The Ford Family

Born	May 21, 1760 Stonington, CT
Died	September 26, 1828 Williamsfield OH
Father	Moses Palmer, III
Mother	Prudence Turner
Siblings	Moses Palmer Abigail Palmer

Spouse	Ruby Palmer
Married	November 28, 1784 Stonington, CT
Children	Varnum Bates Palmer

Bio
Gilbert was born in Stonington CT in 1760, to Prudence and Moses Palmer. He served in the CT Militia in 1782 and obtained the rank of Captain, which makes him a Revolutionary War Patriot. Sometime after 1810 he moved to Ashtabula, Ohio, where he and his wife Ruby Coats raised their family.

Many War Patriots were given land for their service, and perhaps Gilbert received some. Why else would you move your family into the wilderness of Ohio? As he was very instrumental in the founding of Williamsfield Township, it is only fitting that what little history we have of this area resides in his bio.

In 1799 a man named Joseph Williams purchased some of the land known as the "Western Reserve" from the Connecticut Land Company. The Township was later named after him. Early settlers began to move there and build houses and the infrastructure for the Township. Among them were Gilbert Palmer, Charles Brooks, Thomas Ford, and Ebenezer Woodworth!

The first documented sermon was preached at a service held in the home of Thomas Ford of Williamsfield Township. By 1809 they have built a school for the children and a post office was established soon after. The town began to to thrive as one of the principal dairy and farming areas. A water-powered Sawmill is erected in 1814, and within a few years a hotel is built. Williamsfield becomes a Township in 1826, with elected officials including Ebenezer Woodworth a Supervisor of Highways, Charles Brooks Treasurer, and Gilbert Palmer, Trustee.

Gilbert's great granddaughter Ellen Emeline Brooks married Ezra Woodworth's grandson Newell. (Ezra was also from CT, served in the Revolutionary War, and is also a Patriot.) Newell and Ellen had a baby girl, Edith, who is Grandpa Ford's mother! Today, Ezra and Gilbert are buried in the same small cemetery in Williamsfield, Ohio, where their graves are marked for their patriotic acts that brought us the freedoms we enjoy today.