Generation 1

ALEXANDER CARPENTER

Parents: Unknown

Children of Alexander Carpenter:

1. Mary Carpenter was born about 1576. She died on 19 or 20 Mar 1667, age 91. [Ref : The author says that the church records say that she is Alice Bradford's sister and a member of the church at Duxbury; in comments published after the original article, the author says that the year may be 1687.] She was never married. [Ref, author's comment] William and Alice Bradford worte a letter to Mary, in Wrington, on 19 Aug 1664. Referring to the death of "our aged mother" they invite her to come to New England "though we are grown old and the country more unsettled than ever ... " [Ref]

2. Alice Carpenter was baptised on 3 Aug 1590 in Wrington. She died on 26 or 27 Mar 1670 or 1671. She married first Edward Southworth. She married second Gov. William Bradford 3.

3. Agnes Carpenter of Wrentham died before 27 May 1617. She married Samuel Fuller of London in Leiden as his second wife. [Ref] Alice Carpenter witnessed her sister's wedding. [Ref] Samuel married first Elsie Glascock. He married third Bridget Lee on 27 May 1617 in Leiden. [Ref]

4. Julia Ann Carpenter married George Morton of York, England on 23 Jul 1612. Her father Alexander and her sister Alice were witnesses. George Morton came to Plymouth on the Ann in 1623. [Ref] His son John was the first Deputy to the General Court from Middlesborough. [Ref]

Generation 2

ALICE CARPENTER (1590-1670) of Wrington, Leiden and Plymouth

Alice Carpenter was baptised on 3 Aug 1590 in Wrington. [Ref] She died on 26 Mar 1670 [Ref 26 or 27][Ref says 26 Mar 1670 or 71, age about 80, "a most excellent woman"] and is buried at Plymouth. [Ref]

Alice married first Edward Southworth [Ref] on 28 May 1613 in Leiden. [Ref][Ref] Edward was a silk worker in Leiden and one of the members of Rev. John Robinson's church. [Ref] Alice married second Gov. William Bradford 3 as his second wife on 14 Aug 1623. [Ref]

Alice arrived in New England in the summer of 1623 on the supply ship Anne. [Ref]

Stratton [Ref] quotes a Sep 1623 letter from Capt. Emmanuel Altham of the Litte James describing William's and Alice's wedding:

And now to say somewhat of the great cheer we had at the Governor's marriage. We had about twelve pasty venison, besides others, pieces of roasted venison and other such good cheer in such quantity that I could wish you some of our share. For here we have the best grapes that ever you [saw] - and the biggest, and divers sorts of plums and nuts which our business will not suffer us to look for.

Massasoit and 120 of his warriors attended the festivities. [Ref]

In his will, dated 30 Jul 1633, Samuel Fuller the Elder left his 'sister Alice Bradford twelve shillings to buy her a pair of gloves'. [Ref]

On 23 Nov 1664 Alice Bradford, the widow of William Bradford, late of Plymouth, sold Richard Sears of Yarmouth two pieces of land containing 40 acres at a place called Sasuet for twenty pounds. [Ref, 34;22] Sasuet was an Indian name for a place then in east Yarmouth and now in Dennis an Brewster.

In her will, dated 29 Dec 1669, Mistress Alice Bradford asked to be "Intered as neare unto my Deceased husband; Mr. William Bradford as Conveniently may be". [Ref ] She made bequests to her sister Mary Carpenter; her sons Constant Southworth, Joseph Bradford and Capt. William Bradford; her friend Thomas Prence; her grandchild Elizabeth Howland, the daughter of her son Thomas Southworth; Elizabeth's son James Howland; her maid Mary Smith. [Ref ] Alice left an extensive estate, including books. [Ref ]

Children of Alice Carpenter and Edward Southworth, adopted by Wiliam Bradford after his marriage to Alice: [Ref]

1. Constant Southworth was probably born about 1614-16 in Leiden. [Ref, p. 355] He died on 10 Mar 1678[/9] in Duxbury. [Ref] He married Elizabeth Collier. [Ref, p. 355] Elizabeth was the daughter of William Collier. [Ref, p. 355]
   Constant came to Plymouth in 1628, probably on the White Angel. [Ref, p. 355] He is in the Duxbury section of the 1643 list of those between 16 and 60 able to bear arms in Plymouth Colony. [Ref] He was a soldier in the Pequot War of 1637-8. [Ref] He was treasurer, Assistant and ensign in the Duxbury military company. [Ref, p. 355]
   Constant signed his will on 27 Feb 1678/9. Inventory was taken on 15 Mar 1678/9. [Ref, p. 355]
   some descendants of Constant Southworth
   
2. Capt. Thomas Southworth was born about 1616. He died on 8 Dec 1669, age about 53, "a great and good man &c". [Ref] He married Elizabeth Reynor. [Ref, p. 8] In his will, signed 18 Nov 1669, he mentions his wife, his brother Constant, his daughter Elizabeth Howland and her husband Joseph Howland. [Ref] His will was proved on 1 Mar 1669/70. [Ref, p. 8] Joseph Howland was the son of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley. [Ref, p. 8]
   some descendants of Thomas Southworth

References

Ballou, Hosea Starr, "Dr. Thomas Starr, Surgeon in the Pequot War and his Family Connection," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 89, 1935, 172- .

Editors, "Items from the City Records at Leyden," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 15, 1861, 30 - 32.

Editors, "Sketches of the Early History of Middleborough, in the County of Plymouth," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 2, 1849, 213-220, 330-344.

Editors, "Plymouth Colony Records of Deeds," Mayflower Descendant 34, 1937, 23-32.

Fessenden, G. M., "A Genealogy of the Bradford Family," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 4, 1850.

Hayward, Elijah, "Plymouth Colony Records," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 9, 1855, 313-318.

Johnson, Bess Miner, Southworths in England, America, 1189-1968, unknown, unknown, 1968.

Kidder, Frederic, "Letter of Mary Carpenter," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 14, 1860, 194-5, 377-8.

Lainhart, Ann Smith and Robert S. Wakefield, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, v. 23 (Family of John Howland), Plymouth, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2006.

Philbrick, Nathaniel, Mayflower, Viking, New York, 2006.

Shurtleff, Nathaniel B., "List of Those Able to Bear Arms in the Colony of New Plymouth 1643," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 4, 1850, 255-259.

Stratton, Eugene Aubrey, Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620 - 1691, Salt Lake City, Ancestry, 1986.

Wakefield, Robert S., William Bradford of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations 3rd ed., General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1991.

Winsor, Justin, "Abstract of the Earliest Wills in the Probate Office, Plymouth," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, various issues.