“Almost
everybody by the name of Carter aspires to be descended from that lordly old
John of Corotoman, whose son Robert is the only Virginian who rejoiced in the
name of ‘King.’ He made the high-water
mark of Virginia Carters. So prominent
were these Corotoman Carters that one is apt to conclude that really no other
Carters are worth a moment’s notice.” [1]
[1] Joseph Lyon Miller, eds., The Descendants of Capt. Thomas Carter of “Barford,” Lancaster County, Virginia, 1652-1912: with genealogical notes of many of the allied families (Thomas, W. Va.: J. L. Miller, 1912.), accessed April 19, 2015. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89062882949;view=1up;seq=11.
[1] Joseph Lyon Miller, eds., The Descendants of Capt. Thomas Carter of “Barford,” Lancaster County, Virginia, 1652-1912: with genealogical notes of many of the allied families (Thomas, W. Va.: J. L. Miller, 1912.), accessed April 19, 2015. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89062882949;view=1up;seq=11.
John Carter and his family have
made a memorable impact on Lancaster County, Virginia. Born in the year 1613 in London, John was
destined for greatness. His voyage to
Virginia began in 1635 when he sailed the ocean on ship Safety. The first county
John settled in was at the time Upper Norfolk County. John was involved in trade between Virginia
and New England in which he traveled multiple times in order to participate. In the 1650’s he moved to Lancaster County
and established the Corotoman plantation.
Due to John’s wealth, he already had patented thousand acres of land
that eventually totaled to about 6,160 acres by the year 1665. The Corotoman plantation was established on
Rappahannock River close to Carter’s Creek and Corotoman River. This plantation demonstrated a new direction
in Virginia architecture in the eighteenth-century. The structure of the Corotoman plantation
mirrored the structure of other important colonial mansions.[1] Therefore, the plantation became an important
figure in the Carter family’s life.
[1] Foundation for Historic Christ Church. “Corotoman.” Christchurch1735.org. |
John Carter attained many different
roles throughout his lifetime. He was
not just a husband to five different women and father to about six children,
but a politician, church man, and constructor.[1] From the years 1653-1669, John Carter served
as the Justice of Lancaster County. Along
with his political role, John served as a Vestryman to the Christ Church Parish
around the years 1661-1669. John also
took on the role of constructor because he helped build and design the first Christ
Church that was completed in July 1670 shortly after he died.[2] Once John deceased, his family whom were
people of prominence continued to multiply and spread to other counties. [3]
Overall, John Carter’s life had an important and everlasting impact on the
County of Lancaster.
[1] Charles Willard Hoskins Warner, eds., Thomas Carter II of Corotoman, Lancaster County, Virginia: his ancestry and descendants, and sketches on certain families with whom Carter descendants have married: Garnett, Roy, Hoskins, and Byrd (Williamsburg: Virginia Gazette, 1958), accessed April 19, 2015. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89062882907;view=1up;seq=20. [2] Foundation for Historic Christ Church. “John Carter I of Corotoman (1613-1669/70).” Christchurch1735.org. [3] “The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography,” review of The Descendants of Captain Thomas Carter of “Barford,” Lancaster County Virginia 1652-1912, Jan., 1913, 112. |