Thomas Carpenter III

Thomas Carpenter III was born October 24, 1733, in Rehoboth, Province of Massachusetts and died April 26, 1807, in Rehoboth. He was an American Revolutionary War officer who served as a colonel in the Massachusetts Militia (United States) and commanded the First Bristol Regiment from 1776 to 1780. Carpenter was elected as a delegate in 1774 to represent Rehoboth for the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and was elected Deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts in 1775.

Carpenter built the now historic Col. Thomas Carpenter III House for his wife in 1755. It is located at 77 Bay State Road in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Family

Thomas Carpenter married on December 26, 1754, Elizabeth Moulton (born 1736 Bristol County, Massachusetts, died May 17, 1804, in Rehoboth) and they moved into the then newly built house (now on 77 Bay State Road) before it was fully finished in September 1755. On December 22, 1755, their first daughter Elizabeth was born in their new home.

By August 1776 they would have twelve children born in their house. Unfortunately, several children would also die within the walls of their home. These were an unknown child in 1759, Sarah in 1775 who was age 15, William in 1763 as an infant, James in 1764 as an infant, and Nathan in 1772 who died as an infant. Another Nathan, age 12½, in 1789 may have died due to an accident outside the house. Those children who reached maturity were Elizabeth (born 1755), Thomas (born 1758), Stephen (born 1765), James (born 1767), Rebecca (born 1769), and Peter (born 1772).

Carpenter was elected Deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts in 1775.

The First Bristol Regiment, also known as Carpenter's Regiment, was under Major General Lincoln's command 1776 to 1779. A document dated November 28, 1776, from Boston indicates he marched to New York and he was noted in dispatches. What he was noted for is unknown. Carpenter's name and signature appears on a petition asking for a new choice of officers dated at Rehoboth, June 26, 1728. Carpenter served on the Rhode Island expedition July 24, 1778, serving 1 month and 19 days.