A DeKalb County woman is celebrating a special milestone Tuesday. Petronia Archer Palmer is turning 100 years old. Her grandson Terry Price shared his grandmother’s story with Channel 2 Action News.
Palmer was born Sept. 1, 1920 in Perkins, Georgia. Price said when his grandmother was born, the only official documentation of births at times for Black families were kept in family bibles.
The family recorded her birthday and always celebrated it on Sept. 1, but Price said Palmer didn’t have a birth certificate.
“The only official documentation accepted was a Census document, which stated they saw a little girl in 1921. We, her family, go by what was written in our family bible, her true birth date,” Price said.
Palmer spent most of her life in Savannah before she moved up to Decatur. Palmer has raised six children, 13 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.
Happy birthday to Palmer and here’s to many more of them.
Cox Media Group
