Palmer Job Pillans: Surveyor, cartographer, soldier, politician and land promoter.
Son of John Christopher and Elizabeth (Palmer) Pillans, born on Edisto Island, South Carolina.
Attended school in Charleston, graduated from college, and participated in a military expedition against a threatened uprising of Cherokee Indians.
1837: transferred to the United States engineers and engaged in a reconnaissance tour of territory between Georgia and the Ohio River.
Commissioned to survey the right-of-way for a railroad from Charleston to Cincinnati but in 1838, before the project was completed, moved to Texas. He was commissioned first lieutenant in the Army of the Republic of Texas and promoted to captain. While stationed at Galveston, he returned to Mobile, Alabama, where he married Laura Malvina Roberts on Feb. 2, 1845 (Mobile Marriage Book 8, page 70 & Book 7, page 539).

Associated with Charles F. Mercer in a plan for the colonization of North Texas, Palmer Pillans acted as field agent with his residence at Bonham until 1849. He was at times associated with Mirabeau Lamar's government and an ambitious plan to extend the western boundary of Texas to the California coast.
1849: He started to California with his family at the time of the gold rush, but Laura's illness caused them to stop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they sojourned until about 1852. He was elected first chief justice of the New Mexico supreme court, but New Mexico Territory failed to be admitted as a state, so they gave up on New Mexico and returned to their old home in Mobile, Alabama, where they had family members remaining and where several other western pioneer relatives had already returned. The Pillans Bible states that Palmer and Laura's son Cecil was born in Mobile on April 9, 1852. Laura's father, Dr. Willis Roberts, died in Mobile in 1853. Her brother, Joel Abbot Roberts, built a house for them at 906 Government Street in 1859, which their grandson Harry "Hal" Pillans sold shortly before its demolition in 1979. Palmer Pillans became the city engineer in Mobile. A number of maps by him are still used today. During the Civil War, Palmer Pillans had charge of the city's defenses and was responsible for planning and constructing all of the fortifications, breastworks and trenches around the city.

He was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel of Company S, Alabama 2nd Infantry Regiment.

1868: Was one of the charter members of the Order of Myths, the oldest Mardi Gras krew still in existence. He and Morton Toulmin together designed the krew's signature emblem, "Folly & Death," the court jester beating back Death in a strange dance around the broken Column of Life. It was sketched by Morton Toulmin sitting on the Pillans front porch on Government Street, taking directions and suggestions from Pillans.

1874-1875: Palmer J. Pillans was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Alabama.
1876-78 publications refer to him as Most Worshipful Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Alabama (and 1873: Grand P.C. Work).
1894: Chairman of Committee on Foreign Correspondence, Grand Lodge of Alabama

February 11, 1879: Through the successful efforts of numerous men led by the Hon. Hannis Taylor, who pleaded Mobile's bankruptcy case before the Alabama State Legislature, Mobile's city charter was abolished and reorganized as the Port of Mobile. A Board of Port Authorities was composed of three men appointed by the legislature while a Board of Police Commissioners, charged with running the regular city government, was composed of eight citizens elected by the citizens. Palmer J. Pillans was one of the eight elected commissioners of this first board of city police commissioners. "Pillans was responsible for streets and public works." (Mobile Register, June 27, 1976, p.G-32.)

1885: Elected President of the Mobile Yacht Club, of which his son Harry Pillans was one of the founding officers. (Outing: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine of Outdoor Recreation, vol. VI (July 20, 1885), p.767.)

