Dear Tony, Thank you for comments and unbiased view. The early part of the Carpenter Family is mostly speculation, as I have repeatly said. This is clearly stated in my files. There is no absolute proof that person A was related to person B in the early part of the puzzle (except where historical data states there is). We may have opinion, or speculate, but we have no real proof of the truth. For the truth to come out, everyone should be able to contribute without fear of condemnation or feeling foolish. There are beginners and those veterans of decades of research. There should be no stupid or foolish questions. We should all share and help each other on the puzzle. Genealogy is a hobby for most of us, it should be fun and exciting. It should be like a giant jig saw puzzle. When we add a piece here and there we speculate on what it appears to be. I would like to apologise for thinking I needed to respond to Bruce. I should have known (over the last couple of years) of his thinking. I will try to continue a professional and helpful approach to anyone contributing or wanting help on the Carpenter puzzle. Thank you, John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA > Gill M Carpenter wrote: > > Hi John, > Atached is copy of a missive sent to Bruce. You must both appreciate > that we have no animosity in this dispute. I know that Bruce appears > to have stepped over the mark, and does seem to have a chip on his > shoulder about the Church connection. The way he has stated it is > completely wrong. Before dismissing the Crusaders as mass murderers > he needs to look into his own back yard, and as a professor of history > he should know that there are no saints and no sinners, it is all a > degree of interpretation. > > > Dear Bruce, > We are extremely concerned about the animosity which seems to be > breaking out in connection with the family research. There is no gain > to be made from name calling or proving if one person or another is > right. We all have skeletons of one sort or another in our > cupboards. You believe that the Crusaders were mass murderers, > history shows they were cruel in the way in which they handled the > vanquished, that was the way of that particular period of time. In > the 20th century we should not judge them. As a historian, I will ask > you to dwell on a much later period than this, where do you stand when > it comes down to the history of your own country, the way in which the > immigrants to America treated the native American Indians, rifles > against bows and arrows, not to mention measles and other diseases > introduced from Europe. At least the Crusaders were man to man, hand > to hand combat. > In this country we tend to live and breathe history, one of the local > inns which we use when we go for an occasional pint of good > traditional English Ale is well over 500 years old, as we told friends > of ours in Florida, when Ponce de Leon discovered Florida our local > pub had been serving ale to the locals for more than twenty years - > does this put things in perspective? > I hope that we can call an amicable and honourable truce, and all work > to an end, that is as true an account of the Carpenter History as we > can possibly ascertain, warts and all. I have read of the Rehoboth > Carpenters, and have noted that the family was involved in the Militia > of the day. > Tony [and his WIFE, Gill]