Jeremiah Carpenter Revolutionary War Veteran and His Correct Family – Executive Summary of the Research Process

Overview. As has been described in the accompanying page with the article on Jeremiah Carpenter’s correct family, he was a Revolutionary War veteran from New York who lived from 1760 to 1840 in Duchess, Albany, Rensselear, Onondaga, Niagara, and Erie Counties in New York State.  He was one of the children of Timothy Carpenter and Elizabeth Anderson – who descended from early Carpenters in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The top of an Onondaga County New York deed from 1796, posted at the top of the page, shows Jeremiah Carpenter of Pittstown, “Rensler” County, New York, buying land in Pompey, Onondaga County - signifying one of his moves between New York counties.

Jeremiah was chronicled in the 1976 book compiled by Charles Lorain Carpenter, “The Descendants of Timothy Carpenter of Pittstown, Rensselear County, New York”, which details Timothy Carpenter and the first generations of his descendants.  However, the book is not correct about the ages and members of Jeremiah’s family, but has been picked up without question and posted on Internet and family tree websites – as well as shown in various Carpenter research circulated on CD’s and other books. 

Extensive research has been done over a number of years to identify Jeremiah Carpenter’s correct family - which is listed with the article on the accompanying page.  This page will describe who Jeremiah’s family really was and how that was researched and documented – a family that is different from that listed in the Charles L. Carpenter book.

Linking Jeremiah to his children has been a difficult task because Jeremiah left no probate, was not in any property transactions in the last twenty-five years of his life, no marriage record appears to exist for either of his marriages, his revolutionary war pension record lists only his second wife Mary and mentions none of his children, and he lived during a time when U. S. census records did not list people by name (other than the head of household) but only enumerated them by gender and age category. 

This necessitated more focused research using any fact that can be gleaned from other sources.  That research was done by Mary Vukman, Carol Carpenter, the late Bonnie Huser, and myself. Our work with various sources suggest nine children for Jeremiah. However, we had only been able to identify by name five children – with the link to Jeremiah for each based on unique sets of facts. Research by Mary Vukman has now identified a sixth child, a child that was not linked with Jeremiah until now. 

There is a likelihood of as many as three additional female children – all unidentified except from a listing by age category and gender in the census records - who could have married and remain unknown because of the absence of marriage and probate records for Jeremiah and his family members. Mary made the link with the previously unidentified Carpenter daughter through DNA and death records - it is possible over time that others of the three unidentified daughters could be connected in the same way.

While the accompanying page details who we believe Jeremiah’s family to be, this summary seeks to describe how we got there.  I also maintain a much longer text document that compiles much of the available information from census, probate, marriage, property, cemetery, and other records – starting with Rev. War veteran Jeremiah Carpenter and his children, with an especially large section on his son Joseph and family, my ancestral line. I have not updated that recently, but will make that available to interested researchers, and am not posting it here.

To show below the process of proving Jeremiah and Jane Carpenter’s children, the foIlowing tasks were undertaken: 1) listing the children of Jeremiah and Jane shown in the Charles Lorain Carpenter book; 2) listing all the census records in which Jeremiah was listed with children - and then conclude how many children he had and their age ranges; 3) Deducing who were Jeremiah and Jane’s children based on various records that link them to Jeremiah, Jane, or each other; 4) eliminating some of the children listed by Charles Lorain Carpenter as children, and 5) listing Jeremiah and Jane’s children based on these tasks - and then go back through the census records and matching the identified children to the listings in the census.

This series of exercises leads to an outcome that will match the family group sheet in the accompanying page and the 2014 article on the search for Jeremiah and Jane’s family. Since the article was written, and as previously stated, Mary Vukman has identified a sixth of the nine children.

[NOTE: Mary also has researched Jane Shears’ ancestry, identifying her as Jannetje Shearer, the daughter of Roeloff Rodolph Sherer (Shears) and Jannetje Hooghteeling. Mary’s ancestry.com family tree has the details, and is linked here for those who have access to ancestry.com.]

