ALEXANDER CARPENTER, a merchant from Wrington, Somerset, England, removed to Amsterdam, Holland, in the last years of the 16th century. These were troubled times in England. Bad weather led to poor crops, which in turn brought famine to the land. Disease was widespread. England's harsh laws led to persecution of religious dissidents. To avoid this oppression, ALEXANDER CARPENTER took his family to Amsterdam.

This group of English dissidents were known as the Ancient Bretheran, formally titled the "Bretheran of the Separation of the First English Church at Amsterdam."

Future Mayflower passengers, William Brewster and William Bradford came to Amsterdam in 1608 and joined the Ancient Bretheran. They were from the village of Scrooby, in Nottinghamshire, England. After a year or two most of the group from Scrooby left the Ancient Bretheran and left Amsterdam, for Leyden. Some of the Ancient Bretheran, including ALEXANDER CARPENTER and his wife and five daughters joined the Scrooby group.

The Carpenter family appears in the records of Leyden in 1611. It is assumed that ALEXANDER CARPENTER died in 1611 or 1612, as his name is no longer mentioned.

The Carpenter girls begin to marry in 1612. Juliana, the eldest, married George Morton, July, 22, 1612. The following year, Agnes married Samuel Fuller, April 23, 1613. Then the following month, ALICE CARPENTER married EDWARD SOUTHWORTH on May 28, 1613.

None of the five daughters was aboard the Mayflower, but eventually, all but Agnes would immigrate to the colonies. ALICE CARPENTER was a widow when she went to America in 1623 on the Anne. Shortly after her arrival she married the widower William Bradford.