Joseph Wilmarth Carpenter

[mbhenty]

Yes:

As some many well know, I am very wary of stories about the Borden Case without rock solid proof. Some topics may be, Lizzie's sexuality, Andrew Borden's money grubbing behavior towards his daughters, (though in business, it was probably true) even the definite guilt of Lizzie Borden.

With this I am compelled to add, show me the proof. There are many such assumptions and accepted misconceptions, truths, and untruths.

Ok, I know, get to the point........

I have been doing a little research on one, Joseph W. Carpenter. You know, the guy who supposedly embezzled money from Andrew's firm back in the late 1870s. Supposedly he took upwards of 6000 dollars. Now, I believe that the fact is that the incident happened and that there is probably enough proof to prove it. But, what were the particulars, the amount, and where can this information be found?

I was surprise how little I could find about it. There is little or no mention of it in Lincoln, Pearson, Porter, Spiering, Sullivan, Rebello, Phillips, and DeMille. The only one which really expounds on it is Radin. He is the only one who mentions Dollar amounts, also (good research Eddy)

But, is that dollar amount correct? Is the story of Borden making a deal correct? Is it true Carpenter had something on Borden, forcing him to drop charges, or make no charge at all, or was Borden just trying to be fair? Was there public stock exchanged from Carpenter to Borden to make up for restitutions which turned out bogus? Etc., etc.

Where did all this information first appear, and how much weight does it carry on the side of truth.

Of course, this little project I have done my research for is not important to the truth. It is based in fiction so any misinformation may be easily excused and made to fit.

Still, where did this information come from. After all, it was private business between the accused and victims.

In PARALLEL LIVES it is mentioned the same as in Edward Radin's account.

PARALLEL LIEVES give it sources as newspapers. Which compels me to ask: How much of it is true, reliable, typos, trustworthy.

Who did the paper speak to (lawyers?). How do we know the person they talked to spoke the truth. Can we really praise the press not to embellish. How many times has the story gone around the classroom before it has gotten to our ears.

Of course, when writing fiction, the stronger and more bizarre the legendary accounts of a case the more interesting. After all, fiction is no less than a glorious and promising commodity of lies.

Ater all this talk, the question is, what is the primary, reliable and cardinal truth, with emphasis on the "reliable"?

[Yooper]

Apparently Andrew didn't prosecute Joseph Carpenter for anything. Maybe there was nothing to prosecute him for. Maybe there was no hope of recovering the missing amount, and Andrew didn't want the expense of a trial. I doubt that Andrew would have simply forgiven Carpenter if Carpenter had embezzled money from the business, he would have tried to recover the missing money if at all possible. It might depend to some extent on what Carpenter showed as assets at the time, there might be a record kept of that somewhere.
If Andrew had thoughts of recovering money Carpenter embezzled, he had to deal with it immediately. Making a mutual arrangement over something Carpenter held over Andrew makes the amount embezzled hush money and it compounds a case against Andrew. There was nothing to gain and much to lose by waiting or by making a deal with Carpenter. Carpenter could have come forward at any time for retribution. While Carpenter may have embezzled money at the time, Andrew recognized the fact and chose to not pursue the matter, which amounts to tacit approval. If the statute of limitations applies, Carpenter could have waited a bit before stating his case against Andrew or against Andrew's reputation. Any arrangement or deal Andrew might have made with Carpenter would have left Andrew with the short end of the stick. If Andrew had pursued the matter, Carpenter would have been a disgruntled embezzler trying to get even with his former employer, a very long row to hoe in court.
In my opinion, since nothing was done, there was probably nothing to do.

[mbhenty]

Yes Yooper:

Maybe there was nothing to prosecute him for. My point was to state that we don't know. All the reasons you mentioned are valid. There is just to much we do not know.

Mostly, all the information we have on the Carpenter matter comes from newsprint. Since we do not have any recorded court records to refer to, we need to move down to the next level. Newspapers.

