18874. Rhoda Artelia (Tettie\teddie) Carpenter
NAME: Rhoda Artelia (Tettie or Teddie) /Carpenter/.
CHILDREN: The first six children appear to be born before the noted marriage
date as in listed order. Was there a previous marriage? For whom? Albert or
Lillie? Or more likely, the children are out of order?
18885. Margaret (Maggie) Carpenter
It is not known if Morgan Clower's children were born or raised by Margaret.
It is not indicated whether Morgan was the first or second husband.
MARRIAGE: Married in the home of the bride.
WEB PAGE: http://templin.rootsweb.com/JCarpenter.htm
JOHN CARPENTER
John Carpenter (born September 21, 1884) was the son of William Franklin
(W.F.) Carpenter and Permelia Emmeline (Woods) Carpenter. He married
Annie Catherine Simpson on November 12, 1903 at the home of the bride.
Annie was born November 8, 1881 and was the daughter of Thomas Franklin
Simpson and Eliza T. (Robeson) Simpson.
The Carpenter Place in the Tranquility community in northwest McMinn
County was bought from the Sliger family by W. F. Carpenter. A large
two-story home was built about 1930, and the farm contained a large barn
and numerous outbuildings. The Carpenters were supporters of the Methodist
Church and ran a dairy farm. Mr. Carpenter is most well known, however, as
the sorghum (molasses) maker.
Mr. Carpenter began making molasses about 1916 and continued with the
assistance of his family and friends until 1966 when poor health forced him to
sell the equipment for $100. Molasses making began in mid-September and
continued through early November. Some farmers paid part of their bill by
contributing wood for the furnace or in labor. Mr. Carpenter derived the rest
of his fee with a toll - four gallons of syrup went to the grower and every
fifth gallon was his to sell.
Cane growers in McMinn, Meigs, Polk and Roane counties, cut, stripped,
and de-headed the cane stalks. The stalks were hauled to the mill site,
ground up, and the juice was cooked into a rich syrup. The mill was
initially turned by mules but a tractor was used in later years.
Output was usually more than 2,000 gallons per season.
In the beginning the cooking pan and grinding mill were moved to various
farms near the cane fields. Later they were located under a large sycamore
tree near Clearwater Road on the Carpenter farm. The first cooking pan had
cut-outs at the ends of the bars that separated the cooling sections.
The juice started at one end and moved across the pan as it thickened. Mr.
Carpenter designed a copper pan and had it made in Athens that had cups under
the bars so it was self-skimming. This allowed the skim to rise to the top
of the pan for removal. The thicker syrup remained on the bottom of the
pan and was filtered before workers used a tap to fill stainless steel cans.
It was a treat for adults and children to strip the hard covering
from a piece of cane and dip the end in thick syrup for chewing.
The Carpenter children and families, Eliza Emmaline (Emma) Carpenter Stair,
William Franklin (Bill) Carpenter, Rhoda Jane Carpenter Shults, Thomas
Henry Carpenter and Effie Mae Carpenter Guinn, helped during molasses
season. Bill said he missed more school moving the molasses mill than for any
other reason.
Annie Carpenter died August 24, 1951. John Carpenter died December 5,
1966, but he is fondly remembered by many for his sweet molasses. John and
Annie are buried along with many family members in Tranquility United
Methodist Church Cemetery.
Written by daughter - Mrs. Effie Mae Carpenter Guinn.
Cyril Carpenter was born on 3 Jan 1887. He died on 10 Jan 1912. He was buried
in Tranquility United Methodist Church Cemetery,
County Road 220, McMinn County, TN. Parents: William Fletcher Carpenter and
Permelia Emmeline Woods.
SEE: Web page at: http://users.pld.com/rod/Genealogy/d3.htm#P626
BIRTH: 20 Jan or 20 Jun 1901.
DEATH: Died of pneumonia.