Joshua Carpenter (1654 - 1722)

Born 21 Mar 1654 in Horsham, Sussex, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 24 Jul 1722 at age 68 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Joshua Carpenter was a part of William Penn's Pennsylvania Settlers community. Join: William Penn and Early Pennsylvania Settlers Project Discuss: penn

Proprietor of the Tun Tavern

Joshua Carpenter was born on March 21st, 1654 and christened on April 30th of that year in Horsham, Sussex, England.^[1]

He emigrated to Pennsylvania around 1686 along with his brothers Samuel and Abraham. Samuel was a Quaker, but not the other two brothers; in fact, Joshua was a founding member of the Anglican Christ Church in Philadelphia. ^[2]

Tun Tavern

"Tun" is the old English word meaning barrel or keg of beer.

In a letter written in 1683 by William Penn, he mentions Samuel Carpenter, saying, "There is a fair key of about 300 feet square a little above Walnut Street built by Samuel Carpenter to which a ship of five hundred tons may lay her broad side." Gabiel Thomas, who came to American in the John and Sarah in 1681 wrote in 1698, "There is also a very convenient Warf called Carpenter's Warf which hath a fine necessary Crane belonging to it with suitable granaries an store houses." Robert Turner, in his letter to the Governor sayd, "Samuel Carpenter has built another house by his, and is our lime burner on his warf." Turner also mentioned two houses built on the east side of King Streeet, now known as Water Street, above Walnut Streen, one being the mansion he lived in and the other being a coffee-house or tavern. This is likely the Tun Tavern, owned by Joshua Carpenter. The lot extended from Walnut Street to Ton Alley, the dimensions being 270 feet front on King Street by 198 fooe deep. On the east side, or the Delaware front of this lot, he built the "fair key" mentioned by Penn, likely the first Warf built at Philadelphia.^[3]

The tavern was built at the intersection of King Street and Tun Alley, on the carriageway that led to Carpenter's Warf. In the 1740s a restaurant appellation, "Peggy Mullan's Red Hot Beef Steak Club was added to the name of the tavern.^[4] Several organizations held their first meetings at the tavern, St. George's Society in 1720, St. John's Lodge No. 1 of the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Temple in 1732. The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia recognizes Tun Tavern as the birthplace of Masonic teachings in America. S. Andrew's Society was founded in 1747 to help newly arrived Scots. Ben Franklin used the inn as a recruitment gathering oint for the Pennsylvania militia in 1756 as it prepared to defend against indian uprisings. in October 1775 it hosted a seven man Naval Committed, including John Adams and was appointed by Congress. They crafted articles of war to build the first naval fleet.November 10, 1775m tge Second Continental Congress commmissioned the innkeeper and former Quaker Samuel Nicholas to raise 2 batttalions of Marines in Philadelphia. This was the first recruitment for what was to become the United States Marine Corps. Tradition places it at the Tun Tavern but Robert Mullan was the tavern manager at the time and it may have been held at the tavern owned by the Nicholas family, the Conestoga Waggon.

The tavern burned in 1781. There is now a commemorative marker on the east side of Front Street.^[5]

Research Notes

According to Edward Carpenter's 1912 family history:^[2]

"Joshua Carpenter (brother of Samuel) also emigrated to this country about 1686, settled in Philadelphia, and became a prosperous and influential citizen. He was justice of the peace for Philadelphia County, May 18, 1693: the first alderman appointed under the charter of 1701. Was one of Penn's Commissioners of Property in 1708, and represented the City of Philadelphia in the Provincial Assembly in 1702, 1706, 1707, 1708, and 1721. He built and resided in a large house, afterwards called Graeme Hall, which stood on a part of the lot since occupied by the Arcade, on Chestnut Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets (now removed)."

"He never joined the Quakers, but retained his connection with the Church of England, and was actively interested in the organization and building of Christ Church, Philadelphia. he purchased the lot on which it stands in his own name, and subsequently executed a declaration that he held it in trust for the sole use and benefit of that operation, and it so stands unchanged, the legal title remaining the the representative of Joshua Carpenter, trustee."

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N5C9-TW5 : 20 March 2020), Joshua Carpenter, 1654.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Carpenter, Edward. Louis Henry Carpenter. Samuel Carpenter and His Descendants. J. B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia. 1912. pg. 35. Accessed at Google Books
3. ↑ Carpenter Pg. 12.
4. ↑ The restaurant was called "Peg Mullen's celebrated beef-steak and oyster house" in John F. Watson and Willis P. Hazard. 1909. Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: Leary, Stuart & Co., Vol. I, pp. 394–395, 464–465, 469; "Peg" was also rendered "Pegg" in contemporary works, but not "Peggy".
5. ↑ article Tun Tavern

• Source: S180 Author: Ancestry.com Title: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1709-60 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999; Repository: #R1
• Repository: R1 Name: Ancestry.com Address: E-Mail Address: Phone Number:
• Source: S182 Author: Ancestry.com Title: Pennsylvania, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1772-1890 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999; Repository: #R1
• Source: S8 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R1
• Source: S92 Author: Ancestry.com Title: U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011; Repository: #R1