Marcus Princeton Carter

I first made mention of Marcus P Carter in my post "The Letters of Henry H. Melton".  Marcus Carter and Henry Melton were apparently friends. Henry had made it a point to write to Marcus when he was away at war and  also to have Marcus watch after his family when he was away. Henry did not make it back home.  Marcus would purchase the land that Henry lived on from the executor of his estate, Parham Kirk. They were obviously already neighbors, according to the letters. The questions arise of how Marcus P. Carter was related to the other Carters in the area, if at all. His daughter Sarah, would grow up to marry John A. Russell, son of James Roberson Melton and Temperance Russell, all who resided in the small town of Albemarle, North Carolina during its early years. Still out there is the determination of how James R Melton ties in to the other Meltons, he definately is related, due to close dealings with them, but just exactly how? And also to the origins of Tempie Russell, and how both James and Tempie were closely associated with the founding family of Albemarle, the Hearnes. 

The Letters of Henry H. Melton

In census records, Marcus and his young family first shows up in Montgomery County, living near several Tolbert families. A Whitson Tolbert is next door. 

Marcus Carter
Age:	26
Birth Year:	abt 1824
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1850:	Montgomery, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	798
Household Members:	Name Age Marcus Carter 26 Nancy Carter 28 Francis C Carter 9 Kinchen Carter 4 Sarah A E Carter 2

His oldest three children have been born, his wife is two years older than he. Francis Caroline, at age 9, declares her parents 17 and 19 at her birth. Marcus's profession is simply given as "Laborer". Perhaps he worked for the Tolberts.

In the 1860 census, Marcus and his family were enumerated 3 times. In each one, they had different neighbors. Many families were left out, The Carters were well accounted for. 

Name:	Marcus P Carter
Age in 1860:	40
Birth Year:	abt 1820
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Marcus P Carter 40 Mancy Carter 45 Frances Carter 18 Kinchen Carter 14 Sarah Carter 12 Lundey C Carter 10 Lucy J Carter 8

This 1860 version has  Lucy as the youngest child.  This one was taken on August 1, 1860, by J. McCorkle, and lists him in the area of the Albemarle Post Office with several Millers as neighbors. His occupation is 'Farmer'. 

Name:	Marcus Carter
Age in 1860:	39
Birth Year:	abt 1821
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Marcus Carter 39 Nancy Carter 37 Fanny Carter 16 Lunda Carter 14 Kinchen Carter 12 Lucy Carter 10 Julia Carter 8 John Carter 5

On this one, two children younger than Lucy, a Julia and a John is listed. Lunda's shown as older than Kinchen. This version gives Marcus's age as 39 and Nancy's as 37, and his profession as a shinglemaker. The Post Office was still Albemarle, and the census taker was the same, except this one was a bit earlier, on June 30th. Perhaps Mr. McCorkle did not realized he had already enumerated this family. Sarah has been left out. His neighbors were all Thompsons, Ben, John, William and George. Which makes sense, as the location of the Thompson cemetery is not far from that of the Carter Cemetery. 

Name:	Marcas Carter
Age in 1860:	36
Birth Year:	abt 1824
Home in 1860:	Stanly, North Carolina
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Albemarle
Value of real estate:	View Image
Household Members:	Name Age Marcas Carter 36 Nancy Carter 35 Frances Carter 18 Kenchie Carter 13 Sarah Carter 9 Lundy Carter 7 Caroline Carter 5

In this last one, at an even earlier date, June 22, Marcus is younger still, as is his wife. Frances is Frances again, instead of Fanny, but Kinchen has become "Kenchie", which may have been his nickname. Sarah and Lundy are there, in the correct order, but there is no 8 year old Julia or 5 year old John. Instead, there is a 5 year old Caroline. Same Mr. McCorkle doing the counting and the post office is in Albemarle. 

His neighbors in the last one are given as J.M McLester, Parham Smith, J M Bivens, Guilford Harris, and Clementine Melton, with her younger sons Atlas and Preston. Her husband, Joseph Melton and older son Green J. Melton are missing from this census. I've wondered where they were and what they were doing.

Name:	Marcus Carter
Age in 1870:	50
Birth Year:	abt 1820
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:	Name Age Marcus Carter 50 Nancy Carter 40 Lucy Carter 16

By 1870, Fanny and Sarah are married, leaving only Lucy at home. The other children have died. Marcus and family are still in the area of the Albemarle Post Office. Their neighbors being Frank Melton, with wife Martha and daughter Fannie, Martha Melton, widow of his friend Henry H Melton, several Forrests and the Green Ross family and David Rummage family. Marcus is just a family. 

