Descendants of William Carpenter of Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, that part now in Bristol County, MA

Notes


1. William Carpenter

NOTE: Eugene Cole Zubrinsky has written twelve fully formatted sketches of the early Carpenters who were part of the Plymouth Colony and Providence Plantation. These sketches contain the most-authoritative information available as of January 2013. The sketches may be viewed online at the Carpenter Sketches main page and the specific sketch of William2 Carpenter. (The online version will be updated when appropriate; check the revision date.) **Where other information herein conflicts with Zubrinsky's information, his writings take precedence.**

MISC: Descendants of William Carpenter are eligible for membership in the "Order of First Families of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." For information contact the "Order" above at 45 East 200 North Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103.

WILL: Will of William Carpenter, Proven 7 Feb 1659, Written 21 Apr 1658.
Posted by Donna Tivener on Thu, 27 May 1999.
WILLIAM OF REHOBOTH'S 1659 WILL
The William Carpenter will reads, in part:
"In the name of God, Amen, I, William Carpenter, Sr. of Rehoboth, being in perfect memory at present, blessed be God, do make my last Will and Testament.
--I give to my son, John Carpenter, one mare, being the old white mare, and my best doublet and my handsomest coat, and new cloth to make him a pair of breeches.
---I give unto his son beside twenty shillings to buy him a calf.
---I give to him Mr. Ainsworth's upon the five books of Moses, Canticles and Psalms, and Mr. Brightman on Revelations, and my concordance.
---I give to my son William, the young grey mare of two yearling colts, and five pounds in sugar or wampum, and my (passett) coate, and one suit of apparel, and Mr. Mahew on the four Evangelists upon the 14 chapters of Saule
(or Paul).
---I give him my Latin books, my greek grammar and Hebrew grammar and my Greek Lexicon, and I give him ten (or 5) pounds of cotton wool; and his son, John twenty shillings to be paid to him a year after my decease.
---I give to my son, Jospeh two of the youngest steers of the four that were brought to work this year; and to his son, Joseph twenty shillings, and to Joseph I give one of Perkins' works and of Barrows upon private contentions called harts (cq) divisions.
---__I give to Jospeh a suit of better cloths to be given at his mother's discretion, and I give him a green serge coat and ten pounds of cotton wool, and a match lock gun.
---I give to my daughter, Hannah half of my Common at Pawtuxet, and one third of my impropriate, only my meadow excepted, and my home lot, and that land I had laid out to cousin that I had for the low lands cousin Carpenter that I had by. (NOTE: dmt. No doubt refers to exchange of lands or land purchased of Joseph Carpenter, son of William Carpenter of Providence, Rhode Island.)
---I give to my daughter Hannah one yearling heifer, also I give to Hannah her Bible, the practice of piety and the volume of prayer, and one ewe at the island, and twenty pounds of cotton, and six pounds of wool.
---I give to my son Abiah (Abijah) the rest of my lands at Pawtuxet, and the meadow, after my decease; and his mother and Samuel to help him to build a house because Samuelhas a house built already. Only if my wife marry again, she shall have nothing to do with that land.
---I give to my daughter, Abigail, one young mare, a three-year old bay mare, and if the mare should be dead at Spring, she shall have fifteen pounds in her stead, within one year after my decease.
---I give twenty shillings to John Titus, his for to be paid a year after my decease; but if John Titus coems to dwell and take the house and land, which I sent him word he sall have if he come. then he shall have the land and not the money.
---I give to my son Samuel one-half my land which I now live upon (and two pens of the young sheep, two cows, one bull) and he now lives on, with his furniture and half of my working tools; and Abish, the other half; and Samuel to have on book of Psalms, a Dictionary, and a Gun and my best coat, and one ewe at the island.
---I give to my wife the other half of the land I now live upon, for her life time, and the use of my household stuff, carts and plows, if she marry not. But if she marry, she shall have a third part in my land and Samuel, the
rest; and she shall have four oxen, one mare, which is called the black mare, four cows, one bed and its furniture, one pot, one good kettle and one little, and one skillet, and half of the pewter her lifetime, and then to give it up to
the chidlren; and if she does not marry, to have the rest of my land at Pawtuxet, which remaineth, that which is left which is not given to my daughter, Hannah, and that which is left Abiah to have after my wife's decease; if she marry, to have it the next year after.
---I give to my wife those books of Perkins, called Christ's Sermon on the Mount, the good Bible, Burroughs Jewell of Contntment, the oil of Gladness.  I give her two hundred of sugar.
---__My wife is to have the room I now lodge in, and the chamber over, and to have liverty to come tothe fire and do her occasions, and she shall have the meadow that was made in John Titus lot because it is near, and she is to have a way to the swamp through the lot. And if John Titus come, Samuel is to have two acares out of hislot that is not broken up, and my wife is to have the rest; and Samuel to break it up for her. Also, I give to my wife (corn) towards housekeeping and the cloth in the house toward the clothing herself, and children with her, and twine that she hath to serve towards housekeeping, and three acres at the Island.
---I give to Abiah a yearling mare colt, being the white mare's colt, and one yearling heifer, and Dr. Jarvi's Catechism, and Helens History of the World, and one ewe...about my wife's occasion when she was at the Island.
(Abiah was to care for her when at the Island.)
---When the legacies are paid out, the remainder is to be disposed among the children at the discretion of my wife and the overseers.
Memorandum:---If my son Titus come and do possess the land, I said he should have, as namely the house land and orchard, and corn. Joseph had the land in two divisions, the fresh meadow, salt one last laid out, and not the
fresh I fenced in, and to pay the reates for, for that he do agree, and if he go from it, he shall not sell it to any but his brother Samuel or his mother.
---This is my Will and Testament, to which I set my hand. William Carpenter of Rehoboth, the day and year before written.
---I make my wife the Executrix, and my Overseer to be Richard Bowen, and John Allen is to be helpful to my wife, and I appoint my brother Carpenter to help, and to have ten shillings for their pains.."
=The above Will of William Carpenter of Rehoboth, Mass. was attested on April 21, 1659. The original copy at the Plymouth, Mass. courthouse can still be read, but with difficulty.
The Transcript of the 1659 Will of William Carpenter of Rehoboth, Mass. is from a clipping funished by Capt. W.N. Mansfield of Livermore, Ca. of a 1963 story in the Taunton Mass. Gazette. "Carpenter Family New-Journal."


