Mention was made here, on the Germanna Colonies list service, of the Carpenter genealogy. This would originate with William and John Carpenter of the Robinson River community, and most particularly with John Carpenter, since William left no heirs. I am not satisfied with the usual presentation for William and John Zimmerman. They were brothers who came to Virginia in the early 1720's and almost immediately adopted the name of Carpenter. John is said to have left four sons, John, William, Andrew, and Michael.
The immigrant John is said to have written his will in 1782, and it was probated in that same year. He is said to have married (Anna) Barbara Kerker.
Problem number one originates with two statements in the Hebron Lutheran Church Register. At the baptism of a slave child on 9 Jun 1778, the mother, deceased then, of the child is said to have belonged to OLD JOHN CARPENTER'S ESTATE [emphasis added]. I am of the school of thought that estates are most often the result of a person dying. So who could " old John Carpenter " be? It would seem to me that the reference would be to the brother of William who came in the 1720's. That is the oldest John Carpenter in the neighborhood. But if this was the case, how would he be related to the John Carpenter who wrote his will in 1782?
There is another confirming record in the Register. The list of communicants at church on the first Sunday after Easter in 1778 includes Barbara Carpenter, Sen. Carp. Widow. Again, this opens the question of who was the John Carpenter who wrote his will in 1782?
It seems that we almost need another generation to allow for the extra John Carpenter.
There is another problem in the Carpenter history. On Easter 1776, the communicant list includes Michael Carpenter and wife Margaret. Four sets of names away from this couple is Michael Carpenter and wife Mary. This gives us two Michael Carpenters at a time when we should have only one. There is a confirmation of this reading because at the slave baptism, referred to above, one of the sponsors is Marg. Carpenter Mich. Wife . Who is this Michael Carpenter who married Margaret?
Prof. Holtzclaw said that the will of William Carpenter, the immigrant, mentions John, William, and Andrew. He interpreted these three names as nephews of William, the writer of the will. But it has struck me as odd that William would not have mentioned his fourth nephew, Michael.
The Carpenter records, especially at the church, have been confusing because the church records sometimes call the Carpenters " Zimmermans " which is the name of another, unrelated family; however, this apparent confusion has nothing to do with the problems I have listed.
If anyone has suggestions toward the resolutions of these problems, I would like very much to hear the ideas. Some work seems to be needed.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.