1903 Bio of a Carpenter/ Zimmerman family who came to PA from Switzerland in 1698

This came to me from Thom Flory in February. I am catching up, and thought to post it here until I can get around to formatting it properly.
: Joseph W. Carpenter
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This is a 1903 Bio of a Carpenter/ Zimmerman family who came to PA from Switzerland in 1698. I certainly don't know that they relate to us, but I wonder if anyone of them has done a Y DNA test?
http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?31,103545

Carpenter, Henry
Posted by: ceddle (IP Logged)
Date: February 15, 2002 12:20PM

HENRY CARPENTER, a prominent member of the Lancaster County Bar, is in every way a leading and representative citizen. His ancestors originated in Switzerland, coming to America, in the persons of Heinrich Zimmerman, and Salome Ruffner, his wife, in 1698, on account of the religious disturbance in their native land at that time. His location was in Pennsylvania, where he secured extensive tracts of land from William Penn, one demand, however, having to be complied with, that being the Anglicizing of the name. Thus Heinrich Zimmerman became Henry Carpenter, and since those early days, there has, in every generation, been a Henry Carpenter, the Lancaster county attorney being the sixth in line of succession.
Christian Carpenter, his grandfather, was a well-known and most worthy farmer who resided in Earl township, this county. There he prospered both in material and religious affairs, and built a church edifice which is known as Carpenter's church, in Earlville. Christian Carpenter was a man of liberal spirit, leaving in his will the request that this place of worship should be open to all who wished to use it for religious purposes, irrespective of creed. Many of the Carpenters lie in its shadow, and the kind influence of this good man pervades the place.

William Carpenter, the father of Henry Carpenter, of Lancaster, was for many years the reliable and best known surveyor, scrivener and conveyancer of Lancaster county. The contest which made him prothonotary of Lancaster was one of the most notable political events in the history of the county. Mr. Carpenter was an old Line Whig, and there had been a split in the Republican party. The result was a triangular fight in which Mr. Carpenter won, by six votes, over his principal competitor, Peter Martin. An election contest followed, and the result of this was that Mr. Carpenter was declared elected by a majority of twelve votes, just twice the number which he had originally claimed. This is history, and is well remembered by all parties. Mr. Carpenter filled the office and performed its duties with a faithfulness that left nothing to be desired. An old neighbor and personal friend of President James Buchanan, he was selected as one of the pall-bearers at the funeral of this dist! inguished statesman and courtly gentleman.

The marriage of William Carpenter was to Caroline Eichler, who was a daughter of a prominent farmer, living near Lititz, and to this union there were born fifteen children, seven of these still surviving: Albert, who became a member of the Bar in this county, but died in the early part of what promised to be a brilliant career; William, a banker, now deceased; Paul, a printer by trade, deceased; Charles, who occupied the position of paying teller in the Lancaster County National Bank, deceased; Mary A., deceased wife of the late Alderman H. R., McConomy; Caroline A., deceased, who was the wife of the late Jacob Bair; Catherine, who was the wife of the late John McGrann; Ella L., deceased wife of Col. Wm. R. Gerhart; Emily J., at home; Elizabeth, who is a teacher of literature, in Philadelphia; Israel, who is city regulator of Lancaster; Stella, who is the wife of Dr. J. W. Nelson, who is assistant to the general manager of the Pennsylvania railroad at Altoona, Pa.; Henry, of! Lancaster; Anna B., who died at the age of twenty-four years; and Salome R., who bears the name of her ancestral grandmother, the wife of Heinrich Zimmerman. A pleasant little bit of family history is that when the latter set out on his long trip to the strange country, where he intended to find a new home, that he was presented with a set of carpenter tools by no less a personage than Queen Anne of England herself, along with the lands from William Penn, the original deeds for the latter being yet in the family archives.

Henry Carpenter was born in the old Carpenter home, on East Orange street, it being the building which is now occupied by the Hamilton Club, on Nov. 29, 1859, and he passed with credit through the common and high schools of Lancaster.

After the death of his father in December, 1875, at the age of sixty-four years, the mother surviving until 1892, her death being at the age of sixty-eight years, Henry Carpenter went into the business of scrivening and conveyancing, in association with his brother, Israel, and in the meantime engaged in reading law, with David G. Eshleman. In June, 1881, he was admitted to the Bar, and later to practice in the Superior and the Supreme courts. Through four terms he made a fine record as city solicitor, and he was the nominee of the Republican party for the mayoralty. The successful competitor was the Democratic candidate, Robert Clark, not, however, on account of any want of confidence in Mr. Carpenter, but on account of the unfortunate split in the party. The political feelings of many of the good citizens of Lancaster were at fever heat, the trouble being in what was locally known, and recorded as the Livingston-Brubaker fight. Mr. Carpenter in his public life, has never c! ourted trouble, but he has always been a man who stood for certain principles, and in this contest he favored the claims of Judge Livingston, and hence was sacrificed by the opponents of this gentleman, and for no personal reasons. From his earliest manhood, Mr. Carpenter has been an ardent and active Republican, and has served efficiently on the Republican State Central committee.

Fraternally he is valued in a number of social organizations; was a member of the final examining committee of the Lancaster Bar, for many years; is a 32d degree Mason, belonging to the Philadelphia Consistory; is a Past Master of Lodge, No. 43; Past High Priest of Chapter, No. 43; Past Thrice Illustrious Grand Master of Goodwin Council, No. 19; Past Eminent Commander of Knights Templar Cornmandery No. 13; Past Thrice Potent Grand Master of Lancaster Lodge of Perfection, 14th degree; and is at present representative of Lodge No. 43, to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

On Feb. 15, 1898, Mr. Carpenter was married to Miss Helen Sprecher Wiley, daughter of Thomas C. Wiley, and a granddaughter of the late Major W. M. Wiley, on the paternal side, and the granddaughter of the well known William D. Sprecher, of Lancaster on the maternal side. The family home at No. 503 North Duke street, Lancaster, is one of comfort and elegance, while his business office, at No. 54 North Duke street, is well located and stocked with a fine library. Here Mr. Carpenter transacts a large amount of business, and he is justly regarded as one of the prominent and prosperous citizens.
(Source: Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Pa., Beers, 1903, pp. 186-7.)