In a message dated 3/6/2005 3:00:30 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Bruce writes: I like the sound of 'Goodman' Carpenter. It might be useful to refer to him as such. BC Trouble is, the vast majority of men in colonial New England (including other William Carpenters) were husbandmen and yeomen. "Goodman" and "goodwife" were thus only slightly more distinctive than the church-related "brother" and "sister" (church membership was virtually universal). Even men consistently called "mister" by their contemporaries are not so called in the genealogical literature, despite its having been a more distinctive term/status than "goodman." The original Rehoboth proprietor's positions as town and proprietors' clerk, deputy, and constable clearly made him special, yet we wouldn't make titles out of any of these terms today. I therefore favor referring to William Carpenter (c.1605-1658[/9?]) in the same manner as do all published accounts (except that by Amos B. Carpenter, whose unfortunate numbering system violates longstanding convention): William2 Carpenter of Rehoboth, with the generational reference number in superscript when possible. Gene Z.