Thomas Carter^[1]

1767 - 1830  (63 years)

• Name	Thomas Carter
  Born	8 Feb 1767	Goochland Co., Virginia Colony
  Gender	Male
  Died	14 Feb 1830
  Person ID	I15873	My Reynolds Line | Thomas Carter of Goochland
  Last Modified	2 May 2019

  
  

  Father	Stephen of Henry Co. Carter,   b. Est 1728, Goochland, Virginia Colony ,   d. 1807, Henry County, Virginia  (Age ~ 79 years)
  Mother	Margaret 'Peggy' Mrs. Stephen Carter,   b. Est 1728,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Bef 1752
  Family ID	F5588	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Documents

  Will of Stephen Carter 1807 Will15824StephenCarter1807.jpg

  
  

  Histories

  Memoir of Thomas Carter by Unknown Author ThosCarterDocs.pdf

  
  

• Sources

  [S100] Internet Source, http://genealogytrails.com/vir/halifax/historyhalifaxbook_families.html. EASLEY. The Easleys of Halifax county are very numerous, and only those who are individually interested would undertake to straighten out and connect the various lines. They may have all sprung from the same original source, but not from the same head in this county. Through the numerous wills and deeds recorded herein the descendants can place their ancestral lines without difficulty. In 1786, January 12, we find recorded the will of Daniel Easley, wife Elizabeth, sons Daniel, Jr., Isaac, daughters Ann Easley, Mary Ann Parker, and Phoebe Adams. Grandchildren, Robert and Elizabeth Easley, children of John Easley. In 1782 an inventory of John Easley?s estate was taken and Daniel Easley was appointed guardian of the two children, Robert and Elizabeth. This Daniel died in 1786, and his son, Isaac, was appointed their guardian, and in1790 he renders an account of their expenses in part, vis.: "To cash paid Philomon Hurt, for boarding, clothes, and schooling of Elizabeth and Robert Easley." Isaac, their guardian, hired out their slaves and rented the plantation. Among the small articles he bought for Elizabeth, now about grown, was numberless yards of ribbon, "lute string" and satin. We conclude that Elizabeth was pretty and dressed accordingly. In 1812, October 26, the administration of Daniel Easley?s will, with the will annexed, was granted to Thomas Easley. In 1823, March 2, the will of Drury Easley was probated. Wife, Susannah; children, Edward, Milley and Albert S. Easley; daughter, Jan Watkins. One-fifth of his estate put in trust in the hands of his son, William B. Easley, for benefit of Jane Watkins. In 1810, Isaac Easley leaves a will. Wife, Judith; sons, Isaac and John. He leaves to John the tract of land on Dan river, where Samuel Easley now lives. To son, William, the land he bought from Thomas Easley, on the north side of the road leading from Meadesville to Halifax Court House. (See will.) Dr. Henry Easley, of Cluster Springs, married a Miss Bennett, a descendant of the emigrant Bennett, who lived near Mayo, and built on the site of the present summer house of Mr. John Harris. The original house was built before the Revolution and was destroyed by fire. The present one was built by Mr. Robert E. Own, the grandfather of Mr. Harris, who, through his aunt, Miss Nannie Owen, inherited it. In a corner of the garden are the graves of some of the Bennetts, among them Richard Bennett, born February 20, 1779, died September 14, 1828. Another old tombstone was that of Thomas Carter, born February 8, 1767, died February 14, 1830. The Easleys are buried in a plot on the farm. Dr. Henry Easley married for his second wife (had no children by the first) Miss Ann Rebecca Louse Watkins, daughter of William Watkins, and had the following children: (1) Andrew Easley. (2) Thomas Easley (lately deceased), married Hallie Owen, daughter of Mr. William L. Owen, who survives him with the following children: Helen, wife of Rev. Stimson; Dr. Henry Easley, who married Miss Yuille, and Miss Hallie Easley. Thomas Easley was clerk of Halifax court for several years. His first wife, by whom he had no children, was Miss Mary Moon. (3) Henry Easley, who was born at Cluster Springs in 1847, and at the age of 17 entered the War Between the States. Joined Poague?s battalion of light artillery and served in it until the surrender at Appomattox. Colonel Henry Easley has held many offices of trust in the town, county and State, and is at present one of the leading citizens of South Boston. He married August 15, 1873, Miss Nannie Preston Owen, daughter of Thomas E. Owen, and have the following children: Irving Easley, wife of Howard Edmunds. Owen, who married Susan Morton. Annie, wife of Dr. H. S. Belt. Mamie, wife of Wiltze Willingham. (4) John Easley (Jack), who married first Miss Irving Owen, daughter of Mr. Thomas E. Owen, a sister of Mrs. Henry Easley and a half-sister of Mrs. Robert E. Jordan, Sr., and Mrs. Joseph Stebbins. They had one child, Mrs. Preston (Easley) Mulford (deceased). Mr. Jack Easley married for his second wife Miss Jennie Owen, daughter of Mr. John Owen, a son of Mr. Robert E. Owen, and had: (1) John W. Easley, who married his first cousin, Willie Easley (daughter of Thornton Easley). (2) Elizabeth Easley, wife of Charles Skinner. (3) Marie Easley, wife of Bruce Pendleton. (4) Henry Alex. Easley, married Miss Florine Irby. (5) William P. Easley. (6) Virginia Carrington Easley, wife of Carl Taylor. (7) Robert M. Easley. (5) Fannie Easley, wife of Robert A. Penick (children given under Penick). (6) Louise Easley, wife of Maurice Penick; second, of Moses Bendall. (7) Bettie Easley, wife of