Obadiah Carpenter I

Biography

Obadiah Carpenter was a farmer and a deacon of the church at Attleborough, in southeastern Massachusetts near the Rhode Island border. On December 12, 1728 he married Bethiah Carpenter, the widow of Benjamin Lyon. Their household grew over the next two decades, with children including Bethiah, Nehemiah, Sybil, Huldah, Deliverance, Hannah, Obadiah, Daniel, Lucy and Ezra.

The family extended into other Attleborough households as the children married. Bethiah married Peter Thacher in 1749; Hannah married Zachariah Carpenter in 1760. Nehemiah settled in the area that became Foxborough, farther inland in Massachusetts. These marriages connected the family with households across the area.

Obadiah died on January 6, 1764. His will was proved on January 30, marking the beginning of the formal settlement of his estate. Bethiah subsequently lived with Nehemiah at Foxborough. The genealogy records that she and Obadiah were buried in the old Attleborough cemetery and describes their slate stones as they appeared when the account was compiled.

The memorial places Obadiah at Old Kirk Yard. His farm, church office, children's households and probate date provide the outline of a life spent in the Rehoboth–Attleborough community.

The family account places Obadiah’s birth in 1707. His children Hannah and Daniel are recorded as born in 1740 and 1744 respectively.