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Subject: [BRADFORD-L] George Bradford, c. 1820-1820s Skeleton in the Closet?
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 21:39:31 EST

Hi, list!

Okay, guys. I have a skeleton in my line somewhere....

Am looking for any George Bradford who could have been in the area of
Hopkinton, Rhode Island around 1841, and who may have a skeleton in his
closet...

I have a George Bradford Carpenter in my direct line. His mother was Frances
Carpenter, b. 1828, d. March 10, 1848. At the ripe old age of 14, she gave
birth to a baby boy named George Bradford Carpenter, b. November 8, 1842.
Her father, Ebenezer Carpenter, actually married her "on the books" to give
the baby the Carpenter name... His birth record shows him as illegitimate.

George Bradford became a very prominent man in Rhode Island! God bless him!
However, the identity of his father went to the grave when his mama died at
age 20. He was raised in the family, with his grandfather until grandpa died
"having been killed in the winter of 1847 while engaged in taking down the
frame of the Potter Hill mill which had been burned."

More information:

"War and Other Reminiscences" which was published in Rhode Island History
.
Vol. 47 No. 4 November 1989.
George Carpenter grew up in the rural -industrial village of Potter Hill
in Westerly, Rhode Island. The Carpenter family was prominent very early in
Rhode Island history. Although a number of genealogies trace the family
history , none of them mention the forebears of George B. Carpenter. As he
states, his grandfather was Ebenezer Carpenter. Apparently Ebenezer was one
of the sons of Benjamin and Abigail Carpenter. Benjamin Carpenter resided in
Hopkinton in 1820,and the census of that year indicates that he had two sons
between the ages of ten and sixteen.
Ebenezer Carpenter first appeared in the census of 1830. In that year
Ebenezer (twenty to thirty years old) lived in the town of Richmond with his
wife , Ruth A. (Sheldon) Carpenter, and their three daughters The census
indicates they had no male children at this time. The 1840 census makes no
mention at all of Ebenezer and his family. They may have been boarding in
another household, as it was common that one family would board with another.

From all indications, it would seem that George B. Carpenter was the
illegitimate son of one of Ebenezer's daughters. Although Carpenter never
admitted or even suggested this fact, his narrative tends to confirm it. He
made no mention of his father; rather he discussed only his mother and
grandfather. Additionally, his mother became pregnant at a very young age.
Although being fourteen and pregnant does not necessarily preclude the
possibility of marriage, it does indicate that the circumstances were
probably atypical. This evidence , together with some additional information
supports the idea that Carpenter had no legitimate father. "
...... After his mother's death, there seems to have been no relative willing
or able to take Carpenter in. No father came forward to care for him. His
aunts probably lacked the means to support him, as they were all young women,
no more than twenty years old. Francis Carpenter, undoubtedly another
relative, did not take the boy either, though he himself lived in the Potter
hill area. Consequently George Carpenter found himself living in the home
of the Thomas W. Potter family.... "

Although we will NEVER be able to PROVE a certain biological connection, I
feel certain that his father was a George Bradford, just because of the
naming patterns used during this time with this particular twist. Since
there are no George Bradfords in the Carpenter line, I feel certain that
Frances named her son after his father.

I don't wish to publish anything... This is a personal thing between me and
my 3rd great grandfather. I want to try to figure out who he might have
been...

Any hint will be most appreciated! (Duh!)

Many thanks,
Jan Robison
Sanford, Florida

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