The last census Marcus Princeton Carter will appear in is the 1880. He is by then an old man, Lucy is still at home and he and Nancy have gotten custody of the living children of daughter Fannie, James Thomas Shepherd and his sister Lundy Cornelia Shepherd. 

Land records show that his lands were split in 6 shares. I know that John Russel and wife Sarah Carter Russel were one share and daughter Lucy. J. Carter Kearns recieved another share, while Tom and Nealie Shepherd, children of Fannie were two other shares. 

Site of Marcus P Carter's Property and Grave

Marcus Carter and members of his family are buried near the area called "Green Top" in Stanly County, east of Albemarle, not far from the Swift Island bridge across the Yadkin-Pee Dee River. There are 6 marked graves and 4 not legible. Perhaps the 4 are the mysterious children, "Julia, Caroline and John" and one other who did not make a census. The markers read:

Nancy Ann Carter wife of Marcus Carter age 96

Marcus P Carter born Nov 4, 1820 and died Nov 15th 1880 age 60 Y 11 D

William W Shepherd born Sept. 18, 1873 Age 2 M 17 D

Francis C. Shepherd was born Dec. 20 1842 and died Sept 23, 1873 Age 30Y 1m 3D

Kinchin Carter  Born May the 22, 1845 and died July 13, 1865 Age 20 Y 1 M 21D

Lundy C Carter Born Dec 16 the 1850 and died July 24, 1865 Age 14 Y 9 M 8 D

The proximity of the dates of the death of Kinchin and Lundy lead me to believe they may have died from a contagious disease. 

Kinchin Carter was 20 years old at his death. He was the right age to have been drafted into the Civil War, however, there are no records that he enlisted or was conscripted. I looked into records concerning health, mental status or dependency in Stanly County and found nothing that would give a reason that he was not a soldier.  That does not mean he did or did not have a mental or physical handicap that may have precluded him from serving. Finding tales of men literally forced and blackmailed into joining the army, it is hard to see how he just missed it, was overlooked, or just chose not to serve. 

The toddler, William W Shepherd was no doubt the son of Fannie Carter and husband William Edmond Deberry Shepherd. His father was named William Wilson Shepherd, and likely, the baby William's name was William Wilson also. 

The following is the family tree downward of Marcus Princeton Carter and his wife, Nancy Ann Marks Carter. Unknown is his family tree from himself upward. Was he a member of the Carter family that here existed, a descendant of the esteemed Revolutionary War soldier, Samuel Carter? Or did he migrate from somewhere else? Perhaps someone will find the name of Marcus in a record that gives a hint toward this information. 

He named his only son Kinchen. There was an old citizen in the county called Kinchen Pennington. A Carter daughter married Nelson Pennington, a son of Kinchen. Could there have been an overlooked daughter of Kinchen Pennington who married a Carter, perhaps even a first wife of a well-recorded Carter?

Marcus Princeton Carter b 7 Nov 1820 in North Carolina d 15 Nov 1880 near Albemarle, Stanly County, NC. 

Wife, Nancy Ann Marks, born about 1817 to 1822. Died in Stanly County.

I. Francis C. (Fannie) Carter, born 20 Nov 1843 married on 24 Dec 1868 in Richmond County to Willima Edmund (or Edwin) Deberry Shepherd (sometimes seen as Sheppard), son of William Wilson and Emeline Shepherd. 

Name:	Edwin Shepherd
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name:	Fannie Carter
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date:	24 Dec 1868
Event Place:	Richmond, North Carolina

She was the mother of 3 children: James Thomas (Tom) Shepherd, Lundy Cornelia "Nealie" Shepherd Mauldin Dawkins, and William W (probably Wilson) Shepherd. 

Fannie Carter Mother Nort Fannie Carter Mother North Carolina, Deaths, 1931-1994 spouse: Edwin Shephard child: Nealie Dawkins h Carolina, Deaths, 1931-1994

spouse: William Edmund Shepherd child: James Thomas Shepherd other: Lucy Rosa Morton

II. Kinchen Carter, born 22 May 1845, died 13 July 1865

III Sarah A. E. (Sallie) Carter born 18 April 1848 died 9 May 1917. 

