Hester Ann (Chandler) Carpenter (1840 - 1910)

Born 16 May 1840 in Cave Springs, Madison, Alabama, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Carpenter — married 28 Apr 1863 in New Hope, Madison, Alabama, USA

Descendants

Died 24 Jan 1910 at age 69 in New Hope, Madison, Alabama, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bill Carpenter [send private message]

Biography

Hester Ann Chandler married Thomas Carpenter 4-27-1863. Hester was the daughter of William Robert Chandler & Eliza Moon, Thomas & Hester's children;

1. John W. born 7-29-1864 died 8-5-1864 2. Eliza Marie born 10-4-1865 died at birth 3. Laura Caroline born 12-10-1866 died 9-3-1957 married Newton C. Worley 10-8-1892. 4. Thomas Nathaniel born 5-9-1868 died 1936 married Nellie Vann 9-7-1904. 5. Virginia Ann born 3-3-1870 married Richard Williams 1896. 6. Dr. James Allen Carpenter born 6-25-1872 died 1954 married 1st to Maggie Ivey, 2nd to Jimmie O. Butler 4-23-1901. 7. Alice born 4-30-1874 married David Jetton. 8. America Ella born 6-25-1877 died 2-5-1892. 9. Hester Lee born 1880 died 1970 married Robert Wiley vann. 10. Magnolia B. born 2-20-1882 died 4-20-1883.

Sources

• 1860 United States Federal Census [[1]]

• 1870 United States Federal Census [[2]]

http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=carpenter&GSfn=Hester&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=3&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=8458212&df=all&

Before Thomas there was her sweetheart, Hugh Martin Childress (#14006897) who wrote the following letters to Hester while serving with the Confederate Army. Hester had saved these three letters in the family bible despite having married Thomas. The letters were old & worn from being read & folded many times over the years & difficult to read. Ginny Dunaway Young transcribed these letters & sent them to me. I placed these letters on her memorial to tell her story. - Larry Carpenter -

State of Mississippi, Tishomingo County, June 3, 1862

Dear Miss, It is with great pleasure that I take my seat to write you a few lines to try to let you know something about where I am and what I am doing if I can get a letter to you but I doubt whether you will ever get it or not. I fear you never will. O I would be so glad to hear from you. I don't expect that I know anymore about the condition of our army than you do. We have moved from Corinth about 40 miles and now we are cooking up three days provisions to start again but we don't know which way we will go. I would be very thankful if this war would end. If you see any chance you must write to me. I hope the yankees will soon leave our country and then we can have a chance to write to each other. I am tolerable well at this time and I thank God for it. I have been through hard times and hard marches since I saw you. I have hopes of getting home some day and seeing my friends again upon earth but if I don't get to see you in this world I hope to see you in heaven where parting, wars, and troubles be no more. Troubles have sorely tried me since I have been in the Army but it seems that I have overcome them all and still hold up my head in the dark and gloomy prospects of life and victory. I received the letter you sent by Charles D Williams by the hand of my friend James Forester. I was very glad to hear from you. O it was with eagerness that I ran over the lines that you had written! It give my heart joy to hear that you was well. I could not keep from smiling when I heard of my sweetheart and then was made to feel soleum When I read that little tract Are You Ready. It was a good piece and a very appropriate one. It sounded exactly a good sermon for the boy. I have read it and the letter till I have got them nearly by heart. I have nothing of importance to write to you. I hope you will excuse bad writing and spelling and I will try to do better when I have more time. I send a letter to sister Martha in this and I want you to send it to her as quick as you get it. Don't wait a moment but start right straight with it. I heard from your brother a few days ago. He was well. I have saw him and Billy Moon two or three times since I left home. I have been close to them all the time. L. M. Peevy has resigned his office and left Lieutenant Taylor captain and J. A. Meadlin first lieutenant. W. P. McClung second, and myselft third Lieutenant. Captain Taylor and Meadlin is sick and gone to the hospital and McClung has gone off on special business and left me in command of the company. I have enough to do. Hurry prevents me from writing any more. Please excuse bad writting and spelling. Give my love to all inquiring friends, receive a large portion for yourself from H. M. Childress to H. A. Chandler as ever your friend and lover. When this you see remember me.

