His name appears to be listed as O. Willis Charpenter on his marriage record, or -O- Willis Charpenter.

Some descendants believe that his name may have been Willis O. Carpenter and that his son Willis Jr. was Willis O. Carpenter Jr., though Willis Jr.'s name was definitely Willis C. Carpenter. Some believe his name may have been Owen Willis Carpenter or even O. William, and "Willis" a nickname. There are several Owen Carpenters from the North Carolina about this time, none thoroughly investigated.

Willis Carpenter was a veteran of the Creek War (1813-1814), an extension of the War of 1812, enlisting in the 2nd Regiment, East Tennessee Volunteer Militia, in Captain Thomas Sharp's Company, commanded by Col. Lillard, at Rutledge, Tennessee on October 7 (or 14), 1813. One document says Oct. 7 and another says Oct. 14, the same day as Mastin Ross, his brother-in-law. He was honorably discharged at Knoxville, Tennessee on June 10, 1814. From November 1813 through April 1814, he was stationed at Fort Strother in present day St. Clair Co., Alabama.

He married in Grainger County, Tennessee, May 1, 1814, to Elizabeth Ross and moved to Alabama with the Rosses (ref. ALABAMA SOLDIERS by Pauline Gandrud, vol. 4, pp. 35-36). This was around 1817.

Marriage record:
Customarily marriage banns were read aloud publicly in church on three consecutive Sundays. Valentine Moulder (1776-1833), a Baptist Minister, was also a Justice of the Peace for 40 years. The notice he filed in the Grainger County Court is a document that shows permanent creases where it has been folded for 200 years. On the outside: "The Within complied with by me, Valentine Molder."
Marriage
Bains
W. Charpenter May 3, 1814
E. Ross

"The within complied with" may mean that the marriage was performed as well as the thrice reading of the banns as required by law. This would agree with Willis Carpenter's statement that he married on May 1, 1814, immediately following the third reading of the banns in church. May 1, 1814, was a Sunday, and May 3rd was a Tuesday.

On reverse (inside):
Notice in red or brown ink at the top which says ... Elizabeth Ross...followed by a second notice in black ink below which spells her name Elisabeth Ross:

(faded brown ink on tom fold):
I Publish the Bains
of Marriage Between
O. Willis Charpenter
& Elizabeth Rofs

(black ink on bottom fold):
May 1st Day 1814
this is to certify that the
Baines of Marriage between
O. Willis Charpenter & Elisabeth Ross hath
been thrice published as the
Law Directs by me(.)
(signed) Valentine Molder, d.d.


The name appears to be written "O. Willis Charpenter" twice, the second time followed by an arrow type insertion indicator pointing to the line above where "& Elisabeth Ross" has been inserted. Her name is spelled Elizabeth the first time and Elisabeth the second. Willis' name may have been Owen Willis Carpenter.

There are conflicting statements in family papers as to the exact ages of Willis and Elizabeth Carpenter, and the censuses are unanimously contradictory. The 1850 census gives their ages as 50 and 48 respectively, while his affidavit dated Sept. 3, 1851, states he was 69 years old.

On Feb. 5, 1821, Willis Carpenter served on a jury panel in Cotaco County, which later became Morgan County in 1821. This is the earliest documentation of him in Alabama after his 1813-14 war record which shows several months of service were spent at Ft. Strother.

The story about Willis helping blaze a trail for Andrew Jackson during the war that later became Old Gurley Pike is probably true as he cleared land near the trail after the war and lived there, but the story about him serving in the Battle of New Orleans apparently is not since the New Orleans Campaign did not begin until December 1814 and Willis was discharged from the Military in early 1814.
We think they settled briefly in Morgan County but were early settlers in Madison County, living on a farm adjacent to Gurley Pike as squatters around 1821-1822.
They later received a land grant from the government (Patent United States Certificate #602 dated August 4, 1850) for this property. There is no record of this property being sold and appears to be the property that was handed down to family. Willis and Elizabeth's grandson Thomas Carpenter Jr. left a large farm here to his daughter Miss Samantha Elizabeth Carpenter, for whom the Elizabeth Carpenter Library at New Hope library is named. Miss Carpenter left this property to a male Carpenter cousin who sold most of it except for the original home site of Willis and Elizabeth Carpenter.

