The Way to Mt. Moriah

About the Book

The author’s oldest ancestor whom he can trace by traditional methods is John F. Carpenter, born between 1770 and 1775 in Virginia. But analysis of Y-DNA markers that match other Carpenter descendants indicates a lineage dating back to England in the early 1600s. This book records the author’s genealogical pursuit of John Carpenter’s earlier family, especially his father and grandfather, as well as John’s descendants through his 10 children. The last several chapters of the book chronicle five generations of the author’s own line of Carpenters from John’s son Alexander Carpenter and related families, much of which is enhanced with remembrances from the author’s grandparents and parents and his own recollections from boyhood. Along the way, the histories of many related families are discussed, including Wheeler, Fleshman, Arbaugh, Johnson, Smallridge, Turley, Hayslett, Leonard, Caldwell, Paul, Mitchell, and Garrett. These families settled in present-day southern West Virginia, especially in Putnam County, where Mt. Moriah is located.

About the Author

Ernest L. Carpenter began his writing career in 1966, when he joined the staff of the weekly news magazine Chemical & Engineering News, published in Washington, D.C., by the American Chemical Society. In his 34 years at the magazine, Mr. Carpenter wrote and edited hundreds of articles that involved chemical research, education, and industry. Since retiring eight years ago, he has concentrated on his family’s genealogy and this is his second book on that subject. His first book was “The Way to Mt. Moriah,” published by Xlibris last year. Mr. Carpenter received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., in 1964.