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Surnames: Carter, Eyra, Essra, Nuss, Wheeland, Whitehead, Stone, Abel, Foster, Stephens
Classification: Biography
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Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Vol. 2, pp. 1116-1118
B. F. Bowen and Company, publishers, Indianapolis, Indiana; 1909
JAMES CARTER
Ohio has sent a large number of its representative citizens to her sister state on the
west, and among this vast number none deserve more credit for what they have done in
promoting the general interests of the communities where they have cast their lot in
Hoosierdom than James Carter, a farmer in Jackson Township, Tippecanoe County, who has
gained prosperity through his own honest efforts in connection with the subsequent
business prosperity following the early work of transforming the wilderness into fertile
fields and happy homes.
MR. CARTER’s birth occurred in Ross County, Ohio, February 18, 1832, and it was there that
he received this education, for the most part, in the old-time subscription schools, and
he succeeded in gaining a good education for those times. He is the son of Robert and
Elizabeth (Eyra*)Carter, both relatives of Ohio, the former having the distinction of
being the first white child born in Chillicothe, the date of his birth being 1804. His
wife was born April 25, 1806. They grew up and married in Ross County, that State, and
lived on a farm there. In the year 1853 Robert Carter rode horseback to Indiana and
bought two hundred and seven acres of land in Jackson Township, for which he paid five
dollars per acre. A large part of this land was heavily timbered. In 1855 he moved his
family thereto, bringing them overland in covered wagons. That was in late fall and eight
days was required to make the trip, having encountered several snow storms. They erected
a rude hous!
e and barn upon the land Mr. Carter had previously purchased, and in time had a
comfortable home and a good income. Mr. Carter later purchased one hundred and
twenty-seven acres additional at twenty-five dollars per acre, making him a total of three
hundred and thirty-four acres of good land which he owned at the time of his death. His
wife died December 28, 1868, when sixty-two years old, and is buried in the Salem
cemetery. Her husband survived her a number of years, remarrying, his last wife being
Sarah A. White, who is living in Lafayette.
To ROBERT CARTER and his first wife six children were born, an equal number of boys and
girls, four of whom grew to maturity, James, of this review being the oldest in order of
birth. The other children are, an infant died unnamed; Louise, Abner, Almina and Robert C.
Besides James, Robert C. is the only other child living, and resides in Attica, Indiana,
retired.
JAMES CARTER remained at home on the farm until his marriage, which occurred January 6,
859, in Ross County, Ohio, to Kezia Wheeland, who was born in Ross County, Ohio, April 25,
1839, the daughter of Peter and Catherine Wheeland, both natives of the Buckeye State, the
father of Pennsylvania-Dutch descent. They later moved to Missouri, in which state their
deaths occurred. They were the parents of twelve children, Mrs. James Carter being the
eleventh in order of birth. Only one member of this large family is now living.
When James Carter married he came at once with his bride to Tippecanoe County, Indiana,
and began working land with his father on the shares. Having prospered, he later
purchased two hundred acres, on which he now lives, a part being in this county and a part
in Putnam County. He also owns eight hundred acres in New Madrid County, Missouri, near
Portageville. He has made all the improvements on the land where he lives, having brought
it up to the standard of modern twentieth-century farms in every respect. He has a
beautiful and nicely furnished home in the midst of attractive surroundings, having all
modern conveniences, and is well fixed t spend his declining years in quiet and ease,
having been justly rewarded for his long life of honorable industry. He does not take an
active interest in business affairs that he formerly did, but over sees his farm in a
general way, carrying on farming in all its diversified phases in a masterly manner. For
a number of years he bou!
ght hogs and sheep which he shipped to various markets. His land in Missouri is covered
with timber in its original state, which he purchased for speculation purposes. Although
seventy-seven years of age, he is hale and hearty, has an excellent memory and is an
interesting conversationalist.
Mrs. Carter was called to her rest December 28, 1900, at the age of sixty-one years, and
she is sleeping the sleep of the just in the Salem Cemetery. She was a woman of fine
Christian character and gracious personality that won hosts of friends.
To Mr. and Mrs. James Carter eight children were born, seven of whom grew to maturity, one
dying in infancy, namely: Emma R., deceased; Eliza A.; Elizabeth R.; Peter died in
infancy; Lettie M., Amelia L., deceased; James E. and Robert N. Mr. Carter has eleven
grandchildren living, namely: Grace M. Stephens, Jessie C. Stone, Charles F. Nuss, Harry
Nuss, Cradle Nuss, Ernest Nuss, Irwin Carter, Ora Nuss, Cedric Carter, Byron Carter and
Clara Carter. James Carter is the foster grandfather of Willie Foster, the adopted son of
Mr. and Mrs. John Foster. He also has two great-grandchildren, Paul Whitehead and Dorothy
Abel.
Among the interesting reminiscences of Mr. Carter is his talk on Abraham Lincoln, whom he
knew well and with whom he frequently ate at the same table before Mr. Lincoln became
President. He was such a great admirer of the Great Emancipator that, although he always
believed in Democratic principles and is now a Democrat, he voted for Mr. Lincoln. Mr.
Carter has never been an office-seeker; however, he has served very creditably several
different times as supervisor of Jackson Township. Mrs.Carter was a member of the Baptist
church at the time of her death, and several members of Mr. Carter’s family belong to both
the Methodist Episcopal and the Christian churches. Although not allied with any
particular church, Mr. Carter is a believer in revealed religion and a church-goer, a man
who is known to be scrupulously honest in all his dealings with his fellow men and whose
charitable impulses have led him to many a worthy deed - in fact, all who know him are
unstinted i!
n their admiration of his worthy and exemplary life.