Willis & Elizabeth acquired a 40-acre tract of land.
On March 5, 1855 he applied for and received title to this land under The Bounty Land Act of 1855. On Jan 11, 1860, Willis and Elizabeth Carpenter sold this 40.18 acres to their Son Thomas Carpenter for $450.00 (Madison County Deed Book CC, p. 403).

They bought a tract of land in New Hope 11-8-1838, known by various names in the early 19th century to include Clouds Town and Vienna from George Russell so that the children could attend public school. This property was south of New Hope Cemetery. They sold this land to Stephens Hastings January 6, 1847.
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HUNTSVILLE ADVOCATE, 13 January 1877: "News from New Hope, Ala.--Willis Carpenter, living near here, is probably the oldest man in the county. He is 99."

Ray Edward Walls' lineage application for the General Society of the War of 1812 lists Willis Carpenter's date of death as 13 January 1877 (same date as the Huntsville Advocate newspaper article).
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On June 13, 1851 Willis Carpenter applied for a pension under the Act of February 14, 1851.

STATE OF ALABAMA
County of Madison

On this third day of September A.D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty one personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid, WILLIS CARPENTER aged 69 years, a resident of Madison County in the State of Alabama who being duly sworn according to Law, declares that he is the identical man who was a private in the Company commanded by Captain THOMAS SHARPE in the regiment of TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS commanded by COL. LILLARD in the war with the Creek Indians that he volunteered at Rutledge East Tennessee on or about the 14th day of October A.D. one thousand eight hundred and thirteen for the term of months and continued in actual service in said war for the term of near 4 months and was honorably discharged at Rutledge E. Tennessee on the day of February A.D. 1814 as will appear by the oath of said Capt Sharpe's Company - My discharge is either lost sold or destroyed and I do not now know what became of it.

He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the Bounty Land to which he may be entitled under the "Act granting Bounty Land to certain Officers and Soldiers who have been engaged in the military service of the United States, passed September 28, 1850. Willis X Carpenter Witnessth
D. M. Bradford

Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year above written, and I hereby certify that I believe the said Willis Carpenter to be the identical man who served as aforesaid; and that is of the age above stated. Dickson Cobb JP

Land Warrant to be sent to D.M. Bradford, Huntsville, Ala.

FORM FOR BOUNTY LAND UNDER ACT OF 1855

STATE OF ALABAMA
County of Madison

On this 3rd day of April A.D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five personally appeared before me, a Justice of Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid, Willis Carpenter aged 72 years a resident of Madison County in the State of Alabama who being duly sworn, according to law, declares he is the identical Willis Carpenter who received under act of 28 September 1850 a Land Warrant for forty acres for services in Captain Thomas Sharpe TN volunteer Company, East Tennessee Volunteers War of Creek Indians which Warrant he has sold.

He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the Bounty Land, granted by the act passed the 3rd March, 1855, and he hereby declares that he has not applied for or received and he believes he is not entitled to, Bounty Land, except as above stated, and he hereby appoints Richard B. Brickell, of Huntsville, Alabama, his true and lawful Attorney, to prosecute his claim, and receive his Warrant when issued.
Willis X Carpenter

Sworn to and subscribed before me, the day and year above written and I certify that I have no interest in the above claim and am not concerned in its prosecution.
James H. Poor, A Justice of Peace


WAR OF 1812
Declaration for a Pension under Act of February 14, 1871
By A Pensioner under Previous Acts

