The Legacy of Thomas Carey

By Jerry Eldon Cary

This book tells the story of Thomas Carey, who went from Somerset to Somerset.

That journey from Somerset, England, to Somerset County, Maryland, in the mid-1600s would set into motion events that would determine the fate of several future generations.

Based on painstaking research, this account chronicles the progress of each generation and highlights the nomadic nature of the family. It leads readers through his descendants’ early life in Maryland, down through Virginia, and into Orange County, North Carolina.

The next stop appears to be area around New Bern, North Carolina. The 1830s brought about dense living conditions in North Carolina. The family partnered with other settlers and moved west via wagon train, crossing the Great Smokey Mountains and traveling a primitive route that subsequently became U.S. Highway 70.

Along the way, some settled in hamlets and scarcely populated communities in East and Middle Tennessee. Most continued to press onward, seeking inexpensive farmland, abundant fresh water, and the opportunity to live the American Dream.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664252851

Jerry Eldon Cary

Jerry Eldon Cary of Fairview, Tennessee, is responsible for much of the research and documentation of this manuscript. A retired telecommunications executive and curious by nature, he has always been fascinated by history and preserving it for future generations. He has researched and validated many cemeteries located in and around Natchez Trace State Park. James Barry Cary, a distant cousin of the author, helped underwrite and encourage the publication of this important work.

Book preview

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The Legacy of

Thomas Carey

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JERRY ELDON CARY

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Copyright © 2022 Jerry Eldon Cary.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher

make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5284-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5286-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-5285-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022901799

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/22/2022

Contents

Acknowledgement

Descendants of Thomas Carey

Generation One

Generation Two

Generation Three

Generation Four

Generation Five

Generation Six

Generation Seven

Generation Eight

Generation Nine

Generation Ten

Generation Eleven

Generation Twelve

Generation Thirteen

Conclusion

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Family of Henry Elvin and Pauline Todd Cary (Include

with Individual #112. Jerry is standing far left)

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Granville Martin and Earnest Ora Dodd Cary (Individual #28)

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Family of Jimmy Claud Cary (Include with text

of Individual # 11, William W. Cary)

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in picture from left Sam, John, and Alf Cary and

spouses. (Individuals # 19 20 and 22)

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Samuel Harrison Cary (Individual #10)

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Acknowledgement

Jerry Cary wishes to acknowledge the following people who have shared genealogy information with him over the course of his research of the Carey/Cary family and have been a significant part of this effort. The late Aline Cary Cole of Fort Worth, Texas; Theron Baber of Wichita Falls, TX; Jerry T. McDaniel of Clarksburg, TN; The late Everett Berry Scott of Las Vegas, NV; James Barry Cary of Old Hickory, TN; Carolyn Edwards of Buena Vista, TN; The late R.L. Roberts of Abilene, TX; Georgette Johnson of Nashville, TN; Marsha Campbell of Nashville, TN, and many others along the way. Thank you to all of you.

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Descendants of

Thomas Carey

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Generation One

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1. THOMAS

¹

CAREY was born on November 27, 1613, in Somerset, England. He died on June 17, 1687, in Monye Creek, Somerset County, Maryland. He married JANE MILNER. She was born about 1619.

Notes for Thomas Carey:

Everrett Berry Scotty Scott of Las Vegas, Nevada, provided the information linking Thomas Cary, who immigrated to western Tennessee from North Carolina, to Thomas Carey, who immigrated to Somerset County, Maryland, from England. These data were taken as given and assumed correct until otherwise refuted.

Thomas Carey and Jane Milner had the following children:

i.RICHARD

²

CAREY was born about 1646. He died about 1722 in Somerset County, Maryland.

ii.EDWARD CAREY was born about 1655. He died in 1730 in Sussex County, Delaware.

iii.THOMAS CAREY was born about 1660. He died in 1723 in Somerset County, Maryland.

iv.JOHN CAREY was born in 1665. He died in 1723 in Sussex County, Delaware.

2.v.WILLIAM CAREY was born on May 10, 1668, in Somerset County, Maryland. He died before June 8, 1734, in Somerset County, Maryland. He married ELIZABETH. She was born in 1672 in Somerset County, Maryland.

vi.SARAH CAREY was born on December 23, 1669.

vii.MARY CAREY was born on October, 1673, in Somerset County, Maryland.

viii.SAMUEL CAREY was born before 1681.

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Generation Two

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2. WILLIAM

²

CAREY (Thomas¹) was born on May 10, 1668, in Somerset County, Maryland. He died before June 8, 1734, in Somerset County, Maryland. He married ELIZABETH. She was born in 1672 in Somerset County, Maryland.

William Carey and Elizabeth had the following children:

i.THOMAS

³

CAREY was born in July 1695 in Somerset County, Maryland.

ii.JOHNATHAN CAREY was born in 1705 in Somerset County, Maryland.

3.iii.LEVIN CAREY was born about 1708 in Somerset County, Maryland. He died on March 1, 1783, in Worcester County, Maryland.

