Seated, bottom left: Clara Belle (NICHOLAS) LOWDER, daughter of Sarah Rosella "Ella" (SPENCER) NICHOLAS PALMER, born 1876, Ringgold County, Iowa; died February 19, 1912, Chula, Livingstone County, Missouri.

Seated, center: Ira Abner PALMER, born January 21, 1833, Canada; died February 19, 1905, Nevada, Missouri; interment Tingley Cemetery, Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa.

Seated, bottom right: Nellie Mae (PALMER) PROCTOR, daughter of Ira Abner PALMER, born May 9, 1876, Ringgold County, Iowa; died June 17, 1947, Hutchinson, Kansas; interment Fairlawn Burial Park, Hutchinson, Kansas.

Back Row, left: Mrs. Sarah Rosella "Ella" (SPENCER) NICHOLAS PALMER, born December 15, 1858; died February 22, 1915; interment Tingley cemetery, Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa.

Back Row, right: Elmer Leroy NICHOLAS, son of Sarah Rosella "Ella" (SPENCER) NICHOLAS PALMER, born October 4, 1878, Ringgold County, Iowa; died September 28, 1955, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa; interment Wuyka Cemetery, Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Ira Abner PALMER was married 1st to Sarah J. MORRIS, interred in Illinois; married 2nd to Mrs. Lavina L. (LUPHER) GRACE, died at age 33 years February 5, 1879, married 3rd to Mrs. Sarah Rosella "Ella" (SPENCER) NICHOLAS PALMER.

Ira A[bner]. PALMER, an active and successful agriculturist of Liberty Township, is a native of Canada, his parents, Wilkinson and Nancy (HURDE) (sic) PALMER, moving from Rhode Island to Canada a short time prior to his birth, which occurred January 21, 1835. At an early age he was taken by his parents to Warren County, Illinois, and in that county he grew to manhood, being reared on a farm. He engaged in the manufacture of two-horse cultivators at Monmouth, Illinois, which he followed for several years.

During this time he was married to Miss Sarah J. MORRIS, of Monmouth, who died in 1868, leaving six children, who are all doing for themselves.

In 1871 Mr. PALMER came to Ringgold County, with his second wife, Lavina L. (LUPHER) (GRACE) PALMER, since which time he has resided on his farm on section 5, Liberty Township. His farm contains 320 acres all under fence and well-improved, and during his residence here he has followed general farming and stock-raising, paying special attention to a good grade of cattle and hogs, in which pursuit he is meeting with success.

Lavina L., wife of Ira. A. PALMER, died in Liberty township, Ringgold County, Iowa, February 5, 1879, aged 33 years. Ira and Lavina have two children, Charley (Grace) and Nellie Mae PALMER.

Mr. PALMER was again married in 1883, to Mrs. Ella NICHOLAS, a daughter of James SPENCER, who had two children by her former marriage. A daughter Clara Belle (NICHOLAS) LOWDER and a son Elmer Leroy NICHOLAS.

Mr. PALMER has held the office of justice of the peace of Liberty Township for six years. He has been president of the Ringgold County Agricultural Society for some eight years, and by his strict and honorable dealings, has gained the confidence of all who know him.

On November 10, 1866, Thomas W. SPENCER purchased 200 acres of government land in Rice Twp., Ringgold Co., Iowa for $1.25 per acre, total of $250.00. Ten years later in 1876, his brother James Whitley SPENCER would make this 200 acre farm his family home. (SW 1/4 of Section 28, and the SW 1/4 SE 1/4 also of Section 28).

J. W. SPENCER is a retired farmer who at 60 years of age [1896] is able to come to Mt. Ayr to enjoy town life after the arduous labors of accumulating a farm of 520 acres, and taking a prominent part of fostering farmer organizations of the County. Mr. SPENCER came here in 1876 from Illinois and located in Rice Township where he bought a farm of 320 acres. By devoting his attention to stock raising and shipping, he greatly increased the size of his farm. During this time, he has been a prominent member of agricultural society and the Farmer's Insurance Association. Since January of the present year he has made his home in Mt. Ayr.

