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Descendants of Levi Carter

Generation No. 4


6. HENRY JONES4 CARTER (JOHN WESLEY3, CALEB2, LEVI1)19,20 was born September 04, 1826 in Monroe County, Tennessee, and died September 06, 1906 in Hamilton County, Texas. He married MARY CAROLINE PRESTON21 May 14, 1848 in Tennessee, daughter of JOHN PRESTON and ELIZABETH RUNNELS. She was born June 11, 1830 in Tennessee, and died October 24, 1917 in Perryton, Ochiltree County, Texas21,22.

Notes for H
ENRY JONES CARTER:
      from: freepages.genealogy.rootsweb/com~gazeteer2000/b/bl_ridge/blu_sch.htm

                              "BLUE RIDGE SCHOOLS

      In 1878 a group of Blue Ridge citizens met at the home of Marion Andrew Whittenton to organize a school community. This meeting was attended by Henry Jones Cater, J.F. Bullard, George Knoll, Robert Richey, Thomas Wesley, Russell Ficus, Levi Angel, James Monroe Chamblisss, Able Koen, and John Hannah Brown.
      Funds were raised to build a school house. It was decided at this meeting to name the new school Blue Ridge and John Hannah Brown offered a lot for the school. John Brown's offer was rejected because it did not have a water source. Henry Jones Carter gave a lot where a well could be dug. Lumber was hauled from Waco in 1878 and the one-room building was erected by volunteers during the summer of 1879.
      Levi Angel was employed on 26 September, 1879, as the first teacher when Henry Jones Carter, M.A. Whittington, and J.F. Bullard were trustees. Among the first students to attend this school were Silas Allen, Mrs. Ambler Willis, and Mrs. J.G. Northcutt. At one time the Blue Ridge School had over one hundred pupils with only one teacher. Some older students assisted the teacher by "hearing the lessons" of younger students. Other early teachers included Capt. Alfred Hayne Watson, a Mr. Thomas, R.P. Edgar, Joseph Hardy "Joe" Dixon, T.A. Putnam, H.A. Allen, T. B. Cooper and Miss Lizzie Patterson. Una Toland Brown taught school at Blue Ridge for two years before she attended college in Denton and before she married Vance Brown.
      Later teachers included Martha Kirkland "Mattie" Boyd (who later became Mrs. John Milner), Herman and Sammie Gault Walton, William Jennings Harris, Dessie Baize Griggs, a Miss Patterson, A Mrs. Anderson, Wilma Faye Henderson (who later married Newton Parrish), Leone Riley (who later married Joe Poston), Pearl Moore, Mrs. Geneva Sills Allen, and Len Dalton. Kathryn Baker was principal at Blue Ridge during World War 1."

from: "History of Texas . . . Central Texas," Published in 1896 by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago. This was sent to me (Kathy Beaudry) by Carolyn Carter Schiewe, in July, 2002, and is a verbatim account of the biographical sketch, with some clarifications in parentheses added by me.

