I'm trying to find confirmation of the origins of Benjamin Carpenter,
who is buried in the Perryville Church cemetery in South Kingstown, RI.
He is reputed to be the son of Thomas and Dorcas Carpenter of the same
place, and I have seen claims that Thomas in turn is the son of another
Thomas and was born in West Greenwich in 1738. However, I have no proof
for these assertions, and I am wondering if anyone has evidence that
would either support or refute any of them. So far, I have combed the
vital records of Kent and Washington Counties, and the RI probate index
in the RI Genealogical Register, to no avail. The West Greenwich vitals
do show the birth of a Thomas in 1738 (which happens to be before the
town was incorporated), but offer no clues to support the notion that he
later settled in South Kingstown. The RI cemeteries database supplied
the dates for Benjamin, but did not provide a link to his parents.
John Chandler
<jchbn(a)cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu>