Hello!
I am looking for descendants of John Sincere Carpenter (b. 10 Mar 1821 in Bavaria, Germany
– d. 25 Nov 1894 Kamas, Summit, Utah). Ideally a biological Carpenter male direct
descendant!
The information below comes from: The book of Carpenters and More - complied by Harold K.
Spiers – 1994.
Any help appreciated!
John R. Carpenter
La Mesa, CA USA
John Sincere Carpenter
Relatively little is known at this time about John Sincere Carpenter. We believe he left
only a brief paragraph relating to his life; and except as noted below very little
reliable information has been added to that statement.
Wehrli D. Pack, a grandson, wrote in his book, A Bit of Pack History or Biography (p.
113), with regard to him, "[He] was of German descent and known as Pennsylvania Dutch
from the fact that he lived with people so called. The family thought he was born in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; however, when I, Wehrli D. Pack, was about to leave on a
mission to Hawaii in 1911. Grandma Carpenter (Anna Catherine Wehrli Carpenter) gave me a
memo book that had been used by her husband. In it, I found the following in his own
handwriting: “John S. Carpenter in Bavaria, Germany. March 10, 1821. Came to America 1823.
Joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Pennsylvania, Lancaster Co.,
April 20, 1845. Came to Utah in 1852. < l >
It has been interpreted by family members that he was born in Germany in 1821, and sailed
to America with his parents. Martin and Margaret Carpenter, in 1823, at two years of age.
(All of this statement was substantiated in September 1994 when I found an entry in a book
titled Early Members of the Reorganized Church of Later Day Saints Vol. II, compiled by
Susan Easton Black. In addition this record indicates he came from Munich, Bavaria,
Germany.
A Martin Carpenter was located in Lancaster. Pennsylvania in the 1830 U.S. Census with the
following family members: Males: 3040, one; 50-60. one; 60-70, one; Females: 20-30. two;
3040, one; 50-60. one; 60-70, one. Also included were three children under five and one in
the 5-10 age group.
Martin was listed as head of the family. There is nothing more to indicate that this is
our progenitor. Still he might be. John Sincere Carpenter would have been the one child in
the 5-10 age group at that time.
He joined the church at twenty-four and came to Utah in 1852 as a bachelor when he was
thirty-one years old. It has been noted in the early records of the Church that John
Carpenter was cue of approximately 190 men, women and children comprising the first of
twenty-two companies arriving in Great Salt Lake City after leaving Missouri and crossing
the plains and mountains that season (1852). The company, captained by James W. Bay,
reached their destination in mid-September 1852. It may not be significant, but he was not
using the - Initial "S" in his name at that time. < 2 >
His patriarchal blessing, given by John Smith, 9 October. 1852, indicates his parents to
be Martin Carpenter and Margaret.
It is known by those familiar with the German language that Carpenter is not typically a
German name but would be Zimmerman in that tongue. That does not in that Carpenter has
been ruled out as the name used in Germany; but many and various searches. including
shipping lists of several ports for the time period in question, have proven fruitless in
verifying either name or any other facts worthy of note.
It is possible to substantiate the following facts. His wife to be, Anna Catharine Wehrli,
also came to the valley, three years later, from Switzerland as a convert to the Church.
having departed from her native land alone and bravely traveling by almost every
conceivable means of transportation available in those days. She reached Salt Lake City 25
September 1855 in Richard Ballantyne's company of saints, after nearly nine months en
route. Four months later, undoubtedly aided by their common knowledge of the German
language as well as their membership in the Church, they became acquainted and were united
in matrimony 27 January 1856 in the Mill Creek area. One year later, their first child,
John Wehrli was born on 20 January 1857; they were living in Mill Creek Ward. Salt Lake
County, Utah.
At this time in Utah history the president of the United States was James Buchanan. His
secretary of war was John B. Floyd, a secessionist from the South, who had reasons of his
own to see that Union forces be dispersed far from the central locations of government.
