Biography of George W. Carpenter

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Page 276.

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


GENERAL GEORGE W. CARPENTER, whose portrait appears on another page, is 
an old settler of South Dakota, and a well-known and prosperous citizen 
of Watertown, South Dakota. He was born in Erie county, New York, July 
26, 1833.

	Mr. Carpenter's father, George W. Carpenter, was born in Pompey, 
near Syracuse, New York, in the year 1800, and moved with his parents 
to Erie county, New York, when about ten years of age. His father, 
Jeremiah Carpenter, was a native of New York, and a soldier in both the 
Revolutionary war and the War of 1812. He is a descendant of one of 
three brothers who came from Germany in an early day and located on 
Long Island, their names then being "Zimmerman," the German word for 
"carpenter." Our subject's mother, Anna Foot, was a native of New York. 
Her father, who was of French descent, died when she was quite small.

	Mr. Carpenter is the seventh child in the order of birth of a 
family of ten children, nine of whom grew to maturity, and one died at 
the age of ten years. He was reared in his native county and educated 
in the public schools of his district. February 13, 1858, he was united 
in marriage to Miss Ermina E. Watson. Mrs. Carpenter was born in 
Darien, Genesee county, New York, March 1 7, 1 840, the daughter and 
only child of Milton and Marilla Watson, natives of Massachusetts and 
Vermont, respectively. After his marriage, Mr. Carpenter located in the 
village of Marilla, a town named in honor of his wife's mother, and 
there engaged in business until 1 86 1, when he enlisted in Company C, 
Twenty-first New York Volunteer Infantry, as a private for three 
months, and served about six months. On his return, he was given a 
permit by the government to recruit for the One Hundred and Sixteenth 
New York Volunteer Infantry, and was appointed first lieutenant of 
Company I of the regiment. When he went out, in October of the same 
year, he was appointed captain of Company I. In December, 1864, he was 
appointed major of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment, and served 
in that capacity until the close of the war in 1865. Mr. Carpenter 
participated in the following principal battles: The first battle of 
Bull Run; the siege of Port Hudson; Coxie's Plantation, or 
Donaldsonville, where he was slightly wounded; Winchester, Virginia, 
Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, where he was again wounded in the leg by a 
shell, and was taken to Winchester about thirty days, and was then sent 
home on a furlough for sixty days, and later went to the hospital at 
Annapolis, Maryland. He again joined the regiment in March, 1865, and 
was ordered to Washington on guard duty, and was there at the time of 
the assassination of President Lincon. He was on provost duty at the 
Grand Review, and was field officer of the day during the second day of 
that celebration. He was mustered out at Buffalo, New York, July 8, 
1865.

	After the close of hostilities, Mr. Carpenter went west and 
located in Fillmore county, Minnesota, in July, 1865, and there engaged 
in farming until 1878. During that time he served the citizens of the 
county in the capacity of justice of the peace, dividing his time 
between the duties of that office and his farm interests. He made a 
specialty of hop raising, and in 1871 shipped nine car loads of hops, 
valued at $12,000, to Chicago, and they were all burned in the fire of 
that year. In 1 878 he moved to Codington county, South Dakota, and 
located on a farm two and a half miles south of what is now Watertown, 
being one of the first to locate in the county. Soon after he was 
elected surveyor of the county, and helped to lay out the town of 
Watertown and several other towns in the state, and did surveying on 
government land. He is now surveyor of three counties, Codington, 
Hamlin and Deuel, and at one time was surveyor of Clark county. He also 
surveyed the Great Northern railroad, being thus engaged three years, 
and was chief engineer of the Duluth, Watertown & Pacific railroad, 
which was surveyed from the northern line of the state to Watertown. He 
has been connected with the state militia for ten years, and held the 
office of quartermaster general of South Dakota, until 1897.  He was 
department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic during the year 
1894; has been connected with that body since 1868; is now a member of 
the National Encampment, and is also a prominent Mason.

	Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are the parents of eleven children, of 
whom we have the following record: Eva E., wife of George R. Williams, 
of Watertown; Kattie M., wife of Elmer McDowell, of Watertown; Osceola, 
at home; Capitola, a teacher; Edna M., now attending school; J. C., the 
youngest, now attending school; Libbie and Lillie, twins, both 
deceased; George W., deceased; Glezen F., deceased; and Estella, 
deceased.