Robert Carter I
Encyclopedia
Robert "King" Carter of Lancaster County
, was a colonist in Virginia and became one of the wealthiest men in the colonies
.
As President of the Governor's Council of the Virginia Colony, he was acting Governor of Virginia in 1726-1727 after the death in office of Governor Hugh Drysdale
. He acquired the moniker "King" from his wealth, political power, and autocratic business methods.
in Lancaster County, Virginia
, to John Carter (1620-1669) of London, England, and Sarah Ludlow (1635-1668) of Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire
. In 1688, he married Judith Armistead of Hesse in Gloucester County
, an area which was included in the formation of Mathews County
in 1691. After her death in 1699, he married Elizabeth Landon in 1701.
At the age of 28, Robert entered the General Assembly of Virginia as a Burgess from Lancaster County, serving five consecutive years. In 1726, as President of the Governor's Council, he served as acting Governor of Virginia
after the death of Governor Hugh Drysdale
.
As an agent of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
– known simply as Lord Fairfax – he served two terms as agent for the Fairfax Proprietary
of the Northern Neck
of Virginia. During his first term, 1702–1711, he began to acquire large tracts of land for himself in the Rappahannock River
region of Virginia. Carter acquired some 20000 acres (80.9 km²), a large part of which was the 6000 acres (24.3 km²) Nomini Hall Plantation which he purchased in 1709 from the heirs of Col. Nicholas Spencer
, cousin of the Lords Culpeper
, from whom the Fairfaxes had inherited their Virginia holdings.
When he became representative of Fairfax’s interests again in 1722, and served from 1722–32, he succeeded in securing for his children and grandchildren some 110000 acres (445.2 km²) in the Northern Neck, as well as additional acquisitions in Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
.
Carter died on 4 August 1732, in Lancaster County, Virginia
and was buried there at Christ Church
. He left behind 300,000 acres (1,200 km²) of land, 1,000 slaves and 10,000 British pounds in cash.
, he was astonished to read of the immense personal wealth acquired by his resident land agent. Rather than name another Virginian to the position, Fairfax made arrangements to have his cousin, Colonel William Fairfax, move to Virginia to act as land agent, with the paid position of customs inspector (tax collector) for the Potomac River district. Fairfax himself then visited his vast Northern Neck Proprietary from 1735-37, and he moved there permanently in 1747.
Carter had ten children with his second wife, Betty Landon:
Other descendants include:
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, was a colonist in Virginia and became one of the wealthiest men in the colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
.
As President of the Governor's Council of the Virginia Colony, he was acting Governor of Virginia in 1726-1727 after the death in office of Governor Hugh Drysdale
Hugh Drysdale
Colonel Hugh Drysdale was a British governor of colonial Virginia. More officially, his title was Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia...
. He acquired the moniker "King" from his wealth, political power, and autocratic business methods.
Biography
Robert Carter was born at Corotoman PlantationCorotoman
Corotoman was a 17th and 18th century plantation on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. Corotoman was the residence of Robert Carter I , a colonial Governor of Virginia and one of the wealthiest men in the British colonies in North America...
in Lancaster County, Virginia
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, to John Carter (1620-1669) of London, England, and Sarah Ludlow (1635-1668) of Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. In 1688, he married Judith Armistead of Hesse in Gloucester County
Gloucester County, Virginia
Gloucester County is within the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area in the USA. Formed in 1651 in the Virginia Colony, the county was named for Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, third son of King Charles I of Great Britain. Located in the Middle Peninsula region, it...
, an area which was included in the formation of Mathews County
Mathews County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,978 people, 3,932 households, and 2,823 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile . There were 5,333 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
in 1691. After her death in 1699, he married Elizabeth Landon in 1701.
At the age of 28, Robert entered the General Assembly of Virginia as a Burgess from Lancaster County, serving five consecutive years. In 1726, as President of the Governor's Council, he served as acting Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
after the death of Governor Hugh Drysdale
Hugh Drysdale
Colonel Hugh Drysdale was a British governor of colonial Virginia. More officially, his title was Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia...
.
As an agent of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron was the son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and of Catherine, daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway....
– known simply as Lord Fairfax – he served two terms as agent for the Fairfax Proprietary
Fairfax proprietary
The Northern Neck Proprietary — also called the Northern Neck land grant, Fairfax Proprietary, or Fairfax Grant — was a land grant first contrived by the exiled British King Charles II in 1649 and encompassing all the lands bounded by the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers in colonial Virginia...
of the Northern Neck
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
of Virginia. During his first term, 1702–1711, he began to acquire large tracts of land for himself in the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
region of Virginia. Carter acquired some 20000 acres (80.9 km²), a large part of which was the 6000 acres (24.3 km²) Nomini Hall Plantation which he purchased in 1709 from the heirs of Col. Nicholas Spencer
Nicholas Spencer
Col. Nicholas Spencer was a London merchant who emigrated to Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he became a planter and which he represented in the Virginia House of Burgesses...
, cousin of the Lords Culpeper
Baron Colepeper
Baron Colepeper is an extinct title in the Peerage of England. Colepeper is sometimes rendered Culpeper, Baron Colepeper of Thoresway, or Baron Thoresway...
, from whom the Fairfaxes had inherited their Virginia holdings.
