Dear Laurie, Frank Carpenter was born Francis Bicknell Carpenter. The data below may give you the information you seek. Sincerely, John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA +---¦Asaph Harmon CARPENTER-17529 Francis Bicknell CARPENTER-22396 ¦ ¦28 Jun 1800 6 Aug 1830 --------------¦ ¦Pomfret,Windham,CT Homer,,NY ¦ MRIN:6825 --SPOUSE-- MRIN:8239 +---¦Almira CLARK-17528 Augusta Herrick PRENTISS-22911 ¦26 May 1801 Abt 1840 ¦ ,,NY --CHILDREN-- 1Clement DeWitt CARPENTER-39550 2Florence Trumbell CARPENTER-22912 3Herbert Sanford CARPENTER-22913 INDIVIDUAL DATA RIN:22396 - ----------------------------------------------------- Name:Francis Bicknell CARPENTER Sex:M ID No: Birth: 6 Aug 1830 Place:Homer,,NY Chr: Place: Marr: 6 Jan 1853 Spouse:Augusta Herrick PRENTISS-22911 Marr: Spouse: Marr: Spouse: Death:23 May 1900 Place:,,NY Burial: Place: Father:Asaph Harmon CARPENTER-17529 Mother:Almira CLARK-17528 Notes --------------------------------------------------- !Number 4313 in the Carpenter Memorial. Page 460. Family on page 645 (# 1144). An artist. (portrait painter) Also known as Frank Carpenter, the Artist. MARRIAGE: Alternate Marriage date given: 5 Aug 1851. Extensive notes in book. See also: Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. 2, by A. Johnson, page 510. Which indicates he painted 4 presidents and many other noble Americans. He fell out of favor due to Beecher-Tilton scandal. The last several years of his life he suffered from dropsy, dying in New York on 23 May 1900. Copyright 1995 by Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. (Francis painted Pres. Fillmore and did the following:) A 1866 hand-tinted lithograph is titled President Lincoln and His Cabinet, Reading the Emancipation Proclamation. The lithograph was published by Edward Herline (lithography company, active c. 1840-1870), after Francis Bicknell Carpenter and an unidentified artist. (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/Art Resource, NY) !SEE: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4035/fbc.htm Picture and the following: From Frank Carpenter, Six Months at the White House: "It had got to be," [Lincoln told Carpenter], "midsummer, 1862. Things had gone from bad to worse, until I felt we had reached the end of our rope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that we had about played our last card, and must change our tactics, or lose the game! I now determined upon the adoption of the emancipation policy; and, without consultation with, or the knowledge of the Cabinet, I prepared the original draft of the proclamation, and, after much anxious thought, called a Cabinet meeting upon the subject. This was the last of July, or the first part of the month of August, 1862." (The exact date he did not remember.) "This Cabinet meeting took place, I think, upon a Saturday. All were present, excepting Mr. Blair, the Postmaster-General, who was absent at the opening of the discussion, but came in subsequently. I said to the Cabinet that I had resolved upon this step, and had not called them together to ask their advice, but to lay the subject-matter of a proclamation before them; suggestions as to which would be in order, after they had heard it read. Mr. Lovejoy," said he, "was in error when he informed you that it excited no comment, excepting on the part of Secretary Seward. Various suggestions were offered. Secretary Chase wished the language stronger in reference to the arming of the blacks. Mr. Blair, after he came in, deprecated the policy, on the ground that it would cost the Administration the fall elections. Nothing, however, was offered that I had not already fully anticipated and settled in my own mind, until Secretary Seward spoke. He said in substance: `Mr. President, I approve of the proclamation, but I question the expediency of its issue at this juncture. The depression of the public mind, consequent on our repeated reverses, is so great that I fear the effect of so important a step. It may be viewed as the last measure of an exhausted government, a cry for help; the government stretching its hand to Ethiopia, instead of Ethiopia stretching her hands to the government.' His idea, said the President, "was that it would be considered our last shriek, on the retreat." (This was his precise expression.) "'Now,' continued Mr. Seward, `while I approve the measure, I suggest, sir, that you postpone its issue, until you can give it to the country supported by military success, instead of issuing it, as would be the case now, upon the greatest disasters of the war.'" Mr. Lincoln continued: "The wisdom of the view of the Secretary of State struck me with very great force. It was an aspect of the case that, in all my thought upon the subject, I had entirely overlooked. The result was that I put the draft of the proclamation aside, as you do your sketch for a picture, waiting for a victory. From time to time I added or changed a line, touching