Dear Robin, I am grateful that you were able to get a copy of Captain John Carpenter Jr.'s 1732 Will, even though it is hard to read. Mary Rhodes married or the marriage was published John Carpenter on 9 Feb 1680. It has been assumed that her sister Abigail was a previous wife of John and probably died in child birth or of disease. No marriage date has been found for Abigail and John. So the question of who was the mother to whom is still in question. Unless firm dates are found on the birth of John's children the question is academic. It is reasonable to assume that maybe one or two at most of the children was from the first wife provided they survived childbirth and or the disease that killed their mother. Below is what I currently have on the family. Thanks for your efforts! John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA ******************************************************* INDIVIDUAL DATA RIN:12521 - ---------------------------------------------- Name:John CARPENTER Jr. Capt. Sex:M ID No:CVG1-1W Birth:Abt 1655/1658 Place:,,CT Chr: Place: Marr: 9 Feb 1680 Spouse:Mary RHODES-1402 Marr:Abt 1678 Spouse:Abigail RHODES-22721 Marr: Spouse: Death:Aft 10 Jun 1732 Place:Jamacia,Queens,LI Burial:Bef 30 Jul 1732 Place:Jamacia,,LI Father:John CARPENTER Capt.-587 Mother:Hannah SMITH-589 Notes ---------------------------------------------------- !Number 24 in the Carpenter Memorial. Page 50. Family is number 13 on page 61. He resided at Jamaica, LI. His will was dated 10 Jun 1732 and proved 30 Jul 1732. His will names his wife Mary, sons Nehemiah, John and Solomon of Goshen to whom he gives his musket, sword, etc. Daughters Mary, Hannah, Susanna, and Phebe. Also mentioned was Increase who with Nehemiah were executors to the will of their father. He took the oath as Captain of Troops, Nov. 22, 1703 at Jamaica. Of Huntington, RI. !PER NEW ENGLAND MARRIAGES PRIOR TO 1700; JOHN (1658ABT-1732) & MARY RHODES?), DAU JOHN; 9 FEB 1680; JAMAICA, LI/WEYMOUTH/ATTLEBORO. SEE: Colonial Families of Long Island by Seversmith. end FAMILY NUMBER:518 - ---------------------------------------------- Husband:John CARPENTER Jr. Capt.-12521 Br/Ch:Abt 1655/1658 Wife:Mary RHODES-1402 Br/Ch:Abt 1663 - ------------------------------------------------ CHILD BR/CH ----- ----- 1. John CARPENTER-4736 Abt 1681/1682 2. Joseph CARPENTER-4737 Abt 1683/1685 3. John CARPENTER 3rd-12755 Abt 1685 4. Increase CARPENTER-3622 1685/1687 5. Solomon CARPENTER Col.-4738 1690/1712 6. Mary CARPENTER-4739 Abt 1692 7. Hannah CARPENTER-4740 Abt 1694 8. Nehemiah CARPENTER-4741 Abt 1697 9. Susanna CARPENTER-4742 Abt 1699 10. Phoebe OR Phebe CARPENTER-4743 16 Mar 1700 - -------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************** Robin Carpenter wrote: > > I finally received from the NYS Archives a photocopy of John Carpenter's > 1732 will (Jamaica LI NY). [This is John #24 in Carpenter Memorial, > 1658-1732.] The copy quality of the will is very bad--so bad that the state > declined to cash my check--and a number of words are undecipherable. > This will was abstracted in the NY Gen & Biog Record, Vol 65 p.38, > transcript of which abstract I have from "The Ancestry & Descendant of Col. > Solomon Carpenter of Goshen NY" of 1974. I'm sure the abstract has appeared > elsewhere as well. > Overall, the abstract is a pretty good representation of the will > (although it omits all the introductory pieties). My interest in seeing the > actual will was to clarify a confusion over the number and sequence of > John's sons. The abstract refers to sons Nehemiah, John of Goshen, Solomon > of Goshen, Joseph, Increase, Nehemiah (again). The abstract THEN > paraphrases the will's reference to "my three sons." HUH? Is it three sons > (reference), five (name count), or conceiveably six (if there were two > Nehemiahs)? > The will makes it all pretty clear. One item bequeaths to wife (Mary) > and son Nehemiah. Another item bequeaths to son "John Carpenter belonging > to Goshen." Another item bequeaths to "Solomon Carpenter belonging to > Goshen." Then an item bequeaths "...unto three sons Joseph Increase & > Nehemiah Carpenter after the end of my Wifes Widdowhood all my meadow lying > on Nether East Neck and my lot of land lying down(?) the Neck joining to the > land of Jeremiah Denton to be equally divided between them to them and their > heirs and assigns forever." > (The will literally says "Item" initiating each bequeathal statement > separately.) > Later reference is made to "...equal charge with my three sons Joseph > Increase & Nehemiah in sharing(?) my building as long as my Wife & I shall > live." Finally, after the homestead is (later) to be sold, there is > reference to "...my three sons and four daughters Joseph Increase & Nehemiah > & Mary Hannah Susanna & Phebe..." to split the proceeds equally. > Very clearly there are five sons. Almost as clearly, John and Solomon > are eldest and gone off on their own. Finally, the sequence of the three > youngest sons is pretty surely Joseph-Increase-Nehemiah. (The sequence in > ABC's Carpenter Memorial has Nehemiah first--which I would guess is because > he is named first in John's Item #1, as described above, but which sequence > I conclude is plainly wrong.) > Genealogist Raymond George Carpenter says that John #24 was married > twice, 1st to Abigail Rhodes and 2nd to Mary who is named in the will. John > is 74 yrs old at his death, with one daughter (Hannah) who is unmarried > although there are two younger sisters, and with three sons living at home. > Presumably they are all young adults. It adds up, in my view, to wife Mary > likely being the mother of these offspring, and Abigail Rhodes the mother of > John & Solomon of Goshen. > Does anyone wish to concur with me in this? > Robin C.