)t^-; \V-:-<i •> > -\;t -J , I '>'. •A ' ' i 5 : 5 . < i ; M ' Ml'j' i!'.' 'i?iH»* * ) . ' ' , I * 5 I . »'! 1-i r :^H^i:-v 1< \i W - * M ' ' ' ; ^i ' lHlailailliiK*K^!^l;l:(,l;s('!-':r:r:i>li:;' ' l4^l^ V :>'-'. » - 1 ,• '. n •Si' ! -1! '.';''.I'l fi^l .V'd sUn^i;':-! ' ' ' '. ' \ "t 1 ? ; , ' -. < < . :'Uv-^;-V^^.-"\^^'. • • < 3 I -. -. : .. V. : -, i <), A Jyay^i^. n Lp /c^y/^c-^ n ^2^ ^Z^ V c^ z^ ^-*-^-, ^2i^*/.^T^Y^-/^ yrVr lerfii- mmk mWim ^^^ <r At the Reunion of Carters at Woburn, Mass., June ii, 1884, a permanent organization was formed, which it is hoped will in due time be incorporated. The following was unanimously adopted as the COXSTITUTIOX. Article I. The name of the Association shall be The Carter Family Association. Article II. The object of the Association shall be the collection and pres- ervation of information respecting the histon.- of the Carter family. Article III. The officers shall be a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Corres- ponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary, and a Treasurer. Article IV. There shall be a Genealogical Commission, consisting of three members, who shall have power to add to their number. Article V. There shall be an Executive Committee, composed of the officers named in Article III. Article VI. Any descendant of the Carter lineage, of respectable standing in society, shall be eligible to membership and may become a mem- ber by signing the Roll of Membership (in person or by proxy), and by the payment of a fee of one dollar. Article VII. The Executive Committee shall perform the duties of Finance Committee, and no funds shall be disbursed except upon order of this Committee. Article VIII. The Executive Committee may appoint a time and place for hold- ing a Reunion as they in their judgment may deem expedient. The officers elected were as follows : — President, Hon. H. A. P. Carter, Washington, D. C. ( Y. Citv. ,.. -r. .1 . Tames C. Carter,? Esq.,? X. V ice-Presiclents ^ i , ( Rev. Franklin Carter, Pres. of Williams College. K Corresponding Secretar}', C. W. Carter, 40 Water St., Boston. Recording Secretary, A. W. Carter, Newtonville, Mass. Treasurer, C. N. Carter, 57 Bedford St., Boston. ( Samuel R. Carter, Paris, Oxford Co., Me. Genealogical \ ji^oj^^s M. Carter, 179 Washington St., Boston. Commission. ) o- 1 ^11 (. Samuel Carter, 197 Sixth Ave,, Brooklyn, N. Y. All correspondence pertaining to the genealog}- of the family should be addressed to the members of the Genealogical Com- mission all other to the to whom also ; Corresponding Secretary, may be sent the membership fee, which, when received, will be acknowledged. That the work of the Genealogical Commission may be carried forward with despatch and to the best advantage, a large member- ship is desired. It is hoped there may be published, as soon as possible, a genealogical record of the family. Members will be furnished with information as to the progress made as occasion may require. If the membership is increased so that requisite funds are pro- vided, it is proposed to have a thorough search of the English records made by the eminent antiquary and genealogist, Henry FiTZ-GiLBERT Waters, who is employed by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Yours truly, C W. CARTER, Corresponding Secretary. 40 Water St., Boston, July i, 18S4. Note.— Please send to Miss Maria E. Carter, Woburn, Mass., the names of all the Carters you know, and the Post Offlce address of each. CARTER /" A GENEALOGY OF THE DESCENDANTS OF SAMUEL AND THOMAS, SONS OF REV. SAMUEL CARTER. ^SSfe^A V7» ^ 1640 1886 CARTER COAT OF ARMS. A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST CARTERS OF LAN- CASTER, LUNENBURG AND LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS. COLLECTED AND ARRANGED FOR THE CARTER ASSOCIATION BY Mrs. CLARA A. CARTER, Leominster, Mass. J J J V T » » • • • • •• .* * » •« • • * t i > ' > » * i i • * . f • < « • 4 ! .. Mrs. SARAH A. CARTER, Fitzwilliam, N. H. • • * > • • ** »• :-.)l1? ' • •• CLINTON: PRINTED BY W. J. COULTER, COURANT OFFICE. 1887. t c , [From Poem read at the Carter Family Reunion at Wobum, Mass., June ii, 1884, written by MRS. George L. Chaney, of Leominster.] ''So let us in colors clear and prmt, fast ^ The well-known present on the half-known past. And leave to childrefi's children yet to come The brave tradition of the ancient hoine.'^'' TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Preface. ....... 7 Introductory Note. ..... 9 Sketch of Rev. Samuel Carter. 11 Descendants of Samuel^ Carter. 15 Sketch of John^ Carter. 196 Descendants of Thomas' Carter. 197 Supplement, containing names received too LATE for insertion IN REGULAR ORDER. 24I Children of Rev. Thomas Carter. 248 Descent of the Sawyers. 248 Descent of the Joslins. .... 249 Index of Carter Names. 253 Index of Names of the Allied Families. 