      "Henry Jones Carter, a pioneer of Texas, is one of the largest landowners of Hamilton county, where he is actively and prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits. The flourishing condition of this county, with its splendid farms, many comfortable dwellings, fine churches and substantial school buildings, is a monument to the perseverance and labors of the brave men who, like our subject, patiently endured the trials of a pioneer life that they might develop the wonderful and varied resources of this region, and make for themselves and their children a pleasant home in this fruitful and goodly land.
      "He was born in Monroe county, east Tennessee, September 4, 1826, but in 1839 was taken by his parents, Wesley and Sophia (Hill) Carter, to McNairy County, in the western part of the state. The father's birth occurred in Virginia in 1800, and in Greene County, Tennessee, he married Miss Hill, who was born in North Carolina, in 1802. They became the parents of eight children: Renie, Phoebe Jane, Henry J., James A., Drusilla, Lucinda, John W. and Margaret. The mother died in 1858, and during the civil war the father went to Missouri, since which time nothing has been heard of him. His father (meaning Wesley Carter's father), Caleb Carter, was also a native of the Old Dominion (a nickname for the state of Virginia), and married Miss Williams, by whom he had three children: Wesley; Nathaniel, the author of Carter's spelling-book; and Mrs. John Frazier. For his second wife the grandfather wedded Miss Templeton, and to them were born several children. Pleasant Hill, the maternal grandfather of our subject, married Sally Riptoe, and they had a number of children, among whom were Alfred, Pleasant, Jasper, Burton, Polly and Sophia.
      "On reaching man's estate, Henry J. Carter was married, May 14, 1848, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary Caroline Preston, who was born in Tennessee, in June, 1830, and is the daughter of Jack Preston. Eleven children blessed this union: James Wesley, John Quincy, Joseph Henry, Sarah Jane, Mary Gussie (born Mary Augusta), Frances Harriet, deceased, George Raymond, Alexander Lee, deceased, Francis Marion, deceased, Alfred Lafayette and David Mitchell.
      "With his wife, Mr. Carter left Tennessee, March, 1849, for Texas, going by water to New Orleans, then up the Red river, landing at Shreveport, Louisiana, thence by land to Harrison County, Texas, thence they went to Smith county, where he rented land until 1856. On the 15th of September of that year he became the first settler on Cowhouse creek, in what is now Hamilton County, their nearest neighbor being his brother, James A., who lived seven miles distant, at what is now Evant. At about twelve miles distant resided James Rice and Henry C. Standefer, the first settlers on Leon river in Hamilton County, who were considered neighbors. For sixteen year (for which he received nothing but two percussion caps), Mr. Carter engaged in skirmishes with the Indians, being in the fight at Dove creek, where twenty-seven white men were killed and seventeen wounded. This campaign was one of the most severe and last for thirty days, during which time men not used to cold weather spent a large portion of the time wading in snow several feet deep. The settlers were also reduced to dire extremities for want of food during this service.
      "On the Cowhouse, Mr. Carter preempted one hundred and sixty acres of land in 1873, and during those trying early days lost $500 in the cattle business, which proved a sad misfortune at that time. However, to-day his is the owner of thirty-four hundred acres in Hamilton county, five hundred of which are under a high state of cultivation and well improved, his property being valued at one hundred thousand dollars (in 1896), all accumulated through his own individual efforts. He comes of a most highly respected family, and he is a credit to the worthy family name he bears. That he has made his career a grand success is due to his untiring energy, affability, integrity and judicious conduct as a business man. He always supported the Democratic party until lately, now voting independently of party ties. In religious relations he is a member of the Christian church."


from an unnamed newspaper story on the history of Texas, this article was sent to me (Kathy Beaudry) in July, 2002, by Carolyn Carter Schiewe:

