WHAT MY FAMILY MEANS TO ME
MY GRANDMOTHER - LILLIAS MAY BREWER
ON HER WEDDING DAY
1914 TO BECOME
MRS. FORREST RAYMOND CARPENTER
Her home was in York Beach, Maine.
Forrest Raymond Carpenter lived in Cheshire MA.
Their legacy has come down to
me,
their first grandchild.
CHESHIRE WAS CLOSE BY.
ALL THE TRADING WAS DONE IN ADAMS, MA,
WILLIAMSTOWN, NORTH ADAMS.
This photo is of MAIN STREET IN ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS
IN 1910.
MY GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THREE SONS
WHO WERE BORN TO
GEORGE EDGAR CARPENTER AND
TO NETTIE PRISCILLA INGALLS
MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS ON
MY MOTHER'S SIDE.
MY GRANDFATHER'S OLDER BROTHER
LESTER GOT WORK AT THE MILL
SO
THEN HIS BROTHER ALBERT ("BERTIE)
WENT TO COLLEGE AND GOT A
JOB ELSEWHERE.
I have the "CARPENTER DIARIES' LITTLE LEDGERS
;SHOWING DAILY ENTRIES AS TO THE GOINGS ON
FROM 1882 TO 1924
There are 14 of these small diaries.
You can find copies of these in
the
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PITTSFIELD MA.
I TRANSCRIBED THEM, AND THEY ARE THERE.
I am still working on 1915 and 1924 which were
entered by George Edgar Carpenter.
WHICH LEFT MY
GRANDFATHER ON THE
FARM.
HE HAD A FIFTH GRADE EDUCATION
WHICH MEANT IN THOSE DAYS
A "GOOD" EDUCATION
FOR A FARMER.
DID YOU KNOOW THAT
THE KING JAMES VERSION
OF THE BIBLE
IS MEANT FOR A
6TH GRADE LEVEL
PERSON TO BE
ABLE TO READ?
(THINK ABOUT IT.
MOST OF THE
NEWER RENDITIONS
OF THE BIBLE
ARE
AT
COLLEGE LEVEL
READING.)
THERE WAS A WEDDING
COMING UP...
LILLIAS WAS SEEING HER
SISTER GET MARRIED
TO FRANK CHAPMAN
WHO WAS A BEST
FRIEND
TO GUESS WHO ?
HIS FRIEND FORREST RAYMOND CARPENTER
IT WAS ABOUT THE TIME
RUMORS OF WAR
WERE ALL ABOUT
1912
WAS FULL OF
WORRY AND CONCERN.
BUT LILIAS DID NOT GIVE IT MUCH THOUGHT.
She was a happy woman.
Teaching in a Primary School, having been
to College, and then teach the first
three grades in a school
she was excited about
her sister's wedding.
You see,
YORK BEACH, MAINE
IS WHERE THE
WEDDING WAS
TO BE.
THEY WERE AMERICAN SISTERS
GROWING UP IN A
WONDERFUL WORLD
THEIR HOME WAS FILLED WITH LOVE
AND LOTS OF ACTIVITY
THEIR FATHER - LUTHER WILBUR BREWER
WAS A VERY DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
IN THE METHODIST CHURCH
AND
WAS A LEATHER TANNER.
HE MADE THE LEATHERWORK
FOR HORSES, THE CARRIAGES,
AND THE EQUIPMENT.
VIDA MAY INGALLS
HE HAD MARRIED YEARS
AGO
AND NOW HIS DAUGHTER
WAS GETTING MARRIED.
EVERYONE WAS EXCITGED!
AS BUSY AS THEY MUST HAVE BEEN
THESE TWO PARENTS FOUND TIME
FOR FAMILY TO GATHER
AND
OFTEN PLAYED CROQUET.
HERE THEY ARE, AS YOUNG PARENTS
DOTING ON THEIR DAUGHTER
GETTING MARRIED.
WHEN FRANK BROUGHT FORREST TO THE WEDDING
FORREST MET LILLIAS.
THEY NEVER EVER LOOKED BACK
IT WAS MEANT TO BE.
