Susanna (~1817-186x) — m. John Dunlacy about 1838; m. Daniel Bray about 1860
Elizabeth (~1819-????)
Sarah Jane “Sallie” (May 1820-~1905) — m. John W. Kelley in 1837
Rutha “Betsy” (1822-1858) — m. David Davis Rollins about 1841
John (19 Nov 1823-186x) — m. Elizabeth I. Davis on 5 Feb 1854; m. Ann Moreland
Rebecca (~1828-185x) — m. George Murphy on 3 Jun 1852
Alexander (~1830-????)
Nathan (~1831-????) — m. Zena ???
Joseph R. “Joe” (~1833-????) — m. Sarah Ann Bray on 14 Dec 1853; m. Sarah Bennett Collins in 186x
Rachel (3 Nov 1834-3 Feb 1912) — m. David Davis Rollins about 1858
Eliza Matilda (1838-1881) — m. Thomas H. Watson on 7 Feb 1861
Levi was born probably in Greene County at the eastern edge of Tennessee, an area that was part of North Carolina at the time. There are stories that he was part Cherokee, born in or near the Cherokee nation, which included the Cumberland Plateau that cuts across eastern Tennessee. I can’t confirm that. His parents seem to have been Levi Carter, Sr. (~1738-22 Apr 1811) from Gloucester, New Jersey and Susanna (????-22 Oct 1816) from parts unknown. Both his parents died in the area of Lick Creek near Albany, Greene County, Tennessee. The Carter family of Tennessee was very large, and many Internet sources recount family stories and ancestry claims for the Carters, but there’s not much in the way of documented evidence.
Elizabeth was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee, just a bit further west. Her parents were John Howard (~1751-~1820) and reportedly part-Indian Rebecca Brittain. They were not married – Rebecca had to sue John for child support, according to a May 1796 court record for Jefferson County. She received $6.25, which I doubt was adequate even in 1796.
Levi and Elizabeth married on 13 or 18 Jul 1816 in Jefferson County. A John Brittain, likely Elizabeth’s uncle or grandfather, was the bondsman for the wedding.
Their eldest child, Susanna, might have been born in Kentucky, although Tennessee is more likely. At least one other, Sallie, was born at Puncheon Camp Creek back in Greene County. [“Puncheon” means either a short upright framing timber, or a split log with the inner faces smoothed to make a floor or wall. Presumably, it can also mean a structure built with these components.] This creek is a tributary of Lick Creek near the town of Albany, so many Carter family stories reference Lick Creek or Albany.
The 1830 census of Tennessee showed the Levi Carter family out west in Bledsoe County: man and wife in their 30s, two girls age 10-14, a boy and girl age 5-9, three boys and a girl under 5.
In 1840, they were still there: man (30-39, the liar) and wife (40-49), two women in their 20s, 2 boys age 15-19, a boy and girl 10-14, two boys 5-9, and two girls under 5.
The family moved much farther west in the early 1840s. About 1844, Levi fell ill and died in Franklin County, Missouri, which is southwest of St. Louis. The family remained there until at least 1850.
The 1850 census for Franklin County listed Elizabeth (56) with son John (25) as head of household. The other Carters still with their mother were Rebecca (22), Joseph (17), Rachel (14), and Matilda (12). They were next door to Sallie and her family.
In 1860, Elizabeth (63) was living in Township 38, Range 11, Pulaski County, Missouri with daughter Rachel (age misreported as 35), her husband David Rollins, and the six children of David and his previous wife, Rachel’s sister Betsey, who had died some two years before. Unmarried daughter Eliza Matilda (22) was there as well.
In 1870, Elizabeth (78) was living with daughter Eliza and Eliza’s husband Thomas Watson in Miller Township, Maries County, Missouri.
Elizabeth died in the 1870s, reportedly while living on Clifty Dale Road (now called Maries County Road Number 511) in Dixon, Maries County, Missouri. That’s just north of Pulaski County. She’s reportedly buried in Fairview Cemetery, Shantytown, Maries County, but her actual grave is lost, as is that of Levi.
Susanna married John Dunlacy (~1816-185x) in probably Bledsoe County, Tennessee in 1838 or 1839. Only the first of their known children was born in Tennessee:
Elizabeth (Dec 1841-4 Mar 1923) — m. William Stark Jones about 1863
Mary M. “Polly” (5 Aug 1842-21 Apr 1919) — m. Francis Marion West
William (~1844-185x)
Minerva Jane (20 Mar 1846-26 Mar 1922) — m. William James about 1863; m. Jacob Griffith on 20 Jul 1872
Rebecca (~1850-????)
