Bell Elliott Palmer Explained

Bell Elliott Palmer (March 27, 1873 – October 2, 1947) was an American writer.

Early life

Bell Elliott was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, the daughter of Richard Douglas Elliott (1848-1878) and Lucy H. Twyman Elliott (died 1878). She was raised by her grandparents after becoming an orphan as a small girl. She attended the University of Chicago. ^{[1] [2]}

Career

Bell Elliott Palmer wrote dozens of plays, mostly one-act comedies, "clean and suitable for church, school, or dramatic clubs".^[3] Her titles included The Professor's Truant Gloves (1906),^[4] The Point of View (1906),^[5] Out of Town (1906),^[6] Mrs. Santa Claus, Militant (1914),^[7] The Love Flower (1921),^[8] What Can We Do with Aunt Sally? (1922),^[9] In the Garden of Life (1924),^[10] Fighting it Out at the Cheer Club (1924),^[11] Setting the Nation Right (1924),^[12] Not So Turribul (1925),^[13] It Can't Be Done (1925),^[14] Rest a Bit, Mother (1925),^[15] What's the Use! (1926),^[16] The Meddlesome Mrs. Mars (1929),^[17] We Never Gossip (1932), The Very Idea (1932), Fidgets (1932). Other titles, advertised in 1912, were His Uncle's Choice, or Dodging an Heiress, The Bluners from Blue Ridge, Aunt Billie From Texas, The Home of Confusion, Tilton, the Uplifter, Bob Upsets the Calendar, and They Do Say. Her Blessed Boy was added to the list by 1919.^[18]

Palmer published an epistolary novel, The Single-Code Girl (1915).^[19] She also wrote short stories,^[20] and articles for Out West and other periodicals.^[21]

Personal life

Bell Elliott married James Allerton Palmer, a banker. They had three daughters. In 1916 she planned a long-distance walk with two of her daughters, from Los Angeles to Chicago.^[22] Palmer died in 1947, in Jacksonville, Illinois, survived by her daughters Anna Capps and Bell Voss.^[23] Her son-in-law was the artist Charles Merrick Capps.^{[24] [25]}

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=4j08AQAAMAAJ&q=Palmer&pg=PA249 "Bell Elliot Palmer: An Author With a Mission For Spreading Optimism"
2. University of Chicago, Annual Register (1910): 578.
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=zIpBAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Bell+Elliott%22+comedy&pg=PA20 "Advertisement"
4. Bell Elliott Palmer, The Professor's Truant Gloves: A Comedy Sketch (Dick & Fitzgerald 1906).
5. Bell Elliott Palmer, The Point of View: A Comedy Sketch (Dick & Fitzgerald 1906).
6. Bell Elliott Palmer, Out of Town: A Comedy in Three Acts (Walter H. Baker 1906).
7. Bell Elliott Palmer, "Mrs. Santa Claus, Militant: A Christmas Comedy" (Eldridge Entertainment House 1914).
8. Bell Elliott Palmer, The Love Flower (Eldridge Entertainment House 1921).
9. Bell Elliott Palmer, What Can We Do with Aunt Sally? A Comedy in Two Acts (Eldridge Entertainment House 1922).
10. Bell Elliott Palmer, In the Garden of Life: A One-Act Easter Play (Eldridge Entertainment House 1924).
11. Bell Elliott Palmer, Fighting it Out at the Cheer Club: A Playlet in One Act (Eldridge Entertainment House 1924).
12. Bell Elliott Palmer, Setting the Nation Right (Eldridge Entertainment House 1924).
13. Bell Elliott Palmer, Not So Turribul: A Sketch (Eldridge Entertainment House 1925).
14. Bell Elliott Palmer, It Can't Be Done: A Comedy in One Act (Fitzgerald Publishing 1925).
15. Bell Elliott Palmer, Rest a Bit, Mother: A Three-Act Play (Eldridge Entertainment House 1925).
16. Bell Elliott Palmer, What's the Use! A Comedy in Three Acts (Eldridge Entertainment House 1926).
17. Bell Elliott Palmer, The Meddlesome Mrs. Mars (Eldridge Entertainment House 1929).
18. https://books.google.com/books?id=X5xBAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Bell+Elliott%22+comedy&pg=PA58 "Advertisement"
19. Bell Elliott Palmer, The Single-Code Girl: A Novel (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard 1915).
20. Bell Elliott Palmer, "Miss Cynthia's Sideboard" The Kinsley Mercury (April 7, 1909): 8. via Newspapers.com
21. Bell Elliott Palmer, "From New York to Lawndale, Calif." Out West (December 1914): 342-344.
22. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22669971/bell_elliott_palmer_1916/ "Plans Los Angeles – Chicago Hike; Mother and 2 Daughters to Walk"
23. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22669516/bell_elliott_palmer_1947/ "Mrs. Bell Elliott Palmer Dies; Plan Services Monday"
24. https://americanart.si.edu/artist/charles-merrick-capps-733 Charles Merrick Capps
25. Steve Hochstadt, "Jacksonville Characters" Illinois College.