1881 General Grant Broadside & 2 related pieces of ephemera

Item Details

Small archive relating to a family reunion for descendants of Walter Palmer, 1881.  Creases, light wear.  

Palmer Family Reunion, Stonington, 1881 (3 Pieces)

1. Elaborate invitation pamphlet printed in gilt and black with tri-fold ornamental wrapper, titled Walter Palmer Reunion at Stonington, Conn., 1881. Designed by H. Clay Palmer. Includes printed message to family members inviting them to participate in this major genealogical event.
2. Decorative souvenir flip card (titled in gold: “Walter Palmer, 1653–1881”) featuring a frontispiece woodcut of Palmer and the Latin motto Palmam qui meruit ferat.
3. Printed broadside  reprinted from the Stonington Mirror, with the headline: General Grant Is Coming to the Palmer Reunion. Includes Grant’s letter accepting the invitation and additional commentary on the family’s genealogical efforts, reportedly tracing over 7,000 descendants.

Light toning, folds, and handling wear consistent with age; overall very good and visually striking. An evocative record of 19th-century American genealogical enthusiasm and family pageantry—with a rare association to Ulysses S. Grant, just six years after his presidency.

Related topics: Stonington CT, Walter Palmer, U.S. Grant, American genealogy, 19th-century family reunions, Connecticut history, commemorative printing, family archives, ephemera lot, Grant correspondence, Victorian printing styles, American ancestry society memorabilia