My Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken’s cousin Charley D. Farmer disappeared in the late 1890s.  Where did he go?  And, what kept him from coming home? It is a story with a twist that begs even more questions.

 

Who is Charley Farmer?

Charles D. “Charley” Farmer was born in Winchester, Indiana about 1877 to John A. and Evaline (Peelle) Farmer.  He joined sister Indianola “Nola,” who had been born two years prior.

 

Trego County

In February 1879, the family had moved to Wa-Keeney (how it was written at that time) in Trego County, Kansas.  This was around the same time that Evaline’s parents/my great-great grandparents (Passco and Martha (Johnson) Peelle) and part of her siblings moved to Bourbon County, Kansas.  However, Trego County is in western Kansas and is a long way from Bourbon County making it unlikely that their move was related to Evaline’s parents’ move.

It wasn’t the lure of a ranch that took them west, as John was a painter and didn’t appear to show any interest in cattle or ranching.  No relatives of either of them have been identified in that area at that time.  It makes one wonder if perhaps they were going to venture further west and simply had enough by the time they got to Trego County and decided to stop.  In any case, John hung out his shingle and went to work as a painter. 

People in the area were really struggling.  At the beginning of May 1880, he wrote a letter to the editor of The Western Kansas World talking about the struggles of people in the area and the need of some families for assistance.  He went on to say that if things did not improve soon, that a lot more people would be in need assistance or would move away.

On May 29, 1800, John advertised that he had timber land that he would exchange for a wagon, team, and harness.

 

Olathe

By early 1881, John, Evaline, and family were living in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas.  That fall, John stated that he still owned property in Trego County and that he hoped to return one day.  However, he was busy as a painter in Olathe.

In 1884, Charley began attending school in the Olathe School system, which had over 500 students across ten grades.  The following year, Charley’s younger brother Clayton “Clate” was born.  Evaline gave birth to another child, likely between Charley and Clate.  However, that child died and nothing more is known about the child.

Over the next few years, Charley attended school while his father worked in a seemingly booming business.  John had a staff of workers who worked on projects ranging from painting wagons and vehicles to signs to the interior and exterior of businesses and homes.  Among his contracts were one to paint and stain the interior of the Presbyterian Church, one to update the court rooms, and one to paint oboth the interior and exterior of a school house.

However, despite what appears to be a good amount of work, John got in financially over his head.  This led to foreclosure and sale of property in Olathe and property he owned in Fort Scott, Bourbon, Kansas.

 

Fort Scott

As a result, around 1890, John, Evaline and their children moved to Fort Scott.  John, again, started up his paint business, adding paper hanging to the services offered.  As in the past, he located his business near the core business area of the town with his store located at 208 First Street.

The biggest known event in Charley’s life in the early 1890s occurred in 1892 when Charley cut the tip off the end of his forefinger (index finger) on his right hand when oiling his bicycle.

By 1895, Charley joined John in his business.  The store was moved to the Strothers Building at 203 Market Street and renamed J. A. Farmer & Son.  At that time, Clate was still in school and Nola was employed as a bookkeeper while Evaline managed the household.

 

The Wandering Son

Charley apparently liked to travel and see the country.  Thus, in 1896, he took a break from working with his father to do just that.  In July 1896, he returned to Fort Scott from a 4-month journey that had taken him to Indian Territory, St. Louis, Chicago, Bloomington and more points of interest.  Although he worked as a painter as his primary occupation, it is possible that Charley may have joined a railroad construction crew in Arkansas and traveled with the crew. 

 

The Disappearance

Then in 1897, Charley traveled north.  He visited Wisconsin and Minnesota, among other states.  On September 20, 1897, (or September 22, accounts vary) he sent a letter to his father from Stevens, Minnesota stating that he would be coming home.  He never arrived!

John contacted the man who had recently employed Charley.  He told the same story that the letter did.  He believed Charley was going to take his $75 and head back home.

 

The Search

Over the next two years the family did not hear a peep from Charley.  John searched to learn what had happened to his son.  Since Charley was adventuresome, John considered if he might have headed to the gold fields in Alaska or joined the military.  He also wrote to the leaders of military groups in the area to see if Charley might have joined up with one of them.  All of them responded saying that they had no one by that name on their rolls.

