Thomas Carpenter (November 2, 1752 at

Salem, New Jersey Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population was 5,146,

– July 7, 1847 at Carpenter's Landing, New Jersey) was an early American glassmaker and

devout Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

Quaker who, at significant spiritual and personal risk, found an important way to assist the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, serving in the militia and the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Continental Line The Continental Line ( sv, Kontinentalbanan) is a long railway between Malmö and Trelleborg in Sweden. At Trelleborg the railway terminates at a railway ferry quay allowing rail cars to be ferried to Sassnitz in Germany. A part of the railway i ...

as what would today be called a

logistics officer A logistics officer is a member of an armed force or coast guard responsible for overseeing the support of an army, air force, marine corps, navy or coast guard fleet, both at home and abroad. Logistics officers can be stationary on military base ...

and earning the title of "Fighting Quaker." After the war, he contributed significantly to the rise of New Jersey

glass production Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...

Family

Carpenter was the sixth child and second son of Preston Carpenter (1721-1785) and Hannah Smith (1723-abt 1766?). Thomas Carpenter is listed as number 25 on page 58. Note: ''Carpenters' Encyclopedia of Carpenters 2009'' (DVD format) has updates and corrections to the 1912 book. Subject is RIN 3248. See also
Google Books entry.
/ref> Carpenter served an apprenticeship in an auction store at Front and South Street in Philadelphia. As auctions were then prohibited within city limits, they were held at the southern city limits. Carpenter learned to pack, transport, issue, auction, then repack and re-transport many wagons several times each week. On April 13, 1774, he married Mary Tonkin (1748-1822) at St. Mary's Church,

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

Salem County, New Jersey Salem County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River and its eastern terminus is the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New C ...

. Mary had been raised an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

but later converted to the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. They had at least three children who lived to maturity. In the book ''Samuel Carpenter and his Descendants'', Thomas Carpenter is described as "about 5'10" high, with a large frame but not corpulent, erect, well-formed, with a fine ruddy complexion. His eyes were blue, hair thin, but not bald, originally brown, and though tinged with gray, never became white. His affable and genial manners, anecdotes, and reminiscences made his society very attractive. He was fond of reading, intelligent, and self-possessed." The same book refers to Mary Tonkin Carpenter as "a little below medium height, with dark hazel eyes, brown hair, and a fine clear brunette complexion. Her figure was good, erect, well-proportioned, inclined to embonpoint, and she is reputed to have been very handsome." Thomas and Mary are interred in the Friend's Burial Grounds next to the Friend's Meeting House at Woodbury, N.J. Their graves adjoin each other on the north side of the enclosure, about midway, near the boundary fence, each designated with a small marble marker with their name on its top. In 1912, a stone retaining wall was placed there for the protection of the graves. Carpenter was the great grandson of

Samuel Carpenter Samuel Carpenter (4 November 1649 – 10 April 1714) was a Deputy Governor of colonial Pennsylvania. He signed the historic document "The Declaration of Fealty, Christian Belief and Test" dated 10 September 1695; the original is in the Histor ...

(1649-1714), Deputy Governor of

colonial Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...

. In 1771 he transferred his church membership from the

Salem, New Jersey Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population was 5,146,

Friends Meeting House A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), where meeting for worship is usually held. Typically, Friends meeting houses are simple and resemble local residential buildings. Steeples, spires, and ...

to the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He returned to New Jersey prior to April 13, 1774, the date on which he married in Salem to Mary Tonkin of

Gloucester County, New Jersey Gloucester County () is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 302,294. Gloucester County is located approximately southeast of Philadelphia and northwest of Atlantic City. I ...

.William Nelson: ''New Jersey Marriage Records 1665-1800'', Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Md., 1967, p. 64.

Revolutionary conflict

Carpenter was a member of the

, or

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

s which influenced, and distinguishes, his non-combat service in the Revolutionary War.Nan Wrotny: ''A Bicentennial Look at Mantua Township'', The Mantua Township Bicentennial Committee and The Mantua Township Lions Club, Paulsboro Printers, Paulsboro, N.J., 1976, pp. 17, 36-38. Because of their refusal to pay military taxes or fight in the war, Quakers, who had been generally admired for their honesty and simple living in the North American colonies, were looked upon differently when the Revolutionary War broke out, and some were exiled for their beliefs.Jack Zavada
''Quakers History, Brief History of the Quakers Denomination''
accessed 6 August 2012. Some Quakers chose to support the wartime effort, resulting in rifts within the Friends religion; some enlisted for military service, and were expelled from the Society.Library of Congress

( July 23, 2010 ), accessed 6 August 2012. Some provided financial aid, medical assistance, or supplies at the individual or community level, and a few like Carpenter found ways to assist the combat effort at higher levels without bearing arms, as he did by serving in legal, financial, and logistical roles at the highest levels within a rebelling colony which bore a key central role in the Revolutionary War. In late 1776, Carpenter was in a dilemma. As a Quaker, he was sworn to non-violence. He had a desire to assist, but not fight. In some manner he found a compromise. On March 19, 1777, he was commissioned paymaster of the militia units from Salem and Gloucester Counties. His earlier work in transporting auction material helped him in his military duties involving logistics. Carpenter served as an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

and

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

in Colonel Samuel Dick's Regiment, 1776–1778, and

Paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...

for the

New Jersey Militia The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776 The first two ...

