Mary Louisa Sargent Carter (1850-1922)
Mary Louisa Sargent was born on May 31, 1850, in Greene County, Ohio, the second of three children born to the Rev. David H. Sargent and Elizabeth C. (Eliza) Babb. Rev. Sargent was a native of Virginia, and Eliza Babb Sargent was born in Kentucky.
The family, which consisted of David and Eliza and children Charles, Mary and Catherine lived in the Xenia, Ohio, area, which is southeast of Dayton, but moved often because of Rev. Sargent’s Methodist ministry.
They eventually landed in Warren County, Ohio, in the small community of Union in the southwest part of the state north of Cincinnati.
In 1880, Mary still lived at home at the age of 30 after her brother Charles, 32, and sister Catherine, 23, both left home after getting married. In 1886, Lewis Carter, a widower with two children, was in Warren County, where he met Mary, and they eventually married. The couple moved to Lewis' home near the town of Matthews, a small community in the southern part of Grant County along the Mississinewa River. Mary became a stepmother to Lewis’s sons Charley and Milo, who were 20 and 17 years old, respectively.
Less than a year after their marriage, Mary and Lewis had a son, Oren Ray, who was born on June 7, 1887. About a year later, a daughter, Rachel Vada, was born on June 18, 1888.
With two young children to care for and a husband two young men to feed, life was busy for Mary Louisa. Her husband took over his brother’s store in Matthews and also farmed during the summer. In 1889, the family moved to a new house.
A few years later, however, they moved to live on the farm of Samuel Gregory in northern Delaware County. But Lewis soon became seriously ill with pneumonia, even spending time in hospital in Cincinnati.
Sadness came to Mary Louisa in 1894 when she learned of the death of her father, the Rev. David Sargent, at the age of 77. He died at the family farm in South Lebanon, Ohio, where Mary had lived with her parents well into adulthood. Soon after David's death, Mary's mother, Eliza Sargent, had moved to St. Louis to live with her son Charles and his family. Charles, two years older than Mary, had found much success in the silk business. He traveled often around the Midwest selling silk to clothing makers. But he had established a base in St. Louis and co-owned Coyle & Sargent Silk Manufacturers downtown.
By 1900, Mary and Lewis, along with Oren and Vada, were back in Grant County, near New Cumberland. Mary saw her husband’s health slowly deteriorate until he finally succumbed on April 13, 1902. Oren was just 14 years old, and Vada was 13.
Three years later, in 1905, Mary's mother Eliza died in St. Louis from complications of senility. Her body was brought back to Ohio to be buried next to her husband.
After returning from her mother's funeral, Mary dutifully took care of the homestead and stayed in the Matthews area to care for Vada over the next several years before moving to Muncie to live with son Oren and his new wife, Louise Bott.
Mary lived with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters Mary Thelma and Doris Frances in Muncie until a move to Anderson by the time the 1920 U.S. census was taken. Because of the crowded living conditions after the arrival of Oren and Louise's third daughter, Rita June, in 1920, Mary had a chance to move out of the home in Anderson and live with her daughter Rachel Vada in Lawrence County, Indiana.
In 1922, Mary Louisa Sargent Carter died at the age of 71, a month shy of her 72nd birthday.
The family, which consisted of David and Eliza and children Charles, Mary and Catherine lived in the Xenia, Ohio, area, which is southeast of Dayton, but moved often because of Rev. Sargent’s Methodist ministry.
They eventually landed in Warren County, Ohio, in the small community of Union in the southwest part of the state north of Cincinnati.
In 1880, Mary still lived at home at the age of 30 after her brother Charles, 32, and sister Catherine, 23, both left home after getting married. In 1886, Lewis Carter, a widower with two children, was in Warren County, where he met Mary, and they eventually married. The couple moved to Lewis' home near the town of Matthews, a small community in the southern part of Grant County along the Mississinewa River. Mary became a stepmother to Lewis’s sons Charley and Milo, who were 20 and 17 years old, respectively.
Less than a year after their marriage, Mary and Lewis had a son, Oren Ray, who was born on June 7, 1887. About a year later, a daughter, Rachel Vada, was born on June 18, 1888.
With two young children to care for and a husband two young men to feed, life was busy for Mary Louisa. Her husband took over his brother’s store in Matthews and also farmed during the summer. In 1889, the family moved to a new house.
A few years later, however, they moved to live on the farm of Samuel Gregory in northern Delaware County. But Lewis soon became seriously ill with pneumonia, even spending time in hospital in Cincinnati.
Sadness came to Mary Louisa in 1894 when she learned of the death of her father, the Rev. David Sargent, at the age of 77. He died at the family farm in South Lebanon, Ohio, where Mary had lived with her parents well into adulthood. Soon after David's death, Mary's mother, Eliza Sargent, had moved to St. Louis to live with her son Charles and his family. Charles, two years older than Mary, had found much success in the silk business. He traveled often around the Midwest selling silk to clothing makers. But he had established a base in St. Louis and co-owned Coyle & Sargent Silk Manufacturers downtown.
