On a high ridge across from the Carpenter Graveyard off Walker Pike in Garrard County was the eight room log house of Samuel Davis Carpenter, son of Rufus and grandson to Zophar who first homesteaded the site.  This short article gives some insite on Samuel and also records the names of patrons who did business at his store in the mid to late 1800s.  The names may be of interest to many of their descendants.

   Samuel's portrait once hung in my Grandfather Woodson Tudor's home.  It along with one of his father, William was noticed by me but little attention was given to them.  Both are now beyond recognition and not determined which is which.
   Sam raised a large family on the second rate land he owned, some willed to him by his father, Rufus and the rest purchased from his brother Christian when he moved away to Missouri, and from his sister, Almeda and her husband, Willis Shumate, a brother to his wife, Eliza.
      There is evidence that his children were educated for their time. Lucinda, his eldest was a school teacher.  William David studied law before the Civil War and became the Adjutant of the First Kentucky Cavalry Union.  I have seen his good hand writing in the records of his office. 
      The land itself may not have been of sufficient yield to support his family as he ran a store, probably on his property, for many years.  About 41 pages of his account book survive and describes the products and trade that occurred.  Each patron's name is recorded on the pages of the book.  This compiler was given the remains of Sam's book and has turned it over to the Eastern Kentucky University Archives for preservation.  Copies, for use, are maintained by this recorder.   After Samuel's death, his son-in- law William Tudor continued the operation of the store for a few years. Scattered through the book may be found the signatures of some of William's sons.  The book , based upon the remaining pages, covers a period from about 1857 to the 1880's.  It would be prohibitive, spacewise, to include the contents in this limited space.  But for others researching the people in the neighborhood, the names of the patrons are listed.

                                    PATRONS OF SAM CARPENTER'S STORE
                                             (  As they first appear on the pages )

Henry T. Terrill, George Hammock, D. M. (Delb?) Lacky, William Baird, Newton Woods, Michael Austin, Conner Wilmot, Hampton McQuerry, Andrew Reid, ___ Abner, ____ Hickenbottom, Buford Mason, James Dollins, ____ Lawson, _____ Denny of Lackey & Denny, John Walker, Moton Gaftney (may be John Gaftney), William Croucher.

Walter Austin, Richard Kirkendoll ( Richmond Kirkendoll/Kuykendall in most references.  Richmond died in 1860 and was a brother-in-law to Samuel Carpenter's mother, Rachel Reid Carpenter), James R. Woods, George Denny, J. Y. Yakey (Yeakey), Major More (Moore), Thomas Austin, T. Kennedy,
Y. (Yantis) Middleton, J. Pointer, William Lawson, Jr., Denny & Moran, Mr. More, Mr. Meriman, Mr. Johnson, John Y. Level (Leavell), A. Merit, Litle Roiston, James Hardin, 

Mr. Edwards, John Carpenter, Gabrial Oder, Dick ____,  Peter Faulkner, N. J. Shropshier, William Duwff (Duff?), George Sprinkels, Hollen & Co., Edward Croucher, John McQuerry, John Jones, Jesse Chasteen, Mr. P. Johnson, James Church, Dennis Sigar or Leggar,  John Croucher, Mr. Griffey,  Jinny or Jerry Carpenter, 

Sarey Hammock, John Faulkner, J. K. Faulkner, Mrs. Caty Homes, Alexander Abbot,  Nancy Church, Thomas Foley, B(urdett) Ramsey,Dr., David Huffman, Richard Faulkner, Alex Royston, William Olberson,  Mr. Layer, James Soper, Mr. Elken, Mr. (Henderson?) Hill, Miner Smith, George Schooler, Alex Conn, Robert Conn,

Jane Rothwell, Colored Don, William Ross, Burnam Tur____?, Abe Faulkner, Oliver Reid, Siler & Co., E. Tudor, Fount Tankersly, Joseph McQuerry, George Kavanaugh, Archibald Ross, Charlie Moore, Thomas White,  Parkson? Palmer, Ellen Terrill, John Mitchel, Will Walker, Flora Adison, Gordon Hunly, J. H. Kennedy, J. or T. Newton, 

Jackson Hammock, William Conner, Wm. D. Carpenter, James Pointer, George Austin, Wm. Tudor, Sam Hall, Henry Tankersley, Mrs. Davis, J. Ross, W. G. (William Garnett) Tudor, Sam Tudor.

     The patrons were both black and white neighbors of the Carpenters.