Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Carter

Every Saturday night, Randy Seaver issues a challenge for bloggers. This week's fun requires one to go to the free data available at http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts and see what data is available for your surname. Here is my data.

Carter Name Meaning
English: occupational name for a transporter of goods, Middle English cartere, from an agent derivative of Middle English cart(e) or from Anglo-Norman French car(e)tier, a derivative of Old French caret (see Cartier). The Old French word coalesced with the earlier Middle English word cart(e) 'cart', which is from either Old Norse kartr or Old English craet, both of which, like the Late Latin word, were probably originally derived from Celtic. Northern Irish: reduced form of McCarter.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press

In 1840, the states with the most Carter families were Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

In 1880, the states with the most Carter families were Virginia and Georgia. Carters were living in every state except Oklahoma. Oklahoma was Indian Territory and only opened to white settlement in 1880, so this information is not surprising. 

In 1920, the states with the most Carter families were New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. 

The 1891 England & Wales Census shows the largest number of Carter families in London (16%), Yorkshire (10%), and Lancashire (10%). 

The 1881 Scotland Census shows the most Carter families in Lanarkshire (33%), Kirkcudbrightshire (27%), and Midlothian (23%). From the Southwest to Northeast, those counties are Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, and Midlothian.

Other information that can be found on the site includes the fact that from 1851-1891, Carters immigration (from New York passenger lists) was highest around 1851, 1871, and the mid-1880s. They were coming from the British Isles (2187), Germany (34), and Spain (18). The average life expectancy based on the Social Security Death Index from 1940-2000, shows the Carters are almost exactly on the average with the general public. Carters serving in the Civil War fought almost equally on both sides; Union 4, 055 and Confederate 4, 506. Based on the 1880 census records 47% were working on a farm, 11% were laborers, 6% were keeping house, and 2% were carpenters. 

©2013 Pamela Carter

The Bounty of New England

William Hilton came to New England in the Fortune,  November 11, 1621. William sent the letter transcribed below to his cousin in England. It was first printed in Capt. John Smith's "New England Trials," edition of 1622. William's wife and two children came to New England in the Anne, in the summer of 1623.

Louing cousin, at our ariuall at New Plimmoth in New England, we found all our friends and planters in good health, though they were left sicke and weake with very small meanes, the Indians round about us peaceable and friendly, the country very pleasant and temperate, yeelding naturally of it self great store of fruites, as vines of diuers sorts in great abundance; there is likewise walnuts, chesnuts, small nuts and plums, wiht much varietie of flowers, rootes, and herbs, no lesse pleasant then wholsome and profitable: no place hath more goose-berries and straw-berries, nor better, Timber of all sorts you haue in England, doth cover the Land that affoords beasts of diuers sorts and great flocks of Turkies, Quailes, Pigeons and Partriges: many great lakes abounding with fish, fowle, Beuers and Otters. The sea affoords us as great plenty of all excellent sorts of sea-fish, as the riuers and Iles doth varietie of wilde fowle of most usefull sorts. Mines we find to our thinking, but neither the goodness nor qualitie we know. Better grain cannot be then the Indian corne, if we will plant it upon as good ground as a man can desire. We are all free-holders, the rent day doth not trouble us, and all those good blessings we haue, of which and what we list in their seasons for taking. Our companie are for most part very religious honest people; the word of God sincerely taught euery Sabbath: so that I know not any thing a contented mind can here want. I desire your friendly care to send my wife and children to me, where I wish all the friends I haue in England, and so I rest

Your louing kinsman  William Hilton

I have Hilton's in my ancestry but I haven't linked any of them to this immigrant. I came across this while looking for my Hilton ancestors and liked the description.

Sources:
Ancestry.com. Genealogies: the Hassam family, the Hilton family, the Cheever family. [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

http://www.plimoth.org/media/pdf/hilton_william.pdf

Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge - Bethel Academy

Delivered at the Centennial Celebration at Bethel, August 26, 1874, by Jacob Brown, Esq. of Illinois

Bethel Academy
By barren rocks and deeply tangled wildwood,
Mid valley, lake and glen;

Here babyhood was cradled into childhood,
And boys grew into men.

Anear the corner of this quaint old building,
With windows all arow;
That sturdy and that stately growing elm-tree
Grew thirty years ago.

