My Genealogy Hound

SIDNEY WILSON CARPENTER. Among the farmers and stock-raisers of Johnson County this gentleman occupies a prominent position. His farm, which is situated on section 28, township 44, range 27, consists of three hundred and twenty-three acres, under a high state of cultivation and improved with a substantial set of buildings, adapted to their various purposes. He has resided upon this place since his marriage in 1876, and the improvements that have been made here are due to his energy and judicious management.

The parents of our subject, Wilson David and Elizabeth (Riggin) Carpenter, were natives, respectively, of Virginia and White County, Ill. His father, who was a soldier in the War of 1812, shortly after the close of that conflict accompanied the paternal grandfather and four brothers to Kentucky, but soon removed to Illinois. At Mt. Carmel, that state, he met and married Miss Riggin, and they returned to Kentucky, making their home in Allen County.

In 1836 the family came to Missouri, making the journey overland with ox-teams, one of which was driven by our subject’s eldest brother, Thomas Newton, now a resident of township 44, range 27. Arriving in Johnson County, the father bought a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Chilhowee Township, and as soon as the Government land came into market, he invested largely in property, entering altogether about a thousand acres. In this work he was assisted by a slave, the only one he owned. In September, 1862, he went to Washington County, Ill., where he engaged in farm pursuits, though making his home in town. Politically he was a Democrat, and during the war his sympathies were with the South. He was a man of earnest Christian spirit, and for many years prior to his death belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he was a Class-Leader. In organizing congregations in different parts of the county he labored energetically and faithfully, and his contributions toward the spread of the Gospel were unusually large. He was well versed in the Scriptures and a devoted student of the Bible.

In the parental family there were eleven children, but four died in early childhood. Three daughters attained to womanhood, two of whom married, namely: Mrs. Mary Jane Webster, who at her death left two daughters and one son; and Mrs. William Smith, whose only daughter became the wife of a Baptist preacher residing in the West. The third daughter, Sarah Catherine, died unmarried. The father passed away June 5, 1882, having for some years survived his wife, whose death occurred July 2, 1874.

During the residence of the family in Chilhowee Township, Johnson County, Mo., our subject was born, December 3, 1840. His boyhood years were passed on the home farm, and during four months of each year he attended the neighboring district schools, where he laid the foundation of a practical education. Early in the Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate army and served for six months under General Price. Later, in 1862, he entered the Fourth Missouri Infantry, Colonel Caldwell commanding. While marching with his regiment in Arkansas, he stopped at a private house, being too fatigued to proceed further, and there he was captured by Illinois troops, who sent him home. He accompanied his father to Washington County, Ill., where they remained until 1869, returning thence to Johnson County. His father, who owned fourteen hundred acres of land, gave him one hundred and sixty acres soon after his return to Missouri, and before his death gave him an eighty-acre tract.

The land was wholly unimproved, and it required considerable work on the part of our subject to bring the property under its present high state of cultivation. In 1871 he built a small house, and in it he resided with a brother until his marriage. This event, which occurred January 25, 1876, united him with Miss Lettie Moore, who was born in Jefferson County, Tenn., May 12, 1856, and at the time of her marriage was living in Henry County, Mo. Her parents, Gideon Blackburn and Susan (Wells) Moore, were born in Jefferson County, and Greene County, Tenn., respectively, and were married in the former place, whence they came to Missouri in 1859.

Since casting his first Presidential ballot for George B. MacClellan in 1864, Mr. Carpenter has been a Democrat in political belief, though at present he inclines somewhat toward the People’s party. He joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows while living in Illinois, and now holds membership with the lodge at Blairstown. Seven children were born of his marriage, namely: Sidney Winford, born June 29, 1880; Horatio Moore, who was born March 17, 1882, and died December 13, 1882; Susan Lee, born September 1, 1883; Richard Blackburn, April 29, 1885; Sarah Elizabeth, born August 1, 1888, and died October 5, 1892; Allen Stark, born August 15, 1891, and died October 12, 1892; and Mary Lurilla, born March 29, 1893.

It may be said of Mr. Carpenter that he is a man of great energy, persevering disposition and upright character. It is due to his enterprise that he has become one of the most influential farmers of the county, and has gained a reputation as a progressive and successful agriculturist. In his home he and his wife have ever been kind and hospitable. To all visitors a hearty welcome is extended. In social circles he and his family are highly regarded, and have the esteem and friendship of a large circle of acquaintances.