Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Carpenter, Allen P 1834 - 
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com May 10, 2007, 3:09 am

Author: Portrait & Bio Album, 1890

ALLEN P. CARPENTER. This gentleman has done much to forward the business 
interests of Will County, and as one who is disposed to support all measures 
tending toward the continuation of its prosperity, he is well worthy of 
representation in this volume. He bought a number of acres of land in 
Channahon, lying along the Wide Water Canal, as early as 1865, which, aside 
from its value as a farm, is one of the most beautiful places along the route 
from this township to Joliet. Mr. Carpenter was born January 27, 1834. He was 
reared in the place of his birth until he was nineteen years old, and then 
came to Will County, where his brother Henry and a sister, Lucinda, were then 
living. His brother is a carpenter and still a resident of Joliet. His sister 
was the wife of Dr. G. Randall. Of his other brothers and sisters the 
following is the record: Mary A. was the wife of Thomas Logan and died in 
Springfield, Ill.; Wilber lives in Joliet; Charles in Dakota; Lucinda in 
Kansas, and a sister resides in Iowa. Alfred Carpenter, the father of our 
subject was a resident of this county in 1849, and died just before our 
subject came here in 1853. Our subject taught school in Joliet in 1853, for 
one winter, and in the summer of 1854 went back to New York. Returning to this 
part of the country in the fall, in the following January he was united in 
marriage with Miss Helen Spencer and established a home. He lived on his farm 
in Channahon Township for three years, then was a resident of Troy for two 
years, and in 1860 commenced buying grain in Minooka, at the landing of the 
Wide Water Canal, and was thus engaged the ensuing five years, shipping both 
by canal and rail. In 1865 he turned his attention to farming, and bought one 
hundred and seventeen acres of land lying along the Wide Water Canal, his 
warehouse being just across the canal. He immediately moved into his residence 
there and has since made it one of the finest in the vicinity. In the 
adornment of the grounds he has been greatly assisted by Mrs. Carpenter's 
taste and skill. She is a great lover of flowers and has a garden in which are 
many choice varieties of roses and other beautiful plants, all of which are 
tended by her careful hand. In 1868 Mr. Carpenter formed a partnership with 
Mr. Truby to buy and sell grain and lumber, with their headquarters at Joliet 
and Birds Bridge, the business being conducted under the firm name of 
Carpenter & Truby. They were together for some years and built up a large 
business, keeping their own line of boats in the summer on the canal, and in 
winter shipping by rail on the Rock Island Railroad, which runs close by their 
warehouse. These gentlemen were together until 1875, and then our subject sold 
out his interest to Mr. Truby, and has since lived on his farm. He has added 
to his original purchase seventy-one acres, on which is a good residence, 
which he uses as a tenement house, as he rents all of his land. Mr. Carpenter 
devotes his time to looking after his interest, investing his money as he sees 
fit and, as he is of a speculative turn of mind, he has taken many a bout with 
the bulls and bears on the Board of Trade in Chicago. Mrs. Carpenter was born 
in the city of Chicago, her parents being Thomas and Sarah A. (Van Dusen) 
Spencer. Her mother was a daughter of John Bingham, and they were all of New 
York. She came to Will County in 1834 with her husband. Mr. Spencer 
subsequently died in Kendall County when Mrs. Carpenter was but four years of 
age. Her mother died in 1888 in Chicago, at the age of seventy-eight years. 
Mrs. Carpenter is a lady of no ordinary intelligence and attainments, and she 
has endeared herself to her many acquaintances by her pleasant ways and kindly 
acts. Mr. Carpenter is one of the most influential and trusted citizens, and 
is a man of brain, decided character, and admirable tact. He is one of the 
most efficient civic officials, and through his liberality and public spirit 
this community has been benefited in more ways than one. He is now serving his 
third term of three years as Highway Commissioner of the township, having been 
re-elected last spring. He is also Treasurer of the township, having served in 
that office with distinguished ability for the last six years, and received 
his re-appointment last spring. He takes an active part in politics, and is a 
stanch supporter of the Republican party. Although not a member of any 
religious organization, he has served as Trustee of the church, which his wife 
attends, for the past fifteen years. The chief sorrow of the otherwise happy 
wedded life of our subject and his wife has been in the death of their two 
children, a boy and a girl in infancy. But life's lesson may have taught them 
that it is better, Far better to smile with a deep content O'er their darlings 
quietly sleeping, O'er their little ones safe from all that can harm, Safe and 
quietly sleeping. The sun comes up and the sun goes down On sorrow and sin and 
aching, And to all the evil that's in the world Their darlings will know no 
waking.

Additional Comments:
Portrait and Biographical Album of Will County, Illinois, Containing Full Page 
Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens 
of the County; Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1890 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/carpente606gbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/

File size: 5.9 Kb