Abigail Briant

NOTE: See spouse's notes for Gene Zubrinsky's data on this individual.

Per Bishop's Transcripts from Shalbourne Parish, Wiltshire (now Berkshire) shows that William Carpenter was married there on 28 April 1625 to Abigail "Briante," who was was baptised at Shalbourne on 27 May 1604, the daughter of John and Alice Briant.

PER 1912 LEWIS BOOK HER NAME WAS ABIGAIL NOT PRISCILLA.
Per THE SECOND BOAT research notes dated May 1980 (vol.1 No. 1) page 15 by Harry Rogers "suggests" that Abigail was the daughter of WILLIAM BENNETT of Sway, whose will made in 1630 and proven in 1638 (he was buried 20 Aug 1638) names sons-in-law RALPH CARPENTER and WILLIAM CARPENTER, but only RALPH served as an excutor, making some researchers believe the missing Carpenter was the William who sailed on the BEVIS in 1638. (IE the father William b. 1576).
NOTE: Ralph was a step brother to William b. 1605. William Carpenter's (b. 1605) son named William (b. 1631) married a Priscilla Bennnett.

See REF: B.B. TOPP, Carpenter Chronicles #24, Nov 1995: Abigail, brn aft 1606, and died 22 Feb. 1686.  Upon the death of her husband William Carpenter she received his Bible and other books.  Two hundred pounds of sugar, the room the testator lodges inn with the chamber over it; and "libertie to come to the fier to do her occations."  She got a meadow near the house, a way to the swamp, a supply of corn and the cloth in the house "toward clothing herself and children".  With her herd of swine that she hath to serve towards housekeeping.  Abigail was named sole executric of the will, with Richard Bowin, John Allin and "my brother Carpenter" to help her. Each year date and
the inventory was taken 21 Feb 1658 or 1659.