The Process of Proving Jeremiah and Jane Carpenter’s Children

Task One: The Charles Lorain Carpenter Listing of Jeremiah and Jane’s family

The first task is to list who Charles Lorain Carpenter had as Jeremiah and Jane Carpenter’s children in his 1976 book. This listing has been copied and accepted by people posting incorrect public member family trees all over the internet.

In Charles Lorain Carpenter book on the descendants of Jeremiah’s father, Timothy Carpenter, he listed ten children for Jeremiah and Jane, eight by name: Jeremiah Jr. (1783); Joseph (1785); Copeland (1787); Niles (1789); John (1791); William R. (1793); Nancy (1795); and George Washington (February 2, 1801).  He listed a ninth unknown female as born in 1797, and a tenth child with no gender or birth year listed. The part of the Jeremiah section in Charles Lorain Carpenter’s book is posted below.

NOTE: The March 1987 edition of the genealogy publication the Epistle, contains a long section on Carpenters, including a section on Isaac Carpenter of Pompey, New York (Jeremiah had a brother named Isaac, who was in Pompey, and this may well be him. Isaac was married to Jane Purdy and had a son named Anderson - and Jeremiah was in a 1797 Onondaga County land transaction with William Purdy and witnessed by Anderson Carpenter.). A researcher in that article, points out that in the Timothy Carpenter book there had been major problems ith the listing of Isaac’s family - indicating another case where this might have similarly happened.

Task Two: Census Records Listing Jeremiah and Jane’s children

The second task is to list census records of Jeremiah (first with Jane and later with his second wife Mary) that have children with them. These census records, from 1790 to 1820, were enumerated at a time when only the head of household was named - and the rest of the household members were categorized just by age and gender. It is obvious that Jeremiah and Jane would be in each of the first three entries - and Jeremiah’s second wife Mary with him in the 1820 census. I will conclude the gender and general age of their children from these entries.

1790. In this year’s census, Jeremiah Carpenter is shown in Pittstown, then in Albany County (Rensselaer County was created the next year from parts of Albany County and included Pittstown - Jeremiah didn’t move, the county boundaries just changed around him). His entry shows one male over sixteen (Jeremiah), two males under sixteen, and three females (Jane is one).  Posted below is that census entry - at the left is the heading that shows Pittstown and on the right is the next page that shows Jeremiah Carpenter.

1800. The 1800 census listing for Jeremiah (shown as “Jedediah” in the actual record) in Pompey, Onondaga County shows a man and woman between twenty-six and forty-five (Jeremiah and Jane); one female between sixteen and twenty-six; two males and one female between ten and sixteen; and two females and one male under ten. This census listing is posted below.

1810. The 1810 census listing for Jeremiah in Pompey, Onondaga County, shows one man and one woman over the age of forty-five (Jeremiah and Jane), one woman between sixteen and twenty-six, one man and one woman between ten and sixteen, and one boy and one girl each under the age of ten.  This census entry is posted below.

1820. Jeremiah Carpenter is shown in the 1820 census in Wales, in Niagara County (pre-Erie County, Erie was formed in this location in 1821 - once again the county boundaries changed around Jeremiah - he didn’t actually move), with a man over forty-five (Jeremiah), a woman between twenty-six and forty-five (second wife Mary, who was born ca 1793-94 according to her 1854 pension filing), one man and one woman between sixteen and twenty-six, and two boys under ten.  There is a confusing dimension added to this census, because Jeremiah’s second wife Mary had at least one - and likely two - children who were listed with them in this census. These would be the two boys under the age of ten. Jeremiah’s 1820 census entry is posted below.

Based on these census entries, it can be concluded that Jeremiah and Jane had at least nine children, born in the following age ranges:

Female – 1774-1784 [NOTE: this range is an aggregate from the ages of this daughter in the early censuses, but it is likely that Jeremiah and Jane were not married until 1780 or a year or two after - so that would practically narrow the age range for this daughter to 1780-1784.]

