Hello to ALL CARPENTERS
I have a puzzle for you to solve. Pull up a chair, get a good bottle of
something and put on your thinking cap. Sure, take a drink first, then
put on your cap. If you find my cap, please send it back to me.
My Great-Grandfather's name is John T. Carpenter, born in North Carolina
in 1823 according to the 1860-80 census reports. That is all that I
have with respect to him and can prove at this point. I have loads of
data on his descendants. He married Frances Elizabeth Richardson in
Chattooga County, Georgia on 18 January 1855. His first son was John
Jeff Carpenter born in 1857. The 1860 census has them in Cache Twp.,
Greene County, Arkansas in 1860. In 1870 he and family are in Walker
County Georgia, and in 1880 they are in Chattooga County, Georgia.
During this time they have added more children: Mary S. in 1864, George
W. in 1867, William Joe in 1873, James Rufus in 1874, and last my
grandfather Noah Z. Carpenter in 1877 (May 12, 1877).
I could go back no further....A big, wide, long, dark, wall stood before
me. So, I did the only thing that I could figure out to do. Surf the
net. Then what do I come across? An advertisement that says, "can find
anyone for $20.00" Well! if they can, then $20.00 is nothing. So, off
goes my request for them to find John T. Carpenter, born in N.C., 1823,
and included various other pieces of information.
About two weeks later comes a COD Priority Mail Envelope with the answer
to my question. My John T. Carpenter is none other that John Thomas
Carpenter, born 18 May 1823 to John Carpenter and Mary Magdelene
Ramsour. John's parents at the time of his birth, they were 23 and 20
respectively.
However, within about 5 days I find out that the John Carpenter and Mary
Magdelene Ramsour (mentioned in the COD letter above) had a son named
John F. Carpenter, born on 18 May 1823 and married a Mary Littlejohn and
that they resided in Cherokee Co., N.C.
Now, it's possible that this John F. Carpneter and my John T. Carpenter
is the same person. but, how can I prove it. (Even the 1880 SOUNDEX
Card could be read as an F. However, since his wife's name was Frances,
who ever wrote out the card wrote the F in her name in a much different
manner. So I ruled out this as being the starting point for the
conversion from F to T, or T to F.)
My Great-Grandfather John T. Carpenter, died as the result of a horse
riding accident on 14 October 1895, and the State of Georgia Records do
not go back to that period of time. So they can't help. It appears
that the local Newspaper for that time period is missing also.
I have records proving that my grandfather's father was John T.
Carpenter. However, that is as far back as I can go.
Can anyone help?
Thanks Bobby L. Carpenter (A Chattooga Co., Georgia transplant
to Lompoc, California)