Legend of Millie Durgan Indian Captive
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Edmund
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| Texas 1836 |
By James R. Hewitt Jr.. |
Texas 1845 |
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Edmund J Carter was my 4th great grandfather. During my research I was very surprised to discover that I was the descendant of a free, brave and noble man who was 1/2 White and 1/2 Negro. Edmund was born on the Landon C. Carter Plantation in 1790. His older brother Emanuel was born there as well in 1788. The plantation was located on the Watauga River Edmund was the son of a Negro Slave and an unknown white man. He took his sir name from Landon C. Carter whom we suspect to be his father.
Colonel John C. Carter was born in Virginia in 1737 and was married to Elizabeth Taylor in 1759. Landon C. Carter was their only child born January 29, 1760. Elizabeth died during child birth. Colonel John Carter remarried and in 1769 he moved his family and settled on the western side of the Holston River which is located near present day Rogersville, Tennessee.
The Colonel established a trading post where he traded with settlers migrating down river into what is now Tennessee and with the Cherokees and other Indian tribes. Eventually his trading post was burnt to the ground during an Indian raid. John Carter moved his family again this time to the nearby Watauga Settlement.
The Watauga settlement was located in Washington county under the jurisdiction of North Carolina. This settlement was south of the Holston River, on the Watauga and Nolichucky Rivers within the boundaries of the North Carolina colony. There were three main settlements in the area known as "Watauga", "Carter's Valley" and "Nolichucky". In 1772, the first non-British democratic body in the United States was formed at Watauga. It was known as the "Watauga Association" They gave America it's first written constitution called "The Articles". Colonel John C. Carter was one of the founders and took a primary roll in it's establishment. Under the Articles of the Watauga Association, he was elected chairman of the Court and this independent community remained active in defiance of the British, the other colonies and the Cherokee Indians for a period of six years.
This area later became a part of the old state of "Franklin" and is now Elizabethton, Carter county, Tennessee. Franklin became a state in 1784 and remained a state until 1788. During those years, Landon Carter served as Franklin's Secretary of State. Both John and Landon Carter were Colonels in the Revolutionary war and some of the Indian conflicts. Carter county, Tennessee was named after Landon Carter and the county seat Elizabethton was named after his wife Elizabeth.
In
1780 John Carter and his son Landon C. Carter built what was considered by the
standards of the day, a huge mansion complete with a finely decorated interior.
The home was a two story frame home with two fireplaces It remains standing
today as a Tennessee State historical monument. At the time this area was
all a part of North Carolina. When John Carter died in 1781 he was considered
the wealthiest man in North Carolina.
Edmund's grandmother was a native of Africa and came to America as a victim of the slave trade, having traveled in the most cruel mode of transportation available at the time, a slave trader's ship. She was called "Togo" and when she arrived in Virginia she was presumably placed on the auction block and sold to John Carter, Landon Carter's father.
Because she called herself "Togo" we believe that she was taken into slavery at the West African village of Togo. The Ewes, who were hunters and farmers that had moved into the area from the Niger River Valley between the 12th & 13th centuries controlled the region. During the 15th & 16th centuries, Portuguese explorers and traders visited the West African coast. For the next 200 years, this coastal region was a major slave-trading center. The area is now the West African nation of Togo. The small village of Togo later became what is now called the village of Togoville.
Edmund J. Carter and his wife Susannah along with their son Alexander, migrated from this eastern Tennessee county to Arkansas where they remained until Texas gained it's independence from Mexico. Then they proceeded on to Red River county, Texas in January, 1837. Susannah was from South Carolina and her ethnicity is not known. Edmund received a Republic of Texas Land grant of one "league and a labor" of land (About 4428.4 + 177.1 acres). and soon became a wealthy land owner who operated a large cattle ranch, dry goods store and freighting business. The following is his story:
At birth Edmund J. Carter was a free person of color as it was the law of the land that children born of Negro slaves and white fathers were deemed free persons. His birth place was a small slave shanty on the Carter plantation along the shores of the Watagua River. Not much is known of his childhood years and the date of his marriage to Susanna has not been established. Their son Alexander was born in Tennessee in 1816. Edmund and family migrated to Madison county, Arkansas, territory prior to 1835. Then they moved to Conway county, Arkansas. Edmund's brother Emanuel Carter had moved to Madison county and then to Red River county, Texas. ahead of Edmund and his family.