Male – 1784-1790

Male – 1784-1790

Female – 1784-1790

Male – 1794-1800

Female – 1794-1800

Female – 1794-1800

Male – 1800-1804

Female – 1800-1804

These age ranges were based on the censuses from 1790 to 1820. The oldest four children were out of the house by the 1810 census, as children of their age were no longer enumerated with Jeremiah and Jane in that year. There were two boys under ten in the 1820 census along with the others, and I have presumed that they were the children of Jeremiah’s second wife Mary. One of them is named Elliot Farnham, with whom Mary was in the 1850 census after Jeremiah had died. He was shown as born in 1812-1813, matching the age range of one of the two boys in the 1820 census.

Task Three: Census Records Identifying Jeremiah and Jane’s children by later facts that tie them together

The third task is attempting to identify the children of Jeremiah and Jane by affirmative facts that place them as siblings, children of Jeremiah and Jane and/or they were in the appropriate locations at the right times. This has to be done in the absence of many documents that normally would provide such evidence - such as marriage and probate records.

It is safe to assume that any children that Jeremiah and Jane had who lived past childbirth were listed above in the 1790, 1800, 1810, or 1820 censuses - which, in the aggregate, gives Jeremiah and Jane at least nine children who lived past child birth. 

Jeremiah and Jane probably married some time after 1780, the last year in which Jeremiah was shown to have served in the military during the Revolutionary War. Jane was dead by Jeremiah’s remarriage ca 1816. 

The children would have to fit the time frames listed above in the censuses. It is also possible to start with some of the names listed by Charles Lorain Carpenter as children of Jeremiah and Jane - and seeing if there are facts in their lives that prove a connection.  I know that my own Carpenter ancestor, my fourth great-grandfather Joseph Carpenter, was someone I believed I could prove was a son of Jeremiah. Here are five children that I thought I could consider and prove (with the added sixth child that Mary Vukman has identified):

1)   Nancy Carpenter (Case) is linked by a number of researchers, which leads to checking her out as a possible child of Jeremiah and Jane. Charles Lorain Carpenter lists Nancy Carpenter as a child, and marrying “Paulon Cose”. He lists her son as Jeremiah Carpenter “Cose”.

Nancy was in early censuses nearby Jeremiah Sr. and the other Carpenters in Wales, Erie County, New York. The 1830 census, where Jeremiah was just a few pages away, is posted below. Among other names of interest on the same census page is Nathan S. Morey, who had probably just married Pardon and Nancy’s daughter - with whom Nancy is shown below in the 1865 New York state census.

In the same year, Nathan Morey and Jane his wife were in a property transaction in Wales with John Carpenter, likely the John Carpenter who was the son of William. This links the line of Nancy to the line of another Carpenter at a time when they were all in the same area. The top of that deed is posted below.

Nancy was shown in New York in four censuses from 1850 through 1865. In the 1850 census she was shown in Harmony, Chautauqua County, New York with her husband Pardon Case and her family - the oldest son in the entry named Jeremiah. Nancy is shown in Erie County in the 1855 census with Jeremiah Carpenter (son of Joseph) and her daughter Eliza Case Carpenter (first cousins had married each other - which shows another link with a child of Jeremiah Sr.). In the 1860 census Nancy was shown in Chautauqua Township and County with her daughter Jane (the same name as her mother) and her family. In 1865 Nancy was shown with Nathan and Jane Morey again in Chautauqua Township and County. Nathan is shown above on the same page as Pardon and Nancy in the 1830 Erie County census. In the two New York state censuses, Nancy Carpenter Case’s birth county was listed as Rennselear County. 

In the 1855 New York State census above, Nancy Case is shown with Jeremiah and Eliza Case Carpenter. It is a link between Carpenter and Case branches, as Jeremiah was the son of Joseph Carpenter and Eliza was the daughter of Nancy Carpenter Case. It might seem strange that Nancy is with a Carpenter in that census - but it was a son-in-law who quite likely married his first cousin. In Lafayette County Wisconsin death records - that county being where Jeremiah and Eliza moved for the last decades of their lives - the 1897 death record for Eliza shows she was the wife of Jeremiah Carpenter and the daughter of “Reardon” Case and Nancy Case. That record is posted below.

