In the latter part of the 19th century it was the home of Casey B. Tyler (1819-1899). The family name dates back to the Revolutionary days. Mr. Tyler was born in Foster, served as a state senator(1850-1851), was the proprietor of Tyler’s Store on Plain Woods Road and later managed the Colonel Josiah Whittaker’s Store in Clayville. About 1869 he moved to Centreville to work for Benedict Lapham in the Centreville Mill company store. In 1871 James Carr deeded the property on Warwick Avenue to Betsey M. Tyler, wife of Casey B. Tyler. He soon made his presence known in the town. As a frequent visitor to the office of the Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times, a report of his comings and goings appeared in the newspaper from time to time:
But it was his interest in local history and books that over-shadowed all his other accomplishments. It began at an early age and at the time of his death it is said that he owned 3000 books, booklets and magazines. He was also the author of Reminiscences of Foster, the original of which was published in serial form of seventeen installments in the Providence Journal from 1858-1959. A second work, in serial form of 21 installments, was published in the Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner from 1892-1893.
The town of Foster was the beneficiary of his collection and it became the foundation for what is the Tyler Free Library, at Moosup Valley. He died at age eighty on March 24, 1899. (Although not mentioned in his obituary, his wife, Betsey M. (Jencks) Tyler, had preceded him in death on December 3, 1887.) The Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times paid tribute to him as “one of the oldest and most highly respected residents of the Valley…one of the best known figures on Valley streets.” It was later reported that the funeral services held at his home “were attended by many friends and consisted of prayer and brief remarks by Rev. E.W. Goodier,” pastor at the Centreville Methodist Church. He was laid to rest in the old Tyler cemetery in Foster.
From his obituary we learn that he was a disciplined man- abstaining from the use of tobacco and stimulants of every nature, including beer, ale, soda, even tea and coffee. He called his enormous collection of books his “tobacco library” because it was purchased with the money he saved by his abstention.
The obituary concludes by stating that “he delighted in showing his collection to his friends, and many illustrious New Englanders have enjoyed his enthusiasm in his quiet country home with its storehouse of books.”
Records filed in the city of Warwick show that on January 8, 1881, Casey B. Tyler and his wife Betsy M. (Jencks) Tyler, procured a mortgage from Alvan and Lydia Wickes of Coventry. On October 2, 1889, just a few months after Casey’s death, Lydia Wickes , executrix under the will of Alvin Wickes, obtained a mortgage on the property from Jabez B. and Susan E. Wells of East Greenwich. On April 4, 1902, Lydia Wickes having defaulted, the property was sold at public auction to the Welles for the sum of $2,050. Ten days later Jabez B. and Susan Wells quitclaimed the property to Frances E. (Matteson) Carpenter.
The house is actually situated at the corner of West Warwick Avenue and Carpenter Court, a street named for Job S. Carpenter, (1866-1906) another prominent Valley resident who once owned the property. He was Judge of the Warwick probate court and clerk of the Kent County Supreme Court. Born in West Greenwich, he attended the East Greenwich Academy and upon graduation the Poughkeepsie Business College. His interest in law began in the office of Judge Pardon S. Tillinghast and led to his entering the Boston University Law School. He graduated in 1892 and took employment with a law firm.
On June 1, 1893 he married Frances Ellen Matteson, of Summit. The couple left for Boston where he began his law practice before returning to Rhode Island.
His obituary states that “he first entered public life in Warwick, as Coroner, and on the death of the late Albert R. Greene was elected Town Solicitor. At the time of his death he was adviser to the law committee of the Town Council.” He succeeded P.H. Quinn as Judge of the Probate Court and held that position except for the last year of his life. He was a prominent Mason and a Masonic rite funeral was held at Knotty Oak Church.
His wife, Frances Ellen (Matteson) Carpenter (1871-1918), survived him and although in his obituary no mention was made of children, there is much evidence that he survived a daughter, Ruth (1895-1900), who is buried with her parents in Woodland (Knotty Oak) cemetery.
Much more could be written about Job S. Carpenter since his presence in the Valley was as prominent as that of Casey B. Tyler. Initially the plaque was to bear his name, but in-depth research of the property revealed that its history went back even further. Therefore, with no intention of slighting, or diminishing Mr. Carpenter’s contributions to society, it was decided to confer recognition to Casey B. Tyler. Taken From Information Compiled by Laurie Dumas
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