USA > Virginia > Old churches, ministers and families of Virginia, Vol. II > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
I have thus unavoidably been led, in tracing the history of this family, to speak of titles and great possessions, which are now all gone and were of little worth while had.
Let me now address a few admonitory words to those who still bear the name, or in whose veins the blood of their ancestors con- tinues to flow, and many of whom are still to be found in our State and land. I have adduced some interesting proofs of the Protest- ant, evangelical piety in a number of your ancestors. Show your estimate of a respectable ancestry, by faithfully copying their excellencies. Say not that you have Abraham for your father, said our Lord, for God is able to raise up children unto Abraham out of the stones of the earth. He bids them to do the works of Abra- ham in order to receive his favour. Your ancestry may, and will be, only a shame to you, except you copy what is worthy of imita- tion in their character and conduct. I especially ask your atten- tion to one fact in the preceding account. In a few generations, as I have stated, three of your ancestors have chosen the sacred ministry as their profession, in preference to the army, the navy, or any other pursuit. Doubtless many others of their wide-spread relations have done the same. I counsel you, as you would regain far more than lost titles and lands, that you covet from the Lord in
110
OLD CHURCHES, MINISTERS, AND
behalf of your sons the highest of all honours,-the privilege of seeking lost souls, and turning sinners to righteousness : then will they shine, not on the page of earthly history, but as "stars in the kingdom of God forever."
SKETCH OF THE CARTER FAMILY.
This may with propriety follow that of the Fairfaxes, as Mr. Robert Carter-called King Carter-was for a long time the agent and representative of the Culpepper and Fairfax families, and as his representatives have been so numerous and respectable in the Northern Neck.
The first of the family, so far as is known, settled in Upper Norfolk, now Nansemond county, and was a member of the House of Burgesses in 1649. In the year 1654, we find him a Burgess from Lancaster county, and Commander-in-chief of the forces sent against the Rappahannock Indians. He continued to be a member of the House of Burgesses for some years. Both himself and his eldest son John appear on the vestry-book as members of the vestry in the year 1666, the father having been acting in that capacity before,-how long not known. The father, who died in 1669, had previously built, by contract, the first church standing on the spot where Christ Church now is, and the vestry received it at the hands of his son John, in six months after the father's death. The name of John Carter, 1702, is still to be seen on an old dial- post of cedar, which was taken out of the ground, near the church- door, some years since, and placed under the pulpit in the present Christ Church. The first John Carter had three wives,-1st, Jane, the daughter of Morgan Glyn, by whom he had George and Eleanor; 2d, Ann, the daughter of Cleave Carter, probably of England; 3d, Sarah, the daughter of Gabriel Ludlowe, by whom he had Sarah. All these died before him, and he was buried with them, near the chancel, in the church which he built, and the tombstone from which we take the above covers them all, being still in the same position in the present church. He had also a son named Charles, of whom nothing is known. His son Robert was by his last wife, Sarah Ludlowe. The eldest son, John, married,-1st, Elizabeth Wormley, and 2d, a Miss Loyd, and had issue. Of this branch we have no account, and must confine ourselves to that of Robert, alias King Carter. He married twice :- first, a Miss Ar- mistead; next, a widow Willis, daughter of Thomas Landon, of England. He had ten children by the two wives. Those of whom
111
FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA.
