John Carter (abt. 1613 - 1670)

Born about 1613 in Newgate, London, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Jane Glyn — married 1637 in Lancaster County, Colony of Virginia

Husband of Eleanor (Eltonhead) Carter — married about 1655 in Colony of VIrginia

Husband of Anne Carter — married 1656 in England

Husband of Sarah (Ludlow) Carter — married 1662 in Corotoman, Lancaster County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 10 Jun 1670 at about age 57 in Corotoman Plantation, Lancaster County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: US Southern Colonies Project WikiTree [send private message], Michael Stack [send private message], Cynthia B [send private message], US Presidents Project WikiTree [send private message], and Adri Oldershaw [send private message]

John Carter resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

John Carter is an ancestor of a US President/Vice President Join: US Presidents Project Discuss: Presidents

Ancestor of William Henry Harrison 9th US President

Biography

Colonel John Carter^[1]aka John Carter I per Christ Church sources.^[2]

Born ca 1613
Died January 10, 1670 or June 10, 1669
Immigrated between 1638 and 1641
Married 5 times, see the Family sub-topic
Owned: Corotoman Plantation, Lancaster County, Virginia

Likely Family

John was born ca 1613, based on his own statement in 1635 that he was "twenty-two."^[3] He was certainly born in England, but his parentage is uncertain, and no birth or christening record has been identified, as the records of Christchurch were lost in the Great Fire of London in 1665.^[4] He was probably the son of the Newgate vintner, John Carter^[5] and his wife, 'Elizabeth' Benion Carter, and if so, he was born at Newgate Christ Church, Middlesex, London, England.^[6][3] Whoever his parents were, they were well connected with the Virginia Company, at least as business associates and possibly as family.^[3]

Parents: John Carter and Elizabeth Benion. ^[3]
Place of birth: Newgate Christ Church, Middlesex, London, England.^[3]

John Carter is named in the ten children in the will of 'John Carter citizen and Vintner of London (PCC made 3 April 1630 proved 6 May 1630)^[7] all under the age of 21 years. The ten children were subsequently subject of an order under London's Court of Orphans..^[8]

John Carter's son Robert "King" Carter adopted the coat of arms^[9] identical to that of William Carter the vintner of London^[10], who Currer-Briggs speculates was the brother of John Carter the vintner of London, likely father of this John Carter. Currer-Briggs also notes that the decision to rename the Lancaster Co parish church as 'Christchurch' around 1670 when John Carter Snr was vestryman, and when he was committed to funding the building of a new church, provides a further connection back to Christchurch, London, the church where his father was buried in 1630 and given as his abode in 1638.^[11]

Some sources suggest a specific date of birth: October 7, 1613.^{[citation needed]}

Early Years and Immigration

As a young man, John probably made frequent voyages, facilitating the tobacco trade between Virginia and London as a representative of the Virginia Company.^[3] His family in England certainly had connections, both political and economic in Virginia.

On August 10, 1635, John boarded the Safety at London and gave his age as 22 years. Thomas Carter, presumed to be his brother aged 25 years, was also on the ship.^[3]

On 12 May 1638 in the High Court of Admiralty, John Carter of 'Christchurch, London, aged 24 or thereabouts' gave evidence that in June 1637 he did 'lade aboard the ship Leaman (Benjamin Woolmer, master) in the port of London for his own account', goods to be transported to Virginia. He and his goods were captured by the Spanish and he landed back in London. ^[11][3] This links John Carter Jnr to the parish of his father John Carter Snr, the vintner. .

A further connection to London is provided by records of a Merchant adventure between Major john Carter, and Gabriel Benyon (his uncle) and Gabriel's son Daniel Benyon, then aged 24,with the ship the “John and Thomas” which sailed in October 1651, as factors for Richard Glover. Part of their cargo left Virginia in the “Seven Sisters” with other ships of the English fleet in June 1652. The remainder of the tobacco consigned to Gabriel Benyon and Richard Glover in London was put aboard the Dutch ship “Fortune” at James River and given leave by the Governor to carry it to England or Holland, as there was no room on any English ships. The “Fortune” was seized by the English frigate “HMS Warwick” and carried to Plymouth.^[12][13]

He decided to settle in Virginia sometime between May 1638 and January 1641/2, when he began, almost immediately, his first term as burgess for Upper Norfolk County (later Nansemond).^[4]

Marriages and Children

John married five times. He may have married for the first time to Jane Glyn before settling in Virginia.