     Married 1 Nov 1874 to John A. Russell, son of James R. Melton and Tempie Russell

IV Lucy J Carter, born 7 May 1854  died 23 Feb 1918

Lucy J. Carter North Carolina, Marriages, 1759-1979

birth: 1853 marriage: 1 November 1883 Albemarle, Albermarle Township, Stanly, North Carolina

father: Marcus Carter mother: Nancy Carter spouse: William Kearns other: Hubbard Kearns, Nancy Kearns

Other possible children: Laura (1852), John (1855) and Carolina (1855). These may have died as small children and could account for the unmarked, unreadable stones in the family cemetery.

So where did Marcus P Carter live before his appearance in the 1850 census? Were he and Nancy married in Montgomery County? Who were Nancy Ann Marks Carters parents? Why was this family not polled for the war effort? What saved Kinchen, at least from going? Was there a epidemic about in 1865 that took the lives of both Lundy and Kinchen that summer?

These are questions there may never be an answer to, now that Tom Shepherd and his sister Nealie, both who lived with their grandparents for awhile, have passed.

Ledgers and Meltons and related families

In Stanly County, we are fortunate that we have had several store ledgers and even a physcians records from prior to the Civil War digitized and available online. Our local museum is not just a showcase for displays, but an archive of all things historic locally, with a fantastic staff that have worked diligently to preserve, transcribe, and make available, all this information for our research and perusing.

These items can tell us more about an individual or a family than you would think. Not just what they purchased, what medicines they took, or what the cost of things were back then, but other important things genealogically.

These records have names in them that are not listed anywhere else. Some of them of from the 'days of the dashes', where, if you were not a head of a household, your name is not listed.

I've found:
- the names of sons who came of age between censuses and either died or migrated.
-the names of wives who didn't make it to 1850, where they would be listed.
-entries where people of the same surname came in on the same day. This does not prove a relation, but certainly suggests it.
-Proof that certain individuals were still in the area on a certain date, which narrows the window of their time of migration.
-medicines they bought which may indicate an illness they had.
-certain signs of character.
-and some named relationships "son of", "widow of", "with father" and the like.

These books are a treasure.

Below are some examples:

This entry in Daniel Freeman's Ledger from Lawrenceville, Montgomery County, North Carolina, is the only record of a "Weaver" being in the vicinity in the years 1833 to 1837. Lawrenceville was one of the several county seats when Montgomery and Stanly County was one. It was on the east side of the PeeDee and not too incredibly far from the Swift Island area. The families that lived on the Stanly County side of the Swift Island ferry seemed to visit the store at the same time. Perhaps they did this purposely and shared a ferry ride.  Weaver becomes important in the Melton/Milton research later.

This entry shows Bennett Solomon still in the area in Dec. of 1833. This was probably Bennett Jr. who migrated to Tennesee. Bennett Solomon senior was a minister and married Ava McGregor, daughter of the Rev. William McGregor of the "Mouth of the Uwharrie" Baptist Church. Ava McGregor Solomon is listed as a widow in Warren County, Tennesee. Most of the Solomon family migrated to any of several counties in Tennesse, Warren and Grainger among them.

This entry list David Christians purchase of suspenders, Bennett Solomon's purchase of sugar and coffee and George Hearne's purchase of the same for his son. Below him is Elbert Hearne, whom I've not seen mentioned in any Stanly or Montgomery County census record. In 1850, there is one in Chatham County, aged 12, living in the household of John G. Hearne, most likely a son, as the list of children is by age.

This May 1834 entry for Bennett Solomon also includes a charge for goods he is picking up for James Thompson.

In this entry, Charlotte Melton is buying homespun, a type of cloth, along with the ever popular coffee and sugar. Married women usually did not make purchases, their husbands did that for them. Most of the women who showed up were single or widowed. There were exceptions. Charlotte Melton was not married.

Henry Solomon makes an appearance in the ledger. This Henry is one of those who migrates to Tennesee. He is shopping on the same day as Benjamin Marks. That is important. This entry follows the Bennett Solomon one on the previous page.

Here Polly Melton pays cash on her account and buys a hat. Polly was a very frequent visitor to the store, sometimes multiple times a month. She purchased staples, but also a great deal of finery and medicines.

 John Hogan Lilly is on the same page as William B Melton. John Hogan Lilly married Frances Melton, daughter of John Melton, Sr.  William Melton bought silk, which may indicate a wife. Or perhaps he was making the purchase for a mother or sister. He never shows up in a census as Head of Household. He had to have been counted pre-1850 as a member of someone else's household. He either died or migrated before 1850. I am looking to see if I can find a William that could be him in some of the known places other members of the Melton's and connected families migrated to. He is not to be confused with William Jones Melton, son of John Sr., who did migrate to Tennesee. William J Melton would have been a child at this point in time. William B. is clearlly a different person.