we have information were John, Elizabeth, Judith, Ann, Robert of Nomini, Charles, Landon of Sabine Hall, Mary, Lucy, and George. The eldest son, John, married Miss Hill, and was Secretary of State to the Colony, having to pay one thousand five hundred pounds sterling for the office. His daughter Elizabeth married, first Mr. Nathaniel Burwell, of Gloucester, and then Dr. George Nicholas, of Williamsburg. His daughter Judith married the first Mann Page, of Gloucester, and lived with him at Rosewell. His daughter Ann married Benjamin Harrison, of Berkeley. His son Robert married a Miss Bladen. His son Charles married first a Miss Walker, then a Miss Byrd, sister of Mr. Byrd, of Westover, lastly a Miss Taliafero. His son Landon, of Sabine Hall, married first Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. Wormley, of Rosegill, then Maria, a sister of Mr. Byrd, of Westover, then a Miss Beale. His youngest child, Lucy, married Henry Fitzhugh, of King George county. Thus we have disposed of the sons and daughters of Mr. Carter, of Corotoman, and their marriages. To attempt to do the same even with his grandchildren, much more with their descendants, would not merely exceed the bounds prescribed to such genealogies in these notices, but would require a small volume. Suffice it to say, that, besides intermarriages one with another, the family of Carter may be found intermingled, not only with those already mentioned, but with those of Moore, Lee, Berkeley, Champe, Skip- with, Braxton, Nelson, Waller, Randolph, Brown, Clayborne, Tasker, Churchill, Chiswell, Minor, Brooke, Thornton, Baylor, Grymes, Peck, Mitchell, Harris ; and should we attempt to bring down the list to present times, it would contain others almost with- out limit. Out of the number of descendants, of whom both Church and State might well be proud, it would be invidious to select. So far as we have been able to judge by observation and learn by report, we may be permitted to say that there has been much of the amiable and the pious in the family, sometimes mixed with a portion of eccentricity in individuals of it. In Councillor Carter, of Nomini, the grandson of King Carter, this peculiarity was found in a large measure. Early in life his disposition was marked by a tendency to wit and humour. Afterward he was the grave Councillor, and always the generous philanthropist. At a later day he became scrupulous as to the holding of slaves, and manumitted great numbers. The subject of religion then engrossed his thoughts. Abandoning the religion of his fathers, he adopted the creed of the Baptists, and patronized their young preachers, having a chapel in his own house at Nomini. After a time he em-
1
112
OLD CHURCHES, MINISTERS, AND
braced the theory of Swedenborg, and at length died an unhappy death-dreading Papist. All the while he was a most benevolent and amiable man. I might mention many others, of both sexes, with whom I have had personal and intimate acquaintance, who have been beautiful specimens of piety, without the versatility and inconsistency of Mr. Carter, of Nomini. I was not acquainted with Mr. Charles Carter, of Shirley, though it has been my happi- ness to know many of his descendants and to love them for their work's sake. I find his name on the list of those few devoted friends of the Church who after the Revolution met together in Convention at Richmond, to rescue the things that remained and were ready to perish. I have, however, in the following letter, a better proof of his love to the Church and its ministers than any mere attendance on Conventions could furnish. It was addressed to his old friend and pastor, the Rev. Mr. Currie, of Lancaster, who was the faithful minister of Christ Church parish for fifty years. Anticipating his own death as well as that of Mr. Currie, as events which might occur before that of Mrs. Currie, he thus gene- rously provides for her support during her remaining days. She did survive her husband a number of years, and doubtless enjoyed the bounty of Mr. Carter.
"Letter of Mr. Charles Carter, of Shirley, to the Rev. Mr. Currie, at the Glebe, Lancaster county, Virginia.
"SHIRLEY, May 12, 1790.
" MY DEAR FRIEND :- Your letters, the one by Mrs. Carter, and the other enclosing your amiable daughter's to that good lady, are both come safe to hand, and you may rest assured that nothing could give my family a greater pleasure than to hear and know from yourself-that is to say, to have it under your own signature-that you still enjoy a tolerable share of health; and your friend, Mrs. Ann Butler, [Mr. Carter's second wife,] begs leave to join with me in congratulating both you and Mrs. Currie upon being blessed, not only with dutiful, healthy, and robust children, but clever and sensible. We rejoice to hear it, and pray God they may prosper and become useful members of society.
" As you are of Caledonian race, you may yet outlive a Buckskin : should it so happen, my will has directed five hundred acres of my land at Nantypyron to be laid off for the use of Mrs. Currie for and during her natural life. In the mean time, no power that I know of can deprive you of your right to the glebe. Our best wishes attend you and yours, and believe me when I subscribe myself, dear sir,
"Your affectionate friend and servant,
"CHARLES CARTER."