They joined the move to Missouri like the rest of the family, arriving in time for Polly to be born there. The 1850 census listed them in Franklin County. It appears that John died in the 1850s, and Susannah remarried to Daniel Bray (10 Aug 1793-186x) from Pasquotank, North Carolina. They had one child:
Artemissa Minnie Tennessee “Artie” (1 Dec 1859-11 Jan 1925) — m. John Thomas Cossey
In 1860, the family were living in Pulaski County, with all the surviving children bearing the Bray surname. Susanna and Daniel both reportedly died in the 1860s.
Sallie has her own entry in the family tree.
Betsy married David Davis Rollins (1823-4 Dec 1893) from Greene County, Tennessee around 1841. David and Betsy accompanied Betsy’s parents to Missouri, and settled in Franklin, Franklin County. Their children:
Martha Jane (2 Oct 1842-22 Jan 1906) — m. John Isaac Watson on 17 Dec 1868
George Washington (~1843-1916) — m. Sarah Cunningham
Courtney Amanda (~1848-~1908) — m. Robert J. Davidson about 1866
Joseph D. “Jasper” (8 Jan 1851-19 Dec 1905) — m. Elmina Beaverett
Jeremiah M. “Jerry” (4 Sep 1852-9 Nov 1905) — m. Mary Ann Susan Elizabeth “Annie” Adkisson about 1887
Susan A. (~1856-1888) — m. James Decater Kelley in 1878
The 1850 census showed them on the same page as the houeseholds of Betsy’s mother and siblings and sister Sallie. After Betsy died in 1858, David married her younger sister Rachel.
John married Ann Moreland (9 Feb 1820-184x) about 1839. One account claims John was a doctor. Children:
Althea Ann (~1841-190x)
John married Elizabeth J. Davis (~1833-186x) from Tennessee on 5 Feb 1854 in Franklin County, Missouri. They reportedly had one child:
Susan Emaline (15 Jun 1855-27 Apr 1944)
The 1860 census for Town 38, Range 11, Pulaski County, Missouri listed John Carter (37) and wife Elizabeth (27) living next door to John’s sister Sallie and her family. Also with them were George Murphy (50), widower of John’s late sister Rebecca, and George & Rebecca’s daughter Eliza (7). There was a George Murphy who later showed up with John’s sister Eliza Matilda and her husband Thomas Watson in 1880, but that George claimed to be much younger, so it might have been a different man.
Anyway, I can’t definitely find John Carter after 1860. He’s said to have died in the 1860s. There was a different John Carter from Tennessee of similar age who lived in Maries County before moving to Kansas.
Rebecca married George Murphy (~1819-????) from Kentucky on 3 Jun 1852 in Franklin County, Missouri. They had one child:
Eliza (~1852-????)
Rebecca died in the 1850s. In 1860, her husband and daughter were living with her brother John. I can’t find them after that.
Nathan supposedly married someone named Zena, but I can find no evidence he was a member of this family. Leaving him in for now.
Joe married Sarah Ann Bray (~1830-186x) from Indiana on 14 Dec 1853 in Franklin County. She was the daughter of Joe’s much older brother-in-law Daniel Bray (by his first marriage, before the one to Joe’s sister). They settled in Miller Township, Maries County. They had two children:
Mary Elizabeth (10 Nov 1854-17 Aug 1936) — m. William Aaron Green on 8 Oct 1873
Charles Alonzo (5 Mar 1859-18 Dec 1896) — m. Mary Ann Magdelen Davis about 1880
The 1860 census listed them, ages 26 (sic) and 30, in Miller Township with children Mary (4) and Charles (1). Sometime in the 1860s, Sarah died, and Joe married the much older Sarah Bennett Collins (~1812-?1899?) from North Carolina, widow of James Collins.
The 1870 census found the family in Johnson Township, Maries County: Joseph (39), Sarah (supposedly 54), Elizabeth (17), and Charles (14). Also present were two of Sarah’s children from her previous marriage, James Collins (21) and Rebecca Jane Collins (18). Yes, the ages of the children are off, but bear in mind the parents were, per the census, illiterate.
In the 1880 census, Joseph, recorded as “Josiah” (49), was still in Johnson Township. Son Charles (24) was still with him, as was Sarah (supposedly 60). This census noted that Charles couldn’t read or write, but said no such thing of his father and stepmother, although previous censuses had.
Joe died before 1900. No further details. A familysearch.org contributor claims Sarah #2 then married another younger man named John Morland, but I’m skeptical.
