<< At Rehoboth the yeomanry were the Browns, Paines and Carpenters etc. >> John Brown, who was a Plymouth Colony Assistant within less than a year of his arrival in New England, is recorded as "Mr." as early as October 1637 and consistently thereafter. Among other early Rehoboth men who were consistently recorded as "Mr." were Joseph Peck, Henry Smith, Samuel Newman (pastor), and Alexander Winchester. << the same "strict pecking order" society that existed in England came right off the boat with the luggage in 1600s Massachusetts. >> As with the line separating husbandman and yeoman (see previous posting), the line between yeoman and gentleman was more penetrable in New England than in Old England. In a 1658 list of Rehoboth freemen, for example, former goodmen/yeomen Stephen Paine and William Carpenter are listed as "Mr." (Carpenter died soon thereafter, but Paine is found as "Mr." in other, subsequent records.) This almost certainly had to do earned respect and advancing age, not with English family background. Another relevant example: two sons and a grandson of William2 Carpenter of Rehoboth married daughters of James1 Redway, who had come to Massachusetts as an indentured servant. Redway became a prosperous yeoman, and his humble beginnings were not an obstacle (as they would have been in England) to his daughters' marriages to Carpenter men. The existence of a class structure in America--then and now--is undeniable, but it was never as rigid as that in England. From the beginning, the wide-open structure of economic opportunity and the need for close cooperation made that impossible. Gene Z.

Hi I have been enjoying all the Carpenter information, :o) I don't want to change the Subject, but would anyone know anything about the Kentucky Carpenter's? Not mine, George Carpenter who helped me a lot in Mercer County, Illinois, his Carpenter's were in KY. and he is at a dead end with them. Just though I'd check? Thanks Iris ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 3:55 PM Subject: [CARPENTER] Re: yeomanry/my point (3/7/05) > > > << At Rehoboth the yeomanry were the Browns, Paines and Carpenters etc. > >> > > > > John Brown, who was a Plymouth Colony Assistant within less than a year of > his arrival in New England, is recorded as "Mr." as early as October 1637 > and > consistently thereafter. Among other early Rehoboth men who were > consistently recorded as "Mr." were Joseph Peck, Henry Smith, Samuel > Newman (pastor), > and Alexander Winchester. > > > > > << the same "strict pecking order" society that existed in England came > right off the boat with the luggage in 1600s Massachusetts. >> > > As with the line separating husbandman and yeoman (see previous posting), > the line between yeoman and gentleman was more penetrable in New England > than > in Old England. In a 1658 list of Rehoboth freemen, for example, former > goodmen/yeomen Stephen Paine and William Carpenter are listed as "Mr." > (Carpenter > died soon thereafter, but Paine is found as "Mr." in other, subsequent > records.) This almost certainly had to do earned respect and advancing > age, not > with English family background. Another relevant example: two sons and a > grandson of William2 Carpenter of Rehoboth married daughters of James1 > Redway, > who had come to Massachusetts as an indentured servant. Redway became a > prosperous yeoman, and his humble beginnings were not an obstacle (as they > would > have been in England) to his daughters' marriages to Carpenter men. > > The existence of a class structure in America--then and now--is > undeniable, > but it was never as rigid as that in England. From the beginning, the > wide-open structure of economic opportunity and the need for close > cooperation made > that impossible. > > > > Gene Z. > >