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My Carpenter Family - Mathias Carpenter (1750/55-1835) and Elizabeth Miller of North Carolina (Rowan, Surry, Wilkes and Ashe Counties)Home > Genealogy > Surnames > Carpenter > My Carpenters Introduction - A History of my research on this family My Carpenter Family - Data on my Carpenter ancestors IntroductionThe Carpenter family was one of the first families I began researching after I got out of the Air Force in 1988. I already knew a little about the family based on data shared by my grandmother Luella George Grant (1924-1990) and her sister Mary Nell George Lequire. Mainly I knew (from them) that their grandmother Elvira, wife of Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" George, was a Carpenter. They didn't know anything about who Elvira's parents or siblings were though. I began checking census records, and soon found that Elvira was a daughter of William and Margaret Carpenter, but that was as far as I could go. Sometime, around 1988, I either placed a query, or answered one (can't recall which now!), and the result was my getting in touch with Evelyn Tharp of Pinole, California. Evelyn was a 2nd cousin to my grandmother Luella, but they had never met. Evelyn immediately shared a great deal of her Carpenter research with me, and put me in touch with other cousins. Very soon, I had a great deal of information on the Carpenter line, mainly through the line of William Carpenter's wife Margaret, who was his cousin, also a Carpenter descendant. Margaret's ancestry (two ways) back to Mathias Carpenter was well proven. However, no one knew who William's parents were, but all were sure he was part of the same family. After a little research, I concluded William was a son of David Carpenter (c1806), a son of Jacob (c1779) a son of Mathias. Other researchers now agree with me on that. I don't know if anyone else ever came to that same conclusion before I did or not, but I'm fairly sure it is an accurate assessment of William's ancestry. Since 1988, I've dug up tons of Carpenter material, and I've also been in contact with many wonderful cousins who have graciously shared their data with me. Since the "Internet Revolution", I have found even more cousins, though now I'm in the position where I'm doing most of the sharing, but that is fine. I'm still receiving some new information from other researchers, primarily on the more recent branches of the family. There are still a few tidbits waiting to be discovered in the public records. So, mainly, I can thank my Grandmother Luella George Grant (deceased), my Great Aunt Marynell George Lequire, my cousins Evelyn Rice Tharp, Danny Miller (who wrote a great book called "Miller Families of Ashe County, NC" which included a section on the Carpenter family), Linda S. Watford (deceased), Paul Phipps, Sandy Bourassa, Joy Locke and many others who have shared data with me over the years. There are probably some others who deserve special mention, that I have temporarily neglected, but when I think of them, I'll add their names here as well. I should also thank whoever wrote the articles on the Carpenter families in a book called "Avery County Heritage" (I'm not sure if that is the correct title). I looked at this book long ago, (before I was smart enough to take good notes) and it helped me sort out many of the Yancey / Mitchell / Avery County Carpenter lines. I've confirmed most of what was written there (via other sources) by now, but I would be remiss in not mentioning that book. My Carpenter ancestorsMathias Zimmerman was born ca 1750/55 somewhere, probably in eastern Pennsylvania, or perhaps in Germany or Switzerland. He came to North Carolina before ca 1768 and settled amongst the Moravians (though he wasn't one), in Salem, NC (then Rowan County) and married Elizabeth Miller in the Deep Creek area of then Rowan County. Around the time of the American Revolution, Mathias changed his surname to "Carpenter", which is what "Zimmerman" means in English. This area shortly became Surry County, and they remained there until ca 1792 when they moved to the New River Valley of Wilkes County, NC (now Ashe County) and settled on the waters of Rich Hill Creek. They both died there in 1835. I have the unique privilege of being descended from Mathias and Eliza three different ways. Their oldest child was Frances "Franky" Carpenter, who married William Davis. The are my ancestors. Mathias oldest known son, Jacob Carpenter is also my ancestor. Mathias next child was Margaret Carpenter who married Jonathan Miller, and they are also my ancestors. Jacob Carpenter moved to Three Mile Creek in (then) Burke County. This area later became Yancey County. He married Margaret --- there, and their son David Carpenter was born in that area. David married twice, his first wife is unknown, but she is my ancestor. They had a son named William Carpenter born in 1830. William moved to Cherokee Co, NC (now Graham Co, NC) before 1850, and married his cousin Margaret Davis there in 1855. Margaret was a granddaughter of William & Franky Carpenter Davis and Jonathan and Margaret Carpenter Miller, thus tying together all of my lines of descent from old Mathias. This family, from the beginning, lived in Salem (now Winston-Salem, Forsyth County), then later in the Deep Creek community of then Surry County (now Yadkin County), then to Hunting Creek, same county, then to New River area of Ashe County. Mathias' children (some of them) moved to Three Mile Creek in Burke County. This area later became Yancey County (in 1833), then Mitchell County (in 1861) and finally Avery County (in 1911). Some of their offspring left Three Mile Creek for Graham County, NC in the 1840's through 1860's. For information on other Carpenter families within my area of interest (Western NC) but who are not known to be related to my Carpenter family, go to my Carpenter Families page My Carpenter Family:Mathias Carpenter (1750/55-1835) and Elizabeth Miller
Last Updated January 15, 2006
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