NOTE: Per his great-grand-daughter Naomi Adair Hickerson's letter of January 15, 1999, The Mt. Ayr home was a BIG home one block west of the southwest corner of Mt. Ayr city square, on the north side of the street, where he eventually died. Malinda then sold the house, buying another across the street closer to the square. James’s daughter Sarah Rosella 'Ella' Nicholas who was crippled with arthritis lived with Malinda, also Sarah’s son Elmer Nicholas and wife Maude Leslie (North), and daughters Zoe, Genivieve, and Beatrice.

Malinda Jane (FRANKLIN) SPENCER was born May 26, 1838 in Tippecanoe Co, Indiana. On December 6, 1857, Malinda Jane FRANKLIN married James Whitley SPENCER, born July 16, 1835 in Greene County, Ohio. In 1863, the SPENCER family moved to Piatt County, Illinois, then, in 1876, they moved to a farm two miles southeast of Delphos, Iowa, in Rice Twp., Ringgold Co. They constructed the farm home from lumber hauled from Bedford and it was still in use in 1992. For many years James was one of Ringgold's respected farmers and a large landholder. Malinda and James were members of the Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church.

James died of cancer on February 2, 1907 in their home, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa. Malinda died January 22, 1922, Humeston, Wayne County, Iowa. She Was interred beside her husband in Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa.

Malinda and James had nine children, six sons and three daughters with two of the sons dying in infancy. Malinda is probably responsible for the last half of the well-kept family records kept with excellent penmanship on sheets that have been inserted in leather-backed 1844 family Bible that probably originated with her mother. The earlier first half of these records have been recorded with even neater and more superb penmanship that is probably that of her mother. [My mother Ilah Malinda (Spencer) Elliott described Malinda Jane as being a very quiet soul and was very small in stature.]

1) Sarah Rosella "Ella" SPENCER
    b. 15 Dec 1858; d. 22 Aug 1915
    married Ira Abner PALMER, b. 21 Jan 1833, Canada; d. 19 Feb 1905, Nevada MO
    Ira and Ella interrred Tingley Cemetery, Tingley, Ringgold C. IA

2) Ethelbert Augustus SPENCER
    b. 28 Feb 1861, Tippecanoe Co. IN;d. 6 Apr 1954, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. IA
    married Esther Jane LONG, b. 01 Aug 1865; d. 12 Dec 1953
    Ethelbert and Esther interred Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. IA

3) Alpha Lawrence SPENCER
    b. 05 Feb 1866, Piatt Co. IL; d. 26 Nov 1957, Des Moines, Polk Co. IA
    married Mary Evaline LONG, b. 02 Sep 1867; d. 29 Aug 1956
    Alpha and Mary interred Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. IA

4) Emory Francis SPENCER, b. 24 Mar 1863; d. 23 Apr 1864

5) Orin Gilbert SPENCER
    b. 24 Jul 1868, Piatt Co. IL; d. 7 Jun 1947, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. IA
    married Julia Belle BAIRD, b. 26 Jan 1867; d. 11 Apr 1953
    Orin and Julia interred Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Ringgold Co. IA

6) Frankie SPENCER, b. 20 Nov 1870; d. 26 Dec 1870

7) James Calaway SPENCER, b. 15 Apr 1872; d. 2 Sep

8) Lura Almeda SPENCER, b. 22 Sep 1875; d. 10 Sep 1912

9) Myrtle Olive SPENCER, b. 25 Mar 1879 d. 28 May 1939

Submitted by Janet Ann (PALMER) (PROCTOR) BRAWNER, granddaughter of Nellie Mae (PALMER) PROCTER, September of 2009; E-mail: jbrawner@cox.net