Dr. Thompson. (8) Mattie Easley, wife of William E. Owen (son of Thomas E. Owen), a daughter, Louise, wife of Rev. David Lewis. (9) Hallie Easley, wife of Mr. St. Claire (one daughter). (10) Thornton Easley, who married Emma Jordan (daughter of R. E. Jordan, Sr.). The Easleys of the town of Halifax do not claim relationship with the above Easleys, but we have discovered from a very old member of the family that they did "cousin" each other fifty years ago. Robert Easley was born in Pittsylvania county March 3, 1781. He married Nancy, born November 6, 1783. They lived near the old town of Peytonsburg. He died September 10, 1859. His son, James S. Easley, was born March 27, 1802, in Pittsylvania county. He married Miss Holt. Robert Holt Easley, son of above, married Miss Louise Edmonia Gilmer, November 3, 1879, in Chatham, Pittsylvania county. They moved to Halifax, where Mr. Easley has since made his home. They have the following children: (1) Elizabeth Easley. (2) Florence Leigh Easley. (3) James Stone Easley. (4) George Gilmer Easley. (5) Louse Easley. Mr. James Stone Easley, son of above, is a prominent young lawyer and Commonwealth?s attorney for the county. He married Miss Margaret Lyle, of Rogersville, Tenn. In 1681, a Robert Easley lived in Henrico county, Virginia. He died in 1711, leaving five hundred acres to his three children, viz.: John, Warham and Margaret (wife of Thomas Duprey). He mentions three younger children, Elizabeth, William, and Robert. This Robert Easley may have been the progenitor of the Halifax and Pittsylvania Easleys. The Pittsylvania Easleys were in Halifax before the county was cut off in 1767. We learn from the records that the first court was held at "Hampton Wade?s house," and the tradition is that it was held at Peytonsburg, therefore we conclude that Hampton Wade lived at Peytonsburg, then Halifax county, now in Pittsylvania county. Marcellus French refers to it in his letter as a venerable place with few contemporaries. Mr. Charles B. Easley, of Halifax county, Va., married October 17, 1877, a daughter of William Andrew Horsley, of "Rock Cliff," Nelson county, and his wife, Eliza G. Perkins, daughter of George and Eliza Richardson Perkins, of Cumberland county. Letter From General George E. Pickett to Mr. William L. Owens, of Black Walnut, in Regard to the Death of Lieutenant Easley. "Mexico, Dec. 7, 1847. Dear Sir: As this is the first and in fact the only opportunity that has occurred since the reception of your letter by General Twiggs, I have taken advantage of it to answer as far as I am able some of the inquiries concerning one of my best friends, Lieutenant Easley. We have been together for more than five years, classmates at West Point and in the same regiment after graduating. From constant association, the hardships we have undergone, and the struggles shared together, being form the same State and having so many interests in common, I had for a long time regarded him, I may say, as an elder brother and from the many kindnesses and little attentions he had shown me always and on all occasions when necessary, and could be appreciated, I had for a long time been well aware that the feeling was reciprocated. I therefore considered it my melancholy duty to write to his relatives and should have done so had not Lieutenant Jones, of his own regiment, informed me that he had done so, also as he had charge of his effects, papers, &c. As far as regards his standing and reputation in the army I can give it to you in a few words. He was thought by all to be one of the most active, gallant and promising young officers in the service. His extreme bravery is shown by the manner of his death. He, Lieutenant Jones and fifteen men were together in front or face of the worst of Churrubusco, advancing towards it under a heavy fire from it, when a company of deserters from our ranks, who had enlisted in the Mexican service and were at that time defending the works, fired a whole volley right amongst them, killing my poor friend Easley dead, and killing or wounding the fifteen men, leaving Lieutenant Jones alone standing. Lieutenant Easley was shot through the head, the ball inclining downward, and he must have died instantly. I believe he was more generally beloved than any other officer with us. It could not have been otherwise, for he combined such an amiable disposition with so much firmness and decision of character that no one could know him a week and not appreciate his character. He was a general favorite in my regiment, to which he formerly belonged, the Eighth, and we all felt his loss when he left us to join the Second, but I can not tell you how deeply grieved we were when we learned of his untimely fate. Every one knew he had lost a friend, and the service a gallant officer. I assure you this is not the only place where his loss is felt. He was known and loved by every member of my family. He, of course, was always with me in passing through Richmond and consequently became well known to both my father and mother; and in an answer to one of my letters my mother in speaking of him says she felt just as if she had lost a near and dear relative, and that my poor little note had caused as much sorrow as if he had been her brother. She and my sister had known us to be together so much and had heard me speak so often and so affectionately of him that they had grown to believe that he was my guardian saint, and the last remark my mother made was that she felt but little anxiety on my account