1) Jane Glyn, born in Fulham, Middlesex, England, died before 1655, a daughter of Morgan Glyn.^[6]

Children of John and Jane Glyn:

1. Elizabeth Carter b ca 1651, d 4 Aug 1699; 1) Col. Nathaniel Utie, (as his 2nd), son of John Utie and Ann; 2) Capt. Henry Johnson; 3) Edward Boothby.
2. George Carter died young
3. John Carter, Lt. Col. born 1648, died 1690

2) Eleanor (Eltonhead) Brocas, married in 1655, daughter of Richard Eltonhead, widow and 3rd wife of William Brocas of the Virginia council.^[3] She died soon after their marriage, and there were no known children.^[6]

3) Anne Carter, married in 1656 on a trip to England,^[3] daughter of "Mr. Cleve Carter."^[6] She died soon after the marriage, and there were no known children.^[3]

4) Sarah Ludlow, married in 1662, born 1635 and died before June 10, 1669, daughter of Gabriel Ludlow and Phillis Wakelyn, nephew of Cromwell's General Edmund Ludlow.^{[14] [15]} married by early 1660's.^[3][6] Her son, Robert, was less than five years old when she died.

Children of John and Sarah (Ludlow), according to Richardson, there were four children:^[14]

1. John Carter, Lt. Col.
2. Robert "King" Carter
3. Sarah Carter
4. another daughter Carter

Children of John and Sarah (Ludlow), according to Stephen Carter, there were two children:^[6]

1. Sarah Carter died in infancy
2. Robert "King" Carter b 1664, d 1732

5) Elizabeth Shirley/Sherley, marriage agreement executed on October 24, 1668, a widow from Gloucester County, and according to Stephen Carter, this was not a happy marriage.^[6] Son, Charles, removed to England as a young man and died there in 1690. (Is it possible that his mother joined him? Billups-130 13:22, 20 December 2014 (EST))

Child of John and Elizabeth Shirley/Sherley:^[3]

1. Charles Carter b 1669 Lancaster Co, d 1690 England

House of Burgess and Other Offices

John served as Lieutenant-colonel, Burgess, and Councillor.^[15] He was first elected in 1642 as Burgess for Upper Norfolk County (in 1646 Nansemond).^[16] He served again in 1649 as Burgess for Nansemond County, and in 1654, 1657/58, 1658/59, and 1659/60, as Burgess for Lancaster County.^[16][17] He was elected as Governor's council in 1658, but returned as a Burgess in 1659.^[3] Records are incomplete, but in 1663, he had been reelected and was again serving as Councillor.^[6] He served as a judge for Lancaster County in 1668 beside other county notables like David Fox, William Ball, Raleigh Travers, John Curtis, Richard Perrott, Abraham Weeks and George Wale.^[18]

John served as Commander against the Rappahannock Indians in 1654; he was made Colonel of Lancaster County in 1656.^[6] His troops are said to have "entirely exterminated the Rappahannock Indians.^[19]

Corotoman

By the time of his election as Burgess in 1642, John had probably established residence in Virginia.^[3] He first settled in Upper Norfolk County (Nasemond) and meanwhile he acquired land in Charles River County (to become Lancaster in 1751). In 1642, John received his first of several land grants along the north bank of the Rappahannock River.^[3] In April of 1652, he applied for an extension by act of the Assembly on his land in Lancaster County.^[4] It seems that soon thereafter he moved to this land and built Corotoman plantation which became the family home.^[4] Corotoman Plantation was located overlooking the Rappahannock, flanked by Carter's Creek on the east and the Corrotoman River on the west.^[20] In 1656, John was made Colonel of Lancaster County militia, and by 1666, both he and his son, John, were members of the vestry for the Lancaster County Christ Church.^[6]

John had certainly settled in Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, by 1653. Lancaster County taxed him based on his labor force, assessing him for for twelve tithables (the fourth largest labor force), 24 Oct 1653,^[21] for twelve tithables (tied for the fourth largest labor force), 6 Feb 1655,^[22] for twenty-one tithables (second largest labor force), 7 Dec 1655,^[23] for twenty-three tithables (again the second largest labor force), 5 Nov 1656,^[24] for twenty-one tithables (again the second largest), 31 Oct 1658,^[25] for thirty tithables (second largest), 30 Nov 1659,^[26] and again for thirty tithables (tied for second largest), 15 Nov 1660.^[27]

John's labor force continued to rise. He was assessed in Lancaster County, 22 Nov 1668, for instance, for 58 tithables on the county’s "northside,"^[28] i.e., the part of the county that was then north of the Rappahannock River.^[29]

Christ Church

John and his eldest son John were members of the Christ Church Parish vestry.^[30] John, Sr. was found in the vestry book beginning in 1654 (no longer extant), and sons John, Jr. and Robert were also included, their names always preceding the minister's in a large, bold hand. Signatures in vestry books indicated social status, so this placement is significant. Meade writes he has never seen anyone else's signature placed before the ministers, even baronets like Skipwith or Chicheley.^[30]

John also had the contract to build the original Christ Church, said to be "the oldest religious edifice in Virginia," despite the fact that it was rebuilt in brick by his son, Robert.^[19] The original, probably built from wood, was finished in July 1670, six months after John died.^[31] John and four of his wives are buried there.

