Randolph County, Indiana
John William Carter
Each man who strives to fulfill his part in connection with human life and human activities is deserving of recognition, whatever may be his field of endeavor, and it is the function of works of this nature to prepare for future generations an authentic record concerning those represented in its pages, and the value of such publications is certain to be cumulative for all time to come, showing forth the individual and specific accomplishments of which generic history is ever engendered. The record of John William Carter, one of the enterprising citizens of Lynn, Randolph county is worthy of perpetuation on the pages of history as we will readily discern by a study of the same in the following paragraphs.
Mr. Carter was born in Clinton county, Ohio, March 17, 1857. He is a son of Elihi and Esther B. (Mendenhall) Carter. The father was born in Clinton county, Ohio, March 9, 1833. He was a son of John and Hannah (Milliken) Carter. John Carter was also born in Clinton county, Ohio, early in the nineteenth century, and he devoted his entire life to farming, and his death occurred in 1878. He was a Quaker. Elihu Carter grew to manhood in his native county and he had good educational advantages for that early period. He worked on a farm in his boyhood days. In 1867 he moved to Miami county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming until 1873 when he moved to Stoney Creek township, Randolph county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming. He was a local minister in the Friends church, preaching either at home or at a neighboring church. He remained in that neighborhood until 1883 when he moved to Henry county Indiana, where he continued farming and preaching until his death, March 8, 1908. He was a successful farmer and a good and useful man, a minister of the gospel of no mean ability and did a great amount of good in this manner. He and Esther B. Mendenhall were married either in 1855 or 1856. She was born in Wayne county, Indiana, about 1835 and died in 1863. Their children numbered four, and were named as follows: John William, subject of this sketch; Suda is the wife of J. L. Hewitt, of Stoney Creek township, this county; Hannah B. is the wife of Albert Oren, of Parker, Indiana; Rufus M. is deceased.
John W. Carter grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked when a boy and he received a common school education. He began farming for himself when a young man and continued in this line of endeavor until 1903, getting a good start in life. He then moved to the town of Lynn, and was appointed rural mail carrier of route No.30. This position he held for a period of seven years to the eminent satisfaction of the people and the department, retiring in 1910. He now devotes his attention to the management of his finely improved and productive farm southwest of Lynn. However, he maintains an office in Lynn, being engaged in the real estate and automobile business in partnership with Frank E. Wright, under the firm name of Wright & Carter. They have built up a large and lucrative business which is rapidly growing.
Politically, Mr. Carter is a Republican, and religiously, he is a member of the Friends church.
Mr. Carter was married September 21, 1877, to Caroline F. Mills, a daughter of Joel and Cynthia (Beard) Mills. She was born October 27, 1856, in Randolph county, Indiana, and here she grew to womanhood and received a common school education. She was the oldest of a family of six children, three sons and three daughters.
To Mr. and Mrs. Carter three children were born, namely: Rev. Fred E., born August 22, 1878, now has charge of the Jonesboro Friends church: Luther F., born October 1, 1882, is proprietor of a general store in Geneva, Indiana; Maude, born February 16, 1885, married Wayne Smock, who is farming in Washington township, this county. These children grew to maturity in Randolph county and were given excellent educational advantages.
On May 9, 1913, the wife and mother was called to her eternal rest. She was a woman of beautiful Christian character and fortitude, and her life of fifty-six years, six months and twelve days was fraught with much good to those who came in contact with her. Besides her husband and three children there survive five grandchildren, a mother, three brothers and two sisters.
Past and Present of Randolph County, Indiana, 1914.
Contributed by Gina Richardson