While he mentions the names of his parents in his marriage certificate and appears in a number of consecutive census records, B. A. Carter was still a bit of a mystery.
He does not show up in the 1850 census of Stanly County. Actually, I've not been able to find him anywhere, yet. It may be that his household was simply missed. That was not uncommon.
He first shows up in the 1860 census. He was living within the area of "Albemarle Post Office" and was listed as a Shoemaker and 28 years old. Neighbors included Miller Easley and Henry Easley, Betsy Hill and Harriett Hill and Henry Marshall. Living with him were Alley Carter, 29, a young boy Benjamin Holt, 49 year old Polly Carter and 20 year old Susan Carter.
This census appears like Alley Carter may have been his wife. I would find out later through land records that she was. I would also find out from the 1880 census and other land records, that Polly Carter was his mother. I have no proof, but am pretty confident from the placing of the person in the household that Susan Carter was most likely his sister. I did, however, discover from research that Benjamin Holt was the son of Allen and Phoebe Holt. His father had died shortly after the 1850 census. At this juncture, I don't know if there was a relationship between the Holts and the Carters. There were several Holt/Carter intermarriages. As I don't know Alley's maiden name yet, or Phoebe's maiden name, it's possible that there was an unknown kinship.
| ame: | Balem Carter | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1860: | 28 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Year: | abt 1832 | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1860: | Stanly, North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||
| Post Office: | Albemarle | ||||||||||||
| Value of real estate: | View image | ||||||||||||
| Household Members: |
|
| ame: | B A Carter | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in 1870: | 38 | ||||||
| Birth Year: | abt 1832 | ||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||
| Home in 1870: | Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina | ||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||
| Post Office: | Albemarle | ||||||
| Value of real estate: | View image | ||||||
| Household Members: |
|
Ten years later, Balaam and Almena are on their own. At first glance, this would appear to be an entirely different woman than Alley, due to the age difference. However, land records float easily back and forth between Alley and Almira and Almena as being the wife of B. A. Carter. Same woman. The transcription of this age is incorrect. The '5' looks like it could be a '3' and the '0' could as easily be an 8, so I believe the actual age recorded here would be 38.
B. A. Carter, like most men of his generation, served in the Civil War, and luckily for him, he survived.
| Name: | B A Carter |
|---|---|
| Residence: | North Carolina |
| Rank at enlistment: | Private |
| State Served: | North Carolina |
| Service Record: | Enlisted in Company K, North Carolina 42nd Infantry Regiment on 26 May 1862. |
| Sources: | North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster |
The late 'Seventies' was a busy time for Balaam Carter. The last year his wife Alley (or Alvina, Alvira, Elvira, Almena as she is variously noted) appears in a deed with him is in January 1876.
In June of 1877 B. A. Simpson was brought to court on the the word of Catherine Simpson Mabry on charges of bastardy.
In the document after Catherine's first name, you can see the "Simpson" marked over and Mabry written in it's place. This page was witnessed by T. A. , or Thomas Alexander Simpson. Catherine was the daughter of Isaac and Lucy Simpson. I've never discovered Lucy Simpson's maiden name, however, another researchers notes, her maiden name was given as "Dee" and it was noted that she was Native American. I've not seen proof or disproof of this claim either way.
T. A. Simpson was a cousin of Catherine Simpson, who must have been married to a Mabry at some point. There is no marriage record for her in Stanly County. The child born was Ann Eliza Carter, whom B. A. Carter fully embraced, as she was his only child. On her marriage license, she lists her father as B. A. Carter and her mother as Kate Simpson.
The second page of this document involves another Simpson, J. B., or John Brantley Simpson, of whom I featured in :The Intriguing John Brantley Simpson.
John Brantley Simpson had an out-of-wedlock child himself, with Martha Jane Rummage, whose sister, Bettie, Balaam Absalom Carter would marry two years after the birth of his daughter Ann Eliza with Catherine Simpson Mabry.
This second page reads "Know all men by these presents that we B A Carter + J. B. Simpson are held and firmly bound unto the said State in the sum of $200 to the payment of which we bind ourselves, our heirs + assigns jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed this 7th day of June 1877, .......charging him with the the maintenances of a certain bastard child begotten on the body of Catharine Mabry and shall indemnity the said county from any + all charges for the maintenance of said child. "
It is signed by B. A. Carter and J. B. Simpson, who were obviously close friends. J. B. Simpson would also be a first cousin of Catherine Simpson as his father Thomas, and her father Isaac were brothers.
On November 23, 1879, B. A. Carter, son of James (d) and Mary Carter, age 50, married Bettie Rummage, 35, daughter of David Rummage. No mother's name was given for Bettie, but it was noted that she was deceased. The official was Joseph S. Dunn and the event took place in Stanly County.
| Name: | B A Carter |
| Birth Date: | |
| Birthplace: | |
| Age: | |
| Spouse's Name: | Bettie Rumage |
| Spouse's Birth Date: | |
| Spouse's Birthplace: | |
| Spouse's Age: | |
| Event Date: | 23 Nov 1879 |
| Event Place: | Stanly, North Carolina |
| Father's Name: | James Carter |
| Mother's Name: | Mary |
| Spouse's Father's Name: | David Rumage |
In 1880, we have a bit of transcription error problems, but in looking at the actual handwritten census, we have the right family.
| Name: | S. A. Carter | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 51 | ||||||||||
| Birth Year: | abt 1829 | ||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Home in 1880: | Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Self (Head) | ||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Married | ||||||||||
| Spouse's Name: | Tellie Carter | ||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Mother's name: | Polly Carter | ||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Neighbors: | View others on page | ||||||||||
| Occupation: | Farmer | ||||||||||
Cannot read/write:
Blind: Deaf and Dumb: Otherwise disabled: Idiotic or insane: |  | ||||||||||
| Household Members: |
|
A series of land records involving the Rummage family tells a tale that involves Balaam Carter.
