About Us

History

A Brief History of the Society

The genesis of our esteemed Society actually came to pass fifty years ago as I came to know the love and strong family spirit that bound my Carter relatives one to another. The kind, genteel nature of my grandfather Carter and his siblings was only overshadowed by their extraordinary inner strength and courage in the daunting rigors of life. From my very early years I remember such a sense of belonging that I came to know only through my Carter heritage.

As fate would have it, years passed before I began my genealogical research, and I was astounded to find hundreds of distant "cousins" who spoke of the very same inherent family traits. My path was set early on: the pursuit of a Carter gathering came to pass in 1996 and, with many hands helping, it was an outstanding success.

Since 1998 we have held annual reunions, each greatly surpassing the prior year. It was surprising to me, however, that I could find no other lines of our Carter family, nor any of the other known early Virginia Carter families, seeking to overcome the distance in time and place to establish a connection with their Carter kin.

At the fifth annual Carter Family Reunion held in Lancaster County in 2001, it was my great honor to announce that eight of my Carter cousins had agreed to help organize and incorporate The Carter Society. This elite group, all descendants of Capt. Thomas Carter of Lancaster County, Virginia, had the wisdom to expand their vision of an organized heritage society to include descendants of all the known Carter immigrants to Virginia.

Aware that many of those early Carters had familial connections in their English ancestry, we also knew that the early generations in the colony, even those not related by blood, were bound by the many hardships and struggles they endured while seeking to build a better religious, political, and social life for themselves and their fellow man.

Our forefathers, the Carters of early Virginia and their progeny, helped forge this nation based upon freedom and liberty for all men, and it is a heritage worthy of honor. The Carter Society has emerged slowly but with an extreme sense of purpose. May no man sway us from the path we have set.

Fay Parrish Wade
Richmond, VA

Founders

Our Founders

Nancy Unlaub Anderson, Albuquerque, NM

Dr. Frances Northern Ashburn, Lancaster, VA

Robert Franklin Brown, McMinnville, TN

Caroline Bolte Cardwell, Richmond, VA

Betsy Caylor Carter, Aldie, VA

Charles Roland Carter, Brownsboro, AL

Darrell Bruce Carter, Louisville, KY

Douglas Wayne Carter, Beavercreek, OH

Marie Elizabeth Carter, Richmond, VA

Ronald Keith Carter, Arlington, TX

Betty Jo Berry Dwiggins, Macon, MO

Ronald Dale Gentry, Goochland, VA

J. Phillip Harris, Richmond, VA

Ann Carter Lee, White Stone, VA

Christine Barnum Lurk, Littlestown, PA

Charles Dandridge Rawlins, Shawsville, VA

Carter Beaumont Refo, Warrenton, VA

Fay Parrish Wade, Richmond, VA

Krista Johnston Walther, Marietta, GA

Robert Hoskins Warren, Redart, VA

MaryLiz Dodson Welchons, Chesterfield, VA

Beverly Randolph Wellford, Warsaw, VA

Mission

Mission Statement

The Carter Society seeks to honor those early Carters who came to the Virginia Colony to establish a better life for themselves and their progeny, and was established in 2001 with these goals:

1. To promote fellowship and the understanding of family ties among Carters, both then and now;

2. To foster scholarly historical and genealogical research of the Carters in early Virginia, their ancestry and descendants

3. To promote and encourage cooperation among Society members in the dissemination of accurate, documented Carter family historical and genealogical information

4. To promote awareness and the great importance of preserving family documents, photographs, and other family records

5. To promote and support the Society in its endeavor to archive Carter family records of historical and genealogical interest for the benefit of future generations

6. To promote the preservation of all historic, architectural, and archival treasures related to the early Carter families of Colonial Virginia.

Incorporated as a non-profit heritage organization, the Carter Society offers a unique opportunity to come to know those who share a common heritage, a common interest, and a common goal.

Governance

The Carter Society is a corporation led by a Board of Directors who are elected at the annual meeting and serve for a term of two years, or until the next election. Officers are elected by the directors at the first meeting of the Board of Directors following the annual meeting, and serve concurrently with their directorship. The principal officers of the Society are the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, although the Board may also elect one or more Vice-Presidents, Assistant Secretaries, and Assistant Treasurers, as necessary. Committees may be appointed by the President, except the membership committee, which is elected by the Board.

Minutes

Board of Directors

2022 (unaccepted)

Annual Meeting

2022 (unaccepted)

2021

Committees

Special Note: Committee Chairs are appointed by the Board, who then recruit from the Membership at large, including Friends (who otherwise have no voting rights).

Budget and Finance	Ben Kemplin
Membership	Nancy Carter Billings
Publications	Bob Lumsden, Nancy Billings and Donna Andresen
Wesite Development	Carter Harris
Y-DNA Project	Mike Terry and Denise Carter