Unless letters or documents reappeared, we shall never know what really happened.

But, if there was a newspaper story, there must have been some sort of charge. Were they dropped? Settled out of court? Six thousand dollars is a lot of money in 1878. Perhaps 6 to 10 years work for an accountant.

We will never know. In many respects that is what makes this case interesting. There is so much we don't know. Thus, it is left to anyone to arrive at a viable scenario. Or write a non-fictional account of rubbish, and further the folklore.

With the Carpenter case the papers are our only source. The important thing is that we remember that it can only be seen as a guide and not a manual. Newsprint is very fallible and at times errant in the path that they steer a story.

[Harry]

You may wish to read "FRIENDS FROM BOYHOOD: “A Police Officer and an Embezzler” by the late Terence Duniho in the July 2001 issue of the LB Quarterly. In it he speculates on a possible link between Officer Philip Harrington and Carpenter. The article lists numerous sources in the notes.

[Allen]

Thanks for the heads up Harry. I will have to check that out.

[Yooper]

There is another angle here if the story was published in the newspapers, the possibility of a libel suit. If the newspapers were printing stories about Carpenter being a embezzler and implying that Andrew had some ulterior reason to not pursue the matter, either one or both might have had the basis for a lawsuit against the newspapers. It might depend a good deal on how seriously the newspapers were taken at the time. If they were given to publishing sensational and untrue stories and if the public was accustomed to taking them with a grain of salt, perhaps the damage would have been minimized. A lot depends upon how the stories were written and whether names were actually used or merely implied.

[Allen]

On doing a little research into vital records I found one Joseph W. Carpenter in the census records living in Fall River, who was born 1828-29 in Tiverton R.I. Which would've made him about 63 at the time of the murders. He died in 1894 according to death records, his occupation is listed as a roll coverer, and his parents Stephen and Mary P. (nee Lawton) Carpenter. His wife's name was Phebe, and they were married on November 10, 1853 in Fall River. He had five children, Joseph, Anna P., Mary, Edward, and Frank L. His son Joseph was born between 1855 -56. All the records I've found for the son so far indicate he may have lived in Rhode Island.There are other Joseph Carpenter's I found living in Massachusetts around the time but they do not live in Fall River, or would've been far to young, or far too old, to be involved in this incident.

[nbcatlover]

(XVIII) Joseph Wilmarth Carpenter, son of Stephen (2) Carpenter, was born in Tiverton, June 28, 1828, and educated in the public schools there. When a young man he learned the trade of machine-engraving in the cloth printing industry. Subsequently he was in partnership with his brother William M. in the retail dry goods business in Providence, Rhode Island. Their store was burned after they had been in business a number of years, and the firm was then dissolved. He then started a grocery business in Fall River, having a store at the corner of Main and Rodman streets, and conducted it until he was elected city messenger and sealer of weights and measures, which office he held for fifteen years. Among his duties was the superintendence of the city hall, renting the hall and stories, and providing for supplies for the offices. From 1872 to 1879 he lived in Berkley and conducted a farm that he bought in that town. Upon his return to Fall River he was again called into the service of the city, and in addition to the care of the city hall he held the office of sealer of weights and measures. He resigned these offices a few years later to engage in the manufacture of roll coverings in Fall River, and continued until he was obliged by age and ill health to retire. He died in Fall River, February 24, 1894, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. For many years he was a member of the volunteer fire department of Fall River, and secretary of the famous old Cascade Fire Company.
Mr. Carpenter married, November 10, 1853, Phebe Kershaw, who was born February 13, 1831, in Cheadle, England, a daughter of James W. and Mary R. (Barnes) Kershaw. She died April 20, 1895. Children, born in Fall River: 1. Joseph Wilmarth, born September 4, 1855, died in Worcester, October 30, 1899; a traveling salesman; married Anna Barney. 2. Annie E., born February 22, 1858; teacher in the public schools of Fall River for several years; married Moses F. Brierly, of Worcester. 3. Mary A., born July 17, 1860, teacher in the Robeson School, Fall River. 4. Edward M., born May 23, 1863; married Alice Hayhurst; resides in Fall River. 5. Frank L., mentioned below.

