Mary Long and William Shook Carpenter

Mary Long and William Shook Carpenter

    Mary Long was born in Virginia 11 September 1800 and died 24 September 1874, in Caldwell County, Texas. Mary, or "Polly" as she was known to some, was the eldest daughter of Joseph Long, Senior, and Catherine Foster. William Shook Carpenter was born 11 August, 1805, in Ohio and died 19 December, 1875 in Caldwell County, Texas. They married 9 August 1825 in Tennessee, probably Bedford County. William was a son of Benjamin Carpenter and Amelia Shook.

    Mary and William Carpenter are found in the 1830 census of Bedford County, Tennessee. The household included three boys under 5 and one girl 5-10. The boys would have been his sons Isaac (born 1826), Andrew (born 1828) and Joseph (born 1829). The girl between 5 and 10 is unidentified. William and Mary's oldest known daughter was not born until 1831. Since Mary was 25 years old when she married William Carpenter, it is possible she was a widow with a young daughter, between 5 and 10 years of age in 1830. Lack of any mention of an earlier marriage in the Bible record makes it less likely that there was one. That young girl could have been one of the daughters of Mary's brother, William F. Long.

    The Bedford County Historical Quarterly, from Shelbyville, Tennessee, vol. 6 number 1, contains an article about the Mt. Pisgah Methodist Church. It states that "the old Mt. Pisgah Methodist Church was active as early as 1821, ... in 1832 � Samuel Pollock and Jesse Rogers, for $250.00, deeded to an eight man Commission, Joseph Smith, John Gore, Henry Long, William S. Carpenter, James Long, Enoch Floyd, Michael Holt and Willie B. Snell, a certain tract or parcel of land. The deed was executed December 12, 1832...."

    On 5 March 1836, William S. Carpenter bought land in Talladega County, Alabama. The family appears in the census there in 1840 and 1850.

    A detailed family outline compiled some years ago by James Hendley Simpson names nine children of William S. and Mary Long Carpenter:

  1. Isaac S. Carpenter b. 13 May 1826 in Tenn. d. 25 Aug. 1848, unmarried
  2. Andrew W. Carpenter b. 17 Jan 1828 in Tenn. d. 27 Dec. 1852, unmarried
  3. Joseph Asbury Carpenter b. 23 Oct 1829 in Tenn, d. 15 Nov. 1862 at Austin, Arkansas in Civil War m. Elizabeth May
  4. Emilia C. Carpenter b. 8 Oct 1831 in Tenn d. Apr. 24, 1917 Oregon m. W. Jeb Fleming July 22, 1861
  5. James Calvin Carpenter b. 21 Oct. 1833 d. unmarried Apr. 29, 1861
  6. William Wiley Carpenter b. 28 Aug. 1835 at Talladega County, Ala. d. 23 Jan. 1923 m. Mary Jane Kelley May 21, 1868
  7. Elizabeth Ann Carpenter b. 23 Nov 1837 at Talladega County, Ala. d. at McMahan 24 Apr 1924 m. 1st Benjamin Franklin Fry Jan. 20, 1859, 2nd James M. Alexander Sept. 25, 1871
  8. Mary Jane Clarentine Carpenter b. 17 Apr. 1841 at Talladega County, Ala. d. in childhood Jan. 10, 1844
  9. John Daniel Carpenter b. 17 Feb 1843 at Talladega County, Ala. d. unmarried Feb. 25, 1863
Of the nine children born to Mary Long and William Shook Carpenter, only four lived to raise families of their own. Joseph died in the Civil War.

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