261 PREFACE. The following pages contain the result of our labors in behalf of one branch of the Carter Family in America. The work was undertaken at first to obtain the descent of from the first settler in this our our own families, country ; interest and curiosity being aroused concerning others, we continued the work, until our records attained their present completeness. The labor of their collection and arrange- ment has been performed amid the calls of many duties and occupations, and we are deeply sensible of its many imoerfections. We are sure, however, that much concern- ing the earlier generations has been gathered, which in a few years would have been lost beyond recall. Family, town and probate records, town histories, the genealogies of allied families, the gravestones in the old burying grounds, the memory of aged people and family traditions have each and all been examined to assist us in our work. The descent of each person is given from Rev. Thomas Carter of Woburn, supposed to be the first of this branch of the family in New England, and we think this part of the work will be found to be reliable. In regard to records of births, deaths and marriages, there must be many errors in dates, and perhaps in names, as we have often found that accounts of the same family given by different per- sons, did not agree with each other, or the records in the town books. We regret not being able to give the record of all the not families complete ; our best endeavors could obtain some descents, which would have added much to the interest of the book. 8 PREFACE. Of the female lines, our plan included only the marriage, with names and dates of birth and death of the children, whom they married, and the number of grand-children. To our many correspondents, and all others who have aided and encouraged us, we return heartfelt thanks, hop- ing these records of our common ancestors will meet their approval. Any person who can correct any error, or furnish any missing record, is earnestly requested to do so. The system of arrangement is simple, and needs little explanation. The figures at the left of each name are the order those at the before the regular ; rights descent^ show where the record of birth and death mav be found ; and those before the date of birth show the number of the record of marriage, which is followed by the children's names, etc. INTRODUCTORY NOTE. After a prolonged study of the ancestors of the Carter Family, we cannot better express our opinion of them than by quoting from a lady correspondent—she writes : "The impression I get, from what little can be learned of the earlier members of the family, is that they were a sturdy, industrious, sensible, kind-hearted, public-spirited, God- fearing set of people : and in these respects not differing essentially, from contemporary members of other families. If there seemed to be any special characteristics, they may have been absence of wealth, love of their kind, fidelitv in the marriage relation, and a cheerful recognition of the Divine command 'to multiply and replenish the earth.'" The early records show^ them to have been prominent in all matters of public interest : the division of land, and laving out of roads, the building of a meeting-house, the founding of churches, and the establishment of schools were intrusted to them. Many also were active in the military organizations and duties of their day, so that much of the religious, moral and intellectual culture and pros- perity of the communities where they settled, is due to the labors of these ancestors. Most of them appear to have been farmers by occupation, and to have labored also at such trades as the necessities of their own and their neighbors' families required. The most marked instance of an inherited preference for any one calling appears among the descendants of Thomas,^ who are distinguished for the number of physi- cians among them. His grandsons, James of Lancaster,— for many ^^ears the noted practitioner of that vicinity and Asa who settled in Weathersfield, Vt., where he had a 2 10 CARTER. family of iifteen children, and performed the duties of are the first in the next were country doctor, ; generation of Lancaster Dr. of Dr. Calvin, son of Dr. James ; James Geneva, New York, son of Levi ; Dr. Peter Manning of a son of a sister and some Townsend and Lunenburg, ; amonor the children and crrandchildren of Dr. Asa. of to definite account while whom we were able get no ; among the descendants of Abigail,^ who married Caleb Wilder, were Dr. Charles Woodard Wilder of Leomin- ster, two of whose sons studied medicine—one Dr. R. L. Wilder now of New York Citv ; and also Dr. x\bel Wilder of Blackstone, Mass., son of Caleb of Ashburnham, ]Mass., " eminent in his profession,*' and perhaps others of whom- we have no knowledge.