DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The name on this marker is Isom Palmer — though you might find it spelled Parmer, or Palmer, depending on which document you pick up. That right there tells you something about the times.
This was a man whose life moved fast, and the record had to keep up as best it could. He was born to Martin and Sarah Hardwick Parmer, and in 1825 the whole Palmer family pulled up stakes and moved to Texas. They settled near Nacogdoches the following year, and they didn't exactly arrive quietly — the family participated in the Fredonian Rebellion of 1826.
That was just the opening chapter. By late 1835, Isom was at the Siege of Bexar, fighting under Captain John M. Bradley.
Now picture what came next. After that siege, with Texas still in the fire and everything up in the air, Isom Palmer found himself standing at Washington-on-the-Brazos, serving as sergeant-at-arms at the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The man who helped hold order in that room while history was being put to paper.
He went on to wed Laura E. Dougherty, and in the early 1870s the two of them made their home in Brazos County — which is exactly where this marker stands today, quietly keeping his name from getting any harder to find.
What the marker says
Isom Palmer, whose name has various spellings, was born to Martin and Sarah (Hardwick) Parmer. In 1825, the Palmer (Parmer) family moved to Texas, settling near Nacogdoches the next year, and participated in the 1826 Fredonian Rebellion. Palmer fought under Capt. John M. Bradley during the Siege of Bexar in late 1835. He then served as sergeant-at-arms at the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos. He later wed Laura E. Dougherty and moved to Brazos County in the early 1870s. Recorded - 2006