(XIX) Frank L. Carpenter, son of Joseph Wilmarth Carpenter, was born in Fall River, January 3, 1868. He attended the public schools of his native city and was graduated from the B. M. C. Durfee High School in the class of 1887. He then began to study for the profession of architect in the offices of Ichabod B. Burt, of Fall River, but a year later became a clerk in the office of the Durfee Mills. In 1890 he accepted the position of assistant bookkeeper of the Sagamore Manufacturing Company, and in 1892 became bookkeeper for the Fall River Iron Works, filling that position until September 14, 1909, when he was elected treasurer of the Davis Mills, succeeding Arthur H. Mason, and in this office he has continued to the present time. The uniform growth and prosperity of the mills under his management have been due in large part to his executive ability and energy.
He is a member and one of the vicepresidents of the Home Market Club, and a member of the Arkwright Club of Boston, of the Fall River Cotton Manufacturing Association, and the National Cotton Manufacturers. Association. He is a member of the corporation of the Fall River Savings Bank and of the Union Savings Bank of Fall River. He is past master of King Philip Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of which he was treasurer for two years; member of Fall River Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and of Fall River Council, Royal and Select Masters, of which he is past thrice illustrious master; past eminent commander of Godfrey de Bouillon Commandery, Knights Templar, and member of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Association of Knights Templar Commanders; also a thirty-second degree Mason, being a member of the Massachusetts Consistory, Supreme Princes of the Royal Secret. He is a charter member of Puritan Lodge, No. 88, Knights of Pythias, and was master of finance of that body for several years. Also a member of the Quequechan Club, the Rhode Island Country Club, the Fall River Country Club, the Republican Club of Massachusetts and the Southern New England Textile Club. In politics he is a Republican. .
Mr. Carpenter married, in Fall River, September 20, 1893, Annie P. Brightman, a daughter of Pardon M. and Rachel D. (Pickering) Brightman. They have one child, Isabel, born July 22, 1899.

Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, biographical--genealogical, Volume 4
By William Richard Cutter, American Historical Society

http://books.google.com/books?id=KkMDAA ... ts&f=false


Joseph Wilmarth Carpenter Jr. seems to be the black sheep of a pretty respectable family. (This book contains an extensive genealogy.) This may have affected Andrew's decision in how to handle the "embezzlement." There also remains the question if there was some relationship to Phebe (Bebe) Wilmarth Borden (isn't she Andrew's stepmother, my Borden genealogy isn't fresh in my memory?).

[Allen]

I'm not quite sure where we can read Joseph Jr. was a black sheep in this limited information. Or where there might be any connection with Phebe WIlmarth Borden. According to the death record on file for him, his parents were Stephen Carpenter and Mary P. Lawton. His father was born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and his mother was born in Assonet, Massachusetts. You can try to trace any further information from tracing them.

[Allen]

Death record for Joseph W. Carpenter Jr.

[Allen]

Death record for Mary P. Lawton Carpenter, widowed at the time of her death on December 8, 1871. Born in 1794. Parents listed as Benjamin H. Lawton born in Rhode Island, and mother as Betsey Padget born in Freetown Massachusetts.

[nbcatlover]

Allen--pls check out that Encyclopedia of Biography. There's an ancester Stephen Carpenter who married a Hannah Wilmarth. Bebe Wilmarth, daughter of Learned Wilmarth and Betsy Lane, had a younger si
sister named Hannah. No proof of anything, but a coincidence...but there's still a possible connection of the Carpenters being related to Bebe. Needs more research.

[Allen]

There are death records for the children of Hannah and Stephen Carpenter, still searching for any for Hannah.