John Melton Jr. on the same day as James Boysworth and Joab C. Bird. John Jr. married Nancy Boysworth and James was his brother-in-law. Joab C Bird did migrate and I've spoken to his descendants. Notice that he purchased lead in conjunction with J. Boysworth. It is likely these neighbors/relatives made the trip together. 

On this page, John Melton Sr. is listed right over his daughter, Fanny (Frances Melton) Lilly.

Apparently John Sr. and his son Henry made the trip together on this day. Henry appeared as Head of his own household by 1840, so he was one of the older sons of John Sr.

John Melton Jr. makes a purchase on the same day as John F Bird. The Bird family was one in which the Melton's had a close alliance. The Forrests, Boysworths, Solomons and Birds seem to have had a connection to the Melton's prior to their arrival in Montgomery/Stanly County. They formed close alliances to the Kirks and Hearne's after their arrival.

Here Henry Melton is listed within the account of John Melton, Sr.

Joseph Melton purchases 'spectacles'. This was probably the elder Joseph Melton.

This page from November of 1834 has four Melton's on one page, Polly, Henry, Joseph and John Jr. Polly was also seen as Mary.

Here, Mary Melton (aka Polly) purchases some camphor and other medications.

Here Charlotte Melton is referred to as "Miss", indicating that she was a single woman. She purchased calico, tuck combs and a bowl.

Here Polly Melton is also referred to as "Miss". Mary, or Polly, purchased a great deal of medicines and finery, like lace, silk, ribbon and pearl buttons. She also seemed to suffer from a number of ailments.

Here, Nancy Solomon purchases a cape, among other things.

On this page, Nancy Solomon (top order), Elizabeth Boysworth and Charlotte Melton all appear on the same page. Charlotte was a little more conservative than Polly. She mostly purchased ordinary cloth like checks, homespun and calico.

Here Polly and William B Melton made a purchase on the same day. According to what is known,  Polly and William B were not siblings. Polly was the sister of William Jones Melton. She was the oldest child  and he the youngest of John Melton, Sr.

Here Polly buys "British Oil" and "Spanish Brown". I had to look these two items up. Betton's British Oil was a liniment and Spanish Brown was an Oil Cloth, or a paint in terra cotta shades used to weathproof tarps, etc. It was derived from mixing linseed oil and iron oxide. People purchased lots of chemicals used as dyes to dye their own material.

In January of 1834, Polly purchased a set of cups and saucers, needles, side combs and a pair of women's shoes. Side combs were a popular item, they must have been easily lost. Cups and saucers were not a common purchase. . They were expensive. She must have been entertaining. Benjamin Bird also came shopping that day. He made a purchase with Calvin, most likely referring to Calvin Bird. 

Polly made a purchase on the same day as William B Christian, Eli Shad and Randall Howell. 

Here William B Melton made a purchase following Henry Melton and John Jr. on the previous page. Same date. Turner Scarborough was also a customer. Many of the Scarboroughs migrated to Tennesee about the same time as the Solomons and Jephta Melton, who fought in the War of 1812, from Montgomery County, NC. 

William B Melton buying more silk. Who was it for, I wonder?

In this entry, William Howell, part of my earlier research on the Howell's, is identified as a Post Rider. 

A big order from William B Melton. Below, William Solomon is making a purchase with Catherine Marks. 

Here, William Solomon is making a purchase for "E. Marks". 

In this one, William Solomon is making a purchase for B. Marks. 

William Solomon is my great-grandfather's grandfather. In someone else's research, I have seen his wife as "Tabitha Collins". In the census records, she is just Tabitha Solomon. In other research, she is Tabitha Marks. I have a tendency to believe that "Marks" was the correct maiden name for her, due to William Solomon's involvement with the Marks family. He was probably their son-in-law. I have found no proof, connection, or involvement with any Collins family at all. 

While ledgers like these would offer a definitive proof of nothing, they can offer many hints and clues that bring us to our own conclusions. While it is interesting to see what our ancestors purchased, it also offers a glimpse into how they lived. Groups that require proof of ancestry, would probably not allow store journal entries as proof of lineage, but for personal benefit, you can accept that someone named as a relative in the journal, was in fact a relative, or that someone referred to as "Miss" was a single, never married woman. 

Dr. Francis Kron treated these families that lived along the Yadkin/PeeDee River. I am now researching his records for mention of them. His observations are lending credence to speculations and corroborations to conjecture.