In summary, Nancy was shown as born in Rennselear County, she had a son named Jeremiah and a daughter named Jane - and was linked to her brother Joseph by her daughter marrying his son. She was shown in Wales, Erie County at the same time as her brother and brothers, and at that time her son-in-law and daughter were in a property transaction with William’s son John. I will always look for further evidence, but this circumstantial evidence points to Nancy as a daughter of Jeremiah and Jane.

2)   William Carpenter was in Erie and Onondaga Counties at the right place and time.  His 1810 Onondaga census entry is with a cluster with our Carpenters. 

George W. Carpenter’s 1882 obituary - posted below from a card file of Aurora New York newspaper and other records - shows that he walked from Pompey to Wales ca 1813 and lived with his brother William there until 1822. That places the William who was the son of Jeremiah in this place in these years - and links him to a brother who was another son of Jeremiah. 

William was in a deed with a nephew of Jeremiah in 1816, showing he was living in pre-Erie Niagara County.  His wife Polly is shown with him in the deed, filed in Onondaga County Deedbook U, p. 45-46, and abstracted here:  February 12, 1816.  William Carpenter and Polly his wife, of the Town of Willink of Niagara County and Abraham Carpenter of the same place.  Sixteen hundred dollars.  Land lying in the town of Pompey, Onondaga County in Lot 83.  Bounded on the east by a highway; on the west by Rowland Milliman’s land; on the north by lands formerly belonging to Jeremiah Carpenter and William Purday (sic); on the south by land formerly belonging to Isaac Carpenter. Signed William Carpenter.  Polly Carpenter.  It appears that the witnesses were Albert H. Tracy and Benm. Waterman.  It states that of the State of New York, Niagara County.  Polly was examined separately and apart.  Recorded February 3, 1818.  Abraham would have likely been the son of Jeremiah’s brother Isaac, who died in Onondaga County ca 1807 (and who is referenced earlier on this page), and whose lands are referred to in the deed, as are lands of Jeremiah Carpenter himself.  This also ties this William and Polly to the Pompey branch and confirms they were already in Wales. The first part of the deed is posted below.

In a Sauk County history biography of his grandson Philo, he lists his father’s birth (John Carpenter, oldest son of William) as in Pompey Hill in 1808, placing this William there. That bio is posted below.

The 1820 census in Niagara County, Wales shows all the Carpenters on one page - Joseph, two Jeremiahs, William and a John that’s not ours. There’s a Cobb and a Searles on the page. The entry for William has what I show is the right number of children for him in this year, although based on the obituary of his brother George W., he should be shown with him this year and he doesn’t appear to be. That page is posted below. 

William died intestate in 1827 in Erie County, listing widow Polly and five children.  William’s probate lists notes to Joseph Carpenter and George W. Carpenter, his brothers - in a page from the Erie County probate file of William that is posted below left. Stephen Searles, the second husband of his widow Polly, is also mentioned. Below right is a page from the same probate file, showing payouts to both Lydia Carpenter and William Carpenter and listing Polly Searls (Sarls) - which ties Lydia and William to Polly and William Carpenter Sr.

His wife Polly Carpenter remarried Stephen Searles, as stated in his obituary years later.  Stephen is shown to have two stepchildren, Lydia and William.  Stephen’s obituary, from the St Joseph Michigan Herald of March 19, 1887, is posted below. It mentions that he married Mrs. Polly Carpenter and it further mentions some of William and Polly’s children as step-children.

The Michigan death certificates of both Lydia and William Jr. list William Carpenter and Polly (one states Mary) Cobb as their parents. 

John Carpenter, son of William, is shown below in the 1830 census in Wales, Erie County New York next to Stephen Searles. 