Slaves and Indentured Servants

At the time of his death, John left some thirty indentured servants and some forty African slaves.^[3] This increasing reliance on the lifelong service of African slaves as opposed to the finite service of indentured Europeans typified the changing labor norms in Virginia.^[3]

Death and Legacy

According to the Encyclopedia of Virginia, John died on January 10, 1670,^[3] probably at Corotoman Plantation, Lancaster County, Virginia. He was buried inside the Christ Church, now rebuilt on the foundation of the original. A large etched tombstone, to the right-hand side of the chancel, covers John, four of his five wives, and some of their children (Elizabeth Shirley is not there). The epitaph reads:

Here lyeth buried ye body of John Carter, Esq., who died ye 10th of June, Anno Domini 1669; and also Jane, ye daughter of Mr. Morgan Glyn, and George her son, and Elenor Carter, and Ann, ye daughter of Mr. Cleave Carter, and Sarah, ye daughter of Mr. Gabriel Ludlow, and Sarah her daughter, which were all his wives successively, and died before him.^[6]

Note: According to Edmund Berleley, Jr., he died in 1669.^[4] Researcher, Stephen Carter states his death date was 10 June 1669, but apparently the source for this is the "LDS."^[6]

John left the majority of his estate to his eldest son, Lt. Col. John Carter, as was the tradition, but he specifically left to second son Robert: one-third of his personal estate, 1,000 acres on a branch of the Corotoman River, one-sixth of his books, and "his mother's hoop ring & christall necklace."^[4] After son John's death, the inheritance transferred to the younger son, Robert "King" Carter, who vastly increased the family's wealth.^[4] Robert had been well prepared, as also dictated in his father John's will, he had been provided a tutor for his classical education, including Latin.^[4]

Estate

At a Court held for Lancaster County, Virginia, on Wednesday, 9 January 1722/3, on the motion of Colonel Robert Carter Jr. is ordered that the last Will and Testament of John Carter Esquire heretofore proved together with the Codicils thereto annexed together with their proof be inserted in the Records of this Court.^[32]

Associations

Edward Carter (d. 1682), House of Burgesses and governor's Council, was certainly related, but the exact connection is unknown.^[3]

Thomas Carter (1672-1733), also of Lancaster County, may have been a first cousin, as there is some evidence their fathers were brothers.^[6]

Research Notes

(One ref. states he was b. Garston, Hertford, England). Sarah: The Colonial Genealogist, vol.8, no.2 [Apr 1976], pp.65-66: by Dom W. Wilfrid Bayne, O.S.B., of Portsmouth Priory, RI).