State of Mississippi; camp near Vicksburg, July 18th, 1862 Dear Miss, It is with pleasure that I again endeavor to write you. I have written three letters and sent to you two of which you must have received but I have not received any answer though I recon you haven't had the chance that I thought you had. You may guess of my sad disappointment when Robert J. Wright came and I received no intelligence from you. O I was so sorry that I could not hear from you. I did not know what to do. I felt like I was forsaken away from home and friends with no one to console me. I studied and reflected and thought and then concluded that if you had had the chance you would have written. I am now well and do hope when this comes to hand may find you enjoying the same blessing. I have nothing of interest to write you. I have not heard from your brother in a long time. Your Uncle Samuel is with me all the time. He is tolerable well at this time. He wants to hear from you all very much. O miss, if ever you have a half of a chance write to me. I am a poor wayfaring soldier away from home and friend, no voice to cheer my lonely way with the howling cannon every day to tell of death and danger near. O this is the place of solemnity and should be a place of prayer but this God forgetting world will have it's sinful ways. Remember and pray for me that I may live a christian life while I am permitted to stay here upon earth and if I should see you no more in the world that I may meet you in heaven. Will you sincerely pray for this? If so begin now as soon as you hear this if you have not commenced before that time. I would like very much to see you. It has been so long since I saw you. O it makes me so sad to think of being so far from my hearts idol, the only thing on earth that I adore. It causes me to sign and moan and many long days and night of sadness have I passed in thinking of the condition we are now in. Oft have I thought of the time and place that we parted and how it grieved me to think it would be so long before we would meet again and since I left to think that my probation has been prolonged to three times it's original length makes it still worse. Tell my friends howdy for me. Tell them I have not forgotten them nor never will. They have my prayers, hopes and cares. I think often of my old friends far away in Old Alabama and long to be once more in peace at home with them. I would stop writing if I knew how but not knowing when I will get the chance to write any more I don't know how to quit. You must write to me as soon as you can. Don't delay if you get the chance to send a letter don't wait for me to answer for I may not have the chance to send letters. Tell Mary and Hete howdy for me when you see them. So I will close for the present. When this you see remember me though many miles a part we be. May God bless you and make your parthway bright and help you to live a happy life. May peace and love abide with you forever is the prayer of your unworthy lover. Remember the one that loves and cares for you. Written for miss H. A. C. from Hugh M. Childress

Mississippi Vicksburg July 20th, 1862 Dear Miss, It is with gratitude to you that this morning I take my seat to write you an answer to your kind letter. It was Saturday and darkness had fell upon the earth and I had said a short prayer and raised a song of praise to God. I had thrown myself upon my blankets in my tent for another nights repose. It was near nine, yes I recon ten when I was suddenly aroused by a footstep and then a voice calling me said here's a letter for you. You can't imagine how I felt knowing it was from you as I had just received a letter from home. I arose, gathered the letter, lighted a candle and read it and you can't imagine how happy I was to hear from you and hear that you was well but I was very sorry to hear of the family. I hope that they all be well long before this reaches you if not well before now. I recon you want to know what sort of a place I live in. We are encamped five or six miles from Vicksburg in a flat low hollow of a place with high round green hills all round. We have to walk out to town every two or three days to guard the place to keep the yanks from landing their forces here. We go to the river and stay all night and then fall back three or four hundred yards among the hills. We can see the yankey gun boats from town. They bombard us every day. One shell killed one lieutenant in the company next to me last Monday night and knocked several other men down. I hope we leave this place before long. I don't like this place.

Uncle Samuel L. Moon is well and S. W. is here sound and looks better than I ever saw him. Jackson Moon went to the hospital from Tupalo. He looked like a skeleton and fear he will never get well if he is not dead before now. I have not heard from him in nearly a month. Brother George left us at the same place. He had a very hard spell of the fever but I heard that he was getting well again. He is at Columbus, Mississippi. I heard from your brother since I wrote the other letter. Robert Boyde told me he saw him a few days ago and that he looked better than he ever saw him. I hope you will excuse bad writing and spelling for I am in a hurry this morning. I have to go to take some letters to Cousin Bob Peevy. I suppose he is going to start today. Hettie, you must write to me as often as you can get the chance to send a letter for I love to hear from you and my country. Don't think that I am so bad dissatisfied about the conscript act for I am getting willing to do anything that I can for my country although I would be glad to see you and be at home with you. Still I am willing to do my part of anything to obtain peace again. You must write to me as soon as you get this. Send your letter by Robert W. Peevy when he comes back. Give my love to you all, recieve a portion for yourself. Excuse my scolding in the other letter for I wanted to hear from you so bad. So nothing more only I remain your ever faithful friend til death. H. M. Childress to Hester Ann Chandler Your lover.

From Texas Christian Advocate, 1862 "Lt. Hugh M. Childress, the brave gallant and patriotic fell mortally wounded at the Battle of Baton Rouge, August 5th, 1862 and died within a few hours.