                  "EARLY SETTLERS WERE RELIGIOUS     
                        by Dona Kauitzsch

      "From the very earliest settlers the people never forgot or neglected the religious side of their lives.
      "The Carters, who first settled in this section, were devout members of the 'Christian Church.' Whenever it was possible they had a minister to come and hold a meeting.
      "When the Methodists, Baptists, and Primitive Baptists moved in, they all attended one another's services. Every preacher was welcome to preach in any frontier school house, there were no rural churches in those days of Hamilton County.
      "This story, told by Mrs. Emma Arnett of Hamilton, happened almost 80 years ago.
      "Her great uncle, Henry Carter, lived on and owned the Stribling place. He had not yet built the large house but he was still living in in a large log cabin. The Blue Ridge school house had been built, and the minister had come to hold a meeting. He insisted that they observe Christmas with a Christmas Tree at the school house. They were to get someone to explain to the crowd just what Christmas really meant and how they should observe it. The Christmas tree was decided, then came the question, "Who on earth could make that talk?" It was finally decided to ask Mr. Carter's nephew, William Ballard, who lived just across the Cowhouse from the Carter Mill. Ballard was a Methodist and he could pray the best prayers, and make the best talks in the county. Ballard accepted the responsibility. He and his family went in a wagon to the Carter home early Christmas eve morning, as they had asked his wife, Annie, to help with the tree decorating.
      "The eldest Ballard child (Mrs. Arnett) was quite a small girl. She was frightened when they were greeted by Carter's seven sons. She had never seen so many big, tall boys together and she was afraid.
      "They boys sat on seats that had been made by sawing curved logs into lengths - that were set on uprights - the proper heights. Little Emma would have nothing to do with the boys, no matter how hard they coaxed. Until something very interesting happened. They brought in a wash tub and some pop corn. With a covered, long handled, iron skillet they began popping corn over the fire in the open fire place. They never stopped until they had the big 'wash-tub' heaping full, only then would Emma 'make friends' with her mother's cousins.
      "Soon women and their children came to the Carter place. They had their precious needles, thimbles, and many long threads that they had spun very fine, and twisted tightly for strength. The group began stringing pop-corn, yards and yards of it, they took a bag of blueing (used in laundering) and made a pan of strong solution of it, this they dipped a part of their corn string into and they came out a beautiful light blue. Then they decided that they must have some aniline to make red dye (exactly what they needed). Annie Ballard had some, that her father had brought her from Galveston; but it was 12 miles away. The men had gone to "the breaks" for a tree. Must they send a boy that far alone? What if the Indians should come? What if his horse stumbled and left him helpless with a broken leg?
      "No, this they would do, pioneer style "the best they could, with what they had."
      "That night when they went to the school house, never had the children seen anything so beautiful. The large cedar tree reached from floor to ceiling. It was draped with blue and white ropes of pop corn.
      "The present were not wrapped, but were stacked at the foot of the tree and hung all over it, unwrapped, by hand spun threads. There were rag dolls and other stuffed toys; guns and pistols that had been whittled from lumber, dresses, shirts, shoes, stockings, and many other handmade things. Each child got a bag of nuts (from the river) and home made candy. The seven Carter boys got a beautiful 'jackknife apiece." These had been brought from Galveston the autumn before and they had been hidden in an iron pot that had been buried under the dirt floor of the cabins. Wax candles, home molded, had been placed in a circle around the tree and grease lamps and lanterns hung on the wall behind it. Every thing was very beautiful.
      After "Cousin William" had told them the lovely story about the Christ child, the older ones bowed for prayers. (Not the youngsters, they could not take their eyes off of the glamorous tree.)
      "Soon the little girls were mothering a rag doll and little boys were aiming wooden guns.
      "How would the children of this generation like toys like that for Christmas. They would be insulted, of course." (end of newspaper article)

      BLUE RIDGE SETTLERS

EARLY SETTLERS
Joseph Henry Carter arrived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Jones Carter, in Hamilton County from Tennessee on 15 September,
1856, and became the first settlers on the Cowhouse Creek. Indian
raids caused Mr. Carter to leave his family in the new town of
Hamilton, while he and the older boys lived in a log cabin at Blue
Ridge. With oxen they sodded the largest farm in Hamilton County
because Mr. Carter had acquired more than a league of land. A double
log house was built and as soon as conditions were deemed safe all
of the family moved to the farm, and helped to organize and to built
the Blue Ridge School. In 1872 Henry Carter built a large two-story
house at Blue Ridge, hauling lumber from Waco on ox-drawn wagons. In
October, 1907, this house was sold to Thomas Edwin Stribling and his
wife Martha Mariah "Mattie" Kirkland Stribling. This house, which
burned in 1977, was later known as the Jack Stribling house. I
retrieved from the ashes some of the square nails which held this
house together.

In the mid 1870's many early settlers built small houses on public
school land at Blue Ridge with the hope that land would be placed on
the market at affordable prices. In 1876 public school land at Blue
Ridge was sold at prices from 25 cents to $2.50 an acre.
Other pioneers began settling at Blue Ridge in the 1870's. Marion
Andrew Whittenton and his wife Mary Elizabeth Bullard Whittenton
arrived at Blue Ridge on December 23, 1871, and camped by a spring
and lived in their covered wagon and a dugout until a house could be
built. In 1876 Marion Andrew Whittenton donated land to establish a
public cemetery--the Whittenton Cemetery at Blue Ridge. Mr.
Whittenton made splints, set bones and made caskets for neighbors.
Mr. Whittenton helped establish the first school at Blue Ridge and
was one of the first trustees. Mrs. Whittenton’s sister, Miralda and
her husband Tom Wesley arrived at Blue Ridge shortly after the
Whittentons.