Although Mr. Currie was a man who, judging from a sermon of his in my possession, put his trust in God for his fatherless children and widow when taken from them, yet it must have been truly
113
FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA.
comforting to know that this provision was made for them by a generous friend. The sermon is on the text, (Matthew vi. 34,) "Take no thought for to-morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." It is a very sensible and pious discourse on the subject treated of, showing, among other things, the impropriety of all uneasy thoughts about our earthly condition, and is in some respects a "conscio ad clerum" one to poor clergymen. I find on the cover of it these words :-
" A sermon written by my father, which I have determined to read at least once a year. "E. CURRIE.
"'September 29, 1808."
In relation to the above act of generosity, on the part of Mr. Carter, to the widow and children of a worthy clergyman, though there be few who can follow his example in affording them the use of a farm of five hundred acres, yet there are many who can contribute something to their comfort; and the thought that there are many who will do it must be a great solace to the heart of a dying minister when taking leave of his fatherless ones and widow. It is thus that God fulfils his promise when he bids them leave their father- less ones to him, and let their widows trust in him. And let me, in connection with this case, recommend to the pious charity of the living and dying members of our communion the two societies now established in our diocese,-the Society of the Widows and Orphans of Deceased Clergymen, and that for Disabled, Superannuated Poor Clergymen. They are both of them worthy of patronage.
Another instance of the charitable disposition of Mr. Carter is worthy of being mentioned and imitated.
Solomon in one of his Proverbs says, "He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it." Here is an allusion to some covetous and hard-hearted persons, who, in a time of scarcity and suffering among the poor, hold up their corn for some high price and will not sell it. I have been told that, in a year of this kind, Mr. Carter sent a vessel full of corn down James River, disposing of it among the poor at a very reduced price, thus showing not only his charity, but his judgment in the disbursement of it. Let the rich through- out our land go and do likewise with all manner of goods which God hath given them in abundance, and of which others stand in need.
A few remarks concerning him who was called King Carter VOL. II .- 8
114
OLD CHURCHES, MINISTERS, AND
seem to be called for, before we close our notice of this family. From the fact that such a title was bestowed on him, the idea has become prevalent in Virginia that he was not only of princely posses- sions, having numerous tenants and servants, and a splendid palace for his residence, but that, as a consequence of this, he was autho- ritative, lordly, and arbitrary in his bearing and conduct, moving as a king in the Colony. He ruled over the Colony for more than a year, until the arrival of Governor Gooch. I have in my pos- session copies of two of his letters during this period, concerning a suspected clergyman who was desirous of getting the parish of Wycomico, in Northumberland. They were addressed to Captain Charles Lee and Mr. Thomas Berry, churchwardens of the parish. They breathe a Christian spirit of moderation and yet of decision. There is nothing of a dictatorial temper about them, but only a desire to do his duty, in the absence of a Governor, and in refer- ence to one when he should arrive. It is very certain that Mr. Carter and his family were very popular throughout the State. His daughters were married to the first men in Virginia, and his sons to the first ladies in Virginia. At his death a long Latin inscription, written by some ripe scholar, was placed on his tomb, in which the greatest virtues are assigned to him, and a sincere piety. The epitaph will be found in our next article, on Christ Church, Lancaster county.
115
FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA.
ARTICLE LVIII.
Parishes in Lancaster County.
THE first mention which is made of Lancaster county in Hen- ning's "Statutes at Large" (volume i., page 374) is in 1652, when it is represented in the House of Burgesses by Captain Henry Fleet and Mr. William Underwood. At that time, and for four years after, it included all that is now Lancaster, Middlesex, Essex, and Richmond counties. In 1656, the old county of Rappahannock was cut off from Lancaster, and contained what, in 1692, was di- vided into the two counties of Richmond and Essex,-Rappahannock being abolished. The county of Middlesex was not cut off from Lancaster until about 1664 or 1665, and, indeed, it is not men- tioned in Henning until the year 1675, when a levy of twenty-five men from each of the counties of Lancaster and Middlesex is ordered for a garrison in Stafford county, to protect the frontiers against the Indians. We are enabled to approach very near to certainty, as to the time of the division, by reference to an old vestry-book of the church in Middlesex, beginning in 1664. In 1668 the vestry pass an order that a petition should be distributed among the people, praying the Assembly to ratify a former, Act dividing Lancaster into two counties ; from which it would seem that something was wanting to complete the division, though it must have been acted on, in some way, a year or two before. In the county of Lancaster, when including Middlesex, there were four parishes,-two on each side of the river. Those on the south side of the river were called Lancaster parish and Piankatank until, at an early period, they were merged in one and called Christ Church. Those on the north side were St. Mary's and Christ Church until, at a much later period, they were united in what is now Christ Church.
