435:, orphaned in 1734. King Carter's will also appointed John Carter to inherit the agency relationship with the Fairfax and collect quitrents for the Northern Neck Proprietary. However, in England, the Northern Neck Proprietary's owner, Lord Thomas Fairfax had other ideas, and in 1733 appointed his nephew William Fairfax (then collector of customs of the Massachusetts colony) as his agent, and in 1735 Lord Fairfax arrived in Virginia, and John Carter paid his quitrents. Beginning the 1723, Secretary John Carter erected an elegant plantation house at Shirley, which was completed in 1738 and remains today. By the time of his death, this John Carter owned 52,000 acres of land. As was also common among the colony's ruling families of the era, Carter also raced thoroughbred horses and attended cockfights, presumably gambling on most of such events.
399:. Also, upon his father's death 1732 as discussed below, through primogeniture this John Carter inherited considerable property, including Corotoman plantation and hundreds of enslaved workers, as well as a mercantile business in Lancaster County that also traded West African slaves obtained from Liverpool merchants Samuel Powell and Foster Cunliffe. John Carter then divided his time between Shirley and Corotoman plantations, as well as a townhouse in the colonial capital,
370:
well as lucrative. Not only did the secretary keep the colony's records, he earned fees for more than sixty different services (especially recording land patents but also issuing writs for election of burgesses), as well as appointed all of the clerks for the county courts (and received part of the fees that each clerk received in lieu of a salary). By the time of his death, the position probably earned John Carter about 1,800 pounds sterling annually.
278:(representing King George County and Richmond County, respectively), and Robert Carter II's son Robert Carter III of Nomini Hall serving decades on the Governor's Council (the legislature's upper house). Furthermore, the three surviving Landon/Carter daughters married burgesses, and several of their progeny held higher positions even than their uncles. Anne Carter (1702-1743) married
415:, who raised concerns with the Board of Trade in London. Despite Drysdale's death, the Board of Trade's inquiry in 1727 prompted Carter to defend the perquisites of his office, as well as his own conduct. Although he was not removed from either office, Carter failed to secure another lucrative post he sought that year, as deputy auditor of the royal revenue in the Virginia Colony.
378:, which later was split into Albemarle, Nelson and Amherst Counties. The following year, John Carter patented 9,350 acres in Albemarle County from the foot of Monticello Mountain south to the Hardware River (about 10 miles), and secured that land by building a mill and a road (later called the "Secretary's Road" across the "Secretary's Ford" of the Rivanna River, to the town of
408:
John Carter's plantations inherited and acquired included 20,000 acres in
Lancaster County, 6,000 acres in Essex county, 6,000 acres in Prince William counties (including tracts on Cedar Run, Broad Run and 10,000 acres on the Occoquan River), additional acreage in Richmond and Westmoreland and Northumberland Counties, and the lease of most of the Northern Neck Proprietary.
245:), who raised his half-brother (this man's father) but died without male heirs. Before her death in 1698, when this John Carter was a young boy, his mother also gave birth to four daughters. Of these, Judith and Sarah died as infants, but Elizabeth (1692-1734) would marry twice, to burgesses Nathaniel Burwell of Gloucester County in 1709 (and received
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that his father had started. His wife
Elizabeth wrote about the difficulties of moving her children and household between those locations, and by 1739, with most of his father's estate settled, this John Carter settled permanently at Shirley and left Corotoman in the hands of a reliable overseer. But
369:
For 1500 pounds sterling Robert Carter bought an appointment for his firstborn son as secretary of the
Virginia colony. John Carter received the appointment on June 21, 1722, and returned to Virginia that winter. The secretary's office, generally held for life at the time, was politically powerful as
373:
When a vacancy occurred on the
Governor's Advisory Council, his father's influence helped John secure the lifetime appointment, on January 29, 1724, and they served together on the Council for nine years. At his third Governor's Council meeting, John received a 6,000 acre tract of land on the north
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because her sole brother had died at age 16 from tuberculosis, and her father preferred this man's management style over that of his two other sons-in-law. This John Carter and
Elizabeth had three sons and a daughter who lived to adulthood. Their daughter Elizabeth became the wife of nearby burgess
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in
January 1714 as a Fellow Commoner (the highest social rank), but never graduated. While there, he also supervised his three younger half brothers, and his father told him to find a schoolmistress for youngest half-siblings still at Corotoman. Among the small group of sons of Virginia planters in
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on the James River), as well as a claim house he named Clear Mount on the eastern side of what would be called "Carter's
Mountain", and which his son Edward Carter would rebuild and name "Blenheim" in honor of the Duke of Marlborough's defeat of the Prussian army in Blenheim, Belgium in 1704. This
293:
However, John Carter was not raised with his sisters and half-siblings, but instead was sent to
England at age 12 for his education, first at a school run by Michael Mattaire at Ratliff hear Mile End, which his father had attended. While there, John lived with Arthur Bailey, Sr., the son of Capt.