Descendants of Palmer J. Pillans qualify for membership in several lineage societies:
First Families of Alabama
First Families of Florida
First Families of Texas
United Daughters of the Confederacy
Sons of the Confederacy

History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume 4 By Thomas McAdory Owen & Marie Bankhead Owen:
Lawyer, civil engineer, was born January 30, 1816, at Edisto Island, Colleton District, S. C., and died June 22, 1898, Mobile; son of John Christopher and Elizabeth (Palmer) Pillans, who lived at Charleston, S. C., where the former was born, at Edisto, S. C., and in Madison County, Fla.; grandson of Robert and Ann (Clark) Pillans, of Charleston, S. C., natives, respectively of Edinburgh and of Glasgow, Scotland, who emigrated to South Carolina about 1780, the former a descendant of a Huguenot family who fied to Scotland after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and of Job and Sarah (Morgan) Palmer, of Charleston, S. C., the former a native of Falmouth, Mass., born August 26, 1747, died in 1845, who moved to Charleston in March, 1772, the latter a native of Bermuda, who died in 1797; great-grandson of Rev. Samuel and Mercy (Parker) Palmer, respectively of Middlebury, Mass., and of Boston, the former a pastor in Falmouth, Mass., for forty-five years, whose son, "Esquire" Palmer served in the Revolutionary Army, and who was fifth in descent from William Palmer of Nottinghamshire, England, who emigrated to Plymouth in 1621 in the Fortune, the second ship to reach that place, his wife following him in the Ann, in 1623. Mr. Pillans was educated at Charleston, S. C., in Courtney's, Coates' and Bruns' schools, being a tutor in the last named; and was graduated from Charleston College, A. M., 1835, in a class of thirteen members. He read law in the office of Holmes & Bentham, Charleston, S. C., 1834-1835; taught school a year; volunteered in 1836 for the Seminole War, going out as sergeant, and later being commissioned lieutenant of Capt. Tripp's company, South Carolina volunteers; was engaged as a civil engineer in the survey of a railroad through Rabun Gap, Ga., from Charleston to Cincinnati; was in the service of the U. S. topographical reconnaissance of the Cherokee country, in North Carolina and Georgia, and in the early railroad project there; went to Texas and received a commission of major in the army of the republic of Texas from Sam Houston; later as a civilian and an owner in the Mercer colony, resided for a time in northern Texas and then went to Santa Fe, N. Mex.; led the party in opposition to a pure military autocracy in New Mexico; defeated the government party; was selected by the first convention for organizing a state as chief justice of New Mexico, but the state was denied admission. He was licensed to practice law in South Carolina and Florida, but never practiced except in Texas and New Mexico. He returned to Mobile in 1853; was city surveyor and later city engineer of Mobile, 1853-1871; a member of the police board of the port of Mobile; member of the board of commissioners of Mobile, 1880-1883. During the War of Secession, he was captain of the Mobile Grays, and later lieutenant colonel of the Second Alabama state regiment; and was engineer-in-chief in the field in connection with the fortifications of Mobile. He was a Democrat; a Presbyterian; a Master Mason; and was at one time grand master ot the grand lodge of Alabama. Married: in 1845, at Mobile, to Laura Malvina Roberts, daughter of Dr. Willis and Asenath (Alexander) Roberts, of Putnam County, Ga.; granddaughter of Willis (sic) Roberts, of North Carolina, a Welshman, and his wife a Miss Herndon, and of Col. Samuel and Olivia (Wooten) Alexander, who moved from Georgia to North Carolina, the former of whom served in the Continental Army with his brother James. Children: 1. Ida, Mobile, m. Otway B. Norvell, deceased; 2. Harry (q. v.); 3. Edith, m. Rev. Howard R. Walker, Mobile; 4-7. sons, all four of whom d. in infancy. Last residence: Mobile.

His son the Hon. Harry Pillans served as mayor of Mobile and married Elizabeth Henshaw Torrey, a descendant of John Alden who came over on the Mayflower.
Notable Men of Alabama (1904), vol. 1, by Joel C. Dubose, p. 126: Mrs. Pillans "enjoyed a distinguished lineage, being descended from the Henshaws of Massachusetts and Isbells of Virginia."
History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, vol. 4 by Thomas M. and Marie Bankhead Owen, p. 1365: "Mrs. Pillans is a descendant of the Henshaws of Massachusetts and of the Isbells of Virginia, her New England ancestry running back to John Alden and his wife Priscilla."

Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of…New York (1899), p.191: "June 22(sic), 1898, M.W. PALMER J. PILLANS, Past Grand Master of Alabama, died at Mobile."
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Job Palmer Pillans, lawyer, civil engineer, was born January 30, 1816, at Edisto Island, Colleton District, S. C., and died June 22, 1898, Mobile; son of John Christopher and Elizabeth (Palmer) Pillans, who lived at Charleston, S. C., where the former was born, at Edisto, S. C., and in Madison County, Fla.; grandson of Robert and Ann (Clark) Pillans, of Charleston, S. C., natives, respectively of Edinburgh and of Glasgow, Scotland, who emigrated to South Carolina about 1780, the former a descendant of a Huguenot family who fied to Scotland after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and of Job and Sarah (Morgan) Palmer, of Charleston, S. C., the former a native of Falmouth, Mass., born August 26, 1747, died in 1845, who moved to Charleston in March, 1772, the latter a native of Bermuda, who died in 1797; great-grandson of Rev. Samuel and Mercy (Parker) Palmer, respectively of Middlebury, Mass., and of Boston, the former a pastor in Falmouth, Mass., for forty-five years, whose son, "Esquire" Palmer served in the Revolutionary Army, and who was fifth in descent from William Palmer of Nottinghamshire, England, who emigrated to Plymouth in 1621 in the Fortune, the second ship to reach that place, his wife following him in the Ann, in 1623. Mr. Pillans was educated at Charleston, S. C., in Courtney's, Coates' and Bruns' schools, being a tutor in the last named; and was graduated from Charleston College, A. M., 1835, in a class of thirteen members. He read law in the office of Holmes & Bentham, Charleston, S. C., 1834-1835; taught school a year; volunteered in 1836 for the Seminole War, going out as sergeant, and later being commissioned lieutenant of Capt. Tripp's company, South Carolina volunteers; was engaged as a civil engineer in the survey of a railroad through Rabun Gap, Ga., from Charleston to Cincinnati; was in the service of the U. S. topographical reconnaissance of the Cherokee country, in North Carolina and Georgia, and in the early railroad project there; went to Texas and received a commission of major in the army of the republic of Texas from Sam Houston; later as a civilian and an owner in the Mercer colony, resided for a time in northern Texas and then went to Santa Fe, N. Mex.; led the party in opposition to a pure military autocracy in New Mexico; defeated the government party; was selected by the first convention for organizing a state as chief justice of New Mexico, but the state was denied admission. He was licensed to practice law in South Carolina and Florida, but never practiced except in Texas and New Mexico. He returned to Mobile in 1853; was city surveyor and later city engineer of Mobile, 1853-1871; a member of the police board of the port of Mobile; member of the board of commissioners of Mobile, 1880-1883. During the War of Secession, he was captain of the Mobile Grays, and later lieutenant colonel of the Second Alabama state regiment; and was engineer-in-chief in the field in connection with the fortifications of Mobile. He was a Democrat; a Presbyterian; a Master Mason; and was at one time grand master ot the grand lodge of Alabama. Married: in 1845, at Mobile, to Laura Malvina Roberts, daughter of Dr. Willis and Asenath (Alexander) Roberts, of Putnam County, Ga.; granddaughter of Willis Roberts, of North Carolina, a Welshman, and his wife a Miss Herndon, and of Col. Samuel and Olivia (Wooten) Alexander, who moved from Georgia to North Carolina, the former of whom served in the Continental Army with his brother James. Children: 1. Ida, Mobile, m. Or way B. Norvell, deceased; 2. Harry (q. v.); 3. Edith, m. Rev. Howard R. Walker, Mobile; 4-7. sons, all four of whom d. in infancy. Last residence: Mobile. [History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 4 By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen, 1921 -