[Allen]

If Hannah Wilmarth was Phebe's younger sister, then I have doubts this Hannah Carpenter is that sister. She was married on October 10, 1790. She would be getting married before Phebe was born. Rebello lists Phebe as being born August 25, 1789, and dieing on October 15, 1853 at age 64. The death record lists her as age 65 at the time of her death on October 15, 1853, which would put her birth in about 1788. It states she born in Little Compton R.I., was the wife of Abraham Borden, and that she died of consumption.

edit: I apologize I posted this information on Abraham's First wife. She was born August 25, 1789. When posting I had been looking up information on both wives and somehow got them mixed up. I knew the information I found showed that a younger sister named Hannah wouldn't have been born yet in 1790. I just mixed up the dates. I was looking at all the information I had saved to my computer and noticed my error. Bebe Wilmarth Borden, according to Rebello and my information, was born on July 5, 1801. Which would make her too old to have a younger sister married in 1790. The rest of the information I posted in this thread was for the correct people I mentioned.

phebe.jpg

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[Allen]

Ooops I meant to say she'd be getting married before Phebe's sister was born

[nbcatlover]

ID: I50981
Name: Learned WILMARTH
Sex: M
Birth: 1773 in Attleboro, MA

Ancestry Hints for Learned WILMARTH

1 possible matches found on Ancestry.com


Marriage 1 Betsey LANE b: 1775 in Norton, MA
Children
Learned WILMARTH
Dan WILMARTH
Ephraim L. WILMARTH
Clement WILMARTH b: ABT 1806 in Attleboro, MA
Bebe WILMARTH
Ferdinand WILMARTH b: ABT 1818 in Attleboro, MA
Polly L. WILMARTH
Calvin L. WILMARTH b: ABT 1804 in Attleboro, MA
Betsey WILMARTH
Chloe L. WILMARTH
Hannah WILMARTH

Source: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin ... &id=I50981


Trying to find Learned's parents...looking for his siblings.

[Allen]

The actual written record will not come out at all readable whenever I try to post it, so I will just post the hit that I got for Learned's birth record.

[Allen]

Again, the record was not readable when I try to post it. The handwriting is faint, and then posting a copy it makes it smaller and hard to read. So there is the hit I got for Hannah WIlmarth, sister of Learned Wilmarth, daughter of Dan Wilmarth and Hannah Brown. She was born November 15, 1777. So in 1790 when a Hannah Wilmarth was married to Stephen Carpenter she would've only been about 13. I'm guessing it was not her.

[Allen]

Marriage record for Bebe Wilmarth and Abraham Borden. I find it interesting that his occupation is listed as a "gentleman". His parents are listed as Richard and Patty, and hers as Learned and Betsey. Second marriage for the groom, first marriage for the bride. She is listed as living in Swansea at the time of the marriage, and his residence as Fall River. The Reverend Asa Bronson presided over the ceremony.

bebeandabraham.jpg

[Allen]

Abraham and Phebe Borden also had a daughter named Phebe? What is known about her? She died August 29, 1855. She would be about 26 at the time of her death. Is there anything known about her?

Household for Abraham and Phebe Borden living in Fall River in 1850:

Abraham Borden age about 54, birthplace Massachusetts, calculated birth year 1796.
Phebe Borden age about 60 birthplace Rhode Island, calculated birth year 1790.
Lurania Borden age about 24, born in Massachusetts, calculated birth year 1826.
Phebe A. Borden age about 21, born in 1829, calculated birth year 1829.

1850census.jpg

Phebe is again listed in the household of Abraham and Bebe Borden. She is listed as age 26. I am wondering why she doesn't seem to have married. Lurana also seems to have married late in life.

Abraham Borden listed as age 57, born in Massachusetts, calculated birth year 1798.
Bebe Borden listed as age 54, calculated birth year 1801.
Laura H. listed as age 29, calculated birth year 1826.
Phebe A. age 26, calculated birth year 1829.

1855census.jpg