Charles Edwin Palmer
Parents
| Father | Thomas Haig Palmer (27 December 1782 - 20 July 1861) |
| Mother | Johanna P. Fenton (25 September 1800 - 14 May 1872) |
Personal Information
| Record Created: 14 July 2013; Last Edited: 3 February 2022 |
| Person ID | 5674 |
| Name | Charles Edwin Palmer |
| Gender | Male |
| Born | 21 August 1842 in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vermont1, 2, 3 |
| Married | 8 September 1864 in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa to Ellen Adelaide Gazlay1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Died | 24 January 1906 in River Forest, Cook County, Illinois5 |
| Buried | in Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois5 |
Biography
Charles and his wife Ellen lived in Rutland County, Vermont, early in their marriage, and moved in the early 1880s to Chicago, Illinois. They were in the catering business, and Charles managed the tearoom at Marshall Field’s department store in Chicago up to 1906 when Charles died, the same week as Marshall Field. Marshall Fields developed the concept of a department store tea room. In the 1800s, it was considered improper for a lady to have lunch in a downtown restaurant while being unescorted by a gentleman. In 1890, when a Marshall Fields store clerk, Sarah Hering (or Herring) offered a chicken pot pie with a shopper, Fields store manager Harry Gordan Selfridge came up with the idea of opening a department store tea room so women could luncheon downtown during their shopping trips and avoid having to return home just for lunch. It is unclear which tea room Charles Palmer managed, but it may have been the original South Tea Room. It was certainly not the renowned Walnut Room, since that opened in 1907, the year after Charles’ death.3, 6
Person/Family
| Spouse 1 |  Ellen Adelaide Gazlay (daughter of Orville F. Gazlay and Mary Elizabeth VanCise) |
| Born | 10 January 1844 in Norwich, Chenango County, New York |
| Married | 8 September 1864 in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa to Charles Edwin Palmer |
| Died | 15 August 1919 in Gallup, McKinley County, New Mexico |
| Children | of Charles Edwin Palmer and Ellen Adelaide Gazlay: |
| 1. | Charlie Palmer |
| Born | ca. 1869 |
| Died | ca. 1869 |
Sources
- U.S. Federal Census, 1880, Vermont, Rutland County, Rutland Village, Enumeration District 188, Page No. 15B; borders (among others) in the family of Francis P. and Martin G. Everts: Chas. E. Palmer (37, Vermont, merchant-clothing); wife Ellen A. Palmer (35, New York); wife’s sister Rena C. Gazlay (22, New York); mother in law Eliza Gazlay (65, New York).
- U.S. Federal Census, 1900, Illinois, Cook County, Proviso Township, River Forest Village, Enumeration District 1182, Sheet No. 8A; family of Chas E. Palmer (55, Vermont, 1844, caterer); wife of 36 years Ellen A. Palmer (55, New York, 1844, 1 child, none living); m-in-law M. Gazley (83, New York, Nov 1816, widow, 4 children, 3 living); step sister [sic, actually sister-in-law] Hattie A. Miller (68, New York, July 1841, widow, no children); step sister [sic, actually sister-in-law] Mrs. Stimpson (39, New York, Oct 1858, no children); b-in-law, married 7 years, Chas. L. Stimpson (62, Massachusetts, Mar 1838, salesman); plus four servants.
- wikitree. Entries for Charles Edwin Palmer, wife Ellen Adelaide Gazeley [sic, Gazlay], and son Charlie Palmer. Orphaned profiles, probably entered by Robert Palmer, a direct descendant of Charles’ brother George Henry Palmer. The profiles include vital and biographical details, plus several sources, so reliability of the information is considered good-excellent.
- Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934; Charles E. Palmer and Ellen A. Gasley, married on 8 September 1864 in Polk County, Iowa.
- Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1922; Palmer, Charles Edwin, died 24 January 1906 in River Forest, Cook [County], Illinois, age 63; birthplace: Pittsford, Mass. [sic, Pittsford is in Vermont]; occupation: private catering; burial: Forest Home Cemetery.
- Marshall Field’s Food and Fashion, by Joan Greene. Published by Pomegranate Communications, Inc., Petaluma, California, 2005.