Captain William Carpenter was impressed into the Royal Navy at the age of 16. He served aboard a Man o'War off the Guinea coast. His position of steersman for the Captain's gig allowed him to spend time among the natives of the islands. This time formed the basis of many stories,stories he would share in his later days, aquiring the nickname of "Guinea". Within a couple of years he was sailing off the American Coast. He always considered himself born half American and so when the opportunity presented itself he took his walking papers,saluted the Union Jack for the last time,and took to the forest,his faced turned towards the setting sun.
In time he found himself in Jamestown NY where he became a driver for the first mail coach between Jamestown and Mayville. His rides into town were notable for the raucous way he would enter town,blowing a horn and with local boys riding in or on the coach as it pulled up to the station. Carpenter eventually became the steersman for the Chautauqua Lake Horseboat. This was a strange frieght-carrying vessel using a treadmill or hamster wheel like arrangement and a team of four horses to power two outboard paddlewheels. This cargo vessel in good weather could travel the lenght of the lake in eleven hours.Most of the time however, it was much slower, often only completing the journey after a week. It was only in service for about a year.
In about 1827 Carpenter became Captain of the schooner Mink on Lake Chautauqua, one of three freighters competing for business on the lake. In 1828 the first steamboat on the lake the "Chautauqua" was launched. Carpenter's role in that was as an artillerist of sorts. He was put in charge of a large cannon, caputured by Commodore Perry on Lake Erie that was brought down from Westfield. It was set up on a hill on West 2nd street. Carpenter fired it to announce the launcing of the Chautauqua. While Carpenter was well liked, he had an alcohol problem for many years. Many people tried to help but it never seemed to take. At some point he got involved in the Washingtonian movement an early forerunner to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Sons of Temperance. Through involvement with these groups he managed to become sober and remained so for the rest of his life. He became a speaker for temperance and lived some 15 years more in peace and perfect sobriety. He died in 1866 on a visit to Franklin Pa. He is buried in the northern end of the "Forest Section" of Lake View Cemetery. (This Bio,from Fenton Historical Society "Sinners and Saints" tour of Lake View Cemetery.)
In time he found himself in Jamestown NY where he became a driver for the first mail coach between Jamestown and Mayville. His rides into town were notable for the raucous way he would enter town,blowing a horn and with local boys riding in or on the coach as it pulled up to the station. Carpenter eventually became the steersman for the Chautauqua Lake Horseboat. This was a strange frieght-carrying vessel using a treadmill or hamster wheel like arrangement and a team of four horses to power two outboard paddlewheels. This cargo vessel in good weather could travel the lenght of the lake in eleven hours.Most of the time however, it was much slower, often only completing the journey after a week. It was only in service for about a year.
In about 1827 Carpenter became Captain of the schooner Mink on Lake Chautauqua, one of three freighters competing for business on the lake. In 1828 the first steamboat on the lake the "Chautauqua" was launched. Carpenter's role in that was as an artillerist of sorts. He was put in charge of a large cannon, caputured by Commodore Perry on Lake Erie that was brought down from Westfield. It was set up on a hill on West 2nd street. Carpenter fired it to announce the launcing of the Chautauqua. While Carpenter was well liked, he had an alcohol problem for many years. Many people tried to help but it never seemed to take. At some point he got involved in the Washingtonian movement an early forerunner to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Sons of Temperance. Through involvement with these groups he managed to become sober and remained so for the rest of his life. He became a speaker for temperance and lived some 15 years more in peace and perfect sobriety. He died in 1866 on a visit to Franklin Pa. He is buried in the northern end of the "Forest Section" of Lake View Cemetery. (This Bio,from Fenton Historical Society "Sinners and Saints" tour of Lake View Cemetery.)
Captain William Carpenter was impressed into the Royal Navy at the age of 16. He served aboard a Man o'War off the Guinea coast. His position of steersman for the Captain's gig allowed him to spend time among the natives of the islands. This time formed the basis of many stories,stories he would share in his later days, aquiring the nickname of "Guinea". Within a couple of years he was sailing off the American Coast. He always considered himself born half American and so when the opportunity presented itself he took his walking papers,saluted the Union Jack for the last time,and took to the forest,his faced turned towards the setting sun.
In time he found himself in Jamestown NY where he became a driver for the first mail coach between Jamestown and Mayville. His rides into town were notable for the raucous way he would enter town,blowing a horn and with local boys riding in or on the coach as it pulled up to the station. Carpenter eventually became the steersman for the Chautauqua Lake Horseboat. This was a strange frieght-carrying vessel using a treadmill or hamster wheel like arrangement and a team of four horses to power two outboard paddlewheels. This cargo vessel in good weather could travel the lenght of the lake in eleven hours.Most of the time however, it was much slower, often only completing the journey after a week. It was only in service for about a year.
In about 1827 Carpenter became Captain of the schooner Mink on Lake Chautauqua, one of three freighters competing for business on the lake. In 1828 the first steamboat on the lake the "Chautauqua" was launched. Carpenter's role in that was as an artillerist of sorts. He was put in charge of a large cannon, caputured by Commodore Perry on Lake Erie that was brought down from Westfield. It was set up on a hill on West 2nd street. Carpenter fired it to announce the launcing of the Chautauqua. While Carpenter was well liked, he had an alcohol problem for many years. Many people tried to help but it never seemed to take. At some point he got involved in the Washingtonian movement an early forerunner to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Sons of Temperance. Through involvement with these groups he managed to become sober and remained so for the rest of his life. He became a speaker for temperance and lived some 15 years more in peace and perfect sobriety. He died in 1866 on a visit to Franklin Pa. He is buried in the northern end of the "Forest Section" of Lake View Cemetery. (This Bio,from Fenton Historical Society "Sinners and Saints" tour of Lake View Cemetery.)
In time he found himself in Jamestown NY where he became a driver for the first mail coach between Jamestown and Mayville. His rides into town were notable for the raucous way he would enter town,blowing a horn and with local boys riding in or on the coach as it pulled up to the station. Carpenter eventually became the steersman for the Chautauqua Lake Horseboat. This was a strange frieght-carrying vessel using a treadmill or hamster wheel like arrangement and a team of four horses to power two outboard paddlewheels. This cargo vessel in good weather could travel the lenght of the lake in eleven hours.Most of the time however, it was much slower, often only completing the journey after a week. It was only in service for about a year.
In about 1827 Carpenter became Captain of the schooner Mink on Lake Chautauqua, one of three freighters competing for business on the lake. In 1828 the first steamboat on the lake the "Chautauqua" was launched. Carpenter's role in that was as an artillerist of sorts. He was put in charge of a large cannon, caputured by Commodore Perry on Lake Erie that was brought down from Westfield. It was set up on a hill on West 2nd street. Carpenter fired it to announce the launcing of the Chautauqua. While Carpenter was well liked, he had an alcohol problem for many years. Many people tried to help but it never seemed to take. At some point he got involved in the Washingtonian movement an early forerunner to Alcoholics Anonymous and the Sons of Temperance. Through involvement with these groups he managed to become sober and remained so for the rest of his life. He became a speaker for temperance and lived some 15 years more in peace and perfect sobriety. He died in 1866 on a visit to Franklin Pa. He is buried in the northern end of the "Forest Section" of Lake View Cemetery. (This Bio,from Fenton Historical Society "Sinners and Saints" tour of Lake View Cemetery.)
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William Carpenter 1792-1866,Nancy Blake Carpenter 1794-1874
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