. Later he was appointed

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

of the First Battalion, New Jersey Continental Line, serving again under his friend Colonel Dick and others from 1778 through 1782. Carpenter's positional rank of Quartermaster in the New Jersey line unit was equal to the rank of colonel, which clarifies why he was called Colonel after the war.Arthur Adams: "Memoirs of the Deceased Members of the New England Historic Genealogical Society" in ''The Northeast Historic and Genealogical Register'', Vol. CVII, Whole No. 425, January 1953, p. 70.John W. Jordan, ed.: ''Colonial Families of Philadelphia'', Lewis Publishers, New York, 1911. During the American retreat from the banks of the

Assunpink Creek Assunpink Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in western New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden S ...

on January 3, 1777, in the

Second Battle of Trenton The Battle of the Assunpink Creek, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, was a battle between American and British troops that took place in and around Trenton, New Jersey, on January 2, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, an ...

, Carpenter withdrew all of his supplies and assisted another unit to do likewise and then, exhausted, camped with them. He 'loaned' his coat to an officer who had misplaced his and bedded down in his blanket. Later that night, a messenger awoke them and informed them that they were now stragglers because the rest of the army had retreated. Suffering from the bitter cold without his coat, Carpenter made his way back to his unit. His actions helped General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

continue the fight threatening the rear area of the British forces. After the fighting at the

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comman ...

, Carpenter and Colonel Dick, who was a physician, went to the aid of their friend Brigadier General

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (16 January 1726 – 12 January 1777) was a Scottish-born American military officer and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and Revolutionary War. Born in Pitsligo, Scotland, he studied medicine in his home country ...

who had been beaten and bayoneted seven times then left for dead. After talking to Doctor

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, ...

, they acknowledged that infection would end their friend's life. They visited and did what they could, but Mercer died on January 12, 1777. See also: OCLC 3578166 An example of a surviving document mentioning Carpenter is a dispatch dated at Burlington, January 17, 1780, from Light-horse Harry Lee to "Thomas Carpenter, purchasing commissioner" reading in part, "I have written to the Magistrates of Salem County begging them to aid you …" and ends with, "For God's sake perform this business with all possible dispatch."

Post-revolution

In 1785 Carpenter moved to Cooper's Point and started a mercantile business. About two years later he formed a partnership with Thomas Heston, his wife's nephew by marriage and moved to Carpenter's Landing, New Jersey Henry Charlton Beck: ''More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey'', Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, N.J., 1963, pp. 299-301. where he engaged in the manufacture of glass, and later at

Glassboro, New Jersey Glassboro is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 18,579, with

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Thomas Heston.Charles S. Boyer: ''Old Inns and Taverns in West Jersey'', Camden County Historical Society, Camden, N.J., 1962, pp. 158-159.Historical American Glass, A History of Early American made Glass
''The New Jersey Glass Manufactory of Thomas Heston and Thomas Carpenter''
retrieved May 20, 2018. The partners were described as "two 'fighting Quakers' who had given gallant service for the American cause in the Revolution."Adeline Pepper: ''The Glass Gaffers of New Jersey and Their Creations from 1739 to the Present'', Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1971, pp. 32-34. On May 18, 1808, after Heston's death and the retirement of Thomas Carpenter, Carpenter's son Edward acquired his father's share of the original Glassboro glassworks and the firm of Heston & Carpenter became known as Edward Carpenter & Co., Olive Works.Julian Harrison Toulouse: ''Bottle Makers and Their Marks'', Thomas Nelson, Inc., New York and Camden, 1971, pp. 519-521. He became one of the historic figures in the history of Glassboro and in the

art and craft Mark Augustus Landis (born 1955) is an American painter who lives in Laurel, Mississippi. He is best known for "donating" large numbers of forged paintings and drawings to American art museums. Life and career Mark Landis was born in Norfolk, ...

glass making Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...

— the Heritage Glass Museum, founded in 1979 to celebrate

glass blowing Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

and

glass art Glass art refers to individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. It ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glas ...

and noteworthy people in the history of

, includes him on its ''Who We Are'' webpage. See also
Who We Are
. In 1787, Carpenter bought and restored a house in Mantua Township once owned by Restore Eastlack, who died in 1773. This indicates the original portion of the house was built during or prior to 1773. Carpenter added a southern half and a second story and lived there until his death in 1847. Today, it is known as the ''Thomas Carpenter House.'' While it is in private hands, the timber framed, two and one half story house is considered a historical site by

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. The house is located at the southwest corner of Main and Martel Streets in Mantua Township, New Jersey. Five black and white images from historical survey in 1938. The house does not seem to be registered with the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, but it has a

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

number: ''HABS NJ-68'' and a

call number of ''HABS NJ,8-MANT,1-''

References

External links

Heritage Glass Museum

The Library of Congress - The Thomas Carpenter House
Pictures, drawings, and related papers surveyed in 1938 for historic designation.
Thomas Carpenter House documentation.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Thomas 1752 births 1847 deaths American Quakers Burials in New Jersey Continental Army officers from New Jersey New Jersey militiamen in the American Revolution People from Glassboro, New Jersey People from Mantua Township, New Jersey People from Salem, New Jersey People of colonial New Jersey People of New Jersey in the American Revolution