Carter
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Carter Genealogy
Carter, an occupational name for a transporter of goods, derived from the Middle English carte and from the Anglo-Norman carretier and cartier. Supporting the Norman origin of the name would be the present-day French surname Cartier.
England. The earliest references to the use of Carter as a surname are in the south of England, in Sussex and Essex in the 13th century. Carters also came from an early time from Kent.
The earliest traced family, from the 1450's, is probably the Carters from Kempston in Bedfordshire. The local church has a memorial to the seven sons and ten daughters of William Carter, placed there by his wife Maria in 1605. Thomas Carter from this family embarked for America in the 1650's. One of his descendants is thought to be the former US President, Jimmy Carter. Another branch of the family moved to Yorkshire and settled in Knottingley near Pontefract. Mark Carter founded a family brewing business there in 1803. Thie business prospered and continued as an independent brewery until the 1930's. The Carter home at Lime Grove in Knottingley still stands.
There was a larger cluster of Carters in the south in Hampshire. John Carter became a successful merchant in Portsmouth in the early 1700's. His son John Carter, later knighted, was nine times mayor of Portsmouth. From this family has come Violet Bonham Carter, the matriarch of the old Liberal party, and Helena Bonham Carter, the present-day actress.
Despite these Carters from the south, the distribution of the Carter name in England suggests a northern bias. Some 20 percent of the Carters in the 1891 census were to be found in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
America. The first arrival (or near-arrival) in America was recorded in 1615 when a Carter was one of three men shipwrecked off Virginia. The earliest proper arrival was probably John Carter in 1626, from whom came a long line of descendants in Virginia. Two brothers from Hertfordshire, Thomas and John, came in the 1630's. John's son Robert, known as "King Carter," built the Shirley plantation on the James river and invested his farming profits in a merchant banking empire. He became one of America's first millionaires. Another Carter family in Virginia traces from Joseph Carter in Spotsylvania in the early 1700's.
The Carter name spread from Virginia to Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
Kindred Carter, a descendant of Thomas Carter, came to Georgia in the 1790's. Jimmy Carter is the seventh generation Carter of this family to live in Georgia. Landon Carter was a prominent early pioneer in Tennessee. He established his Landon Carter plantation on the Watauga river. The frame mansion that he built in 1775 in Elizabethton (a town named after his wife) still stands. Charles Carter was one of the first settlers in Martin's Creek. Other Carters settled in Bell and Knox counties, Kentucky.
Amon Carter, the long-time publisher of the Fort Worth Telegram Star in Texas, had Tennessee roots. During his heyday of the 1920's and 1930's, Carter personified the image of the Texas cowboy in the national mind; an uninhibited story-teller, gambler, and drinker. The well-publicized hospitality of his Shady Oak Farm was open to any major celebrity or businessman who was passing through Fort Worth.
The Carter family cut their first country music record in a makeshift studio in Tennessee in 1927. They continued recording until the 1950's and were an inspiration to a subsequent generation of country music singers. Another country singer of this era was Will Carter. He hailed from Canada.
Select Carter Miscellany
Select Carter Names
Robert or "King" Carter was one of America's first millionaires.
Violet Bonham Carter, daughter of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, was the matriarch of the British Liberal Party in the 20th century. Her granddaughter is the actress, Helena Bonham Carter.
The Carter Family were the first country music stars.
Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States.
Daniel Carter is the fly-half of the New Zealand rugby team.
Select Carters Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
Carter, an occupational name for a transporter of goods, derived from the Middle English carte and from the Anglo-Norman carretier and cartier. Supporting the Norman origin of the name would be the present-day French surname Cartier.
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Carter Resources on
The
Internet
- Carter Family History Website. Carter family history from Kent.
- The Carters of Yorkshire. Carters from Yorkshire.
- Lovelace Carter Family History. Carters from Ireland.
- Hugh Carter's Home Page. Carters in Canada.
- The Carter Society. Descendants of Carters from Virginia.
- Edmund J. Carter's Descendants. Carters from Tennessee.
- The Carter Family Fold. The Carter family website.
- Carter Surname DNA Project. Carter DNA.
England. The earliest references to the use of Carter as a surname are in the south of England, in Sussex and Essex in the 13th century. Carters also came from an early time from Kent.
The earliest traced family, from the 1450's, is probably the Carters from Kempston in Bedfordshire. The local church has a memorial to the seven sons and ten daughters of William Carter, placed there by his wife Maria in 1605. Thomas Carter from this family embarked for America in the 1650's. One of his descendants is thought to be the former US President, Jimmy Carter. Another branch of the family moved to Yorkshire and settled in Knottingley near Pontefract. Mark Carter founded a family brewing business there in 1803. Thie business prospered and continued as an independent brewery until the 1930's. The Carter home at Lime Grove in Knottingley still stands.
There was a larger cluster of Carters in the south in Hampshire. John Carter became a successful merchant in Portsmouth in the early 1700's. His son John Carter, later knighted, was nine times mayor of Portsmouth. From this family has come Violet Bonham Carter, the matriarch of the old Liberal party, and Helena Bonham Carter, the present-day actress.
Despite these Carters from the south, the distribution of the Carter name in England suggests a northern bias. Some 20 percent of the Carters in the 1891 census were to be found in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
America. The first arrival (or near-arrival) in America was recorded in 1615 when a Carter was one of three men shipwrecked off Virginia. The earliest proper arrival was probably John Carter in 1626, from whom came a long line of descendants in Virginia. Two brothers from Hertfordshire, Thomas and John, came in the 1630's. John's son Robert, known as "King Carter," built the Shirley plantation on the James river and invested his farming profits in a merchant banking empire. He became one of America's first millionaires. Another Carter family in Virginia traces from Joseph Carter in Spotsylvania in the early 1700's.
The Carter name spread from Virginia to Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.
Kindred Carter, a descendant of Thomas Carter, came to Georgia in the 1790's. Jimmy Carter is the seventh generation Carter of this family to live in Georgia. Landon Carter was a prominent early pioneer in Tennessee. He established his Landon Carter plantation on the Watauga river. The frame mansion that he built in 1775 in Elizabethton (a town named after his wife) still stands. Charles Carter was one of the first settlers in Martin's Creek. Other Carters settled in Bell and Knox counties, Kentucky.
Amon Carter, the long-time publisher of the Fort Worth Telegram Star in Texas, had Tennessee roots. During his heyday of the 1920's and 1930's, Carter personified the image of the Texas cowboy in the national mind; an uninhibited story-teller, gambler, and drinker. The well-publicized hospitality of his Shady Oak Farm was open to any major celebrity or businessman who was passing through Fort Worth.
The Carter family cut their first country music record in a makeshift studio in Tennessee in 1927. They continued recording until the 1950's and were an inspiration to a subsequent generation of country music singers. Another country singer of this era was Will Carter. He hailed from Canada.
Select Carter Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Carter Names
Robert or "King" Carter was one of America's first millionaires.
Violet Bonham Carter, daughter of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, was the matriarch of the British Liberal Party in the 20th century. Her granddaughter is the actress, Helena Bonham Carter.
The Carter Family were the first country music stars.
Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States.
Daniel Carter is the fly-half of the New Zealand rugby team.
Select Carters Today
- 124,000 in the UK (most numerous in Yorkshire)
- 109,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 53,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames