Hey, Phoebe: Great digging on those abstracts! You've answered a few items for me...like who was Mercy Carpenter in the Ulster Cty 1790 census? (Ans; widow of Wait Carpenter.) It's not clear to me just how you traced "John Carpenter Smith" to John Carpenter #362 (will dated 2/16/1778, proved 2/19/1779, NYHS Vol3 p183). What's the connection? His brother Wait married a Smith, all right, but that's the only Smith connection I see. (Real men don't often adopt thier sister-in-law's surname.) What is clear, however, is that John #362's father was in fact John #95, just as you surmise. At least, it's that's how ABC has it (and it all fits). Now here's a wild idea: Do you suppose "John Carpenter Smith" was transcribed wrong?...maybe it should be "John Carpenter, smith." John #362 was in fact a gunsmith and blacksmith. If this John really is the right guy, this explanation suddenly seems more plausible than a name change. (It would help to see the original handwritten census page. Does anyone here know how to get that?) Robin