it up here and there, anxiously watching the progress of events. Well the next news we had was of Pope's disaster, at Bull Run. Things looked darker than ever. Finally came the week of the battle of Antietam. I determined to wait no longer. The news came, I think, on Wednesday, that the advantage was on our side. I was then staying at the Soldier's home, (three miles out of Washington.) Here I finished writing the second draft of the preliminary proclamation; came up on Saturday; called the Cabinet together to hear it, and it was published the following Monday." At the final meeting of September 20th, another interesting incident occurred in connection with Secretary Seward. The President had written the important part of the proclamation in these words:-- "That, on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever FREE; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize the freedom of such persons, and will do no act to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they shall make for their actual freedom." "When I finished reading this paragraph," resumed Mr. Lincoln, "Mr. Seward stopped me, and said, `I think, Mr. President, that you should insert after the word "recognize'" in that sentence, the words "and maintain." Also from Carpenter: Mr. Lincoln thereupon said: "Mr. Thompson, the people of Great Britain, and of other foreign governments, were in one great error in reference to this conflict. They seemed to think that, the moment I was President, I had the power to abolish slavery, forgetting that, before I could have any power whatever, I had to take the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and execute the laws as I found them. When the Rebellion broke out, my duty did not admit of a question. That was, first, by all strictly lawful means to endeavor to maintain the integrity of the government. I did not consider that I had the right to touch the 'State' institution of 'Slavery' until all other measures for restoring the Union had failed. The paramount idea of the Constitution is the preservation of the Union. It may not be specified in so many words, but that this was the idea of its founders is evident; for, without the Union, the constitution would be worthless. It seems clear, then, that in the last extremity, if any local institution threatened the existence of the Union, the Executive could not hesitate as to his duty. In our case, the moment came when I felt that slavery must die that the nation might live! ... "Many of my strongest supporters urged Emancipation before I thought it indispensible, and, I may say, before I thought the country was ready for it. It is my conviction that, had the proclamation been issued even six months earlier than it was, public sentiment would not have sustained it... A man watches his pear-tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him patiently wait, and the ripe pear at length falls into his lap! We have seen this great revolution in public sentiment slowly but surely progressing, so that, when final action came, the opposition was not strong through to defeat the purpose. I can now solemnly assert," he concluded, "that I have a clear conscience in regard to my action on this momentous question. I have done what no man could have helped doing, standing in my place." end notes. *************************************** LorenMC1@aol.com wrote: > > Yikes!!! Could all this "discussion" about physical appearances uncovered a > clue to my elusive Carpenter couple Ira and Adelia (Cook) Carpenter? The only > "historical" tidbit the family has maintained was that somehow this Carpenter > couple had a connection somehow with Lincoln and Adelia had gone to Lincoln's > inaugural ball. > Can anyone tell me about this Frank Carpenter from the page Bruce and Chuck > provided? (http://www.geocities.com/~newgeneration/fbc.htm)?? > > Now for a little fun......I live in No. Attleboro, MA (once a part of > Rehoboth). My children are Carpenters multiple times over...My Paternal gr > grandmother was a Rehoboth Carpenter......she was a "good sized" woman and > had the thickest ankles I've ever seen! Her father George was huge, rotund > and a farmer as most of the Rehoboth to Cumberland branch was. > My mother descends from the Providence branch and I don't know details of > their physical appearance. My mother-in-law descends from the same branch. My > father-in-law is a Carpenter tho I have yet to find his origins (see Ira and > Adelia above). My father-in-law is of slight build (5'10) about 165 and > small boned. He is an intellectual (a Phd) but prefers his life in the farm > country of New England and has the best organic garden and compost you've > ever seen! > So with my children having Carpenter blood from all grandparents...I'll get > back to you in 10 years when their full grown to let you know which > description they favor! > Any info on Frank the painter out there??? > Laurie Carpenter