during my journey, as Mr. Easley was going with me. That was when we left Virginia to join our regiment. Should you go to Richmond you will do me a kindness by calling on my father, and I will insure you of a sincere and hospitable welcome. He would feel most hurt did he know you had been there and he not known of it. Lieutenant Easley?s trunk is in the hands of the quartermaster at New -------- (illegible) and can be obtained by applying to Colonel Hunt, the quartermaster at that place, with the military directions. The rest of his effects are now in the hands of Lieutenant Jones and will be forwarded by train which will leave within a few days. +I must now bide you farewell, sir, with the hope that we may meet at some future time, when this disastrous and bloody war has closed, and we may then have an opportunity of conversing upon a melancholy though dear and interesting subject to us both. "With my kindest regards to his mother and sisters, I remain, Yours, etc., Geo. E. Pickett." Postscript to This Letter from Lieutenant Jones. "Dear Sir: The remains of the lamented Easley have been taken up and properly enclosed for transportation to his native place. They will go to Vera Cruz, by train that leaves tomorrow, in charge of Captain Kingsburg. They will be shipped from there at the first opportunity. While there they will be in charge of Lieutenant Patrick, Second Infantry. Some of his effects, with the greater part of mine, were lost while coming into the city. The rest I have packed up and will send, as above stated. If you have not received my first letter, write me and I will again give you the particulars of the death of my best friend. This I write you on a vacant space in Pickett?s letter. He would have written by the first train, but knew that I had done so. Lieutenant Pickett, though not with us in the battle, was doing honor to his State in another part of the field. Yours sincerely, D. R. Jones." The above was the celebrated General George E. Pickett, of "Pickett?s Charge" at Gettysburg, and who was so prominent in the battles of Fredericksburg, Petersburg, and Five Forks. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, January 25, 1825, graduated at West Point in 1846, served in the Mexican war as lieutenant in 1847, was made captain in 1855. In 1861 he left the service of the United States and joined the Confederate army. He was commissioned brigadier-general and was distinguished throughout the war for bravery and activity. He died in Norfolk, Virginia, July 30, 1875. Letter in Regard to the Death of Lieut. Thomas Easley. "City of Mexico, Oct. 31, 1847. Dear Sir: The unfortunate incidents natural to an active service in the field it is my painful duty to announce to you have been fully realized in regard to your much beloved and deeply lamented brother, who fell dead at the head of the company he commanded while gallantly leading it to the attack upon Churrubusco. I was by his side when he fell, and it gives me infinite pleasure to bear testimony to his heroic valor on this occasion, as also to the high qualities of a soldier he had uniformly evinced. Being a classmate of mine, I had long known him as a companion, his amiable and gentlemanly character won my utmost esteem and friendship. The proceedings adopted at a meeting of the Second Infantry (and herewith enclosed) will show you the estimate in which he was held by his regiment and the sentiments therein contained. It is my honorable privilege to confirm from our intimate friendship, as classmates and room-mates of the Military Academy, and as members of the same regiment, and I beg leave to repeat here to you and to his bereft mother and sisters and brothers my deepest sympathy at the loss of so excellent a relative. Very respectfully, Your sympathizing friend and obedient servant, D. R. Jones, Adjutant Second Infantry." Excerpt From the Letter of Mrs. Mary Pickett to Mrs. Easley. "My Dear Madam: As we are about to send you the paper containing a beautiful and well deserved eulogism on your lamented son, written by one of his friends in Mexico and sent to us by another (Mr. Maury) from West Point, with the request that we would have it published, I cannot refrain from expressing my deep sympathy with your heavy affliction. My feelings on this sad occasion must be peculiarly strong, for I knew your dear son, and it was impossible to do so without being strongly attracted by his frank and charming manners. He was most fondly loved by my son, George E. Pickett, who had been in constant and affectionate association with him for five years, for they went out together to this fatal war. I was in the habit of constantly sending letters to my son, and receiving messages through my son from Mr. Easley. My son?s letters since the terrible battle of Churrubusco have been sad, indeed. The loss of his dear friend seems ever before him, and all that has been so affectionately said of him by his other friends has been written me by my beloved son. I know, my dear madam, there is no consolation for a bereavement like yours, but still I know it will be grateful to you to know how highly he was appreciated and how truly beloved by his companions and classmates. May God, who alone can soften this blow, be with you and support you, for under similar afflictions, of which I have had many, I have proved that there is no other comfort. I will now close, dear madam, with the assurances of the sympathy of my husband and sisters. Yours most truly, Mary Pickett."