Book 10 Page 79 - Sept. 25, 1875 Eli Rummage to Richard Anderson 'for which he holds my note to be due.'
Book 10 Page 531 - Sept. 15, 1876 David Rummage to Richard Anderson, trustee, adjoining Thomas Rummage, Balaam Carter and John Cox. Note: Balaam Carter was a neighbor already of David Rummage. Davids' daughter Martha Jane Rummage had a son named Richard Anderson Rummage, father unknown, possibly named for neighbor Richard Anderson, whom I believe was a physician and had several boys named "Richard Anderson" insert surname, in honor of him.
Book 11 Page 56 David Rummage to Bettie S Rummage and Martha J Rummage June 25th, 1875.
...as follows "On the north side of Jacobs Creek where the said David Rummage now lives 170 acres part of a large survey granted to Thomas Capson (?) and William Mabges (sp?, maybe Mabry?), by the State of North Carolina adjoining Thomas Rummage, Balaam Carter, John Cox, R. Anderson + others.
signed
Bettie A. Rummage
Martha J. Rummage
In the presence of J. B. Simpson
Book 14 page 255 Martha J Rummage et al to Benjamin Gurley Nov. 12, 1880
Martha J. Rummage, B. A. Carter and wife Bettie A. Carter to Benjamin Gurley of Mecklenburg County for $250.00 on the waters of the North Branch of Jacobs Creek adjoining B. A. Carter, Sarah Mauldin, and John Cox. Registered 22 Sept. 1885.
Book 17 Page 436 B. A. Carter and wife to Martha J Rummage Feb. 18, 1888
B. A and Bettie Carter to M. J Rummage for $50, land on Jacob's Creek adjoining R. Anderson, B. A. Carter, B. F. Gurley and others.
And then in the course of 4 years, a major rift and change occured
Book 24 Page 600 23 May 1892
Between Bettie S. Rummage, Mattie J Rummage and B. A. Carter for $150 to L. O. Rummage (son of Bettie Rummage Carter). 'North fork of Jacob's Creek, beginning at Martha Rummage's corner east with Ben Gurley's line, John Cox's corner, R. Anderson's line, 45 acres more or less, known as part of David Rummage's line.'
Bettie has dropped the Carter from the end of her name and returned to being a Rummage, and apparently, or possibly, moved back in with her sister Martha Jane or "Mattie". L. O. Rummage was Bettie's son.
| Name: | Balaam A Carter [Balaam Carter] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: | 68 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | May 1832 | ||||||||||||
| Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Home in 1900: | Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Race: | White | ||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | ||||||||||||
| Relation to Head of House: | Head | ||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Widowed | ||||||||||||
| Father's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Mother's Birthplace: | North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| Occupation: | View on Image | ||||||||||||
| Neighbors: | View others on page | ||||||||||||
| Household Members: |
|
Book 30 Page 262 B. A. Carter to L. O. Rummage Nov. 19, 1903
W. E. Whitleys line, Jacob's Creek 35 4/10 acres, adjoinin Tom Cole's line.
Book 31 Page 480 B A Carter to W. B. Talbert April 18, 1905
...from a stake in Jacob's creek, W. E. Whitley's line, Justice Efirds corner, 82 1/2 acres.
(William Brantley Talbert was the son of William H. H. Talbert who married Martha J. Rummage. He and B. A. Carter would have been brother-in-laws at one point).
Book 37 Page 63, Dec 3 1906 B. A. Carter to William Parker, Albemarle Township.
Book 37 Page 280 Indenture 7 Dec 1909 Will and Lucy Ann Parker + Hampton Talbert
located in South Albemarle known as part of the B. A. Carter home tract place, formerly W. H. Talberts adjoining lands of W. H. Talbert, B. A. Carter and others. See deed B. A. Carter to Will Parker dated 6 Dec. 1906 signed by B. A. Carter.
Neither B. A. Carter, Ann Eliza or John F. Russell appear in the 1910 census.
And another mystery involving B. A. Carter involves his stepson. Lonnie Oscar Rummage.
Lonnie Oscar Rummage was married twice, first to Mary Ann "Molly" Talbert on September 13, 1885. She was the daughter of Josiah Pinkney Talbert and Sarah C. Melchor Talbert. Secondly to Talitha Cumi Whitley, daugther of Lloyd Hathcock Whitley and Sarah Susanna Hinson Whitley, on January 7, 1906.
She would also marry Hosea Alexander Simpson prior to the death of Lonnie O. Rummage and have another son, in addition to the four she had with Lonnie, including one who died as an infant.
Another researcher logged a marriage between Mary Ann "Molly" Talbert and a "Balium Carter". Who could "Balium" be, but Balaam A. Carter. No other local Carter came close to sharing his name. The closest being the well-documented Rev. Baldwin Henderson "Baldy" Carter who married Minty Holt.
The case of Balaam Absalom Carter is far from solved. His marriage to Elizabeth "Bettie" A. Rummage was intact from 1879 to at least 1888. By 1892, she had returned to using the name "Rummage". Bettie was buried under the name "Bettie Ann Carter", however. She died on December 2, 1899 and is buried at Anderson Grove Church right outside of Albemarle, North Carolina, her final resting place marked with a slab rock. Balaam Carter's obituary also noted that he was buried at Anderson Grove, but his marker is not to be found.
Balaam Carter died in 1910, but did not appear in the census for that year. His obituary is below.
The Enterprise
(Albemarle, North Carolina)17 February 1910 • Page 3
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