By 1900, Mary and Lewis, along with Oren and Vada, were back in Grant County, near New Cumberland. Mary saw her husband’s health slowly deteriorate until he finally succumbed on April 13, 1902. Oren was just 14 years old, and Vada was 13.
Three years later, in 1905, Mary's mother Eliza died in St. Louis from complications of senility. Her body was brought back to Ohio to be buried next to her husband.
After returning from her mother's funeral, Mary dutifully took care of the homestead and stayed in the Matthews area to care for Vada over the next several years before moving to Muncie to live with son Oren and his new wife, Louise Bott.
Mary lived with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters Mary Thelma and Doris Frances in Muncie until a move to Anderson by the time the 1920 U.S. census was taken. Because of the crowded living conditions after the arrival of Oren and Louise's third daughter, Rita June, in 1920, Mary had a chance to move out of the home in Anderson and live with her daughter Rachel Vada in Lawrence County, Indiana.
In 1922, Mary Louisa Sargent Carter died at the age of 71, a month shy of her 72nd birthday.
I found this May 1. It's a marriage license record for our great-grandparents Lewis Carter and Mary Louisa Sargent. The document states that Lewis and Mary were married on July 29, 1886, in Warren County, Ohio. They had signed to get the license the day before, likely in the Warren County seat of Lebanon. Warren County is just northeast of Cincinnati.
This was quite a find. I had assumed that Lewis and Mary married in Matthews, Ind., but for the first time I found that they had apparently met and married in Mary's home county of Warren in Ohio. As for the circumstances of Lewis being in southwest Ohio in the mid-1880s, I have yet to find proof.
Lewis Carter (1839-1902)
Lewis Carter was born on July 13, 1839, the eighth son of Isaac G. and Harriet (Josselyn) Carter, in Matthews in Grant County, Ind.
Lewis grew up on the family farm in Jefferson Township, helping his father and brothers when he was of age. He worked all throughout the year, save for about three months of schooling. Lewis was a quick learner, a studious and obedient young man. But Lewis admits that he was passionate at times, often losing his temper toward his brother John.
His passion was also seen in his recreation. “In his young manhood he enjoyed the sports of the times, one of which was to see who could jump the farthest at three jumps. He did not allow any one to beat him at that sport and would hardly take time to eat if any jumping was going on.” (--Howard Carter book “Isaac Carter and Descendants”)
Lewis and Rachel McKeever, who was born July 13, 1844, in Matthews, were married April 24, 1862, in Huntington County, Ind.
From Lewis’s autobiography:
“I remember well the day we each promised the other that we would get married if we lived to be old enough. It was on a day when she was visiting at my home. As little boys and girls, five or six of us, we were playing hide and seek. At one time she and I hid together, and while the others were hunting for us, we then and there made that solemn promise. To be sure it might be considered a childish promise.
“Be that as it may we both ever kept it as sacred and binding. At this time, she was ten years old and I was fifteen. We never had any love quarrels and in a little less than eight years after, we were married. During the seven years and more we were in each others society a great deal, schoolmaster, playmates, social parties, spelling schools, singing schools at church and at our homes.”
To this union two sons were born: Charley Simpson, Oct. 25, 1866; and Milo Otis, Nov. 12, 1869.
His beloved Rachel died on June 21, 1884, at the age of 39. She had been ill for many years, with Lewis saying she saw “few days that she was free from pain.” Rachel had tried to rally in the fall of 1883 but gradually grew weaker in the early months of 1884. Through it all, Rachel kept her sense of humor and delighted when Lewis came home and – unable to find a girl to help out with the housework – took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves and said “now my name is Bridget” and proceeded to do most of the work.
Lewis recalls how one day Rachel drew him to her and said, “I have given you and the boys up.” To Lewis, that signaled that she had resigned herself to death and he would soon be alone with two little boys. When the time came on that Saturday evening, “how said it was to see one I loved so well struggling in death. O, how she must have suffered. … But soon her suffering was over and the sweet spirit was at rest.”
Lewis went on to write this about Rachel: “I don’t think a day has passed since her death but I have thought of her many times. I don’t want to forget her, I never will forget her, yes, I love to think of her, I love her still, and in my secret thoughts of her, I call her my angel wife. I often dream of seeing her and being with her and some times they seem so real that I can hardly believe that she was really here. In spirit who knows but she was.”
He kept house with his boys until July 29, 1886, when he was married to Miss Mary Louisa Sargent. To this union two children were born:
Oren Ray, June 7, 1887; and Rachel Vada, June 16, 1888.
Lewis wrote that he took the step to marry again after much prayerful thought and advice from friends. He said he thought he was doing the right thing and what was best for himself and his children. The family moved to town after living on a farm for a while and took charge of his brother John’s store in Matthews.
Lewis was a devout Christian and became deeply involved in the Methodist Episcopal Church, serving as a chorister, steward, class leader, trustee, Sunday school superintendent, member of building committee and twice a delegate to the church’s annual conference.
