Thomas Carpenter (glassmaker)
| Thomas Carpenter | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Fighting Quaker |
| Born | November 2, 1752 Salem, New Jersey |
| Died | July 7, 1847 Carpenter's Landing, New Jersey |
| Place of burial | Friends Meeting House Burial Ground, Woodbury, New Jersey |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Department of War–Continental Army
|
| Years of service | 1776–1782 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Commissary, Paymaster & Quartermaster |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War, Patriot |
| Other work | Glass Manufacturer |
Thomas Carpenter (November 2, 1752 at Salem, New Jersey – July 7, 1847 at Carpenter's Landing, New Jersey) was an early American glassmaker and devout Quaker who, at significant spiritual and personal risk, found an important way to assist the American Revolutionary War, serving in the militia and the New Jersey Continental Line as what would today be called a logistics officer and earning the title of "Fighting Quaker." After the war, he contributed significantly to the rise of New Jersey glass production.
Carpenter was the sixth child and second son of Preston Carpenter (1721-1785) and Hannah Smith (1723-abt 1766?).
Carpenter served an apprenticeship in an auction store at Front and South Street in Philadelphia. As auctions were then prohibited within city limits, they were held at the southern city limits. Carpenter learned to pack, transport, issue, auction, then repack and re-transport many wagons several times each week. On April 13, 1774 he married Mary Tonkin (1748-1822) at St. Mary's Church, Burlington, Salem County, New Jersey. Mary had been raised an Episcopalian but later converted to the Society of Friends. They had at least three children who lived to maturity.
In the book Samuel Carpenter and his Descendants, Thomas Carpenter is described as "about 5'10" high, with a large frame but not corpulent, erect, well-formed, with a fine ruddy complexion. His eyes were blue, hair thin, but not bald, originally brown, and though tinged with gray, never became white. His affable and genial manners, anecdotes, and reminiscences made his society very attractive. He was fond of reading, intelligent, and self-possessed." The same book refers to Mary Tonkin Carpenter as "a little below medium height, with dark hazel eyes, brown hair, and a fine clear brunette complexion. Her figure was good, erect, well-proportioned, inclined to , and she is reputed to have been very handsome." Thomas and Mary are interred in the Friend's Burial Grounds next to the Friend's Meeting House at Woodbury, N.J. Their graves adjoin each other on the north side of the enclosure, about midway, near the boundary fence, each designated with a small marble marker with their name on its top. In 1912, a stone retaining wall was placed there for the protection of the graves.
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