Rev. Roy Leighton Palmerton (1873-1950)

PALMERTON, HARPER, THOMSON, GOSS, HANCHETT

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 10/12/2013 at 21:45:20

From Nevada Journal May 5, 1957

Roy Leighton Palmerton was born June 27, 11873 in Howard county, Iowa, just across the state line from LeRoy, Minnesota. He was the youngest of seven children to be born to Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Palmerton.

In his childhood he came under the influence of the First Baptist Church at LeRoy, Minnesota during a revival meeting and became a Christian. he has always had a special regard for this church and many years later he served this church as pastor, and from this church be retired from the ministry.

Roy Palmerton attended the rural school near his home, high school at LeRoy and Pillsburg Academy at Owatonna, Minn. When about 20 years old he entered the Moody Bible Institute at Chicago, Illinois. At this institution he met Miss Jennie Harper of Nevada, Iowa, whom he later married. He graduated from the Moody Institute and also attended Crozier Theological Seminary at Chester, Pennsylvania.

He was ordained to be a minister of the gospel at Killswog, New York, on June 19, 1900. The Baptist church at Killawog was his first pastorate.

On July 5, 1900, he and Miss Harper were united in marriage aat Nevada, Iowa. To this union were born four sons: Donald Harper Palmerton who died at the age of 19 months; Leighton H. Palmerton, who is now on the faculty of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology at Rapid City; Robert Maxwell Palmerton, owner and operator of the Coast-to-Coast Store in Yankton, S. D.; and Ernest Sterling Palmerton, a physician in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

After the initial pastorate at Killawog, Rev. and Mrs. Palmerton spent about one year in missionary work in the Kentucky mountains, then followed pastorates at Clinton Falls, Minnesota, Spring Valley, Minn., Watertown, S. D., Glenwood, Iowa, and Madison, S. D. Rev. Palmerton then spent about one year in evangelistic work in various churches in Raymond, Wisconsin; Pharr, Texas and Lockney, Texas, then successively at Montrose, Pierre and Dell Rapids, S. D. and finally at LeRoy, Minnesota, his final pastorate.

After his retirement from active ministry in 1937, Rev. and Mrs. Palmerton moved to Nevada, Iowa. Mrs. Palmerton died after an illness of one week on August 14, 1944. In March of 1950, Rev. Palmerton sold his home in Nevada, and moved to the Winnebago Baptist Home, Winnebago, Minnesota, where he resided for just four weeks and one day. On April 28, 1950 he became ill very suddenly and in less than one hour had passed away.

In addition to the three living sons he is survived by three sisters, Mrs. Eva Thomson of Springfield, Missouri, Mrs. Sarah Goss of Great Falls, Montana, and Mrs. Estella Hanchett of Moore, Montana. He is also survived by five grandchildren.