NOTATION from Carol A. Wells-Perlaky:
In 2018 I revisited this theory about [Robert] Sandford Palmer as relation to Blaney and John Palmer to clear up a bit of misinformation I inadvertently shared about the elder Palmer's marriages and to also share other thoughts about theory itself since I originally shared this post. This 2016 blog post was edited include the link to the more recent revisitation of the theory's blog posting. I also included links to the posts about Blaney and John Palmer. Otherwise nothing was changed in the original post's textual contents below.
I have come across online sources, or family trees, sharing the theory that a son of a Sandford Palmer was the father of Blaney and John Palmer. This son is sometimes listed with the name of William Palmer.
The theory went that Sandford Palmer and his wife, Mary, had a child (born around 1803) named William who married a Jane Martin, born in Mallow Parish, County Down and the daughter of James Martin and Jane Craig. William and Jane were said to been the parents of Blaney Palmer Sr. and, or, John Palmer.
On FamilySearch I located a christening/birth record for a male child born to Sandford Palmer and his first wife, Mary Ann. However the certificate did not list the child's name, only date and gender the only information shared about the child. Although tantalizing, after 3 or so years, I've determined (to my satisfaction) the theory doesn't seem to connect with Blaney or John Palmer. At least, it does not connect to them where Sandford R. Palmer would been their grandfather with how the theory is presented.
Sandford Robert Palmer married twice, within Mallow Parish/County Cork. He married Mary Ann Davis/Davies, daughter of Robert Davis/Davies, in 1796 in Waterford, Mallow Parish in County Cork. The blank name, for the one male child, appears would been a Sandford Palmer (Junior). Mary Ann Davis/Davies Palmer also had Elizabeth Mary Ann, Henrietta Ann, Simon Davies, and Jonathan Tanner Palmer. Elizabeth was Reverend Philip Townsend's second wife and they did not have children. Henrietta is said to married a Jonathan Warburton, I have not found children for this marriage before concluding this may been the wrong Palmer family/branch. Simon Davies died in County Cork in 1879 and unknown if he or Jonathan Tanner Palmer married or had children.
With his second wife, Mary Catherine who was the daughter of Edward Hoare Reeves that he married in 1826, they had a son named Robert Sandford Palmer - after both Sandford (Senior) and his father. So the Sandford name appeared to been passed along to a son with each wife - and none of his sons appear to have been named, nor went by, William either as his second son, in this marriage, was Carlton Reeves Palmer and they supposedly had a daughter named Dorothea.
In a small article about Sandford, after his death, it mentioned Sandford Jr and Robert Sandford in the same article - having it appear that the Sandford name had been passed along to two different male children of the same father.
So pursuing this theory, albeit an interesting Palmer family, served to only lead me right back to where I started: no idea on who were the parents of Blaney or John Palmer - or if they had any other siblings.
If any portion of this theory may hold a lead, or some water, it may be Jonathan Tanner Palmer since I did not come across marriage, let alone any children, attributed to him. Which leads to the second possible parentage theory of a John Palmer and his wife, Jane who is sometimes given the maiden name of Morton or Martin, who had a son (also named John) during the month of December, in 1822, in County Antrim ... could this John Palmer be Jonathan Tanner Palmer, son of Sandford R Palmer? Possibly, but I have to consider that it appears majority of Sandford's children either remained in County Cork/Mallow Parish area (as I can only place Jonathan Tanner due to birth/christening record but nothing beyond that) or went to Australia. Also, John and Jane are relatively common first name thoughts.