John concluded that something must have happened to Charley.  He learned of a fire at a barn 40 miles from where Charley had been staying that claimed the lives of multiple men.  John wondered if Charley might be among them as the men had been sleeping in the barn.  He thought it was just like his son to ride the rails and then get off and find a place to sleep.

 

Located?

Finally, on September 2, 1899, the Adjunct General’s Office of the War Department responded to his inquiry stating that Charley had joined the cavalry May 27, 1898 and had been discharged April 13, 1899 at San Marias, Porto Rico (this was the Anglicized spelling, the original spelling of Puerto Rico was later restored).  He had served in the 5^th United States Cavalry, Troop L.  The War Department had no additional information regarding his whereabouts.

It was met with some relief.  John believed it must be his son because the location of birth (Winchester, Indiana) matched that of his son.  He didn’t see the actual record, but if he had, he would have known for sure as it also stated a physical description and gave his occupation as painter. the question is, “Was Charley 5’6″ with light blue eyes, light brown hair, and a fair complexion?”

John and Evaline still didn’t know where Charley was, but they knew that a few months earlier he had been alive and well.

 

More Information

The family soon received a letter from L. T. Bybee of Slater, Missouri.  Mr. Bybee had seen an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat regarding Charley.  He said that he had served in the same unit with Charley and knew him well.  He went on to say that Charley had gotten a job working for the government in Puerto Rico.  Charley was driving a team and making $40 per month.

Most importantly, Mr. Bybee provided Charley’s address in Puerto Rico.  John immediately wrote to Charley.  According to the Fort Scott Weekly Tribune on October 26, 1899, Evaline had received a letter from Charley.  The first they had heard from him in over two years.  The only additional piece of information they provided was that he was headquartered at Mayaguez.

 

In the years to come

Less than two months later, John died suddenly of painter’s colic (constipation caused by lead poisoning) in Galena, Kansas, where he had a painting business.  Why he had moved his business there is not known, but he had been in some conflicts with the pastor of the Brethren Church in Fort Scott.  It had become very public and perhaps that drove him to move his business. 

Leading up to his death, John appeared to be well until the last day.  He had written Evaline telling her that he would be home for Christmas, but he didn’t live that long.

After his death, Evaline used John’s $3,000 life insurance to purchase an 80-acre farm near Hiattville, likely to be close to her brother and parents.  After her move, no indication of communication with or about Charley has been found until 24 years later.  In December, 1923, the Adjutant General’s Office sent a memorandum to Charles W. Turney of Hiattville, Kansas.  Charles must have been a kind neighbor and helped Evaline by writing a letter to the government, as he had no other known connection to the family.  Apparently, she sought additional information about Charley.  The letter, however, provided basically the same information that had been sent to the family in 1899.

 

The Twist

Military Records

As I reviewed Charley’s military records, I found something unexpected.  I found a military headstone application that showed the name Charles D. Palmer alias Charley Farmer.  It stated the service had been in the unit the government had identified in their message to Charley’s father and had dates coinciding with the information the government had sent the family. Then, I found a pension record that showed Charles D. Farmer (alias) Charles D. Palmer.  This record again gave the same unit.

The records showed that Charles or Charley had died September 21, 1931, almost 34 years to the day that Charley had gone missing.  The records showed that Charles D. Palmer had a wife Catherine who lived at 548 Kensington Ave, La Grange, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago).  In 1930, that home was valued at $6,000 and today Zillow values the 2500+ square foot house at over $700,000.

 

The Palmer Family

Charles Palmer married Catherine September 20, 1911 in La Grange, Illinois.  In 1920, they had three children Vera K. Palmer, Ralph D. Palmer, and Charles A. Palmer.  The family lived at 218 Forest Avenue (That home no longer exists.).  However, the most interesting thing in the 1920 census was that Charles Palmer’s occupation was a painter!

The information for the family remained consistent in the 1930 census.  Charles sounds a lot like Charley.  The only difference is that he claimed to be born in New York and claimed his parents were from England; whereas, Charley was born in Indiana with his mother also born in Indiana and his father born in Ohio.