When he became representative of Fairfax’s interests again in 1722, and served from 1722–32, he succeeded in securing for his children and grandchildren some 110000 acres (445.2 km²) in the Northern Neck, as well as additional acquisitions in Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
.
Carter died on 4 August 1732, in Lancaster County, Virginia
Lancaster County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,567 people, 5,004 households, and 3,412 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 people per square mile . There were 6,498 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
and was buried there at Christ Church
Christ Church (Lancaster)
Christ Church or Historic Christ Church of Lancaster County, Virginia is an historic Episcopal church. Christ Church is notable for its unique Georgian design...
. He left behind 300,000 acres (1,200 km²) of land, 1,000 slaves and 10,000 British pounds in cash.
Legacy
When Lord Fairfax saw Carter's obituary in the London monthly The Gentleman's MagazineThe Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
, he was astonished to read of the immense personal wealth acquired by his resident land agent. Rather than name another Virginian to the position, Fairfax made arrangements to have his cousin, Colonel William Fairfax, move to Virginia to act as land agent, with the paid position of customs inspector (tax collector) for the Potomac River district. Fairfax himself then visited his vast Northern Neck Proprietary from 1735-37, and he moved there permanently in 1747.
Descendants
Carter had five children with his first wife, Judith Armistead:- Sarah Carter (born ~1690)
- Elizabeth Carter (~1692-1734) married Nathaniel Burwell.
- Judith Carter (born ~1694) died in infancy before her mother and buried near her at Christ Church
- Judith Carter (1695-1750) married Mann PageJohn Page (Middle Plantation)Colonel John Page , a merchant in Middle Plantation on the Virginia Peninsula, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Council of the Virginia Colony. A wealthy landowner, Page donated land and funds for the first brick Bruton Parish Church. Col...
. - John Carter (1696-1742)
Carter had ten children with his second wife, Betty Landon:
- Anne Carter (1702–1743) married Benjamin Harrison IVBenjamin Harrison IVBenjamin Harrison IV was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the son of Benjamin Harrison III, and the father of Benjamin Harrison V, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the fifth Governor of Virginia...
; (parents of Benjamin Harrison VBenjamin Harrison VBenjamin Harrison V was an American planter and revolutionary leader from Charles City County, Virginia. He earned his higher education at the College of William and Mary, and he was perhaps the first figure in the Harrison family to gain national attention...
and grandparents of President William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
). - Robert Carter II (1704–1734) married Priscilla Churchill.
- Sarah Carter (~1705–1705)
- Betty Carter (~1705–1706)
- Charles Carter (1707–1764) married Anne Byrd, daughter of Col. William Byrd IIWilliam Byrd IIColonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
. - Ludlow Carter (born ~1709)
- Landon CarterLandon CarterLandon Carter was a planter from Virginia, best known for his account of life before the American War of Independence, The Diary of Colonel Landon Carter.-Biography:...
(1710–1778) married Maria Byrd, daughter of Col. William Byrd IIWilliam Byrd IIColonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
. - Mary Carter (1712-1736) married George Braxton; {parents of Carter BraxtonCarter BraxtonCarter Braxton was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, a planter, and a representative of Virginia....
}. - Lucy Carter (1715-1763)
- George Carter (1718-1742)
Other descendants include:
- Robert Carter IIIRobert Carter IIIRobert "Councillor" Carter III was an American plantation owner, founding father and onetime British government official. After the death of his wife, Frances Ann Tasker Carter, in 1787, Carter embraced the Swedenborgian faith and freed almost 500 slaves from his Nomini Hall plantation and large...
(1727-1804) - Carter BraxtonCarter BraxtonCarter Braxton was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, a planter, and a representative of Virginia....
, grandson, signer of Declaration of Independence - Talcott Eliason (1826-1896) J.E.B. Stuart's Field Surgeon during the Civil War;
- Robert E. LeeRobert E. LeeRobert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
(1807-1870) Confederate States ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
general.
See also
- Robert Carter IIIRobert Carter IIIRobert "Councillor" Carter III was an American plantation owner, founding father and onetime British government official. After the death of his wife, Frances Ann Tasker Carter, in 1787, Carter embraced the Swedenborgian faith and freed almost 500 slaves from his Nomini Hall plantation and large...
- Carter's Grove PlantationCarter's GroveCarter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750 acre plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove Community of southeastern James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the US.The plantation was built for...
- Corotoman PlantationCorotomanCorotoman was a 17th and 18th century plantation on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster County, Virginia, United States. Corotoman was the residence of Robert Carter I , a colonial Governor of Virginia and one of the wealthiest men in the British colonies in North America...
- History of slavery in the United StatesHistory of slavery in the United StatesSlavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
External links
- Robert "King" Carter lineage
- http://www.cssvirginia.org/tyson/jones/carj-ancestors.htmlCatesby ap Roger Jones included is lineage of Robert "King" Carter from King Ferdinand III of CastileFerdinand III of CastileSaint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
] - Robert "King" Carter's son John Carter to Elizabeth Hill of Plantation "Shirley"
- Anne Hill Carter Lee her parents were Anne Butler Moore married to Charles Carter of Shirley Plantation.
- Diary, Correspondence, and Papers of Robert Carter