Memorials › Capt Robert Washington Carpenter

Capt Robert Washington Carpenter

1832 – 1898

Birth	1832
Death	1898
Cemetery	Bethany Cemetery Plano , Collin County , Texas , USA
Added by	T on 28 Jan 2007
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9548800

Bio

ROBERT WASHINGTON CARPENTER FAMILY Excerpts from One Hundred Years in Texas 1852 - 1952 ... Robert Washington Carpenter... followed others from Kentucky, the Formans, Vances, Rouths, Campbells, Harringtons, Beverlys, and others. Some of these families had come to the Plano community as early as 1845, and had sent word back praising this wonderful new country. Robert Carpenter hired a horse from William Forman, and rode out northwest along a beautiful meandering creek called Spring Creek, toward the home of Alfred Harrington, whose log cabin home stood where approximately the home of his great grandson, Dick Robertson is located today, also a brother-in-law, Benjamin Franklin Mathews had settled in 1848.... R. W. Carpenter... purchased only enough land for his home, barns, corrals, horsetrap, hay meadows, etc. This tract consisted of approximately ½ section., now owned by the B. B. Carpenter estate, and was located with land scrip purchased from its holder at 50¢ an acre. The scrip was issued to Texas Revolutionary soldiers by the Republic of Texas, and was signed by Sam Houston. .... [Since there was] no timber on this tract, he purchased 30 acres in Rowlett bottom about four miles to the east. His land selected..., he returned home. Some time that summer, with his young bride, Elizabeth Mathews Carpenter, he started back to Texas.... They arrived some time in the fall and moved into a spare cabin near the Harrington home. William Gipp Mathews... had either accompanied or preceded them here... On June 4, 1854, a baby boy was born to this couple and named William Joel. Six more sons blessed this union and a daughter named Mary Katie, who died in infancy in 1878. The six boys were: Gipson Edgar, 1857 - John Henry, 1859 - Jefferson Davis, 1861 - Robert E., 1866 - Benjamin Owen, 1869 - Edward Albert, 1871. It was about this time another young settler from Kentucky, stopped as he was passing by and as it was about midday stayed fro lunch, and after the meal complimented the hostess on her cooking and gallanted stated, that if she had a sister with her looks, disposition, and home making qualities, he would gladly offer his hand in marriage. She replied she had such a sister and intended bringing her to Texas at the first opportunity. These things came to pass, and the sister married the bachelor, and in later years that couple became known affectionately, far and wide, as “Uncle Clint” and “Aunt Kate” Haggard.... R. W. Carpenter, at the start of hostilities [in the Civil War], organized a company or troop of calvary at McKinney, Texas, and in accordance with the custom of the time and the Confederate Army, was elected by popular vote, “Captain” of the company.... They fought for four long years under General R. M. Gano and surrendered some where in what is now the state of Oklahoma.... ...in the summer of 1872 or 3, there came a preacher, by the name of Addison Clark, to preach in this community and visit in the home of his friend, and (some say) distant kin, R. C. Clark. He preached of hell fire and the devil, very emphatically, and Grandpa shared his views. R. W. Carpenter was a member of the Christian Church, but his religious beliefs were those of the Church of Christ today. He wanted no organ in his church, playing cards ere an instrument of the devil, no matter what the game played, whiskey (not money) the root of all evil, all forms of dancing were forbidden, only the Bible could be read on Sunday, no ball games or fishing on the Lords Day; and Grandpa cursed only the yankees. ... This preacher, along with the work of the Lord, talked of a school, he and his brother hoped to establish, a college of sorts with facilities far beyond the one room schools that then served most all this frontier country. During that revival, as he dined, and visited, and talked in the homes of the Carpenter’s, Haggard’s, Bushes’, Clarks’, and others, he struck a response, with the end result, that at Plano, in the new First Christian Church, on December 30, 1873, at a convention of delegates from congregations of the Christian Church, in different parts of the state, a college was organized with Addison Clark as president, Randolph Clark as vice president, (and it is said) R. W. Carpenter as chairman of the board. Money was pledged, some donated, mostly loaned, with the Clarks signing the notes as security. How much money was raised is unknown today, but it is known that most of the support for this school, and for many years thereafter came from Collin county. It was known as Add Ran College, and located at Thorp Springs, and is today the great University of T. C. U. The Carpenters helped to establish the First Christian Church of Plano, in November, 1873 and later in 1876 helped to build the Bethany Church, school and cemetery. Prior to that they attended church at Spring Creek and Rowlett, (said to be the first church in Collin County as a log church was built there in 1845). These two buildings served the Methodist, Christian, and Baptists, the different denominations taking turn using the buildings. The Spring Creek building doubled as a school, with the preachers serving as teachers.... CARPENTER, R. W. INJURIES PROVE FATAL McKinney Democrat, April 28, 1898 The sad news of Capt. R. W. Carpenter’s death reached McKinney early Sunday morning and caused genuine sorrow among our citizens. It will be remembered that an account of Capt. Carpenter’s injuries received by the upsetting of his buggy appeared in THE DEMOCRAT a few issues back. His collar bone was broken and one lung crushed, but these injuries were not thought to be fatal until the final collapse set in. Death came peacefully to the old veteran at 2 a.m. Sunday Apr. 24. Capt. Carpenter was a prominent citizen of Collin County for many years and the head of a large and respected family. The members of J. W. Throckmorton camp United Confederate Veterans attended the funeral of their old comrade in a body Monday, which took place at Bethany, his home, 14 miles southwest of McKinney. He was a member of the Christian church and director of Add Ran university at Waco. Eld. Hallam of McKinney conducted the funeral ceremonies in the presence of an immense concourse of people. We unite in the expressions of condolence to the bereaved family.

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Life's race well run, life's work well done, life's crown well won, now commeth rest

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