Nellie Conrad Palmer
Copied with permission from the Falmouth Outlook, thanks
Falmouth Outlook!
Generously Transcribed & Submitted by Nancy Bray, thanks Nancy!
Photo of Nellie was generously provided by Debbie Dennie, Editor of the Falmouth
Outlook and a dear friend of Mrs. Palmer. Thanks Debbie!
The song you are listening to is "Nelly Was A Lady" by Stephen Foster
Up until about four years ago Nellie Palmer was busy cleaning offices, cooking
for meetings and special occasions for various citizens in the community. She
was very active even at age 90. You name it, Mrs. Palmer had done it,
from, a janitor to a housekeeper.
In her spare time, she visited the rest homes, the elderly at the Bedford House
and took food to many shut ins. She was well known for her blackberry jam
cakes and homemade lye soap for which she had many requests.
She had a smile on her face and humming a tune as she went about her work.
Mrs. Palmer was always there when a friend or even a stranger, for that fact,
needed help.
She cleaned The Falmouth Outlook office for many, many years as well as Midwest
Gas and Farm Bureau Insurance offices.
In former years she cooked at some historic landmarks such as the Phoenix Hotel,
the LLL Restaurant, the Dixie Tea Room and others in the 1930's.
She also organized the Ruth Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church that
operated for many years in Falmouth. She cleaned the church, cooked Sunday
dinners and basically kept the church running.
"In 1968 a tornado destroyed the church, but Mrs. Palmer went to work
getting donations to rebuild it." Mrs. Palmer was very active in the
church until her health started to fail at age 90 and the building was sold.
Gene Flaugher bought the church and remodeled it into an apartment
building. He placed a plaque on it naming it "The Nellie Palmer
House."
The two pictures above were generously submitted by Nancy Bray, thanks Nancy!
If you wanted to know who did what in Falmouth years ago, Nellie was the one to
ask. She knew all the old-timers and even some of their secrets, of which
she never told.
She was well respected and known by so many in the community and loved children.
Nellie was always looking to help others. She was fun loving and a
very religious person.
Mrs. Nellie Conrad Palmer, 94, of 308 Beech Street, Falmouth, Ky. died June 6,
1994 at the St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas, Ky. after an extended
illness.
She was a native of Millersburg, Bourbon County and came to Falmouth in the
early 1930's and loved Falmouth. Nellie had been a good friend and worked
for the Shornert family since the 1950's. She was a member of the Falmouth
United Methodist Church.
Her son George William Palmer preceded her in death. She leaves only
nieces and nephews. Burial was in Riverside Cemetery, Falmouth.