Dear List,
I am posting one last time in hope of some information on this subject.
My grt. grt. grandmother was Maud Anna CARTER b. 15 Apr 1886 in Middlesex County,
Virginia. She became pregnant as an unwed teen around 1901. I have no idea who fathered
her child but I suspect he was Native American. Because of the time period and the
terrible stigma there was a cover up of this pregnancy and birth. Maud gave birth to a son
Littleton [Letton] CARTER b. 1902 in ?Middlesex, VA.
Maud went on to marry at the age of twenty to a man nineteen years her senior. She
married Charles Henry FOSTER b. 1867 in Middlexex, VA. They had ten children together.
Littleton CARTER was raised by his grandparents John & Susanna CARTER. His birth
certificate lists his parents as "Unknown" and on his marriage record he lists
John & Susanna CARTER as his parents. He is listed on the 1910 & 1920 census as
the grandson of John & Susanna CARTER. Based on the ages of John & Susanna's
children, marital status, etc. I came to the conclusion that Maud was the best candidate
for Littleton's mother.
A few years after this dicovery I spoke with a daughter in law of Maud's who told me
that Maud had indeed confessed to her that she had a child out of wed lock and that child
was "Letton Carter" and he was raised by his grandparents.
She asked me to keep this information to myself. Maud has been dead for 62 years and
her daughter in law wanted to protect her status in the eyes of her few living children
& grandchildren as being a "good christian woman."
I felt hurt by this request for many reasons. My great grandfather had ten siblings
along with their many descendants who will never know of his or our existence. Just as my
great grandfather was shunned we continue to be a "dirty little secret" that not
many people know about. I have respected Maud's daughter in law's request and I
have not attempted to contact any of the descendants. The daughter in law said that she
does not know who fathered Littleton and I fear that I will never know the answer to that
question.
Littleon married on 02 May 1925 to my great grandmother Rosa Ethling MARTIN b. 1909
daughter of Thomas & Mollie MARTIN in King William, VA.
Littleton died on 09 Jun 1926 of tuberculosis when Rosa was 5 months pregnant with my
grandmother. My grandmother was born Oct 1926 in Port Richmond, King William, VA [now West
Point]. Rosa married a second time in Aug 1927 to Aurellius CARTER son of William &
Alice CARTER of King & Queen County.
Rosa died in 1928, of tuberculosis, when my grandmother was just over two years old. My
grandmother was raised by MARTIN relatives. Aurellius ended up marrying Rosa's sister
Mary A. MARTIN and they had four children. Rosa's older sister Rena MARTIN married
Manley CARTER a son of John & Susanna CARTER & they had five children!
Jeanette