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Generation Three

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3. LEVIN

³

CAREY (William,² Thomas¹) was born about 1708 in Somerset County, Maryland. He died on March 1, 1783, in Worcester County, Maryland.

Levin Carey had the following children:

i.THOMAS

⁴

CAREY was born before 1733 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died before 1783 in Worcester County, Maryland.

4.ii.WILLIAM CAREY was born about 1740 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died before 1783 in Worcester County, Maryland. He married MARGARET RAGLAND.

iii.SARAH CAREY. She married DAVID BROWN.

iv.ELANOR CAREY. She married (1) JAMES FOOKS. She married (2) SAMUEL WILLIAMS.

v.LEVIN CAREY.

vi.LEAH CAREY.

vii.BRIDGET CAREY.

viii.PRISCILLA CAREY.

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Generation Four

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4. WILLIAM

⁴

CAREY (Levin,³ William,² Thomas¹) was born about 1740 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died before 1783 in Worcester County, Maryland. He married MARGARET RAGLAND.

William Carey and Margaret Ragland had the following children:

i.WILLIAM

⁵

CAREY was born about 1770 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died on May 13, 1820, in Worcester County, Maryland.

5.ii.SAMUEL CAREY was born before 1774 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died about May 1818 in Orange County, North Carolina. He married RACHAL. She died after 1820 in Orange County, North Carolina.

6.iii.MICHAEL CAREY was born before 1774. He married LEAH ENNIS.

iv.GEORGE CAREY.

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Generation Five

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5. SAMUEL

⁵

CAREY (William,⁴ Levin,³ William,² Thomas¹) was born before 1774 in Worcester County, Maryland. He died about May 1818 in Orange County, North Carolina. He married RACHAL. She died after 1820 in Orange County, North Carolina.

Notes for Samuel Carey:

Orange County, North Carolina, is near the area known as Research Triangle Park. Hillsborough, North Carolina, is the county seat, but parts of the city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, are in Orange County. The town of Cary, North Carolina, is nearby but is not associated with our Carey/Cary family. According to a Wikipedia article, this is how Cary, North Carolina, got its name: ‘Frank’ Page is credited with founding the town. Page was a Wake County farmer and lumberman. He and his wife, Catherine ‘Kate’ Raboteau Page bought 300 acres (1.2 km2) surrounding the railroad junction in 1854 and named his development Cary, after Samuel Fenton Cary[10] (a former Ohio congressman and prohibitionist he admired).

Samuel Carey and Rachal had the following children:

7.i.THOMAS

⁶

CARY was born about 1792 in North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Robertson on April 1, 1814, in Orange County, North Carolina. She was born in 1794.

ii.BENJAMIN CARY.

iii.ANNE CARY.

iv.MARGARET CARY.

8.v.PEGGY CARY. She died before 1837 in Carroll County, Tennessee. She married WILLIAM DUKE. He died in 1837 in Carroll County, Tennessee.

6. MICHAEL

⁵

CAREY (William,⁴ Levin,³ William,² Thomas¹) was born before 1774. He married LEAH ENNIS.

Michael Carey and Leah Ennis had the following children:

9.i.DANIEL

⁶

CAREY was born in 1808. He died in Arkansas. He married SARAH.

ii.STEPHEN CAREY.

iii.ELIJAH CAREY.

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Generation Six

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7. THOMAS

⁶

CARY (Samuel⁵ Carey, William⁴ Carey, Levin³ Carey, William² Carey, Thomas¹ Carey) was born about 1792 in North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Robertson on April 1, 1814, in Orange County, North Carolina. She was born in 1794.

Notes for Thomas Cary:

Thomas Cary and his family moved from Orange County, North Carolina, to Henderson County, Tennessee, in the early 1800s along with a wagon train of settlers looking for fertile and abundant land to settle and farm. Their travels are written about in a quasi-historical book titled Westward to the Roundtop by the late Arving Edwin Morris of Buena Vista, Tennessee, whose ancestors were also part of the wagon train. Much of the information in the book, except for geographic features and dates, are fictionalized. The publisher referred to the work as fiction based on fact.

Thomas Cary and Elizabeth Robertson had the following children:

10.i.SAMUEL HARRISON

⁷

CARY was born on August 14, 1814, in North Carolina. He died on November 27, 1887, in Henderson County, Tennessee. He met (1) UNKNOWN. She was born about 1830. He married Mary Minerva Akin before 1840. She was born about 1824 in South Carolina. She died on January 7, 1897, in White County, Arkansas.

11.ii.WILLIAM W. CARY was born on May 1, 1816, in North Carolina. He died on May 24 in Carroll County, Tennessee. He married (1) GEORGEAN JOHNSON about 1850. She was born in 1830. He married (2) CAROLINE HAMMETT on December 10, 1840.

iii.JAMES MOSES CARY was born about 1819. He married RACHEL. She was born about 1825 in Tennessee.

12.iv.THOMAS CARY was born on July 1, 1825, in Orange County, North Carolina. He died on May 9, 1914. He married (1) MOLLIE WAUGH about 1897. She was born in 1870. He married (2) MARY C. HARRIS before 1862. She was born in 1828 in Tennessee.

