Hello Carpenter Cousins,
Sometimes I get similar requests during a short period of time.
Lately it was about a Thomas Pasmere Carpenter (b. 1607) who came from England and who
married a Cherokee Princess named Pride. For those for have any understanding of Native
American tribes, they would see the big problem with that last line. And the great
majority of people in the early 1600s did not have middle names – that is the second clue
of warning.
Many places on line have his Carpenter ancestry and thousands of descendants listed for
him. For example, My
Hertiage.com have over 50 trees listed for him. See:
https://www.myheritage.com/research?action=query&formId=master&in...
Very sadly is that all of it is in error. Thomas Pasemere (aka Pashmere, Passmore), a
carpenter by trade was a real person. Change the occupation carpenter to Carpenter and
some people assumed it was his surname. Then others assumed this and that and it got
copied ad nausea in thousands of places.
If it is on the internet – it must be true!? NOT. Genealogy without proper documentation
is worthless.
We identify or verify data by a preponderance of evidence. And copied genealogy trees on
the internet are not documentation of anything. Below I provide some details that some
people have missed on Thomas Pasmere, carpenter.
I hope all of you are doing well. Watch out for tricks on 31 October. For those who
participate, treats are better than tricks.
John R. Carpenter
La Mesa, CA USA
Carpenter Cousins Project - Our main support page!
https://carpentercousins.com
Please see the warning section at:
https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Thomas_Carpenter_%2830%29
And just in case it gets changed – I cite it below.
▼Warning
Caution: Thomas Pasmere Carpenter is a fictitious character.
A Thomas Pasmere (also seen as: Pashmere and Passmore) was a carpenter by trade and a real
person. And a misquoting of an old document made the little letter c into a capital letter
C and someone assumed the trade was a surname. This despite other documents disputing such
a lineage claim.
Most importantly is that the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has
also rejected the lineage and claim. I am not sure of its status with the United Keetoowah
Band of Cherokee Indians. These three groups comprise the vast majority of what many call
the Cherokee tribes.
Generally speaking is that if you can not trace a direct ancestry back to the Dawes rolls
(Native American census records) and you do not live the Cherokee lifestyle then you have
no claim to being Cherokee.
The prime url address (
cherokeeregistry.org) often toted as being certified proof on his
claim, now can be bought by anyone who is willing to pay the price. All the data is gone
and only ads are maintained there.
The other once big promoter of the story was:
http://kyusa.addr.com/Cherokee/index.html
and it is also defunct. Even the cited Find A Grave and Billion Graves have been removed.
Why - because it is a myth, a falsehood and junk genealogy.
You may also find the article at the following link helpful also.
https://www.indianreservations.net/2017/10/more-on-mythical-story-of-thom...
Please note that a related article on Wikipedia was removed because it was disproved. Find
a Grave and Billion Grave entries have also been removed for the same reason.
Genealogies without proper documentation and that which is copied over and over do not
make good genealogy. Basic research disproved this so called Carpenter line many years
ago.
An example of basic research follows. Comments in brackets and as a NOTE.
BOOK: Cavaliers and Pioneers. Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1666,
Vol. I
THOMAS PASSMORE, carpenter, 12 acs. Within the corporation of James City, adj. Mary
Holland Aug: 14, 1624, p.10. Part of his first devident and for trans. of his servant John
Buckmaster who came in the great Hopewell in 1623. Fee Rent: 3 pence. Ground measure by
Willi. Clayborne. [this is as written with all text and puncuation same as the book].
MARY HOLLAND, 12 acs, Aug: 14, 1624. Page 11. Wife of Gabriel Holland, of the island of
James City, Yeoman. Lately in the occupation of Wm. Pinke alias Wm. Jonas, dcsd, her
former husband, who at his death gave her his devident of 100 acres of which sd. 12 acres
is a part, adj. Nathaniel Hutt and Thos. Passmore. Fee Rent: 3 pence. Measured by Wm.
Clayborne. [note the word carpenter does not appear in this one at all]
JOHN SOUTHERNE, Gent., of James City, 24 acs in the Island of James Citty. 1 Nov 1627. ?
adj. to S. of land Mary Holland, N. land of John Johnson, E. on a marsh and W. comeing
near unto land of Thomas Passmore. ... [again there is no mention of carpenter]
ROBERT MARSHALL, planter, 10 acs. Within the Island of James City. W. on land of Mary
Bayley (was Holland), E. on land of Thomas Passmore, Carpenter, ?. 20 Sept 1628 p. 92. [I
found the original doc which does 'not' have commas around Carpenter]
MR. EDWARD TRAVIS, 196 acs in James City Island near Black Poynt. 10 March 1652, p.158.
Bounded ?. 24 acres grannted unto John Southerne, formerly belonging unto Thomas Passmore
?..... [again no carpenter]
NOTE: There was a Pasmore Creek in James City but there was not a Carpenter Creek.
BOOK: The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 Updated 1626. List of the names of the
living in Virginia and of those who have died since April 1623: February 16, 1624 At James
City & with the Corporation thereof.
