Avent W. A. B. CARPENTER & Martha __?_

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Diana, Goddess of the Hunt — for Ancestors!

Every-Name Index

Avent W. A. B. CARPENTER
Martha __?__
Ellen HARRISON

Please Note: most secondary sources show our subject's father as Ransom CARPENTER, with a wife having maiden name AVANT. I have found no hard evidence connecting our subject to Ransom nor any evidence identifying Ransom's wife. I have found evidence that Ransom had no children born before 1825, which rules him out as Avent's father. Based on circumstantial evidence, a much more likely candidate for our subject's father is Alexander CARPENTER, who does have a son our subject's age.

Husband: Evan / Aven / Avent / Avant W.A.B. CARPENTER
Birth: 1811/2, NC
Death: aft. 1880 census
Disposition said to be: buried Carpenter Cemetery, Pontotoc Co., MS
Occupation: farmer
Parents: born in NC

Of the two names, AVENT is slightly more common than AVANT, both as a surname and as a given name. In the counties where our subject grew up, AVENT is the only version found, both as a surname and given name.

Marriage-1: ca. 1835

Wife-1: Martha __?__
Birth: 1810/1, NC
Death apparently: 1860-63
Disposition said to be: buried Carpenter Cemetery, Pontotoc Co., MS
Occupation: homemaker

Marriage-2: 13 Apr 1863, Pontotoc Co., MS

Wife-2: Ellen "Nettie" HARRISON
Birth: 1815, TN
Death: aft. 1880 census
Disposition: buried Guinn Cemetery, Toccopola, Pontotoc Co., MS
Occupation: homemaker
Other Spouse: m1. ca. 1831, Willis N. McGREGOR
Father: Audley HARRISON (1791-1852)
Mother: Hannah Elizabeth DENNIS (c1795-1835)

Children with Martha — born in NC:
James is said to have been born in Raleigh, Wake Co., NC.

1. Bennett Avin CARPENTER, b. 7 Nov 1837; m. 30 Oct 1860, Pontotoc Co., MS, Jemima McGREGOR (stepsister)
2. James Wyatt CARPENTER, b. 22 Oct 1839, Raleigh, Wake Co., NC; 15 Sep 1927, Randolph, Pontotoc Co., MS; m. three times
3. Pvt. William D. CARPENTER, b. 1841, NC; d. (Civil War) 20 Sep 1863, Marietta, Cobb Co., GA
4. Mary E. CARPENTER, b. 1843/4 or 18 Feb 1845, NC; d. 3 Oct 1927, Pontotoc Co., MS
5. Martha Angeline CARPENTER, b. 10 Jun 1849; d. 27 Dec 1937

Children with Nettie HARRISON:

none

Keywords for search engines: genealogy; USA, US, United States, Mississippi, North Caroline, Tennessee

Sources:

1a. Jordan R. Dodd, ed. 1993. KY, NC, TN, VA, WV Marriages: Early to 1850. Liahona Research, Orem, UT (Broderbund CD-229): not found.

1b. Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 (online at Ancestry.com):

A.W.A.B. Carpenter Nettie McGreger 13 Apr 1863 Pontotoc Co.

2. 1810 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): our subject not found, as expected. Ransom CARPENTER not found (apparently not yet married, so not enumerated). Alexander CARPENTER is married and living in Chatham Co., NC.

3. 1820 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): our subject not found, as expected. Ransom CARPENTER not found (apparently not yet married, so not enumerated). Alexander CARPENTER is missing, but there are many unreadable names in the Chatham County census — due mainly to tape covering them on the binding edges of the pages. There are four AVENT households in the county, including William AVENT (æ 45+).

4. 1830 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): our subject not found, as expected. Ransom CARPENTER is married and living in Cumberland County; he has no children born before 1825. Alexander CARPENTER is married and living in Chatham County; he has six children, including a son born 1810-15. There are three AVENT households in Chatham County, one of whom, William AVENT (æ 60-70), is listed next to Alexander.