The vestry-book of Christ Church, Lancaster, before the union of the two parishes, commenced, I think, about the year 1654. I saw it for the first time about twenty years ago, and again three years after, I believe, and took extracts from it, some of which were published. Soon after this it disappeared, and, though carc- fully sought for since, can nowhere be found. For want of it we
.
116
OLD CHURCHES, MINISTERS, AND
lose the names of the first vestrymen, (except those of the first John Carter and his sons John and Robert,) and some acts of the vestry, not remembered or written down by myself. I have re- cently been furnished with the vestry-book of St. Mary's parish, beginning in the year 1739, and continuing after its union with Christ Church, in 1752, until the war of the Revolution. But we still have to lament the loss of the proceedings of both parishes until 1739, and of Christ Church until 1752, except so far as I have retained in memory, and by print, the doings of the latter. Something more we have as to the names and acts of the vestry of Christ Church, by reason of the fact that, though the parishes were separate, they always employed the same minister, and met some- times in what was called a general vestry,-that is, a meeting of both,-when their names are recorded.
We will first state such information as we have retained from the last records of Christ Church parish. About, as we believe, the year 1654, the name of John Carter, the father of that family, appears at the head of the vestry-lists, in a large, bold hand ; then followed the name of the minister, which I do not recollect. The same may be said of his eldest son John, and his youngest son Robert, alias King Carter. Their names always preceded the mi- nister's, and were written in a large, bold hand. This was one sign that they took the lead in the vestry,-even going before the mi- nister. In all the other vestry-books I have seen, even in that of Middlesex, where, about the same time, baronets were in the ves- tries, as Chicheley and Skipwith, the minister's name was always first. The action of the vestry, doubtless under the influence of the Carters, seems to have been good in relation to the exercise of discipline on offenders. One instance is recorded where a fine of fifteen hundred-weight of tobacco is imposed on a man for swearing ; but, upon his pleading poverty, it was afterward reduced to five hundred. Mr. Robert Carter had large possessions and numerous servants and tenants, as we have already said. Tradition has it that the congregation, which doubtless consisted chiefly of his de- pendants, did not enter the church, on Sunday, until the arrival of his coach, when all followed him and his family into it. Whether this be so or not, it is certain, from the agreement on the vestry- book when he built the church, that good provision was made for his tenants and servants, one-fourth of the building being secured for their use, besides a very large pew near the pulpit and chancel, which he prepared for his immediate family.
· The following extract from my report to the Convention in the
117
FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA.
year 1838, after a visit to the parishes in the Northern Neck, will show what were the impressions made upon me by that venerable building,-impressions renewed and deepened by my subsequent visit :-
" My next appointment was at Christ Church, Lancaster, on the 23d of June. This was the day appointed by the Convention to be observed as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer, on account of the languor of the Church, and the sins and troubles of the nation. No temple of religion, and no spot in the diocese, could have been selected more in accordance with the solemn duty of that day, than the old and venerable church in which three of God's ministers were assembled. I preached a sermon adapted to the occasion, and then proposed that those who were minded to spend the day as the Church recommended should remain for some hours at that place, in suitable religious exercises. A goodly number complied with the invitation, and after the interval of perhaps an hour, which was spent in surveying the building and the tombs around this ancient house of God, another service was performed, and a second appropriate discourse was preached by the Rev. Mr. Nelson, the service having been performed by Mr. Francis McGuire, the present minister of the parish. The past history and present condition of this hallowed spot and temple deserve a more particular notice. This notice is derived from the memorials fur- nished by the house itself, the tombstones around and within, and the vestry-book of the parish, kept from the year 1654 to 1770, to which I had access.
" The present church was built on the site of an older one, which was completed in the year 1670, under the direction of Mr. John Carter, the first of that name, and the great ancestor of many bearing that name in Virginia. By the side of the chancel is a large marble slab, on which are the names of John Carter and his three wives, and several children, who all died before him and were buried in that spot.
"The church being too small for the increasing population, a larger one was meditated, and some change in its location talked of, when Mr. Robert Carter (since known by the name of King Carter) offered to build one at his own expense, saying that in consequence of his large possessions, increasing family, and number of tenants, he had intended for some time to build a larger one for the parish. The offer was cheerfully accepted, and the present house was completed about the time of Mr. Carter's death, -that is, about the year 1732,-and exhibits to this day one of the most striking monuments of the fidelity of ancient architecture to be seen in our land. Very few, if any, repairs have been put upon it : the original roof and shingles now cover the house, and have preserved in a state of perfection the beautiful arched ceilings, except in two places which have within a few years been a little discoloured by the rain, which found its way through the gutters where the shingles have decayed. The walls of the house are three feet thick, perfect and sound. The windows are large and strong, having probably two-thirds of the original glass in them. The pews are of the old fashion, high-backed, and very firm. A very large one near the altar, and opposite the pulpit, together with the whole north cross of the building, was especially reserved by Mr. Carter for the use of his family and dependants in all time to come.
" It deserves to be mentioned, that, in addition to the high backs which
118
OLD CHURCHES, MINISTERS, AND
always concealed the family and prevented any of them from gazing around when sitting or kneeling, a railing of brass rods with damask curtains was put around the top of the pew, except the part opposite the pulpit, in order, it is supposed, to prevent the indulgence of curiosity when standing. These remained until a few years since, and parts of them may probably yet be found in the possession of neighbours or relatives. In further evidence of the fidelity with which the house was built, I would mention that the pavement of its aisles, which is of large freestone, is yet solid and smooth as though it were the work of yesterday. The old walnut Communion-table also stands firm and unimpaired, and not a round from the railing of the chancel is gone or even loosened. The old marble font, the largest and most beautiful I ever saw, is still there; and, what will scarce be credited, the old cedar dial-post, with the name of John Carter, 1702, and which was only removed a few years since from its station without the door, where it was planted in the ground, is still to be seen in its place of security under the pulpit. In such a house, surrounded by such memorials, it was delightful to read the word of God and the prayers of the Church from the old desk, to pronounce the commandments ·from the altar near which the two tables of the law, the creed, and Lord's prayer are still to be seen, in large and legible characters, and then to preach the words of eternal life from the high and lofty pulpit, which seemed, as it were, to be hung in the air. Peculiarly delightful it was to raise the voice in such utterances in a house whose sacred form and beautiful arches seemed to give force and music to the feeblest tongue beyond any other building in which I ever performed or heard the hal- lowed services of the sanctuary. The situation of this church, though low, and surrounded on two of its sides by woodland, with thick under- growth, is not without its peculiar interest. A few acres of open land, with some very large trees, chiefly spreading walnuts, furnish ample room for the horses and vehicles of those who attend it. An old decayed brick wall, with a number of graves and tombstones around the house, adds no little solemnity to the scene. Among the latter, at the east end of the house, within a neat enclosure, recently put up, are to be seen the tombs of Robert Carter, the builder of the house, and of his two wives. These are probably the largest and richest and heaviest tombstones in our land. A long Latin inscription is to be seen on that of Mr. Carter. While the tomb of the husband is entire, those of the wives appear to have been riven by lightning, and are separating and falling to pieces. Such is the belief and testimony of the neighbours. It is pleasing to know that a considerable sum of money has been subscribed for repairing the roof, which requires a new covering, and for improving the interior of this remarkable building, and that a generous" portion of it is contributed by some of the descendants of the original builder, or those connected with them, who, though residing at a distance from the spot, possess the land around it, and have given the best assurance to the remaining families of the church, that it shall ever be continued for its original and sacred purposes."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.