George Knoll met Nancy Ann Ruth Koen at a singing in the home of a
friend at Blue Ridge and they were married 21 December, 1876. George
Knoll helped establish schools, churches, and post offices at both
Blue Ridge and Aleman where they later lived. The Koens came to
Hamilton County in 1876 with their sister Ozilee Pierson and family.
On July 20, 1880, A. P. Koen married Eunice Ann West
and Lizzie Bullard came to Blue Ridge from Brundedge, AL. They were
joined in 1877 by William Hilliard Bullard and his mother Amanda M.
Spence (Bullard) Davis and younger siblings Sara "Babe" and Alfred
Davis. The trip from AL to Waco was by train. From Waco to Blue
Ridge two longhorn steers pulled their wagon over snow-covered
trails. William Hilliard Bullard returned to AL for his wife, Cora
Allen Bullard, and their baby son John

James Lemuel Grisham, Sr. with his wife Margaret Amanda (Jones)
Grisham arrived at Blue Ridge from Fannin County, TX before July,
1880, with four young children--William Richard, James Lemuel "Lem"
Jr., Ida Rose Anna, and Charles Ephraim. James Lemuel and Margaret
Amanda Grisham were charter members of the Blue Ridge Baptist Church
of Christ. For many years they made semi-annual trade trips to
Lampasas in their ox drawn wagon to buy staples. The trip took days
of travel each way.

William Henry Jarius "Billy" Fergusson and his wife, Sarah Alexander
"Sallie" (Adcock) Fergusson moved from Bell County, TX, to a
Cowhouse farm of John Dillard Hunt in 1890 with their
children--Robert Jeff, Charles Johnson, Callie Mae, Luther Guy and
Maggie Roberta.

In October, 1907, Thomas Edwin Stribling purchased the Henry Jones
Carter farm and two-story house. He and his family arrived in
Hamilton County from Coryell County, TX on 31 October and 1
November, 1907. His family included his wife, Martha Mariah "Mattie"
(Kirkland) Stribling and their children, Anna Jane Stribling, Amanda
Elizabeth "Mandy" (Stribling) Crain, William Joseph "Joe", John
Thaddeus "Jack", Neil Augustus, and Eugene Perry "Pet." Also moving
were Mandy’s husband, James Wesley "Jim" Crain and their children--
James Edwin, Robert Verne, Ruby Pearl, and Lura Bernice; and Joe’s
wife, Lillian "Lilly" Dooley Stribling and their children--Willie
Eunice, Jessie Laura, and Thomas Edgar.

In 1928 Verge (Claudie Virgus) Grisham built a store/filling station
with an attached rock ice house. A feed mill was added. The
store/filling station which had attached living quarters was later
operated by Elmo and Mildred (Williams) Newsom, Bill and Lorene
(Williams) Jones, and Elzie and Mildred (Raibourn) Kemp. The REA
brought electricity to Blue Ridge in 1939.


More About H
ENRY JONES CARTER:
Burial: Unknown, Graves-Gentry Cemetery, Hamilton County, Texas

Notes for M
ARY CAROLINE PRESTON:
      The 1910 census for Ochiltree County, Texas lists Mary as living with her son Fayette Carter and his family, in which place she was still living at the time of her death. She had divorced her husband, Henry Jones Carter, in 1896.

from "The Hamilton Herald-News, The Hamilton Rustler," Hamilton, Texas:

                  "THE PASSING OF MRS. MARY C. CARTER

      Pioneer Woman of Hamilton County Dies in Ochiltree Brought Back to Old Home For Burial.