450:
Carter died on July 31, 1742, although
Governor William Gooch did not specify the precise location of his death when informing the Board of Trade of the now-vacant position. His sons Charles and Edward were underage and had been at William Yates' school in Gloucester County. They became wards of
365:
in 1722. Governor
Spottswood with the concurrence of his Advisory Council (of which his father was a leading member) recommended Carter as solicitor of Virginia affairs in England on June 23, 1722, and this John Carter held that position for about a year until he returned to Virginia.
273:
and George Carter (1718-1741). While Ludlow Carter (c.1708) died as an infant and their youngest son, George, never married and died in England, the first three Landon/Carter sons also became major planters, with Charles Carter of Cleve and Landon Carter of Sabine Hall serving in the
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on the James River, most believe with his father-in-law until that man's death sometime between 1721 and 1726. Shirley Plantation was much closer to the colonial government offices in Williamsburg. Furthermore, other powerful and intermarried families were nearby: the Byrd family at
524:
Christine Jones, John Carter I of "Corotoman" Lancaster County, Virginia (Irvnington, Virginia: Foundation for Historic Christ Church, Inc. 1977) pp. 73, 76, 88 notes that the will executed on January 10, 1669, was not recorded until January 9, 1722, by this man's father
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of Cleve as co-executors), he also managed Ripon Hall on the York River, which was inherited by his young half-brother George, and was the executor of the estate of his late half-brother Robert (which included Nomini Hall and was inherited by the then-underage
403:. His father's new mansion at Corotoman had burned a few years before his death and was not rebuilt, perhaps in part because the "Old House" had not been torn down and because of ongoing building projects on the other plantations discussed below, as well as
260:
Meanwhile, his father King Carter remarried twice more. Two years after his mother's death, John received his first stepmother, Betty Landon Willis (1684-1719), who gave birth to several more daughters (two of whom died as infants), as well as sons
328:(1728-1777), who not only expanded the family's plantations (and reliance of enslaved labor), but also the family's political prominence, for he represented Lancaster County in the House of Burgesses, as would his son
431:), and the estate of his late brother-in-law Mann Page (Rosewell Hall, where his sister and co-executor Judith lived), and that of his sister Elizabeth's husband Dr. George Nicholas. Thus this John Carter raised
332:
However, the most famous of that line would be Anne Hill Carter, who married General and future Virginia governor Lighthorse Harry Lee, who nearly liquidated her inheritance but sired future CSA General
361:
Carter represented his family's business interests in London during his time in England, and acted as his father's agent with Perry, Lane and Company. He was also admitted to the
438:
In his early forties, by 1741, Carter's health began to decline. He last attended the Governor's Council on November 3, 1741. During late 1741, Carter reportedly suffered from "
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On October 3, 1723, Carter married Elizabeth Hill of Charles City County, descended from two Speakers of the House of Burgesses named Edward Hill. When her burgess father (
303:
London, Carter lived well, and his spending aggravated his father, who reportedly wrote "To have spent so much money upon a dunce or a blockhead ... most intolerable."
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library. The British Library maintains his appointment as secretary of state, and Governor William Gooch's notification to the Board of Trade of the secretary's death.
462:, or at the Westover parish church, for no record of his burial exists at Christ Church in Lancaster County whose building he supervised but which would be rebuilt.
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After 1732, John Carter not only managed his father's enormous estate of 300,000 acres, more than 1,000 slaves and 10,000 pounds sterling (with his half brothers
474:, and hosts tours. Descendants also operate a winery adjacent to that estate house. The Carter Family letterbook and some other family papers are held by the
404:
902:
205:(circa 1695 – July 31, 1742) was a Virginia planter, lawyer, merchant and politician who served for two decades as the secretary of state for the
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in the Belly". Either that illness worsened or another malady struck by July 1, 1742, when John Carter executed his (now-lost) last testament.
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plantation in Williamsburg from her father as their wedding present). Her second husband (whom she married in 1724) was Dr. George Nicholas of
471:
662:
Junius Rodes Fishburne Jr, The Office of Secretary of State in Colonial Virginia (PhD dissertation Tulane University 1971) pp. 346-363
566:
561:
B. Noland Carter II, A Goodly Heritage: A History of the Carter Family in Virginia, (Richmond: Virginia Genealogical Society, 2003;
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Arthur Bailey who had supervised his father's education and became his primary agent in London. Then John Carter studied law in the
324:(1728-1777). Their eldest son John was alive in 1728 and mentioned in King Carter's will. Perhaps the wealthiest of the lot became
241:(who died in 1669 and for whom the boy was named) had established that plantation, and which was initially inherited by his uncle (
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John Carter would secure another 10,000 acre grant in Amherst and Nelson counties near the Piney and Buffalo Rivers in 1738.
