On This Day in Family History - December 17

 Ned Jonas Carter married Nancy Jane Evans 17 December 1865

  This is actually a very significant day in the family annals. The branch of my ancestral tree that is most familiar to me is the Carter/Arnold clan. From this lineage came my great-grandmother Annie Arnold Hicks. Annie and Ulysses Hicks had 10 children. The first baby was stillborn in 1911. The other nine lived to old age, and they and their progeny constituted the majority of extended family that influenced my formative years. I grew up hearing stories of all the Arnold and Carter forbears, and it feels like I know them well, even though I never met most of them.

  It all started (well, as far back as we can reliably trace) with Ned Jonas Carter. He was born in November of 1829 in Tennessee. His first wife was Melinda Emiline Clingan. With her he had six children - Martha, Wes, Mary Elizabeth, Margaret, and twin girls who died at birth. Melinda died also, and the following year Ned married Jane Evans. Ned and Jane had eight children - Paralee, Adaline (my great-grandmother), Sarah, Rebecca, Matilda, John, George, and Ellen. 

  Here is what Ned's great-granddaughter Glynda Tucker wrote about him:

  Grandpap was of average height or a little less.  He was red-headed, left handed and as independent as a hog on ice.  The color of his eyes was probably grey or green.  The family was Scotch, Irish and Pennsylvania Black Dutch.  Most of Grandpap’s descendants are religious people making it seem that he had strong religious beliefs.  He was a republican in politics and a blacksmith by trade, and a good one too.  People would come from far away to have him do their blacksmithing. 

  He seemed to have itchy feet.  He never stayed in one place very long.  He might not move far, but move he would. 

  Grandpap was about as wide as he was tall and in his older age his hair turned white and he also had a white beard.  

  One of the Dunn boys remembered this story about him:  He went to a community party and three boys decided to have some fun at Grandpap’s expense.  After the fun was over, Grandpap’s white hair was red with blood but he was still on his feet.  They had to carry the three boys out.  That just shows they didn’t have much sense.  A smart man doesn’t start a fight with a blacksmith. 

  Another story was that one day a man brought Grandpap some work.  He was one that wanted to tell him how to do it.  Apparently, Grandpap had a short fuse, as you would expect in a red-head, because he got tired of that fella real quick.  Since the guy was telling him where to hit the metal with the hammer, he had him show him just exactly where to hit it next.  The man had to practically put his finger on the metal to show him where to hit it and Grandpap took a swing with his hammer.  He was quick to move his hand and himself and left the work to Grandpap. 

  Ned Jonas Carter married Nancy Jane Evans Carter in Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois 17 December 1865.  The story is that Jane’s maiden name was Evans, she married an Evans, he is believed to have been killed in the Civil War, then she married a Carter and he soon died, then she married Ned J. Carter.  I have never seen her name as Nancy but have been told that it was.  On census and marriage record it is just Jane. Jane had two children by her Evans husband. Josiah Marion and Martha Elizabeth... 

Here is a little more information about Jane Evans Carter:

  Jane was the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Bishop Evans. She first married her step brother William Evans. William was the son of Jane's step-mother (her Father's second wife) Elizabeth Sitten. His surname was Walker, but he took the name of Evans from his step-father.  *So, they were not actually blood kin, just related by marriages of their parents* After William Walker Evans’ death, she married Thomas Carter. After Thomas Carter's death, she married Ned J. Carter. (Thomas and Ned were not related.) So it was, that Jane married 3 times and only changed her name once. 

I have literally hundreds of pictures of the Arnold and Carter branches of our family tree. A lot of them I have posted at one time or another on this blog, but I'll spare you today and just leave it at this. Most of the stories that I have about these folks are included in my book The Woods Is Full of 'Em, which is available on Amazon.