In summary, all evidence points to William Carpenter, who was living in Wales (Niagara and then Erie County, New York), as a son of Jeremiah. He is around others of our Carpenters in the 1810 and 1820 censuses. The obituary of his brother George W. Carpenter named him - as a son of Jeremiah as well - living in Wales at the time his brother walked there from Onondaga County in 1813, and showing that his brother lived with William for a number of years in Erie County. An 1816 Onondaga County deed lists him in Niagara (later Erie) County, places his land next to his father and uncle’s in Onondaga County and links him with his cousin. His probate documents list his wife Polly, and names payouts to children. The death certificates of the children list William Carpenter and Polly Cobb as their parents. The biography of John’s oldest son Philo lists John’s birthplace as Pompey Hill in Onondaga County. Stephen Searles obituary lists his late wife and step children, and he is listed in Williams’ probate - and by the end of the probate, William’s widow is listed as Polly Searls. The probate also has notes and ties to Jeremiah’s sons Joseph and George W. All evidence points to this William being a son of Jeremiah.

3) Joseph Carpenter’s 1869 will in McHenry County, Illinois - posted below - ties him to nine children. 

His daughter Viletta, tied to him by his will above, died in Illinois in 1879 where her death record lists under the heading ”where born”, Pompey, Onondaga County, New York. She was born in 1814, so this places both Joseph and her there in 1814. 

Joseph’s oldest son was named Jeremiah, and later records show his birth ca 1812. His entry in the 1855 New York state census (posted above in the section on Nancy Carpenter Case) showed Onondaga County as the County of his birth - placing him and his father Joseph there at this time. 

Joseph was listed below as his father Jeremiah’s agent in 1818, explicitly tying Joseph Carpenter of Onondaga County to his father Jeremiah who had already moved to Willink in Niagara County - which became Erie County a few years later. This record appeared in the New York genealogy journal Tree Talks in November 1991 and listed the source as Miscellaneous Records, Book D, of Onondaga County. I have not yet obtained the original record. 

A biography of Joseph’s son David in an 1891 Wisconsin county history, posted below, lists his father as Joseph and places him outside of Buffalo in 1827 when David was born, where Joseph was at the time. 

Joseph Carpenter was also listed in William Carpenter’s 1827 probate, as was George W. Carpenter - linking all three together - which is posted above in the section on William Carpenter.

Joseph is listed in various land and mortgage transactions with Jeremiah Carpenter, his brother, in Erie County.  Shown right below is a snippet from the Marilla History that states that Jeremiah and Joseph built a mill together.

The first part of a land transaction between Joseph and Jeremiah Carpenter Jr. in 1835 - from an Erie County deedbook - is posted below.

Joseph and Jeremiah Jr. were also shown in an Erie County Mortgage book in 1835 - the first part of that is posted below. Both transactions list Joseph as being of Alden Township and Jeremiah Jr. as of Wales Township.

Joseph also married Caroline Case, and it is possible that she was a relative of Pardon Case, who married Nancy.  Joseph and Carolina Carpenter are shown signing deeds by these names – both in Erie County and in McHenry County, IL.

In summary, Joseph is linked to his father through the 1818 record posted above, where he was his agent in selling property and was listed as Jeremiah’s son. He is linked to William, Jeremiah Jr., and George W. Carpenter through William’s probate. He is linked to Jeremiah Jr. through various land transactions. His daughter listed her birth in 1808 in Pompey, Onondaga County - tied to him through his will. He is in all the same places with Carpenters. His oldest son is named Jeremiah, and was shown as born in Onondaga County. For these and other reasons, it seems conclusive that our Joseph Carpenter is Jeremiah Carpenter’s son.

4) Jeremiah Carpenter Jr. is linked by name, records with family members, and proximity was listed in the 1855 Erie County census - posted below - as having prior residence in Onondaga County. 

He is shown in records with Joseph Carpenter just above - both deed, mortgage, and history records - and is shown with him below in a Marilla history.

Jeremiah Carpenter Jr. is also listed with George W. Carpenter in the Marilla history, a section of which is posted just below. John C. (Copeland) Carpenter, son of George W., is mentioned below. Harrison T. Foster, who married a daughter of George W. is mentioned below. And Niles Carpenter, son of Jeremiah Jr., is also mentioned below.

5) George W. Carpenter is shown as son of Jeremiah in the family history below, from the 1937 History of Marilla, New York and in a biography of him in the "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898. Page 276.