Sources

1. ↑ Carter, John - A1406; died 1669/70, Lancaster Co.: 1654-55, 1658-1660, 1662 (Burgess); 1657-1658 (Councillor). accessed 13 September 2021.
2. ↑ The Corotoman Slave Histories.
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19} Quitt, Martin H. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "John Carter (ca. 1613–1670)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 15 August 2013. Web accessed 28 July 2014.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7} Berkeley, Edmund , Jr., transcriber, editor, and annotator, "The Diary, Correspondence, and Papers of Robert "King" Carter" October 10, 2009, Web accessed July 28, 2014.
5. ↑ Will of John Carter vintner of London PCC 6 May 1630.
6. ↑ ^{6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12} Carter, Stephen "Stephen Carters John Carter Research", Posted by John Size on July 31, 2004, Web accessed July 28, 2014.
7. ↑ Will of John Carter vintner of London PCC 6 May 1630.
8. ↑ COURT OF ORPHANS, CITY OF LONDON, ORPHANAGE BONDS AND DEEDS: CLA/002/04/079 (London Metropolitan Archives) Carter, John, citizen and vintner 1630
9. ↑ Carter Family Crest.
10. ↑ Carter of London coat of arms granted 1612.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Noel Currer-Briggs The Carters of Virginia: Their English Ancestry. Phillimore 1979, pp. 4-6. 8-11, 14-15, 39-40, 102-3.
12. ↑ Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Adventurers and Emigrants, 1609-1660. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002 pp 138-9. Ancestry.com.
13. ↑ (1860) Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 1: 1574-1660. 'America and West Indies: December 1652,' pp. 394-396.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, Vol 3. (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013), Vol. III. page 667.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Tyler, Lyon G., Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol I. (Page 60) New York: Lewis historical publishing company, 1915, Open Library, Web accessed July 28, 2014.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Virginia. General Assembly. House of Burgesses; McIlwaine, H. R. (Henry Read), Journals of the House of Burgesses of VA, 1659/60-1963. (Vol 1 1619-1658/1659, Page ) Richmond, VA: [Library Board, Virginia State Library] Archive.org accessed June 30, 2015.
17. ↑ Virginia. General Assembly. House of Burgesses; McIlwaine, H. R. (Henry Read), Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia. Richmond, VA: [Library Board, Virginia State Library] 1915, Archive.org accessed June 30, 2015.
18. ↑ Sources (note that references to 1667 in the actual documents are, in new style, 1668):
    1. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 8 Jan 1668: Judges: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys, George Wale, and William Loose? Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 55. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 22 Jan 2024.
    2. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 11 Mar 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Rich[ard] Perrott, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 59. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 22 Jan 2024.
    3. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 21 May 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, and Mr. Will[iam] Loose?. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 69. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    4. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 10 Jun 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, Mr. Will[iam] Leigh, and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 69a. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    5. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 8 Jul 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 73. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
    6. List of Judges. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Judges, 22 Nov 1668: Col. John Carter, Mr. Davyd Fox, Mr. Ra[leigh] Travers, Mr. Will[iam] Ball, Mr. [Christo]pher Wormley, John Curtys, William Loose?, Abra[ham] Weeks and George Wale. Lancaster County Order Book 1, 1666-1680, p. 81. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Jan 2024.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Armstrong, Zella and Janie Preston Collup French, Notable Southern Families, Volume 2 (pages 59-62) Chattanooga, TN: Lookout Publishing Company, 1922, google.com accessed December 20, 2014.
20. ↑ "Corotoman", Web accessed August 1, 2014.
21. ↑ 1653 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 24 Oct 1653. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 90-94. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 4 Feb 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
22. ↑ 1655 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 6 Feb 1655. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 174-178. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 8 Feb 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
23. ↑ 1655 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 7 Dec 1655. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 234-239. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here, as transcribed in 1961 Transcription. Fleet, Beverley. 1961. Virginia Colonial Abstracts: Vol. XXII, Lancaster County 1652-1655. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Pages 106-109. Available online without restriction courtesy of HathiTrust here. Accessed 29 Jan 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
24. ↑ 1656 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 5 Nov 1656. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 302-307. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Mar 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
25. ↑ 1658 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 31 Oct 1658. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 60-64. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 24 Jan 2024. To see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
26. ↑ 1659 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 30 Nov 1659. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 100-105. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 25 Jan 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
27. ↑ 1660 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 15 Nov 1660. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 131-132. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 10 Apr 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
28. ↑ 1668 Assessment. Assessment, 22 Nov 1668. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1, 1666-1680, pp. 86-87. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 1 Jan 2024.
29. ↑ Lancaster County today lies entirely north of the Rappahannock River. Until 1669, in which year Middlesex County was formed, Lancaster County straddled the river, thus leading the assessors to differentiate between the county's north and south sides. Sources:
    1. Wikipedia contributors, "Lancaster County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
    2. Wikipedia contributors, "Middlesex County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
    3. Iberian Publishing Company's On-Line Catalog: The Growth of Virginia, 1634-1895 (1651-1660). Available online here.
30. ↑ ^{30.0 30.1} Bishop Meade, 1910 Old Churches Ministers And Families Of Virginia. (Vol II, Pages 110, 115-16) Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, Archive.org accessed 9 March 2016.
31. ↑ National Historic Landmarks Program, Christ Church (Lancaster County) accessed December 20, 2014.
32. ↑ County Court, Lancaster County, Virginia, Order books, 1656-1866, Order book, v. 7 1721-1729; database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSL6-L9W2-R), image 57.

• "Royal Ancestry" 2013 Douglas Richardson Vol. II, p. 504.
• "John Carter," The Carter Men of Lancaster County, VA (https://thecartermen.weebly.com/john-carter.html).

See also:

• Dowdey, Clifford, The Virginia Dynasties; the Emergence of "King" Carter and the Golden Age. Boston, Little, Brown [1969], Page 18.
• Germanna Colonies, History of County Formations in Virginia 1617-1995. Germanna Colonies Family History: The State of Virginia, accessed June 30, 2015.
• Hayden, Horace Edwin, Virginia Genealogies: a Genealogy of the Glassell Family of ... (Page 225) Wilkes-Barre, PA: E.B. Yordy, printer, 1891, HathiTrust.org accessed December 15, 2015.
• A History of the Carter Family. Copyright 1972 by Amer. Gen. Research Inst., Wash., DC.
• National Historic Landmarks Program, photographs of Christ Church Library of Congress, accessed December 20, 2014.
• Nelson, Alice, 1984 Virginia Lineages, Letters & Memories. (p.194).
• Alexander Brown, The Cabells and Their Kin: A Memorial Volume of History, Biography, and Genealogy (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1895), pp293-294 (wife, child); digital images, Archive.org (https://archive.org/details/cabellstheirkin00brow/page/n6/mode/1up).

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Edmund Berkeley, Jr., for your excellent research on this family and for publishing online.