Notables from the Carter Land
How to read the labels. DOCUMENTED an original or contemporary record ·
SUPPORTED a credible published source or sourced tree; original not yet seen · FAMILY TRADITION a handed-down story, not yet proven ·
HYPOTHESIS a reasoned idea still to be tested · DISPROVEN-CORRECTED shown to be wrong, with the correction.
“Potts” means Thomas Maxwell Potts, Bi-Centenary Memorial of Jeremiah Carter (1883); “Court Record” means Record of the Courts of Chester County (1910).
People who came from the Carter land on Chester Creek or descend from Jeremiah and Mary Carter. Each is labelled by strength of evidence and sourced.
| Person | Why notable | Field | Label | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Carter (d. 1736/7) | Linen weaver and indentured servant who came in 1682, juror and constable in the first Chester County courts, and builder of the 285-acre Carter tract on Chester Creek. | Founder | DOCUMENTED | Court Record 1681–1697; 1715 warrant; Potts 1883 |
| Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick (1762–1825) | Born near Marcus Hook, descended from Jeremiah through Sarah Carter and Mary Barnard. Consulting physician at George Washington's deathbed (1799) and Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22 at the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony (1793). | Medicine | SUPPORTED | Potts 1883; standard biographies |
| James Alfred Pearce (1805–1862) | Dr. Dick's grandson; U.S. Senator from Maryland, 1843–62. | Public life | SUPPORTED | Archive timeline (Potts line); U.S. Congress biographical directory, to verify |
| Robert Carter (fl. 1815–1840s) | "A Carterville boy, born in a log cabin on Chester creek." Paper-maker who built the Cecil Paper Mills near Elkton, Md.; the mills later supplied the Philadelphia Public Ledger. | Industry | DOCUMENTED | Delaware County Daily Times, 4 Nov 1880; Potts |
| Robert Somers Brookings (1850–1932) | Robert Carter's grandson through Mary Eliza Carter and Dr. Richard Brookings. St Louis businessman, philanthropist and founder of the Brookings Institution. | Philanthropy | DOCUMENTED | Potts p.189; Brookings Institution history |
| Paul Beck Carter (gen. 5) | Chester lawyer-litigant and Carterville's first chronicler. Wrote the "Carterville, Chester Township" series (1880) and fought his father's will through the courts in 1877–79. | Chronicler | DOCUMENTED | Delaware County Daily Times 1877–1880; Potts no.196 |
| Dr. Robert C. Carter (b. 1824) and Dr. Edward L. Carter (1817–c.1869) | Robert Carter's sons; physicians of Cecil County, Md. | Medicine | SUPPORTED | Potts p.127 |
| Samuel Phillips (d. 1862) | 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers, husband of Margery-Ann Coppock; died at Shepherdstown after Antietam, grave 3590, Antietam National Cemetery. | Military | SUPPORTED | Antietam National Cemetery records; Potts |