The biography below also names John Copeland Carpenter as a son of George W., not of Jeremiah Sr. George W. Carpenter is in the right locations with other Carpenters in other records. [NOTE: The obituary above for George W., which lists his brother William and is posted there, lists his birth name as Jonathan.]

6) Sarah Carpenter is a sixth child of Jeremiah and Jane, not included in our original research, but ascertained by Mary Vukman to be a child of Jeremiah and Jane.

Mary has pieced together a series of facts that would place Sarah Carpenter as the second oldest female child in the Jeremiah and Jane Shears family, born about 1787.  Mary personally matched DNA with another Carpenter descendant who traces back to Asenath Baker, who was married in 1835 in Wales, Erie County New York, to G.W. Crandall.  Crandall family records showed her to be the daughter of William Baker and Jane Carpenter, but that turned out to be a mistake.  Asenath's Michigan death record only listed Baker and Carpenter as her parents.  In the 1880 census, Mary found Asenath Crandall as the aunt of three Churchill children born in Canada.  In the Canadian 1871 census, she found their parents, Acord and Hannah Churchill.  In the 1851 census, Hannah Baker appeared unmarried with her parents, Bar. and Sarah Baker, and another sister, Sally Ann Baker, all born USA [I haven’t been able to download the image of that census - but Bar. is shown as born ca 1775 and Sally ca 1786.].  Mary traced this family of Barzillai Baker (spelled various ways, but this is the Biblical spelling) back to 1830 in Boston, Erie NY, near Wales, and further back to 1810 in Pompey, Onondaga County, New York (next to Jeremiah Crandall), where Barzillai would have met Jeremiah Carpenter's family.  Barzillai married Sarah by 1813 and Asenath was born in 1818.  Barzillai Baker died in 1862 in Blenheim, Oxford County, Canada West, and his wife Sarah died there in 1866.  The St. Joseph County Michigan death record for Asenath's sister, Sally Ann - posted below right - listed her parents as Brazilla Baker and Sarah Carpenter.  This census tracing fits our Carpenter family locations and the DNA connection to Asenath Baker. Asenith Crandall’s death certificate from Calhoun County Michigan is below left.

As discussed above and posted below, “Bazillai” Baker was shown in the 1810 census in Pompey, Onondaga County, New York - where the Carpenters were at the time. The entry appears to include him, Sarah, and two young daughters.

As discussed above and posted below, “Bazillai” Baker was shown in the 1830 census in Boston, Erie County, New York - where the Carpenters were nearby at the time. The entry appears to include him, Sarah, and five children - with a daughter being of the ages to match the birth date for Asenath and shown above. Daughter Sarah would have been born months after this entry was taken.

As was stated above, Barzillia and Sally were buried in Christian Cemetery in Princeton, Oxford County Municipality, Ontario, Canada. Their tombstone was posted on the Find-A-Grave website, and I have tried to enhance it to remove shadows. It is posted below.

These six children fit the age and gender of six of the nine children shown in the census entries of 1790 through 1820 for Jeremiah and Jane. 

Task Four: Ruling Out Some of Jeremiah’s children listed by Charles L. Carpenter

Fourth, we can look at the family that Charles L. Carpenter listed - and see if some of the children listed by Charles L. Carpenter can be eliminated as children of Jeremiah and Jane - by listing facts about them that rule this out.

Charles listed Niles and Copeland as sons of Jeremiah.  They were not, they were both members of the subsequent Carpenter generation - thus, grandchildren of Jeremiah and Jane Shears Carpenter. 

John C. (Copeland) was born June 1, 1823, died on February 2, 1900, and was a son of George W. Carpenter and grandson of Jeremiah Sr. (Charles has an entry for both Copeland and John Copeland, even though they were one person in the grandchild generation); John Copeland lived out his entire life in Erie County, New York - and various records, such as his Find-A-Grave listing, list him as the son of George W. and with the name of John Copeland.

