GERMANNA_COLONIES-L Archives

From: John Blankenbaker <>
Subject: Michael Carpenter
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 1997 22:19:57 -0400

Jeff Aylor has asked a question about Michael Carpenters in the Germanna
community in Culpeper Co., VA at about the time of the Revolution. There
is a problem which this present note attempts to outline.

According to B.C. Holtzclaw in Germanna Record Eleven there were two Michael
Carpenters in the first three generations, one in the second and one in the
third. This counts the early immigrant, John Carpenter, as the first
generation. According to Holtzclaw, the second generation Michael married
Mary Crisler and had eight children. In the third generation, Michael
(John, John) is said to have married Rebecca Delph. Holtzclaw repeats this
claim in his genealogy of the Delph family.

According to the Garr Genealogy, Mary Crisler married Michael Carpenter but
they give no additional information on Michael. They also do not show any
children for this marriage. Normally, the Garrs are very good. It is a
rather striking difference that one historian shows eight children and
another shows none. This is a red flag.

On Easter Sunday in 1776 at the Hebron Lutheran Church, one couple is
Michael Carpenter and wife Margaretha. Four couples away is Michael
Carpenter and wife Maria. Notice there is no Rebecca here but there is a
Margaretha. Just over two years away, on 9 June 1778 at a slave baptism,
one sponsor is Marg. Carpenter, Mich. Wife. (Marg. is not a misreading of
Mary because if the name had been Mary it would have been written as Maria.)
Thus on two separate occasions at the church, there is a Margaretha
Carpenter who is the wife of Michael. By this date is does seem possible
that there is a married fourth generation Carpenter.

Thus these questions are raised:
1. Why did the Garrs not show any children for Michael Carpenter and Mary
Crisler, especially because Holtzclaw shows eight children?
2. Who is Margaretha who is the wife of Michael Carpenter?
3. Why is there no Rebecca Carpenter at church?

If you attempt to answer these questions, you might want to answer the
following question also. At church, on 1 Nov 1777, when the slave above was
baptized, the slave was said to belong to "Old John Carpenter's Estate".
Who is this old John Carpenter who is apparently dead? The immigrant John
Carpenter, who best fits the description for "old", is said to have died in
1782 according to Holtzclaw. At church in 1778, one communicant is "Barbara
Carpenter, Sen. Carp. Widow" which seems to confirm that the immigrant John
had died.

In short, Jeff has asked a good question whose answers may be complex.

John Blankenbaker
Beyond Germanna
PO Box 120
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
http://www.wp.com/germanna/
http://www.concentric.net/~sgtgeorg/germhist.shtm

This thread:

• Michael Carpenter by John Blankenbaker <>