      Mrs. Mary C. Carter died at the home of her son, Fayette Carter in Ochiltree County, last Wednesday, October 24, at 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon.      She had been ill only a short time, just a gentle going to sleep because the night time of life had come, and she was weary with its problems, its sorrows and even its joys. The shadows had grown long, the Beacon Light on the other shore sent out its rays to brighten the track of the waters for the one whose eyes had grown dim to the things that lay along the pathway here, and she laid down the burden of her years and passed over.
      Deceased was born in Tennessee in the year of 1830, being at her death 87 years of age. She was married in Tennessee to H. J. Carter in 1848. Together they came to Texas in 1849, settling in Smith County. In 1854 they moved to Hamilton County, settling in the fertile valley of the Cowhouse, the estate becoming baronial in extent and wealth. To their union was born eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, only one of whom, Mrs. Gussie Livingston of the Farnash community resides in this county. She made her home with her son, Fayette Carter who with his family and his mother moved to Ochiltree county in 1912. Thus it was for more than half century she lived in Hamilton county, in the early days battling with and subduing hardships and trials of Pioneer life, a life which robbed womanhood of that protection and tender care which the chivalry of more advanced civilization accords it, yet she was a woman pure and true, a Christian, and exemplary in every relation of life.
      By her request the body accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Fayette Carter, was brought back to the old family home where a granddaughter of Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Stribling, resides. From there the funeral cortege came to Hamilton Sunday afternoon, burial taking place in the old Hamilton cemetery at 3:30 o'clock. Rev. J. Hall Bowman, pastor of the Methodist church conducting the funeral service. Mrs. Carter had been a consistent member of the Methodist church since a young girl.
      Many friends in Hamilton as well as from over the county were gathered at the grave to pay a last tribute of love and respect to this "Mother in Israel" who had gone to her reward. The sympathy of all goes out to the griefstricken loved ones, but they seek not in vain for comfort, for every promise of the scriptures in vouchsafed to them for consolation.
      "There's no regret or worry where she is,
      No look back, no pain no grief to bear;
      No farewell kisses, no last touch of bliss.
      No loneliness, no missing, not a tear."

      This obituary appeared in the newspaper on November 1, 1917; date of death was October 24, 1917.
     

More About M
ARY CAROLINE PRESTON:
Burial: October 28, 1917, Old Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Texas23

More About H
ENRY CARTER and MARY PRESTON:
Divorce: May 1896, Hamilton County, Texas
Marriage: May 14, 1848, Tennessee
     
Children of H
ENRY CARTER and MARY PRESTON are:
11. i.   JAMES WESLEY5 CARTER, b. April 22, 1850, Smith County, Texas; d. March 10, 1912, Hamlin, Jones County, Texas.
12. ii.   JOHN QUINCY CARTER, b. July 11, 1851, Smith County, Texas; d. February 18, 1934, Woodlake, Tulare County, California.
  iii.   SARAH JANE CARTER24, b. July 20, 1854, Smith County, Texas; d. Unknown.
  iv.   JOSEPH HENRY CARTER24, b. February 18, 1855, Smith County, Texas; d. Unknown.
13. v.   MARY AUGUSTA CARTER, b. February 15, 1856, Smith County, Texas; d. February 08, 1933, Hamilton, Hamilton County, Texas.
  vi.   FRANCES HARRIET CARTER24, b. December 14, 1858; d. Unknown.
  Notes for FRANCES HARRIET CARTER:
      In the 1870 census for Hamilton County, Texas, Frances is listed as "Fanny."

  vii.   GEORGE RAYMOND CARTER24, b. July 16, 1860; d. Unknown.
  viii.   ALEXANDER LEE CARTER24, b. October 31, 1862; d. Unknown.
  Notes for ALEXANDER LEE CARTER:
      In the 1870 census for Hamilton County, Texas, Alexander is listed as "Lee."

  ix.   FRANCES MARION CARTER24, b. August 09, 1865; d. Unknown.
14. x.   ALFRED LAFAYETTE "FAYETTE" CARTER, b. March 02, 1867, Live Oak, Hamilton County, Texas; d. March 1932, Lampasas County, Texas.
  xi.   DAVID MITCHELL CARTER, b. May 10, 1869; d. Unknown.


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