The Androscoggin still is flowing sea-ward,
As thirty years ago;
Oft down those gliding waters just at night-fall
I've paddled my canoe.

Westward winds that little silvery brooklet,
In tune to my poor rhyme;
Life's wreck-besprinkled waters still are surging,
Against the shores of time.

I look adown the lane from this old building,
Down to the dusty street;
But gone are all the bright familiar faces
Of those I used to meet.

And stricken dumb is my poor heart with sadness,
Bright boyhood's dreams are fled,
Flowers that bloomed by every wayside,
All are withered and dead.

Poor third soul! The dead may bury their dead.
As soldier brave in flight;
Conquer the red-hot battles of life and learn
To win and love the right.


Thanks to Bill West for hosting the Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge. Check out is his blog for more poems and genealogy at West in New England.

Tombstone Tuesday - Frances (Freeland) Carter

This stone is pretty weathered and hard to read but it marks the grave of Frances Freeland who married Dr. Timothy Carter on July 7, 1793 in Sutton, Massachusetts. She and Dr. Timothy came to Bethel in 1799. Her husband had studied medicine under her father, Dr. James Freeland, a Revolutionary War surgeon. Dr. Timothy Carter became the first doctor in Bethel. I wrote about them and their journey to Maine in a previous post. Frances was the daughter of James & Mehitable (Mellen) Freeland. She was born on September 4, 1771 in Sutton, Massachusetts and died November 14, 1815 in Bethel, Maine. 

Dr. Timothy Carter and Frances, or Fanny as she was called (and is recorded on her headstone), were my 4th great-grandparents and had the following children:

Rev. Lawson Carter 1793-1868 - Findagrave memorial
Galen Carter 1795-1870
James Freeland Carter 1797-1840
Timothy Jarvis Carter 1805-1838 - blog post about his death - Congressman from ME
Luther Cullen Carter 1805-1875 - Findagrave memorial - Congressman from NY
Frances Carter 1809-1902
Elias Mellen Carter 1811-1880 - My 3rd great-grandfather

She is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, on Intervale Rd. in Bethel, Maine. This cemetery is located behind a meetinghouse built in 1816. For much of my life, the meetinghouse was in the possession of the Carter family. When the upkeep became too much, the family donated it to the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse Association. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. 

Elias M. Carter married Rebecca Williamson, an Irish immigrant. Their son, Augustus Mellen Carter married Mary Frances Abbott. Their son, Edward Mellen Carter married Fanny May Capen. Their son, Thomas Richard Carter, was my grandfather. 

Blacksheep Sunday - The Bad Son

My ancestor, Diman Perry, moved to Maine after the Revolutionary War. In 1800, he was married for the second time and most of his children were grown and presumably self-supporting. However, I found this notice on the Genealogy Bank web site. Diman, Jr. was not quite 19 years old and seems to have gotten himself into a bit of money trouble. Because they shared a name, I'm sure Diman, Sr. wanted to distance himself from his son's financial issues. I find the words "harbour" and "trust" particularly interesting and wonder what debts young Diman had accrued and if he had an issue with telling the truth.

The Gazette, Portland, Maine - Vol. III, Issue 127, Page 3
Monday, September 29, 1800
Accessed on Genealogy Bank.com
ALL persons are hereby forbidden to harbour, trust, trade with, or employ, on my account, Diman Perry, jun. as I will not be answerable for any obligations he may contract.
Diman Perry
Poland, August 25, 1800

Family of Diman Perry
With first wife, Nabby Cushing, married April 28, 1763:
Anna - November 28, 1764
Barnabas - December 3, 1766
Nehemiah - September 3, 1769
Nabby - November 6, 1772

With second wife, Susannah Lincoln, marrried December 30, 1773:
Penelope - March 2, 1775
Levi - February 16, 1776
Thomas - September 26, 1778
Alice - June 10, 1780
Diman, Jr. - December 18, 1781
Apphia - August 19, 1783
Betty - August 27, 1785
Gad - February 26, 1788

I don't believe he had any children with his third wife, Hannah House.

Apphia married Moses Judkins.
Betsy Judkins m. Calvin Cole, Jr.
Apphia Delphinia Cole m. Sydney Hayes
George Hayes m. Anna J. Rowe
Eva Delphinia Hayes m. Estes Gilbert Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother