Lori Frederick wrote:
Research is leading me to believe (most certainly) that I am a
relative of one of these John Carpenters. Could someone help me figure these John
Carpenters out? All I have is some info given to me by my Aunt Clara. It starts with about
1700 their were 3 brothers. John, Ashman and David Carpenter from Long Island City, NY.
Any information would be appreciated. This John went to Fort Pitt and had three sons,
John, Ashman and David Carpenter! Great!
Help!
The best published research on this Carpenter line was done by Herbert F. Seversmith:
_Colonial Families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut, Being the Ancestry of Herbert
Furman Seversmith_, 5 vols. (Washington, D.C., 1939-1958), 2:535-51 (most of the remainder
of this section repeats Amos B. Carpenter's work and should be ignored), 1010-12 [FHL
film #525,304;
<
http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/BookView.aspx?dbid=14260&iid=dvm_Ge...>].
Ashman5 Carpenter and his brother John, were born probably at Jamaica, Long Island, about
1688 and 1693, respectively; they were sons of Hope4 Carpenter (John3, William2 of
Rehoboth) and his wife, Mary Ashman. (For the most accurate and up-to-date scholarship on
the Carpenter families of John3, William2 of Rehoboth, and William1 of Shalbourne, go to
<
http://members.cox.net/jrcrin001/carplink.htm>.) Their father's will--dated 8
January 1712 and proved 23 March 1712 (not 13 May 1713, as per Seversmith)--names them and
their siblings, Hope, Hezekiah, and Hannah. I find no indication that Ashman and John had
a close relative (brother, uncle, nephew, or first cousin) named David.
The will of Ashman's brother John--dated at Hopewell, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, 1
October 1744, and proved 2 April 1745--names wife Mary, daughter of Major Ralph Hart; sons
John, Hezekiah, and others (unnamed, under 16); and daughters Sarah and Mary. Seversmith
lists the children as Samuel, John (living 1 Oct. 1744, died shortly afterward), Benjamin,
Joseph, Hezekiah, Mary, Sarah, Hannah, and Caroline (no Ashman or David). Since Fort Pitt
(now Pittsburgh, Pa.) was not built until 1758, neither of these John Carpenters (father
and son) could have gone there.
In light of the above, I would approach the information provided by your aunt Clara--all
of it--with extreme caution. Document every item at every generation (which one should
always do as a matter of course anyway).
Gene Z.=