Some records say Rachel was born in 1829 rather than 1834, but census records contradict that. After the death of her older sister Betsy in 1858, Rachel married Betsy’s husband David Davis Rollins (1823-4 Dec 1893). They remained in Missouri. Their children:
William T. (11 Mar 1863-28 Dec 1940) — m. Cora Groves on 10 Apr 1898
Mary E. (~1865) — m. Jesse Kuhns
Margaret Emaline (~1866) — died young
Susan A. (~1868) — poss. a niece
Sarah (~1869) — died young
Melvina (~1871) — died young
Morris Matthew (31 Dec 1873-18 Apr 1946) — m. Sarah Matthews
Levi Daniel (18 Dec 1876-13 Apr 1946) — m. Della Mae Rider on 19 Feb 1902
Jacob Monroe (26 Apr 1878-23 Apr 1965) — m. Lettie Blanche McKnolly in 19xx; m. Audra Pearl “Audie” Goddard Cartwright on 28 Nov 1929
The 1870 census for Miller Township, Maries County showed them with Betsy’s three youngest – Joseph, Josiah, and Susan – still there, plus Rachel’s children William T. (8), Mary E. (5), and Margaret (4). There was also a Susan A. (2), but I don’t know whether this was a misnaming of Rachel’s daughter Sarah, or the child of the couple identified as J. W. Rollins (26) and S. A. Rollins (20), who were probably Betsy’s son George and his wife Sarah.
The 1880 census listed all eight of Rachel’s known children still at home: William T. (17), Mary (15), Emiline (13), Sarah (11), Melvina (9), Morris M. (7), Daniel (5), and Jacob (2).
David died in 1893. In 1898, Rachel applied for citizenship in the Cherokee nation. I don’t know whether she was accepted, but the census went on listing her as white. The 1900 census said that she was the mother of nine children, four still living; the two youngest, Levi and Jacob, were still with her. She died in 1912 and is buried in an unmarked grave in the Fairview Cemetery, Shantytown, Maries County, Missouri.
Eliza, the youngest, married Clark ancestor Thomas H. Watson on 7 Feb 1861. See his family page for details.
https://archive.org/details/LeviCarterSrAndDescendantsVolume7OfThePrattProgenitorPapersMasterWs/page/n3 -- Carter family history
https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.howard/569/mb.ashx -- list of children
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/surnames.carter/4/mb.ashx -- thread about the Carters
https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lynnb&id=I465 -- Elizabeth and her parents
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~lynnbran/WC01/WC01_190.htm -- ditto
http://shuemake.org/Shoemake%20Research%20by%20Dusty%20Williams.htm -- the David Rollins who married two daughters
http://shuemake.org/Samuel%20Shoemake%20Revised.htm -- the same thing
https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/DUNLACY -- Susanna’s family
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNDD-BMS -- 1816 wedding
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPM-VJ9 -- 1830 census; go back 2 pages!
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHT1-SFV -- 1840 census
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ROLLINS/2001-09/0999789421 -- John Kelley & Sarah Carter
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MOMARIES/2000-09/0968208695 -- More of same
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Carter-12350 -- Levi and family
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZ4-T3W -- 1850 census; note nearby households of Sallie Carter Kelley, and Betsy (as “Bertha”) Carter Rollins
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZH-SQ1 -- 1850 census, Daniel Bray
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDZ4-PVQ -- 1850 census, Joseph’s future wife #2 Sarah Collins
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V28Z-C5P -- 1852 weddding of Rebecca
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V288-9V1 -- 1853 wedding, Joseph
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V288-2RJ -- 1854 wedding of John
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHZM-62G -- 1860 census, Elizabeth with daughter Rachel
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHZM-8YK -- 1860 census, Sallie’s family and her brother John’s family
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHZM-62H -- 1860 census, Susanna
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHZH-MHJ -- 1860 census, Joseph
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHZH-FGX -- 1860 census, Joseph’s future wife #2 Sarah Collins
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M46G-TJJ -- 1870 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M46G-XYJ -- 1870 census, Rachel
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M46G-GPJ -- 1870 census, maybe John (Maries County)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M46G-59H -- 1870 census, Joseph
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115125210/elizabeth-carter -- virtual grave of Elizabeth
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6XG-RHH -- 1880 census, Rachel
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6XP-Q44 -- 1880 census, Joseph
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114910960 -- virtual grave of Eliza Matilda
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3ZL-RVL -- 1900 census, Rachel
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2BW-3QP -- 1900 census, Rachel’s son William; note William’s nephew/Betsey’s grandson Benjamin Watson
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3Z4-XXH -- 1900 census, Susanna’s daughter Artie
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2BW-3QC -- 1910 census, Rachel
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28871656/rachel-rollins -- 1912 grave of Rachel
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55182114 -- 1925 grave of Susanna’s daughter Artie
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85691457/mary-elizabeth-green -- 1936 grave of Joe’s daughter Elizabeth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23920427/jacob-monroe-rollins -- 1965 grave of Rachel’s son Jacob