 

Mix & Match

One Charles Day Palmer was found in New York with a birth year around 1875.  His parents are James and Ellen.  However, he appears to have lived his entire life in New York, dying many years after Charles of Illinois.

In comparison, Charles D. Palmer of La Grange’s records with the Veteran’s Administration give a birth date of June 20, 1877.  Meanwhile, his WWI draft registration card and his death record show June 20, 1878 as his birth date.  In a possibly odd coincidence, his WWI draft registration shows a middle name of Dayton.  It is so very similar to the middle name Day of the man of New York.

His death record, however, provides some information that seems to tie Charles D. Palmer back to Charley D. Farmer.  His father is listed as John Albert and his mother is listed as Cornelia E. Peel.  Some researchers have John’s the middle  as Albert.  There are Quaker records that show a John Albert Farmer.  However, I have yet to prove those records are for this specific John A. Farmer.  The name Peel, on the other hand, seems so unlikely if the man wasn’t Charley.  As far as I know, Evaline was not really Cornelia.  However, it is possible that was her name and she never used it or the name is a mistake.  It does show an initial of E, which could stand for Evaline.

 

The Questions

 

Charley Farmer Changed His Name

Was Charles Dayton Palmer really Charley D. Farmer? If so, why did Charley change his name?  Was he in Puerto Rico the entire time from when he was discharged from the military until just prior to his marriage to Catherine?

It seems very possible that they are the same man.  No records of Charley Dayton Palmer have been found before his marriage to Catherine.  Likewise, no records of Charley D. Farmer have been found after 1899.  If he was in Puerto Rico in 1900, he wouldn’t have been in the census.  However, he should have been in the 1910 census in Illinois, Puerto Rico, or some other location, although it is possible that he was missed for one reason or another.

 

If it was Charley that joined the military, where was Charley between September 20, 1897 when he said he was coming home and May 26, 1897 when he joined the army?  And, why didn’t he contact his family during this time?  Who says, “I am coming home” and then never contacts the family again?

These questions seem to have no answer.  To speculate, it is possible that he did go off to Alaska, where communication might have been limited.  Still, it seems like he would have contacted his parents before joining the cavalry.  It is also possible that he got in trouble and ended up in jail somewhere.  But, again, you would think he would have contacted his parents before joining the military.  This just doesn’t match the behavior of a person who contacted their parents to say that they are coming home.

 

Charles Dayton Palmer Isn’t Charley D. Farmer

If Charles Dayton Palmer isn’t Charley D. Farmer, where did he come from?  Why did he claim Charley D. Farmer’s military service?  Did he learn about Charley in the newspaper?  How did he know anything about Charley’s parents’ names, especially his mom’s maiden name? Could Charley have died and another man have stolen Charley’s identity before joining the military?  If so, who was he before that?

This seems less likely because of the information that he would have to have known.  However, it would definitely explain the lack of contact.  Someone who stole someone’s identity likely would not want contact with the person’s family.

 

Years In Puerto Rico

What was it that the man who served in the military did in Puerto Rico?  If he is the same as Charles Dayton Palmer, what was he doing for those 12 years?  Was he in Puerto Rico the entire time?  If that was Charley D. Farmer, what happened to him?  Why is there no record of him in Puerto Rico?

He was working for the government in a time of great change in Puerto Rico.  It is possible that he continued with the government, possibly coming back to the states in a role with them.  However, it is possible that something happened to him in Puerto Rico, but that doesn’t explain someone else claiming his military service.

 

No Contact?

Did Charley really respond to John’s letter in 1899?

The reason to question this is that Evaline had a letter written to the War Department years later to try to get information on Charley.  In addition, Evaline (Peelle) Farmer’s obituary states that her son Charles “has been missing in action ever since the Spanish-American war.  He enlisted in the army and was last heard of in the Philippines.  Great efforts were made to find him but his fate was never known.”  Her obituary was likely written by Nola and Clate.  It is inconsistent with him being released in Puerto Rico, but years had passed and perhaps they didn’t remember the details.  However, they definitely didn’t seem to think contact had been made. It seems that they would have definitely known if their mom got a letter from him – even if it was only one.

 

In Conclusion

When it comes to Charley D. Farmer, there are simply more questions than answers!