Buchanan needed little encouragement to dispatch troops to Utah became of a report
received that the Mormon in general and Brigham Young, Governor, in particular were
'In revolt and rebellion" and were living in various states of lawlessness.
Under Buchanan's orders Floyd sent 2,500 soldiers to Utah to seat a new governor to
replace Brigham Young, peaceably if possible but by force if necessary, and to quell the
uprising. <3>
The first news of the U.S. president's' plans reached Utah as hundreds of the Utah
inhabitants had assembled themselves at Silver Lake in Cottonwood Canyon to celebrate the
tenth anniversary of the arrival of the rust pioneers in Salt Lake Valle - 24 July 1857.
President Brigham Young's response was immediate, as plans for resistance came into
his mind. The Saints would fight the entrance of Johnson's Army into Utah in every
possible way except by the shedding of blood.
In April and May of 1858 all community roads leading south from Salt Lake City were jammed
with wagons loaded down with provisions, furniture and other household items. Women,
children, flocks and milk cows were "moving south” in obedience to the plans and
instructions from their Prophet. The order to torch the city awaited last-minute
developments--whether Johnson's Army agreed to come in peacefully or not. <4>
John S. Carpenter and his wife Catharine, faithful to their leader, were caught in this
“move south” as they settled in Spanish Fork, Utah along with many of the Mill Creek
residents. Even though many of the pioneers began moving back into Salt Lake Valley in
July as the crisis passed the Carpenters delayed their return until after the birth of
their second child, Louis Martin, born 26 January 1859.
Their third and fourth children Margaret Catherine and Selena, were born after the family
returned to Mill Creek. With the arrival of their fifth child, the family had moved again,
this time to Pena, Summit County, where Aaron Grant was born. One more move into Kamas a
few miles southeast of Peoa took them to their permanent home where their last three
little ones were born, Julian Moses, Eleanor Maria and William Franklyn, completing the
family of five boys and three girls.
They were a family without great worldly goods. Aaron Grant developed a real aversion to
small potatoes because he ate so many out of necessity meal after meal when he was young.
John S. Carpenter was a shoemaker by trade, according to family tradition (I have been
unable to verify this).
A continuation of the statement he left behind, found in his memo book, indicates that for
an unknown reason "he became dissatisfied with the church as it was then. He became a
member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in December 1886.
<5>
Before reaching his seventy-fourth birthday he was living with his daughter and
son-in-law, Selena and Ward E. Pack. On the warm fall days of that autumn he frequently
sat in the sun on the south side of the home, often visiting with his grandson, Wehrli D.
Pack. “One morning he didn't come downstairs as usual and mother went to see if all
was well. She found him lifeless in his bed. 26th November 1894.” <6>
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I- A Bit of Pack History or Biography Wehrli D Pack, . J. Grant Stevenson. Provo, Utah.
1969, p, 113.
2- Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Utah. 18 Sep 1852.
3- Brigham Young at Home, Clarissa Young Spencer with Mabel Harmer, Deseret News Plea.
Salt Lake City, Utah, 4th printing. 1961. pp. 87-91.
4- Ibid., p. 104.
5- A Bit of Pack History or biography Wehrli D Pack, . J. Grant Stevenson. Provo, Utah.
1969, p. 113.
6- Ibid.. p. 151.
BOOK: The Book of Carpenters and More - complied by Harold K. Spiers - 1994
Harold K. Speirs
4564 West 11000 North
Highland, Utah 84003
Tel. # (801) 756-6399
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/34032-the-book-of...
SEE: Page 10 of book or digital page 15/258
INFORMATION
Identifier 1001356
Extent [6], 253 p.
Creator Speirs, Harold Keeley, 1916
Language English
eng
en
Rights
https://www.familysearch.org/terms
Access Level Public
Subject Carpenter family
Christensen family
Speirs family
Wehrli family
Conner family
Hall family
Hansen family
Harder family
Heiner family
Merkley family
Price family
Shave family
Page Count 258
Owning Institution Family History Library;
http://www.familysearch.org/
Publisher Digital FamilySearch International