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Facts and Events
 | This page presents the results of research conducted to date into the life of Person:Dale Carter (2). Collaborative participation is welcome.
For data collection, source data, research notes, and collaboration activities see:
Person talk:Dale Carter (2)
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The genealogy of the Carter family of Southwest Virginia is fairly well confused. There are numerous researchers for this family, and substantial disagreements. There appear to be three basic lines of Carters that settled in this area, all originating in Lancaster County Virginia. One descended from Robert King Carter, who settled in Carters Valley, south of the current boundary between Virginia and Tennessee, and two descended from the unrelated Thomas Carter of Carotowan in Lancaster County, Va. Dale Carter is in the later group, which settled in what is now Scott County. See Carter Family in Southwest Virginia for a discussion of these various lines of Carters.
Overview
Two groups of related Carters came to Southwest Virginia about 1770. One group included Thomas, Joseph and Norris Carter, sons of Peter Carter of Fuquier County. The other group included John, Charles and Susannah Carter, children of Charles Carter of Amherst County. Charles of Amherst, and Peter of Fuquier were brothers, making these two groups of Carters cousins. A seventh Carter, Dale, also came at the same time, and seems to be commonly associated with Thomas, Joseph, and Norris in the land records; most family historians seem to think that these four were brothers (e.g., Source:Addington, 1932, but this is not entirely clear. Both Charles of Amherst, and Peter of Fuquier sent sons to Southwest Virginia, both had sons named Dale of about the same age, and both Dales died fairly young. From the surrounding evidence it is difficult to tell which Dale went to Southwest Virginia. In the chart below, which shows the children in both lines of Carter's we have shown Dale son of Charles as the one going to Southwest Virginia. This is primarily because he married Mary Bickley (1746-1821)[1], who grew up in Amherst County, and so seems most likely to have married a son of Charles Carter of Amherst County. But nothing is certain. Peter of Fuquier is known to have had a son (Peter, Jr.) who also lived in Amherst County, and its entirely possible that Dale son of Peter was living with his brother Peter Jr, when he married Mary Bickley.
The Carters initially settled in the Rye Cove area along the Clinch. When Indian hostilities commenced in 1774 this area proved to be highly vulnerable, lying as it did along the main trails leading from Powell Valley to the Clinch. The Carters pulled back from this exposed location retreating to Blackmore's Fort on the Clinch River. Dale was killed during an Indian attack at Fort Blackmore, in on October 6th of 1774. Source:Addington, 1932:58 describes the death of Dale Carter:
- Secretly approaching Fort Blackmore, the Indians came within about seventy five yards of the gate before they were discovered. Most of the men at the time were sitting upon some logs which lay a short distance from the gate. Evidently seeing this the Indians decided to make a bold push to enter the fort before the men could recover from their surprise. So creeping along under the bank of the river, completely hidden from view by the bank a fringe of trees and underbrush, they were just ready to rush into the fort when Dale Carter, who happened to be about 55 steps from the fort, saw them and began to haloo, "Murder, Murder!"
- Upon hearing Carter's cry of alarm the men ran toward the fort with all possible speed. They succeeded in reaching the gate before the Indians. Thus frustraing their designs of cutting the men off from the fort, the Indians next turned their attention to Carter. One Indian shot at him but missed him. another shot him through the thigh, inflicting a wound which though not mortal, rendered him too lame to escape into th fort. One Indian, more bold than the rest, soon ran up to Carter, and killing him with his tomhwk, scalped him. In the meantime a Mr. Anderson [2] and John Carter,[3] who with their guns, were either outside the fort, or on hearing the firing, quickly ran to the other outside, endeavored to prevent Carter being scalped. Anderson shot at the Indian who as in the act of scalping Carter, while John Carter shot at another Indian who was near by. It is not known whether either of these shots took effect; they casued the Indians, however, to scamper off about one hundred yards from which point they began firing at Anderson and his companion.
- Fortunately both men were unhurt by this fusillade, although some of hte shots hit the stockade only a few inches from anderson's head. By this time some of the men who had been on the logs hasitly climbed into the bastion of the fort nearest the enemy, and opened a well directed fire upon them. They drove the enemy into the woods where the little garrison dared not follow them. For a few moments the excitement was great in the little fort. Although Dale Carter's halloo of murder, sadly prophetic of his own fate, had cost him his own life, yet no doubt his timely warning averted the destruction of the fort.
Dale left his wife Mary with four young children, the youngest a babe in arms. It is said that her younger brother Charles came to the Clinch about this time because of the death of his sisters husband.
Disambiguation
Dale Carter's given name is usually spelled "Dale", but some records give it as "Deal" or "Dial". The spelling of the surname seems to be invariant, but Source:Kegley, 1980 considers "Carder" and "Carty" as possible variants.
 Blue=Fauquier, Red =Amherst, Green= Scott, Beige =King William County, Purple=King and Queen, Light Blue=Lancaster County |
There are a number of Dale Carters in the line of descent from Thomas Carter of Barford who settled in Lancaster County, Virginia. The Dale Carter who was killed by Indians on the Clinch in October of 1774 is usually identified as the brother of Thomas and Norris Carter who settled at the same time in Rye Cove, and were the sons of Peter Carter of Fauquier County. However, a reasonable case may be made that Dale was not the brother of Thomas and Norris, but their cousin. If so, his father would be Charles Carter of Amherst County, brother of Peter of Fauquier.
| | The basis for this is the fact that Mary Bickley, Dale's wife, came from Amherst county, and that Charles Carter of Amherst County did have a son named Dale who died sometime before 1786. Its possible that he is the Dale Carter that was killed by Indians in 1774. Since Mary Bickley and Dale son of Charles were both living in Amherst county, it would seem plausible that they might have married. Contrariwise, if Dale son of Peter was Mary's husband an explanation is needed to bring the two together. While there is a substantial geographic separation between Amherst and Fauquier Counties, one of Peter Carter's sons is known to have lived in Amherst County. If one son lived in Amhest, its plausible that Dale did as well. On the whole, neither interpretation can be discounted.
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See also:
Personal Data
Bibliography
Miller, Joseph Lyon, 1912. The descendants of Capt. Thomas Carter of "Barford," Lancaster County, Virginia : with genealogical notes of many of the allied familes. Thomas, W. Va.: J.L. Miller, 1912. Ancestry FHL# 929.273 C245m IGI Virginia Source:Miller, 1912.
Carter YDNA Project
Carter Family in Southwest Virginia
Footnotes
- ↑ Probably by 1769, as their eldest child is commonly given a DOB of 1769
- ↑ Presumed to be Person:John Anderson (129) who later established Anderson's BLockhouse, but this needs further research
- ↑ Presumably the brother of Dale. John Carter's family would also suffer at the hands of the Indians, 15 years later.
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