Charlie CARPENTER, born March 6, 1876 in Jefferson County and died August 30, 1970, was the great grandson of Noah CARPENTER who, in 1770, came from Scotland with two brothers. He settled in Tennessee, married and raised a family. One of his sons, Lewis, had a son Hezekiah Severe, born June 6, 1812 in Tennessee.

Hezekiah married at age 18 and come to Illinois in 1834 with his wife and two children and settled near Shawneetown, Illinois. Later he moved to Field township in Jefferson County.

They had six children:

1. Thomas;
2. Benjamin;
3. Jane, who married Will HARMON;
4. William, who was killed in the Civil War in 1864;
5. Nancy, who married Riley CARPENTER;
6. Caledonia who married Jim SNIDER.

His first wife died and he married Elizabeth BRYANT and they had two children, Laura and Granville. Elizabeth died in 1865.

In 1868, Hezekiah married Mary Melvina WHITLOCK REDBURN who had two children, Wilson and Luella, by her previous marriage to Casey REDBURN who was killed in the Civil War in 1864.

Mary Melvina, born in Jefferson County Illinois July 25, 1839, the daughter of John and Francis (RICHARDSON) WHITLOCK, died on September 14, 1896. Mary's mother was the daughter of Clayborn RICHARDSON, an official of the Harrington and Richardson Manufacturing Co. of New York, a tool and gun maufacturing company. Her father, who was quite wealthy, disinherited her when she married John WHITLOCK, a company employee, and discharged her husband. They came to Jefferson County and settled near Pleasant Grove Church where they had three daughters:

1. Mary Melvina;
2. Matilda, who married Will BOLEN;
3. Eunice, who married John LINDER.

1. Newton H. married Effie HOWARD;
2. Lilly Belle first married Luther HAWKINS and later W. W. LOWE;
3. Charlie married Sarah Jane MCMEEN;
4. Myrtle died at age three;
5. Hattie died at one.

Altogether Hezekiah had thirteen children by three wives.

Charlie CARPENTER married Sarah Jane MCMEEN in 1896. She was born February 28, 1877 and died in 1959. They had eight children:

1. Hattie May, 1897, married Edgar SPIESE who died 1964;
2. Ruby Belle, 1900, married Guy OVERBEY who died 1970;
3. Raymond EVERETT, 1903, married Helen LOWERY and died 1971- she died in 1973;
4. Charles married Lucille Richards ATKINSON 1974;
5. Mary Emaline, 1909, married Walter CLARK;
6. Herbert, 1911, married Geraldine GARRISON;
7. Clifford (Kip), 1919, married Jean GIBSON.

Charlie worked most of his life for C &EI railroad and was a  licensed Southern Baptist lay-minister. Six children are living and all in Mt. Vernon. 

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There is a mistake in the above.

Hezekiah Severe CARPENTER'S second wife was my 3rd great aunt, Anna Lee Bryan, daughter of Nathaniel G. and Mary Ann (MCGUIRE) BRYAN, of Bedford Co., TN. Hezekiah and Ann were married on March 4, 1851, in Jefferson County, IL.

Also, my 3rd great grandparents, Thomas W. and Melea Ann (CARPENTER) BRYAN were living with Hezekiah while he was a widower on the 1850 census. I think this must somehow show that there is a connection between Hezekiah CARPENTER'S family and the family of Melea Ann SHOOK CARPENTER, from Bedford Co., TN., with my GGG grandmother, Melea Ann CARPENTER BRYAN, being the link between the two CARPENTER families.

Note from Sandy: 1860 census forr T1SR3E Jefferson county shows Hezekiah Carpenter age 49 and wife Anna age 26 with children William age 19, John age 17, Elizabeth J. age 15, Martha age 12, Caledonia age 9 and Nancy E. age 6.

Source: Facts and Folks A History of Jefferson County, Illinois
Jefferson County Historical Society
Submitted by Sharlet Bigham LaBarbera Oct 28, 1997