Lewis, who said he joined the church at age 16, was taught early on by his parents to pray and become familiar with the Bible. He said he never swore, he abstained from obscenity and hated to hear others “indulge in either of these crimes.” He never smoked a pipe or cigar or chewed tobacco. He did relate how he once had a chew in his mouth and accidentally swallowed a bit of the juices. “It made me very sick,” he said in his sketch and never had tobacco again. He said he had tasted three kinds of liquor: beer, ale and whiskey. “A taste fully satisfied me. I never wanted any more.”
The family moved several times in the 10 years or so after Vada’s birth. But for most of the 1890s, Lewis began to suffer a series of afflictions, including a stay at a hospital in Cincinnati. He wrote his sketch about 15 months before his death and knew that his time was approaching. He wrote about his great love for his three boys, his daughter and his four grandchildren as of 1901.
Lewis Carter died on April 13, 1902. He died of Bright’s disease, a kidney disorder.
Lewis grew up on the family farm in Jefferson Township, helping his father and brothers when he was of age. He worked all throughout the year, save for about three months of schooling. Lewis was a quick learner, a studious and obedient young man. But Lewis admits that he was passionate at times, often losing his temper toward his brother John.
His passion was also seen in his recreation. “In his young manhood he enjoyed the sports of the times, one of which was to see who could jump the farthest at three jumps. He did not allow any one to beat him at that sport and would hardly take time to eat if any jumping was going on.” (--Howard Carter book “Isaac Carter and Descendants”)
Lewis and Rachel McKeever, who was born July 13, 1844, in Matthews, were married April 24, 1862, in Huntington County, Ind.
From Lewis’s autobiography:
“I remember well the day we each promised the other that we would get married if we lived to be old enough. It was on a day when she was visiting at my home. As little boys and girls, five or six of us, we were playing hide and seek. At one time she and I hid together, and while the others were hunting for us, we then and there made that solemn promise. To be sure it might be considered a childish promise.
“Be that as it may we both ever kept it as sacred and binding. At this time, she was ten years old and I was fifteen. We never had any love quarrels and in a little less than eight years after, we were married. During the seven years and more we were in each others society a great deal, schoolmaster, playmates, social parties, spelling schools, singing schools at church and at our homes.”
To this union two sons were born: Charley Simpson, Oct. 25, 1866; and Milo Otis, Nov. 12, 1869.
His beloved Rachel died on June 21, 1884, at the age of 39. She had been ill for many years, with Lewis saying she saw “few days that she was free from pain.” Rachel had tried to rally in the fall of 1883 but gradually grew weaker in the early months of 1884. Through it all, Rachel kept her sense of humor and delighted when Lewis came home and – unable to find a girl to help out with the housework – took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves and said “now my name is Bridget” and proceeded to do most of the work.
Lewis recalls how one day Rachel drew him to her and said, “I have given you and the boys up.” To Lewis, that signaled that she had resigned herself to death and he would soon be alone with two little boys. When the time came on that Saturday evening, “how said it was to see one I loved so well struggling in death. O, how she must have suffered. … But soon her suffering was over and the sweet spirit was at rest.”
Lewis went on to write this about Rachel: “I don’t think a day has passed since her death but I have thought of her many times. I don’t want to forget her, I never will forget her, yes, I love to think of her, I love her still, and in my secret thoughts of her, I call her my angel wife. I often dream of seeing her and being with her and some times they seem so real that I can hardly believe that she was really here. In spirit who knows but she was.”
He kept house with his boys until July 29, 1886, when he was married to Miss Mary Louisa Sargent. To this union two children were born:
Oren Ray, June 7, 1887; and Rachel Vada, June 16, 1888.
Lewis wrote that he took the step to marry again after much prayerful thought and advice from friends. He said he thought he was doing the right thing and what was best for himself and his children. The family moved to town after living on a farm for a while and took charge of his brother John’s store in Matthews.
Lewis was a devout Christian and became deeply involved in the Methodist Episcopal Church, serving as a chorister, steward, class leader, trustee, Sunday school superintendent, member of building committee and twice a delegate to the church’s annual conference.
Lewis, who said he joined the church at age 16, was taught early on by his parents to pray and become familiar with the Bible. He said he never swore, he abstained from obscenity and hated to hear others “indulge in either of these crimes.” He never smoked a pipe or cigar or chewed tobacco. He did relate how he once had a chew in his mouth and accidentally swallowed a bit of the juices. “It made me very sick,” he said in his sketch and never had tobacco again. He said he had tasted three kinds of liquor: beer, ale and whiskey. “A taste fully satisfied me. I never wanted any more.”
The family moved several times in the 10 years or so after Vada’s birth. But for most of the 1890s, Lewis began to suffer a series of afflictions, including a stay at a hospital in Cincinnati. He wrote his sketch about 15 months before his death and knew that his time was approaching. He wrote about his great love for his three boys, his daughter and his four grandchildren as of 1901.
Lewis Carter died on April 13, 1902. He died of Bright’s disease, a kidney disorder.
This is the ancestral line of Doris Frances Carter Rooney:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=rooney-carter&id=P7
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=rooney-carter&id=P7