Melinda E. Carpenter (1864)

Born 1864 in Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Biography

Newspaper Article

... "Berry Carpenter's daughter by his first wife is between eighteen and nineteen years old. She is of medium height, slender build, graceful motion, and very handsome features. But she is an ingenuous country girl, knowing nothing of the ways of the city or the world, having lived all her life in an obscure rural district. to this child of his first wife - his youthful love - Berry Carpenter was deeply attached, seeing duplicated in her face the lines of loveliness that, in her mother's face, had captivated his young heart. The child, after the death of her mother, was taken to the home of her grandmother, where she remained until two years after the second marriage of Berry Carpenter. Then she returned to her father's residence, where she remained until about six weeks before the fatal catastrophe that made her father a fratricide...

"During her stay with her step-mother they always got on pleasantly together. There was no trouble in the family until on one night during last winter. A revival of religion was in progress at Elizabeth, and these revival meetings had been attended by Berry Carpenter and members of his family. One night Mrs. Carpenter did not want her step-daughter to go to the church; but she had become interested in the meeting and asked her father to permit her to attend. He told her she could do so if she desired. The Mrs. Carpenter and the girl got into the sleight with Bery to start to church. But Mrs. Carpenter was very angry, for she desired the girl to stay at home. She appealed to Berry to make her remain at home. Berry replied, 'no, let her go; she wants to go and shall to do.'...

"This greatly angered Mrs. Carpenter, and she leaped out of the sleigh with an accusation against the girl and her father - the product of anger and fiery temper. This accusation was overheard by Mrs. Carpenter's sister, and she told it to a brother-in-law of Carpenter - his enemy - and he and the wife's sister put it into circulation in the neighborhood. Finally, the report came to Berry's ears, startling and angering him to an intense degree. By this time the report was the talk of the entire neighborhood. 'It was as false as hell,' Mrs. Carpenter now says. 'There was not the slightest foundation for it. I spoke in anger and should not have said what I did, for there was not a word of truth in it.' This Mrs. Carpenter has recently repeated to many persons. And after the fratricide she had the unhappy daughter taken to her house, where she now is...

"Berry Carpenter came to this city after hearing this report and went to the residence of hi brother, ex-chief of police William Carpenter, to whom he related the report, telling him he had determined to take his daughter to the residence of her uncle in Spencer county and leave her there and remain away himself until the report blew over. He was in a half crazed condition of mind. The character of his child had been most vilely traduced - his own reputation blackened by the reports of incest. He said to his brother that these reports must and should be stopped. He said he had notified the persons most active in circulating them never to put foot upon his farm; if they did so he would kill them. Meantime he had quarreled with his wife over the reports and had left her...

"He took his daughter and left a he had proposed to his brother to do. He returned on the Sunday preceding the killing. He went to see his wife. She declared to him she never believed the report about his daughter and expressed the deepest sorrow for what she had said. They then settled their troubles, and Berry tarted to New Albany for his daughter, who was at the residence of Mr. George Fisher, for the purpose of taking her back to their home. On the way to the city he passed the farm of Lee Carpenter. Lee's wife had been very severe on Berry and his daughter. Berry referred to this in hi talk with Lee, and denounced Lee's wife very bitterly. And this is Berry's story of what followed: 'Lee was in the field. He had a brier scythe in his hand. He started for me, but said he would not use the scythe but would take a stone and mash my head. He came over the fence at me with the stone in his hand. I told him to stand back, but he came right on. I then drew my pistol and fired. I did not mean to shoot him but only to intimidate him. In his movement he came within range of the pistol and was killed. I was very much excited. My mind was distracted with the trouble that was upon me; but God knows I did not intend to kill my brother." ^[1]

Census

1880: Posey, Harrison Co, IN pg. 335D ^[2]

• Greenbury Carpenter age 39 TN
• Mary E age 36
• Malinda E. age 16
• Samuel age 14
• Laura age 12
• Margaret age 9
• Blanchia age 7
• Thomas age 4
• Emily age 8m

Sources

1. ↑ New Albany Daily Ledger Standard; Friday, June 17, 1881, New Albany, IN
2. ↑ Year: 1880; Census Place: Posey, Harrison, Indiana; Roll: 283; Family History Film: 1254283; Page: 335D; Enumeration District: 099; Image: 0212

Research Notes

This is not the same Melinda Carpenter: Upon further review of census records, Malinda Carpenter who married John Wilmore was born 1846 and died 1926. In 1900 census she is listed as b. Oct 1846, 1910 she is 63 and 1920 she is 73.

• "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6RP-5XT : 21 January 2016), John L Wilmore and Malinda Carpenter, 30 Jun 1893; citing Jay, Indiana, United States, various county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,750,170.