8. PEGGY

⁶

CARY (Samuel⁵ Carey, William⁴ Carey, Levin³ Carey, William² Carey, Thomas¹ Carey). She died before 1837 in Carroll County, Tennessee. She married WILLIAM DUKE. He died in 1837 in Carroll County, Tennessee.

William Duke and Peggy Cary had the following children:

i.MARGARET R.

⁷

DUKE. She married RICHARD HARVEY MORRIS.

ii.MARTHA DUKE. She married ENOS MCAULEY.

9. DANIEL

⁶

CAREY (Michael,⁵ William,⁴ Levin,³ William,² Thomas¹) was born in 1808. He died in Arkansas. He married SARAH.

Notes for Daniel Carey:

Daniel Carey is listed on Sistler’s Index 1850 census in Henderson County, Tennessee, with his wife, Sarah, and their children, James (fifteen), Eliza (twelve), William (eleven), Rufus (four), and Jasper (two). His state of birth is listed as North Carolina.

Re: Daniel Carey Henderson Co. TN-CA 1850

Posted by: Margie Bird Mount Date: January 17, 2002 at 21:38:03

In Reply to: Daniel Carey Henderson Co. TN-CA 1850 by Jerry Cary of 2456

Daniel was a brother to my great grandfather, who was Stephen, Son of Michael Carey & Leah Ennis. Michael, son of William Carey and Margaret Ragland (Raglin). Leah was daughter of Zadoc Ennis and Abigail Fooks of Maryland.

Daniel Carey and Sarah had the following children:

i.JAMES

⁷

CAREY was born about 1835.

ii.ELIZA CAREY was born about 1838.

iii.WILLIAM HENRY CAREY was born in 1840 in Henderson County, Tennessee. He died in Franklin County, Arkansas.

iv.RUFUS CAREY was born about 1846.

v.JASPER NEWTON CAREY was born about 1848. He married NANCY E. STONE in Hempstead County, Arkansas.

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Generation Seven

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10. SAMUEL HARRISON

⁷

CARY (Thomas,⁶ Samuel⁵ Carey, William⁴ Carey, Levin³ Carey, William² Carey, Thomas¹ Carey) was born on August 14, 1814, in North Carolina. He died on November 27, 1887, in Henderson County, Tennessee. He met (1) UNKNOWN. She was born about 1830. He married Mary Minerva Akin before 1840. She was born about 1824 in South Carolina. She died on January 7, 1897, in White County, Arkansas.

Notes for Unknown:

This relationship has been pieced together and projected on the handed-down oral traditions of members of Abner Henry Harrison’s, Samuel LaFayette Cary’s, and Mariah Cary Dodd’s families. According to the oral tradition, Samuel Harrison Cary fathered a son, William Ervin Bill Cary Sr., with an unmarried teenaged girl in the area around Shiloh, Carroll County, Tennessee, in the mid-1840s. Her identity is not known.

The tradition further states that Mary Minerva Polly Akin Cary, Samuel’s wife and the mother of the several children he had already, became aware of the illegitimate child of her husband and took the child into their home and raised him as one of their own children. Samuel and Minerva had several more children after this incident was alleged to have occurred.

While there are no currently known facts to substantiate this theory, the story was related separately, with substantially the same details, by Aline Cole, daughter of Arco Cary in Abner Henry Harrison Cary’s line; Ondeen Dodd Myracle, daughter of Joe Dodd in Mariah Cary Dodd’s line, from a written journal her mother, Vadie Noles Dodd, kept; and Bertie Killebrew, daughter of Samuel LaFayette Cary and granddaughter of Samuel Harrison Cary in 2000. Bertie Killebrew was a great resource for genealogical researchers in the Cary family. She died in October 2002 at the age of ninety.

There are thirteen recorded children of Samuel Harrison Cary and Mary Minerva Akin. However, the obituary for William Alfred Alf Cary in the Lexington Progress, May 26, 1944, states, He was the son of Samuel and Minerva Cary and the last of a family of fourteen children.

Samuel Harrison Cary and Unknown had the following child:

13.i.WILLIAM ERVIN

⁸

CARY was born about 1849 in Tennessee. He married MATILDA MYRACLE. She was born about 1844 in Mississippi. She died in Henderson County, Tennessee.

Notes for Mary Minerva Akin:

Mary L. P. Liles received $12.50 from the clerk of court for her share of the estate of MINERVA CARY, deceased January 7, 1897, resident of White County, Arkansas.

Samuel Harrison Cary and Mary Minerva Akin had the following children:

14.ii.ABNER HENRY HARRISON CARY was born in 1840. He married MARY ANN HAYWOOD. She was born in 1841.

15.iii.ELIZABETH J. CARY was born in 1842. She married GIDEON D. GIBSON. He was born in 1841.

16.iv.JAMES MONROE CARY was born in 1845. He married SINTHA JANE AKIN. She was born in 1853.

v.SARAH E. CARY was born on April 13, 1846. She died on July 9, 1899. She married JOHN FRANKLIN BREWER. He was born on September 15, 1843. He died on June 14,