State of ALABAMA
County of MADISON

On the 13th day of June A.D. one thousand eight hundred and seventy one, personally appeared before me James H. Poor clerk of the Circuit Court, a Court of Record within and for the county and State aforesaid Willis Carpenter aged 91 years, a resident Near Owens Cross Roads, County of Madison State of Alabama, who being duly sworn according to law, declares that he was married:(wife now dead). That his wife's name was Elizabeth Ross to whom he was married in GRANGER COUNTY EAST TENNESSEE on the First day of May 1813 (sic: May 1, 1814); that he served the full period of sixty days in the Military Service of the United States in the War of 1812; that he is the identical Willis Carpenter who enlisted in Captain Thomas Sharp's Company at Rutledge Tennessee on the 7th day of October 1813 and was honorably discharged at Knoxville, Tennessee 10th day of June 1814; that after enlistment at Rutledge joined his company at place called Fudge Plains, Granger County Tennessee marched from there to Campbells Station remained there about two weeks went from there to Kingston, Tennessee from Kingston to Fort Armstrong there to Fort Strother on the Coosa River remained at Fort Strother until about the 20th day of April 1814 then marched back to Knoxville Tennessee remained at Knoxville till he received his discharge, that he at no time during the late rebellion against the authority of the United States adhered to the cause of the enemies of the Government, giving them aid or comfort, or exercised the functions of any office whatever under any authority, or pretended authority, in the hostility to the United Sates; and that he will support the Constitution of the United States; that he is not in receipt of a pension under a previous act.; that he makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the pension roll of the United Stats, under the provisions of the act approved February 14, 1871, and he hereby constitutes and appoints with full power of substitution and revocation, Lewis and Fullerton of Washington DC his true and lawful attorneys to prosecute his claim and obtain the pension certificate that may be issued; that his offices is at Owens Cross Roads, County of Madison State of Alabama that his domicile or place of abode is near Owens Cross Roads.
Willis X Carpenter

Attest:
James H. Poor
Robert J.Wright


National Society of the War of 1812: Willis Carpenter, Lineage Number 5639-S1 (First Supplemental).
A direct descendant of Willis Carpenter's daughter Dicey Carpenter Walls, Ray Edward Walls, Ph.D., is the Secretary-General of the General Society of the War of 1812. General Society (national) number is 5639-S1 (First Supplemental) and State Society number is Tx 310-S1 (First Supplemental).
SAR Index: NSSAR No 159957/TXSSAR No 9149
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Willis & Betsy Ross Carpenter's children were:

1. James Madison Carpenter (1814-1890)
2. John C. Carpenter (1815-1874)
3. Katie Carpenter 1817 AL., died young
4. Willis O. Carpenter, born Aug. 10, 1818 AL, d. 1905 in Choctaw Dist., Oklahoma (some show him as Willis C. Carpenter)
5. Diana ("Dicy") Carpenter Walls Provence born 1819-21 AL
6. Gideon Carpenter born 1822 died young
7. Meshach Carpenter, born 1824 Al.
8. Sarah, born 1825 Al. married Lewis Miller
9. Thomas born 2-13-1826
10. Elizabeth (Betsy) born 1830 Al, married Silas Madison Hunt (b.1827 AL)
11. Francis Jane Carpenter Baker (1831 - 1920)
12. Martha born 1832 Al. married William Honea
13. William Lewis Carpenter, born 1833 Al
14. Nancy Ann "Nina" Carpenter Parkhill(1835-1904)
15. Caroline Carpenter born 1840 Al, married John Minzy Byrd


DNA results: Three male descendants of his sons Thomas, Willis Jr., and Shadrach Meshach Carpenter have participated in "The Carpenter Cousins Y-DNA testing Project" and all three match 100% in their Y- Chromosome DNA. They do not match other Carpenters currently in the project and so Willis Carpenter is believed to the lone descendant of the Charpentier line from France currently in the DNA project.



See Stacy Mim' website at morethanjustacemetery.com.