Living: Sir Frances Wyatt, governor; Margrett Lady Wyatt; Hant Wyatt, minister; Kathren
Spencer; Thomas Hooker; John Gather; John Matheman; Edward Cooke; George Nelson; George
Hall; Jane Burtt; Elizabeth Pomell; Mary Woodward; Sir George Yeardley, Knight; Temperance
Lady Yeardly; Argall Yeardley; Frances Yeardley; Elizabeth Yeardley; Kilibett Hichcocke;
Austen Combes; John Foster; Richard Arrundell; Susan Hall; Ann Grimes; Elizabeth Lyon;
(------) Younge; 2 negro women. Alice Davison, widow; Edward Sharples; Jone Davies. George
Sands, Treasurer; Captain William Perce; Jone Perce; Robert Hedges; Hugh Williams; Thomas
Moulston; Henry Farmor; John Lightfoote; Thomas Smith; Roger Ruese; Allexander Gill; John
Cartwright; Robert Austine; Edward Bricke; William Ravenett; Jocomb Andrews; Andrews'
wife; Richard Alder; Ester Evere; Angelo, a negro. Doctor John Pott; Elizabeth Pott;
Richard Townsend; Thomas Leister; John Hullaway; Randall Howlett; Jane Dickinson; Fortune
Taylor. Captain Roger Smith; Mrs. Smith; Elizabeth Salter; Sara Macocke; Elizabeth Rolfe;
Chri(stopher) Lawson; Lawson's wife; Frances Fouller; Charles Waller; Henry Booth.
Captain Raph Hamor; Mrs. Hamor; Jereme Clement; Elizabeth Clement; Sara Langley; Sisley
Greene; Ann Addams; Elkinton Ratclife; Francis Gibson; James Yemanson. John Pountis;
Christopher Best; Thomas Clarke; Mr. Reignolds; Mr. Hickmore; Hickmore's wife; Sara
Riddall. Edward Blaney; Edward Hudson; Hudson's wife; William Hartley; John Shelley;
Robert Bew; William Ward; Thomas Mentis; Robert Whitmore; Robert Chauntrie; Robert
Sheppard; William Sawier; Lanslott Damport; Mathew Loyd; Thomas Ottway; Thomas Crouch;
Elizabeth Starkey; Elinor (------). Mrs. Perry, infant Perry; Frances Chapman; George
Graves; Graves' wife; Rebecca Snowe; Sara Snowe; John Isgrave; Mary Ascombe, widow;
Benamy Bucke [BucksRowe?]; Gercyon Bucke; Peleg Bucke; Mara Bucke; Abram Porter; Brigett
Clarke; Abigall Ascombe; John Jackson; Jackson's wife; Ephraim Jackson. Mr. John
Burrows; Mrs. Burrows; Anthony Burrows; John Cooke; Nicholas Gouldsmith; Elias Gaile;
Andrew Howell; Ann Ashley. ??John Southern;?? THOMAS PASMORE, [Please notice no mention of
a Carpenter anywhere on this list.]
Andrew Ralye. Nathaniell Jefferys; Jefferys' wife; Thomas Hebbs. Clement Dilke; Mrs.
Dilke; John Hinton. Richard Stephens; Wassell Rayner; Rayner's wife; John Jackson;
Edward Price; Osten Smith; Thomas Spilman; Bryan Cawt. George Minify; Moy(s)es Ston.
Captain Holmes; Mr. Calcker; Mrs. Calcker; infant Calcker; Peceable Sherwood; Anthony
West; Henry Barker; Henry Scott; Margery Dawse. Mr. Cann; Captain Hartt; Edward Spalding;
Spalding's wife; boy Spalding; girl Spalding; John Helin; boy Helin; infant Helin.
Thomas Graye and wife; Jone Graye; William Graye; Richard Younge; Younge's wife; Jone
Younge. Randall Smalwood; John Greene; William Mudge. Mrs. Sothey; Ann Sothey; Elin
Painter. Goodman Webb.
[edit]▼SEE ALSO
1) The following is from the official Jamestown site where they have posted transcripts
and extracts of the early documents. You should still try to see the originals.
<
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/Muster/search.muster.cgi?muster=Passmore>
Thomas%&start_page=0&search_type=adv You can find a discussion of that here on the
CherokeeGene mailing list:
<
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CherokeeGene/2009-04/124058... Joy
is a meticulous researcher and gives her sources.
2) 2. You can see a digitized copy of his original land grant at James City (Jamestown)
made in 1624 NOT in 1627 when he is claimed in the account above to have arrived:
<
http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/FNA4AJHEYIV93235VUFLASYG2NU7QTASFB...
Click the link at the beginning of the index entry. This grant is one of those documents
which proves his trade is carpenter not his surname. If you can't read it - very hard
with the old script and kind of grainy - it reads in part "...to Thomas Passmore of
James City Carpenter and to his heirs and assigns forever..." and there is an extract
of the grant in the book The Cradle of the Republic: Jamestown and the James River. Google
Thomas Passmore Jamestown and look for the link to Google Books. This book is downloadable
in its entirety and is a volume including extracts of the documents from Jamestown.
3. The name Thomas Pasmere carpenter appears to come from an INDEX entry for the land
grant of one Robert Marshall in 1628 with a reference to his new lease adjoining that of
Thomas Pasmore (sic). You can see that land grant here:
<
http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/IC7FYNBB5T7JTSLNDRPVEFJ32IYKM7I48H...
Click the link at the beginning of the index entry. This grant, on careful examination,
does show the name Pasmore, maybe Passmore (it's just hard to tell for sure whether
that is another s or the hump of the M.
It IS indexed as Thomas Pasmere Carpenter, but when you read the grant - and you have to
know something of old writing styles, particularly that they often wrote in the ancient
Roman, ie Latin, manner WITHOUT punctuation and the forms of the letters - you can see it
is Thomas Pasmore, not Pasmere, and Carpenter does follow and there is absolutely no
punctuation anywhere. However, the other records all show this to be his trade.