NAME: Some records list her as Abigail Briant (Bryant), this is correct.

E-MAIL:   Thu, 7 Jun 2001  From: GeneZub@aol.com
Gene Zubrinsky of Ojai, Calif. provided the following insights:
Abigail was buried on 22 Feb. 1686/7 (Rehoboth VR [orig.], 1:57); there is no death record.
Again, what does "W.P." stand for?
Notes for 1025. Abigail Briant
<< Per Bishop's Transcripts from Shalbourne Parish, Wiltshire (now Berkshire) shows that William Carpenter was married there on 28 April 1625 to Abigail "Briante," who was was baptised at Shalbourne on 27 May 1604, the daughter of John and Alice Briant. >>
Since I assume you obtained this information from the TAG article and have not viewed the original records yourself, the proper citation should include at least an abbreviated reference to the article: for example, "TAG 70[1995]: 194, citing Shalbourne Parish Records (Bishop's Transcripts), Bundle 1 (FHL film #1279426, item 11)."  This is not only the honest thing to do, but it also protects you from being blamed for any mistakes made in the secondary source's presentation of the primary-source data.  More-over, it gives the reader the opportunity to consult the article (more accessible than the original records) for the above items and for all the other data and analyses contained therein.
"[N]ow Berkshire" is incorrect.  As indicated above, part of the parish was/is in Wiltshire, and part was/is in Berkshire.
<< Per THE SECOND BOAT research notes dated May 1980 (vol.1 No. 1) page 15 by Harry Rogers "suggests" that Abigail was the daughter of WILLIAM BENNETT of Sway, whose will made in 1630 and proven in 1638 (he was buried 20 Aug 1638) names sons-in-law RALPH CARPENTER and WILLIAM CARPENTER, but only RALPH served as an excutor, making some researchers believe the missing Carpenter was the William who sailed on the BEVIS in 1638. (IE the father William b. 1576). >>
Since this has been thoroughly refuted, why not delete it?  Retaining information known to be invalid is at best a distraction and at worst confusing.
<< See REF: B.B. TOPP, Carpenter Chronicles #24, Nov 1995: Abigail, brn aft 1606, and died 22 Feb. 1686. Upon the death of her husband William Carpenter she received his Bible and other books. Two hundred pounds of sugar, the room the testator lodges inn with the chamber over it; and "libertie to come to the fier to do her occations." She got a meadow near the house, a way to the swamp, a supply of corn and the cloth in the house "toward clothing herself and children". With her herd of swine that she hath to serve towards housekeeping. Abigail was named sole executric of the will, with Richard Bowin, John Allin and "my brother Carpenter" to help her. Each year date and the inventory was taken 21 Feb 1658 or 1659. >>
If you retain the first sentence, inserting "(sic)" after 1606 would be appropriate.  We know she was bap-tized in 1604.
Your last sentence is unclear ("Each year date"?).  The date on which William's estate inventory was taken is written at the beginning of the record of it as 21 February 1658 (Plymouth Colony Wills, 2:1:84).  Since this probably represents Old Style (Julian calendar) dating, the year can properly be stated with a tentative double date of 1658[/9?].  But "1658 or 1659" implies that it was one or the other, rather than both (based on the overlapping of Julian and Gregorian calendars between 1 January and 24 March).
<< NAME: Some records list her as Abigail Briant (Bryant), this is correct. >>
Only her baptismal and marriage records contain her full name, only the latter connects her to William Carpenter, and neither spells her surname Bryant.  If by records you mean secondary sources, the 1995 TAG article, citing the Shalbourne records, was the first to present Abigail's true identity.  Any others that do so are simply repeating that article.  Not only do you seem to be using the word records when you mean secondary sources, but even if you were using it correctly, "some records" is vague and overly general.


6. Samuel Carpenter

NOTE: See father's notes for Gene Zubrinsky's data on this individual.

BAPTISIM: Per the American Genealogist, whole number 280, Vol. 70, No. 4
October 1995, page 2 which gives baptisim and death date.