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From the time of his marriage in 1721 until his own death in 1742, John Carter lived at and managed the Hill family's
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286:; Mary Carter (1712-1736) married George Braxton II of Newington plantation; and Lucy Carter (1715-1763) married
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233:, the home plantation of his wealthy father, Robert Carter, he became a prominent member (and ancestor) of the
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their uncle Landon Carter (with their orphaned cousin Robert Carter Nicholas) and would be enrolled at the
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was still incomplete when he died, so this man (her brother) helped pay for and directed its completion.
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However, the Carter family's power and wealth concerned some, including Lieutenant Governor
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217:, often nicknamed "King Carter" for his wealth and social and political prominence in the
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and the Royal Navy. His sister Judith (1695-1750) in 1718 married Mann Page, but their
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The exact location of this man's burial is unknown. He may have been buried at
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branch of the James River adjoining land of Col. Thomas Randolph, then in
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Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978, p. xix
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213:), but whose political career was overshadowed by that of his father
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Evans, Emory G. (2006). "Carter, John (1695 0r 1696-31 July 1742".
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A Genealogy of the Known Descendants of Robert Carter of Corotoman
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Born in 1695 or 1696 to the former Judith Armistead, probably at
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221:, with whom he served on the Governor's Council for nine years.
644:, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography (1915), vol. 1 p. 153
543:. Irvington: Foundation for Christ Church Inc. p. 3.
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beginning in April 1713. He entered Trinity College of
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341:(1733-1792) moved west to inherited lands in
337:. Meanwhile, this John Carter's youngest son
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65:January 23, 1724 – November 3, 1741
20:
466:is now noted by a historical marker but
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913:People from Lancaster County, Virginia
505:: Library of Virginia. pp. 73–75.
49:June 21, 1722 – July 31, 1742
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472:National Register of Historic Places
315:) died 3 years later, she inherited
734:Noland Carter II, pp. 212, 219, 225
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862:"John Carter (1695 or 1696–1742)"
903:Merchants from colonial Virginia
539:Tyler Carlton, Florence (1982).
498:Dictionary of Virginia Biography
345:, which he represented in the
192:Lawyer, politician, bureaucrat
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824:Noland Carter II, pp. 225-226
815:Noland Carter II, pp. 225-226
761:Noland Carter II, pp. 210-211
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725:Noland Carter II, pp. 213-214
698:Noland Carter II, pp. 208-211
689:Noland Carter II, pp. 202-203
632:Noland Carter II, pp. 200-202
614:Noland Carter II, pp. 200-201
596:Noland Carter II, pp. 200-201
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453:College of William and Mary
351:Virginia House of Delegates
290:of Eagles Nest plantation.
54:Virginia Governor's Council
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235:First Families of Virginia
94:Lancaster County, Virginia
707:Noland Carter II, pp. 212
455:in Williamsburg by 1755.
211:Virginia General Assembly
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770:Noland Carter II, p. 211
716:Noland Carter II, p. 206
623:Carlton pp. 3, 4, 14, 63
587:Noland Carter II, p. 198
225:Early life and education
476:University of Virginia
433:Robert Carter Nicholas
114:Williamsburg, Virginia
866:Encyclopedia Virginia
470:was restored, on the
395:and the Harrisons at
300:Cambridge University
280:Benjamin Harrison IV
179:Cambridge University
90:Corotoman Plantation
642:Lyon Gardiner Tyler
422:of Sabine Hall and
397:Berkeley Plantation
393:Westover Plantation
307:Marriage and family
284:Berkeley Plantation
255:Rosewell plantation
132:Charles Hill Carter
16:American politician
503:Richmond, Virginia
468:Shirley plantation
460:Shirley Plantation
388:Shirley Plantation
347:House of Burgesses
317:Shirley plantation
276:House of Burgesses
237:. His grandfather
219:Colony of Virginia
207:Colony of Virginia
148:, Judith Armistead
136:Edward Hill Carter
110:Shirley Plantation
37:Colony of Virginia
429:Robert Carter III
267:Robert Carter III
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107:(aged 46–47)
35:Secretary of the
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898:1742 deaths
833:Evans p. 75
806:Evans p. 75
797:Evans p. 74
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779:Evans p. 74
752:Evans p. 74
680:Evans p. 74
671:Evans p. 74
605:Evans p. 74
527:King Carter
330:Charles Jr.
313:Edward Hill
203:John Carter
86: 1695
25:John Carter
887:Categories
482:References
189:Profession
174:Alma mater
163:(brothers)
871:March 11,
464:Corotoman
231:Corotoman
153:Relatives
142:Parent(s)
61:In office
45:In office
549:83081512
128:Children
424:Charles
326:Charles
263:Charles
844:"Home"
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547:
440:Dropsy
420:Landon
357:Career
271:Landon
168:nephew
120:Spouse
380:Bremo
873:2022
563:ISBN
545:LCCN
100:Died
79:Born
282:of
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