Dear Margaret, Thank you for the kind words. Except for the details of John3 Carpenter's migration from Rehoboth to Long Island (in an extended footnote of my 1995 TAG article, "The Family of William2 Carpenter of Rehoboth, Massachusetts"), I have done no research on this Carpenter line. But all the lines through the children of William2 and Abigail (Briant) Carpenter, the John3 line is the only one personally researched by Herbert Seversmith, one of the finest genealogists of the first half of the twentieth century. For the lines of John3's siblings, Seversmith repeats (with disclaimer) the work of Amos B. Carpenter--except the Abiah3 line, for which he repeats the work of the deForests (some of which is corrected in my Abiah Carpenter article). His work on the Carpenters is found in _Colonial Families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut,_ 5 vols. (Washington, D.C., 1939-1958), 2:535-77, 1010-13, 3:1458-59 (see also notebooks 7 and 10 for isolated, unnumbered pages [one each]); all is available on FHL film. As part of his discussion of John5 Carpenter of Jamaica, L.I., and Goshen, N.Y. (b. ca. 1683), son of John4 (John3, William2-1) and Mary (Rhodes) Carpenter, Seversmith says the following: "An examination of the connections recited for this family in _The Carpenter Genealogy_ by Amos B. Carpenter, leads only to the conclusion that Mr. Carpenter was much too trusting in the acceptance of the compilations sent by his correspondents. It is stated that the John Carpenter of the present connection married Ruth Coe. That a John Carpenter was a brother-in-law of Benjamin Carpenter of Jamaica seems assured; and [on] 29 April 1723, John Carpenter, then of Jamaica, made an exchange of land with Benjamin Coe. It may be that John Carpenter was of Goshen in 1722 and of Jamaica in 1723; but as there were three John Carpenters of age at this time, and as one of them cannot be shown to have left Jamaica at the latter date, it is *not* safe to state that the present John Carpenter married Ruth Coe. This John Carpenter is stated to have become the sheriff of Orange County, which is probably correct. The date of his death is unknown, and the names of his children remain *unproved*. It must be pointed out, however, that chronology will permit the following to have been children of this John Carpenter: i. Daniel . . . . ii. Increase . . . . Perhaps other children. It is difficult to believe, however, that this John Carpenter, born about 1683, was the father of Ruth who married Ephraim Marston 15 January *1781*; or of Isaac, born at Jamaica (!) 31 March 1747; John, born at the same place, 23 February, 1745; Benjamin, born about 1750, Moses, who died at the battle of Oriskany, and Susanna who died 17 March 1790, as the wife of a Howell. It remains for some interested researcher to establish the correct listing of the descendants of this John Carpenter" (see also corrections at 2:1010-11). I'm not aware of more recently published material indicating that the "interested researcher" Seversmith hoped for has come along. Perhaps it will be you. Gene Z. In a message dated 2/18/2005 8:00:53 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Dear Gene, I have been waiting for your article in NEHGR about John Carpenters. I had hoped a mention would be made of the John Carpenter I am interested in. There were altogether too many John Carpenters. According to Amos, William Carpenter of Rehoboth had a son John Carpenter who married Hannah (Smith) who had a son John Carpenter who married Mary Rhodes who had a son John Carpenter, etc. I have some disagreement with Amos but no proof. I need to know which John Carpenter married Ruth Coe, perhaps in 1735. In your careful and valuable research did you come across any of these John Carpenters? Margaret Cass