WINFIELD S. CARPENTER, a retired farmed of Posey township, was
born on the homestead on which he is now living January 30, 1850. His
father, George Carpenter, who for many years was one of the most prom-
inent farmers of Posey township, was born in Bedford county, Pennsyl-
vania, where he was reared and later married to Elizabeth Anderson, a
native of that commonwealth, and they became the parents of nine chil-
dren, three sons and six daughters, four of whom were born in Pennsyl-
vania and five in Posey township, and Winfield S. is the eighth child and
third son of the family. George Carpenter was a Pennsylvania farmer
until 1839, when he emigrated with his family to Indiana and located on
the present homestead of his son Winfield, buying about one hundred
acres of land, of which he cleared a ‘goodly portion and farmed his land
until’ his death, He was a Republican in politics and a member of the
United Brethren church.
    Winfield S. Carpenter attended in his early youth the schools of
Posey township, and passed from the district schools to the Asbury Uni-
versity at Greencastle, He was married in 1877 to Lottie Rider, who was
born and reared in the state of New York, and subsequently came with
her parents to Clay county, Indiana, where her ‘father followed his trade
of a brick mason, Mr, and Mrs. Carpenter have two children, Margaret
E. and Sara E., and the elder is the wife of John L. Butsch, a pharmacist
and chemist. Throughout the years of his maturity Mr. Carpenter has
supported and upheld the principles of the Republican party, and in i888
he was elected the clerk of the Clay circuit court and served for four years
in that ‘position. He was a director of the Indiana Reformatory at Jef-
ferson ‘from 1896 until’ 1900, and has attained prominence in the ‘public
life of this section of Indiana. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity
and of the United Brethren church.

George and Elizabeth Carpenter resided on a farm near the village of
Cloverland, in Posey Twsp, when the subject of this sketch was born, January
30, 1850.  Winfield S. Carpenter was given a common school education then was
a student at Asbury University (now DePauw) at Greencastle and graduated from
Ascension seminary located in Sullivan Co.  For six years he taught school in
Clay Co., then engaged in flour milling at Cloverland, which business he sold
out to engage in farming.  In 1888 he was nominated by the Republicans as
their candidate for Clerk of the Circuit Court was elected and served the
full term.  In 1892 precious to his retirement from the Clerk's offic Mr.
Carpenter was made the nominee of his party for Congressman from the 8th
district but failed of election.  His name was presented to the Republican
State convention held at Fort Wayne as a candidate for Secretary of State. 
He was chairman of the Republican county committee during the campaigns of
1891 and 1894.  March 12, 1895 he was appointed a Director of the Indiana
Prison South, which position he is filling as he has all trusts reposed in
him to the satisfaction of the public and credit to himself.  Mr. CArpenter
was married in 1877 to Miss Lotta Rider of Brazil.  Two daughters have added
sunshine and happiness to the family circle.  Although actively a participant
in politics, Mr. Carpenter finds pleasure and profit in the pursuit of
agriculture and resides on a fam in his native township.


The Brazil Democrat
December 1895
Brazil, IN
Louis Holtman, Publisher