FRANK AND FLORENCY ("FLOSSIE)
LOVED TO HAVE A REASON
TO ENCOURAGE
FORREST AND LILLA
SO
THEY OFTEN
TOOK OFF ON THE
"HORSELESS CARRIAGE"
AND
CAME TO THE YORK BEACH HOME
THAT MAMIE AND BAMPY HAD
LILLIAS' MOTHER WAS VIDA MAY (INGALLS)
MARRIED TO LUTHER WILBUR BREWER.
T
FORREST RAYMOND CARPENTER
READING HERE ON
THE PORCH.
LET ME DESCRIBE MY GRANDFATHER
FORREST RAYMOND CARPENTER.
HE WAS A FARM BOY FROM CHESHIRE MASSACHUSETTS.
CHESHIRE MASS WAS A TOWN WHICH HAD STARTED
WHEN SEVERAL BAPTIST FAMILIES FROM
ROGER WILLIAMS' RHODE ISLAND
COLONY DECIDED TO
COME INTO MASSACHUSETTS
AND
FARM, AND LVE FOR GOD THERE.
THEY WERE STRONG IN FAITH.
THEY HAD MUCH DESIRE TO BE INDEPENDENT.
Forrest had to work on the farm, so
he only went to school when he did not work
on the farm.
He was an avid reader.
He learned about Edison and and all the inventions
that were being created at that time. He studied
up on all the electricity and he began to take
an interest in finding himself
in OTHER KIND OF WORK.
When he worked for his father
he traveled in the wagon all over
trading with people in the area.
Whatever was made on the farm
whether it was rag rugs, or tatting,
or butchering a calf and growing the
potatoes and beets and corn. You
can see that they were going back and forth
from Cheshire to the surrounding area.
In York Beach with Lillias, it
was different.
She was a LADY of sorts.
Her work was more in the laundering
and the washing of the clothes.
The ladies in those days and in that time
had to have the help of their husbands
to do the work, because it required
heavy lifting of washtubs
and there were no washing machines
like there are today.
Albert and his brother Forrest at the car.
Forrest began early on "driving"
others to town, to places they
wanted to go and
it was a privilege.
He ordered his very own CAR
himself, and it came packaged in
a box and he had to ASSEMBLE IT HIMSELF.
SO HE WAS LEARNING.
NOW HE HAD EXTRA INCENTIVE
FOR LILLIAS WAS
HIS DELIGHT.
Forrest Raymond Carpenter (b.July 29. 1890 -June 27,1970)
Cheshire MA
married on July 16,1914
Lillias May Brewer (b. Feb. 5, 1891 - May 16,1979)
b. Salmon Falls, N. H.
THEY SPENT MANY HOURS TOGETHER
IN THE NEXT YEAR
AND EVEN INCLUDED A TRIP TO
LAKE GEORGE
Years later when I was about 15 years old
my Grandmother Lillias May Carpenter
shared with me her photos from
that time of courting.
She was strong in faith, believing
this was the one man with
whom she would spend the rest
of her life with.
When I think of my family,
and how the strong tie
and bond
of love and affection
drew two people together
to live in the midst
of
difficulties
obstacles
frustrations
and changes,
I am amazed again and again
at the way God
led me to find Himself
through the strong conviction
my family had that
I WAS LOVED, AND PART OF THE FABRIC
OF A FAMILY CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER.
SO HERE I AM TODAY.
I hope to put my stories on this blog, and to share
something of the heritage my family and my faith
are to me. In my husband's papers I have all of
his sermons and some of his notes, our budgets,
our pictures, and so much to share.
I will look forward to this.
Climb along with me, in walking higher.
I am convinced that there is no other
name but Jesus Christ the Lord
and Savior, the Son of the Living God,
who came and lived and died among
us, that we might live.
He arose from the grave, and
is risen and ascended to the Father,
and He is preparing a home for us
who believe on Him.
As I wait for His Coming,
or for my Call Home to be with Him,
I will blog and keep blogging
telling my stories
and sharing.
JOHN 10 10
ABUNDANT LIFE IS PROMISED
TO THOSE WHO KNOW HIM.
