Anna Mary Palmer (née Paterson)

Born in 1802, Annie Mary Paterson was the daughter of John Paterson Esq. of the Baulk, near Lucea, and his wife Juliana. John died in 1801, before Annie Mary's birth. Her mother remarried, to Captain David Boyd, in 1812.

Annie Mary married John Rose Palmer of Rose Hall on 28/03/1820 at Mount Pleasant, St James, the house of her mother and stepfather. John Palmer died seven years later leaving just over £1100 in assets and £6000 in debts. His estates at Rose Hall and Palmyra were already liable for arrears of an annuity payable to Mrs Rebecca Weekes, the widow of John Rose Palmer's uncle John Palmer. Annie Mary sold whatever rights she may have had to Rose Hall and Palmyra estates to a Dr Bernard of Bristol for £200 sterling in 1830.

Annie Mary was settled for life at Bonvista, St James, by William Augustus Dickson (q.v.) whose wife Ann Robina Brown was her aunt. She died in 1846 at Bonavista and was buried 09/07/1846 at Montego Bay.

It's not clear how or why but Annie Mary Palmer was wrongly reputed to be the "White Witch of Rose Hall" and to have been murdered by her enslaved people in 1830 (see the entry also for Rebecca Ann Palmer then Weekes).

Geoffrey S. Yates, 'Rose Hall - death of a legend' available at http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples2/mpalmer.htm [acessed 29/10/2013].

Letters from Herbert Jarrett James to Philip Haughton James describe attempts to secure payment of Rebecca Weeks' annuity, transcriptions available at http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/H/HJJreWeeksannuity.htm [subscription site, accessed 29/10/2013].

A transcription of the will of William Augustus Dickson is available at http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/wdickson.htm [subscription site, accessed 29/10/2013].

We are grateful to Peter Dickson for his assistance in compiling this entry.