Chasing Our Tales, The Carter Family
One of my family cemeteries is in Brown County. It is the Routh family cemetery, the land being given by my great-great-grandfather Levin Routh. In that cemetery are buried the following Carters: Elmira Carter, born 12 Jan 1845, died 20 Feb 1920; Eugenia Bowden Carter, born 18 Nov 1875, died 29 Sep 1951; James C. Carter, born 29 Sep 1870, died 11 Sep 1939, and W. J. Carter, born 17 Dec 1837, died 14 Feb 1920.
I heard from Doris Pendleton (dpendleton@neto.com) of Windom, Texas, who stated that she believes W. J.( Williamson Johnson) Carter, born 17 Dec 1837, who is buried in the Routh Cemetery may be the brother of Charles Lambert Carter, born 11 May 1832, died 7 Dec 1910, who is buried at the Indian Creek Cemetery in Palo Pinto County. Charles Lambert is the only Carter recorded to have been buried at Indian Creek.
I have read a query asking about a John Wesley Carter who lived in the Santo, Lone Camp, or Ward Mountain area of the county. But could this be the same W. J. Carter buried in the Routh Cemetery? Probably not.
There was a John Carter who was born in Scott County Virginia in 1802. He first married someone named Nelson, perhaps in Newton County Arkansas in 1840. In the 1850 census in Washington County Arkansas, he was married to a wife named Mary who was age 23 and was born in Illinois. John and Mary had children Lucy, Mary, George, Margaret, James, John, and Lemuel in that census. In 1860 the family was in Palo Pinto County. John was age 57, listed with him were Gilthea age 25; James,14; Patsy (Martha), 18; Elisha, 8; John, 6; Jame, 4; and Allen, 1. The story is told that John Carter and a neighbor, Sarah Gambill Bradshaw Yarberry, were secretly involved, and that Sarah bore John's twins Milton and Thomas Newton who were surnamed Yarberry, about 1853. This was after John's wife had died.
Now here is some more Carter family information. David Edmond Carter was born 3 Apr 1853 in Gravelhill McNairy County Tennessee and died 29 Mar 1941 in Gordon Palo Pinto County Texas. He married Malvina (Mallie) Margaret Kelley on 14 Feb 1883 in Decaturville Decatur County Tennessee. Mallie Kelley was born 2 Apr 1853 in Saltillo Hardin County Tennessee, and she died 15 Feb 1949 in Gordon Palo Pinto County Texas. They had 11 children: Zelma, Raymond, Talbert C., Bedford Forrest, Norman Robert, Lessie Naomi, Hetty Hedessa, Edmond Grover, Ethel May, Tina Bell, and Mallie Margaret Carter. The family left Tennessee in 1908, going first to Oklahoma and then on to Decatur County Texas before settling in Palo Pinto County.
Another source confirms that the David Edmond story: Raymond Carter was born in 1885 in Gravelhill McNairy County Tennessee. He was the son of David Edmond Carter born 1853 Gravelhill McNairy Tennessee who died in 1941 in Gordon, Palo Pinto, Texas. David Edmond was the son of Solomon Carter and Joicy Woodson Lumbley. Solomon Carter was born about 1822 in Tennessee or Mississippi, and died about 1895 in Princeton or Farmersville, Collin County Texas. He is believed to be the son of John Carter and was the grandson of David Carter, Sr. born in 1761 in Duplin County North Carolina.
Another source tell us that Solomon Carter was born about 1822 and died about 1895. He and Joicy's daughter Nancy Elizabeth Carter (1848-1927) married William T. Hamm (1844-1952). Other children of Solomon and Joicy were John Elic Carter (1851-1927) who married Mary Jane Kelley (1855-1939); David Edmond Carter (see above); Parlee Carter (1856-1941) who married Carroll Moore Gooch (1853-1910); James Newton Carter (1863-1942) who married Artilia Durbin (1867-?); Elzert Cicero Carter (1865-1931) who married Julia F. Browning (1869-1905); and Donia Carter (1867-1945) who married Smauel Hogan Rushing (1865-1926).
In another Carter family story Frances O'Nora Minter was married to Floyd Manuel Carter. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Carter, was born in Mingus, Palo Pinto County, Texas, in 1913. Miss Kate Minter married Floyd's brother, Foy Marion Carter. Does anyone out there have more information on the Minter/Carter connection?
Monroe Reasoner was born about 1856 in Sebastian County Arkansas, and his wife was either Amanda Cox or Amanda Whitaker. They may have married in Arkansas or Texas. They had four children Albert, Jack, Mary and Tine, all born in Palo Pinto County. Monroe died in Palo Pinto County about 1888, after being shot in a dispute over livestock. Amanda then moved to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to either LeFlore or Latimer County. She remarried, a man named Carter, and they had one son named Joe Carter.
William A Carter was born in Illinois according to census records. He married Lillie E. White, and they came to Texas, settling in Erath County. Their son, Oscar Wilde Carter, was born 1888, in Stephenville, Erath County Texas and married Berlin McKinney of Palo Pinto County in 1900. Oscar Wilde's siblings were George M, born 1893; Nellie, 1886; and Jessie (female), born 1898.
There was a Giles Carter who was married to Lola Pilkington in Palo Pinto County. Also there was a Victoria Jennie Rose, daughter of Abner M. Ross who was married to H. K. Person in Caldwell County Texas and later married E. B. Carter. In the later 1890's she was living in Palo Pinto County.
There used to be a Carter Bend in the Brazos River, and I believe it was close to where Carter Island is in Possum Kingdom Lake. Tennessee native Capt. William Carroll McAdams (1825-1906) came to Texas in the 1840s, served as a Texas Ranger, and fought in the Mexican war (1846-1848). McAdams and his wife Ann (Alexander) acquired land in 1854 and began cattle raising. The Pickwick-McAdams Cemetery opened after the death of Mrs. McAdams. The first marked grave is that of Mary M. Couger in 1889. This cemetery served the Pickwick Community, which is now under the lake. In 1940 graves were moved from Carter Bend which was on the proposed Possum Kingdom Lake site.
The Carters were some of our county's earliest settlers.
Now I know there are plenty of Palo Pinto Carters out there, and someone has the answer for Doris regarding Charles Lambert Carter. If you do please contact Doris and me! And if you have information you would like to share on any of our county families, email me at siouxcitysue@cox-internet.com or write Sue Seibert, P. O. Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061. You all come back now!