5. 1840 U.S. Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #84-85 of 132; official enumeration began 1 Jun 1840; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1840 NC Chatham Co. Roll 357 pp. 177B-178A Ln. 11 Aven Carpenter 200 010 - 000 000 100 no slaves 0100000

These data indicate:

No. & Sex Age Class Therefore Born Individuals Inferred

2 males 4 or under 1835-1840 = James (b. 1838/9)
= Bennett (b. 1836/7)

1 male 20-29 1810-1820 = Avent (b. 1811/2)

female 20-29 1810-1820 = Martha (b. 1810/1)

1 female 40-49 1790-1800 =

1 person employed in agriculture

There are several possible reasons for Martha not being tallied in the correct age class, the simplest one being enumerator error. The other likely possibility is that Avent had a prior wife, who is now deceased, and the older woman is there to take care of the children. We are greatly hampered by the lack of NC marriage records, which would give us the answer. On the same census page, there's an individual with given name, "Avent," and two individuals with surname AVENT, plus two more in the county with surname AVENT. The only other CARPENTER in Chatham County is Solomon, who is of an age (30-40) to be Avent's sibling, not his father. Ransom and Alexander CARPENTER are in Cumberland County.

6. 1850 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #33 of 96): Northern Division, Cumberland Co., NC, Roll M432_627, p. 130B, 453/453, enumerated 22 Aug 1850, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1850 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Avant Carpenter 38 M Labr NC

Martha 39 F NC

Bennet A 13 M NC

James W 11 M NC

Will D 9 M NC

Mary E 6 F NC

Martha A 1 F NC

7. 1860 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #311 of 368): Pontotoc P.O., Pontotoc Co., MS, Roll M653_590, p. 796, PN 311, 2044/2044, enumerated 27 Sep 1860, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1860 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

A W A B Carpenter 50 M Farmer 500 1130 NC

Martha      " 53 F "

James W     " 21 M "

William D   " 19 M "

Mary E      " 15 F "

Martha A    " 11 F "

Listed next to unmarried son, B.A. CARPENTER (æ 23, b. NC), who is alone.

8a. 1870 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #48 of 52): Tocopola P.O., Township Ten, Pontotoc Co., MS, Roll M593_746, p. 321B, PN 48, 348/348, enumerated 22 Jun 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Carpenter Evan 58 M W Farmer 150 250 N Ca

" Martha 21 F W Keeping H "

Senske? Joe 12 M B Farm Laborer Miss

7b. 1870 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #40 of 52): Tocopola P.O., Township Ten, Pontotoc Co., MS, Roll M593_746, p. 317B, PN 40, 286/6, enumerated 16 Jun 1870, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1870 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

Carpenter Nettie 54 F W Keeping H 400 200 Tennesse

McGragre Mexico 24 F W at Home Miss

         Henderson 20 M W Farmer Miss

         Ezecial 18 M W "

         Martha 14 F W at Home "

8a. 1880 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #49 of 50): 3rd Supervisor Dist., Pontotoc Co., MS, Roll 662, p. 70A, PN 49, SD 1, ED 165, enumerated 30 Jun 1880, official enumeration date 1 Jun 1880 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):

1880: for an explanation of the column headings, please see
What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).

3 4 5 6 8 9 11 13 24 25 26

Carpenter A B W M 68 / Farmer NC NC NC

_________ Martha A W F 22 Dau / Keeps house NC NC NC

This enumerator didn't use visitation/family numbers for anyone. Martha is telling a whopping fib about her age.

8b. 1880 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): Nettie is still in Pontotoc County; she has reverted to surname McGREGOR.

9. 1890 U.S. Census: the 1890 Census Population Schedules were destroyed.

10. 1900 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com): not found, as expected.

11. Find-a-Grave: Entries (online at findagrave.com):

Name Avant W A B Carpenter Martha Carpenter

Birth 1820, North Carolina 1807

Death 1863 1860

Note "Birth and death date is approximate."

Burial Carpenter Cemetery
Pontotoc County, Mississippi

Spouse Martha Carpenter Avant W A B Carpenter

Memorial # 103643739 103643772

12. Public Member Trees (online at Ancestry.com).

13. WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).

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