Niles Carpenter’s death record in Minnesota - posted below - shows that he was born on May 29, 1825 in New York and died on February 17, 1918 in Rushton, Fillmore County, Minnesota. He was shown as the son of Jeremia Carpener and Hepsibeth (there is a slightly different spelling) Johnson. This would make Niles a grandson of Jeremiah Carpenter Sr., not a son. 

The Aurora card file contains the obituary of the first Mrs. Niles Carpenter - posted below, where her husband is listed as “Miles” instead of Niles - which lists their history in Erie County before moving to Minnesota.

Charles listed John Carpenter as a son of Jeremiah.  There were two John Carpenters in the Erie County region.  One was the John Carpenter born June 25, 1808, the son of William Carpenter and the grandson of Jeremiah.  The other was an older John who was born in Pennsylvania and is not of our Carpenters.  Charles L. Carpenter combined the two, gave that John the birth year of the Pennsylvania-born John and made them a son of Jeremiah.  There was not a son of Jeremiah named John.

Charles L. Carpenter does list a William as a son of Jeremiah.  However, he listed William R. (Rodman) Carpenter, who was not the William that was the son of Jeremiah, but was William Rodman Carpenter, the son of James Carpenter and Anna Rodman – and who died in 1868, forty years after the William who was the son of Jeremiah died. I have a letter in 1996 from a descendant of this line that clarifies who they were - and conclusively states that they were not of our Carpenters. That letter is posted below.

Charles L. Carpenter also listed Nancy as having married Paulon Cose.  That was probably an error in record reading, as Nancy, in fact, married Pardon Case.  The 1850 census entry above in the section on Nancy Carpenter Case shows her with Pardon Case.

Charles Carpenter shows Jeremiah Carpenter Jr. born in 1783 and Joseph Carpenter born in 1785. Future records show Joseph born about 1790 and Jeremiah Jr. born about 1798.

Charles also showed one unnamed female child of Jeremiah born in 1797 and another child of unknown age or gender.  There were as many as three unidentified female children other than Nancy and Sarah in this family, and censuses show that two of them were likely born between 1794 and 1800. Therefore, one could have been born in the 1797 period, but there is no evidence as to what year any one of them was born.

In summary, Charles Carpenter named eight children of Jeremiah, had an unnamed ninth woman, and a tenth child with no age or gender. He was off on the ages and order of the children; he was off by the fact that Niles, and Copeland were grandchildren and not children of Jeremiah; he was also off on which William he suggested as a son of Jeremiah, he was off in suggesting that there was a child named John, and he was off in that he suggested that Nancy married Paulon Cose, rather than Pardon Case.

Task Five: After the previous four tasks, listing the actual children of Jeremiah Carpenter

Fifth, and in summary, can we look at the census entries for nine children of Jeremiah and Jane; look at the affirmative facts about possible Jeremiah and Jane children; and then rule out some of the children listed by Charles L. Carpenter - and get to a recommended family for Jeremiah and Jane.

The census listings for Jeremiah and his family from 1790 and 1820 give the following age and gender categories for children - with the now identified children of Jeremiah and Jane shown:

Female - 1780 - 1784 (Nancy Carpenter [Case])

Male – 1784-1790 (William Carpenter)

Male – 1784-1790 (Joseph Carpenter)

Female – 1784-1790 (Sarah Carpenter [Baker])

Male – 1794-1800 (Jermiah Carpenter Jr.)

Female – 1794-1800 (Unknown)

Female – 1794-1800 (Unknown)

Male – 1800-1804 (George Washington Carpenter)

Female – 1800-1804 (Unknown)

Matching the children with the census entries

Now that it has been established that these are the six identified children of Jeremiah, we can work back through their census entries to identify their ages.  Nancy was listed in censuses in 1850, 1855, 1860, and 1865 that place her birth year as 1781 or 1782.  William’s census entries with Jeremiah and in 1810 and 1820 would place his birth year about 1784.  The records of Sarah place her birth about 1786/1787. Joseph’s census records in 1850 or after place his birth year as 1789 or 1790.  Jeremiah Jr.’s future census records put his birth year in the 1795/1798 range.  George W.’s son’s biography lists George W. Sr.’s birth year as 1800, but other records suggest 1801.

