 at Salina, Utah. She had 18 grandchildrena dn 10 great grandchildren. She died at the age of 75.

Of her first family she raised one son, Almeran. She raised three of her second family; one, Luther Clark died at the age of 25; and two others lived full lives, Morris Augustus (known as Gus); and Sarah Ann. It is amazing to think how she struggled, yet accomplished through all the hardships and heartaches - she was a real pioneer.

Soon after Dr. Palmer came back to Salt Lake City he lost his eye sight of old age. He lived with his son, John Q. Palmer, and when he became ill in his old age, his second wife's children called on Mary Elizabeth's daughter, Sarah Ann, a nurse, to come to their aid in Salt Lake City. She helped take care of him until his death January 12, 1915 in Salt Lake City at the age of 88.