There are six children of Jeremiah that fit public records and can be named.  There is a companion document that is over 220 pages that lists all public record entries for Jeremiah, his children and descendants to about 1900 (although Sarah is new to this and not contained with her husband and family in the document).  It is the backup for the summary that is listed here.

This information on the birth period for each child can be matched with the census entries for Jeremiah from 1790 through 1820, and the children listed:

1790. In this year’s census, Jeremiah Carpenter is shown in Pittstown, then in Albany County (Rensselaer County was created the next year from parts of Albany County and included Pittstown). His entry shows one male over sixteen (Jeremiah), two males under sixteen (William and Joseph), and three females (Jane - Jeremiah’s wife, Nancy and Sarah). 

1800. The 1800 census listing for Jeremiah (shown as “Jedediah” in the actual record) in Pompey, Onondaga County shows a man and woman between twenty-six and forty-five (Jeremiah and Jane); one female between sixteen and twenty-six (Nancy); two males and one female between ten and sixteen (William, Joseph and Sarah); and two females (unknown) and one male under ten (Jeremiah Jr.).

1810. The 1810 census listing for Jeremiah in Pompey, Onondaga County, shows one man and one woman over the age of forty-five (Jeremiah and Jane), one woman between sixteen and twenty-six (Sarah), one man (Jeremiah Jr.) and one woman (Unknown) between ten and sixteen, and one boy (George W.) and one girl (unknown) each under the age of ten.  Barzallai Baker, William Carpenter, and Joseph Carpenter all had their own individual entries in this census - Barzallai, William and Joseph in Pompey as well, Joseph a few entries away from Barzallai Brazil; William a few entries from his father Jeremiah. I have not found Pardon Case in this census, who with Nancy was likely living on their own in this year, as the first child of he and Nancy was born about this year.

1820. Jeremiah Carpenter is shown in the 1820 census in Wales, in Niagara County (pre-Erie County, Erie was formed in this location in 1821), with a man over forty-five (Jeremiah), a woman between twenty-six and forty-five (second wife Mary, who was born ca 1793-94 according to her 1854 pension filing), one man (George W.) and one woman (unknown) between sixteen and twenty-six, and two boys under ten (one was Elliot Farmham).  There is a confusing dimension added to this census, because Jeremiah’s second wife Mary had at least one - and likely two - children who was listed with them in this census. These would be the two boys under the age of ten.

The only issue not completely resolved with the census entries is the issue of the unknown women in these early census entries of Jeremiah. In 1800, there were two unknown females under the age of ten.  In 1810, there is an unknown girl under the age of ten.  In 1820, there is an unknown woman between sixteen and twenty-six, old enough to be the unknown younger female from 1810.  The fact that there were two unidentified females together at once in the 1800 census, and one in 1810 that had been born since 1800, suggests that there were at least three female children in this family in addition to daughters Nancy and Sarah.

[By numbering the unknown females and matching them to the census entries, and making Nancy “Girl 1”; Sarah was Girl 2 born before 1790 and shown in 1790 and 1800; Girl 3 was born between 1790 and 1800 and was shown in 1800; Girl 4 was born between 1790 and 1794, and was shown in 1800 and 1810; and Girl 5 was born between 1800 and 1804, and was shown in 1810 and 1820.  Given that the last known male child was born ca 1800/1801, the ages of these unknown daughters fit with the other children’s ages. These ages also generally fit with the women marrying and leaving the household, rather than dying.  So it is likely that there were other related families that were in the vicinity of Jeremiah and the identified children.]

This walks us through all the facts, identifies six children of Jeremiah and Jane - and lists three unidentified women that were also their children. Hopefully the correct children and families will be corrected on the internet - and maybe over time with DNA and other research, one, two or three of the other daughters will be identified. As always, feedback on this family is welcome. Thank you for reading.

John Laird

Santa Cruz, CA

Originally written, April, 2014 - Updated and expanded with images, December, 2021