The reverend Joseph Bishop was a Primitive Baptist Minister and a native of Alabama. Joseph's wife Millie Simpson Bishop died between 1832 and 1833 in Madison county, Arkansas, leaving him with their seven children, Harriet, Mary Jane, Charlotte, David, Elizabeth Ann, Minerva and Samuel. Reverend Bishop was one of founding members of the New Hope Church in Kingston, Madison county, Arkansas territory which was founded on February 12, 1832. Joseph then married Nicey Womack. They later moved to Conway county.
Both the Bishop family and the Carter family moved into Red River county, Texas at the conclusion of the war between Texas and Mexico in about January 1837.
We know that it was in Conway county, Arkansas where the Carter family and the Bishop family became acquainted and probably immigrated to Texas together. We know that Edmund Carter and family resided in Conway county prior to their immigration to Texas at the same time that the Bishops were there. In October 1836 the Baptist Church of Christ in Arkansas "reluctantly dismissed" Edmund J. Carter to be effective upon joining another church in Texas and Reverend Joseph Bishop was one of the signatories on a petition to the Texas Congress attesting to the fact that they knew the Carters while they they lived in Conway county, Arkansas.
Edmund Carter's older brother Emanuel Carter had preceded Edmund to Texas having arrived there in December 1835 from Madison county, Arkansas and was successful in obtaining citizenship and a large land grant from the Republic of Texas after the war for independence from Mexico was won. On March 13, 1837 Edmund was Declared a Citizen of the Republic of Texas by Acting Justice Of The Peace William Wheat. Emanuel, Edmund and Edmund's son Alexander were all considered free men of color and citizens of the Republic of Texas and had acquired a large amount of land. The Carters owned a large profitable freight hauling business that they operated along the Texas frontier. There is some speculation that he was involved with General Edward Hampton Tarrant (who later became a Republic of Texas Congressman) and Amos Morill (who was the Chief Justice of Texas Supreme Court 1868.), in the legal transportation and sale of black slaves.
In 1841, twenty five year old Alexander J. Carter married sixteen year old Elizabeth Ann Bishop, daughter of the Reverend Joseph Bishop.
The Carters moved to Milford, Navarro
County, Texas in 1843 Where they continued in their lacerative businesses of
Dry goods stores, freight and grocery supply wagons, cattle, horses, and
other live stock for about ten years. Edmund involved his son Alexander in the
family business. Their business was spread, from the south east United States
to Western Texas, and through out the length and breath of the Brazos
River. It was not unusual to deliver 5000 bushels of corn to the military at
Fort Belknap, which was located on the Brazos River and considered the
farthermost outpost on the Texas frontier.
It was during these years that Edmund's
wife Susannah died. Edmund never remarried.
Alexander and Elizabeth had their first child Mildred Susanna Carter in
1844 Their second child, Elijah Joseph Carter was born here in 1851. They
had no other children.
Having accumulated substantial wealth by 1850 and being only one of 397 free Negroes in Texas, Edmund bound himself in indentured service, for a period of five years, to his white daughter in law Elizabeth Ann. This appears to have been a legal maneuver to protect his accumulation of wealth and himself.
In 1856 they moved to Fort Belknap in Young county where they established the Carter Ranch located ten miles from the fort at the mouth of Elm Creek where it empties into the Brazos River. Elizabeth Ann assumed the responsibility of the working management of the Carter Ranch and established the Carter Trading House, while Edmund and Alexander continued to run their freighting business.
When the Carters moved to Young County they became the largest holders of, money, land, cattle, hotels, oxen and mules. Although Edmund was an illiterate black man, the state tax rolls indicated he was the wealthiest tax payer in the county having accumulated more wealth than the combined wealth of the next six white tax payers in the county.
On September 28, 1857 Both Edmund J. and Alexander J. Carter were murdered by a white man named Draper for reasons of prejudice, wealth and jealousy. Alexander died instantly, while Edmund lingered for about 28 days. Some speculate that the killer was later a deputy sheriff in Shackelford county and killed Lottie Deno's boyfriend Johnny Golden. However, Deputy Jim Draper does not appear to have been old enough to have been the killer of the Carters, There is no record of any charges or prosecution for the murders.
Elizabeth married into the Carter family at the age of 16. When she married Alexander J Carter He was 9 years older than her. He was considered to be a mulatto and she was a white girl from Alabama Elizabeth became the controlling partner of the Carter Family business and a full partner in Her father in law's, ranching enterprise.
She established a Trading and Boarding House and entered into a partnership with Charles Neuhaus who was engaged in business as a Sutler at the nearby Fort Belknap and a business partner of the noted Charles Goodnight. She was able to expand the ranch and cattle herd by leasing grazing land and pens from Neuhaus in exchange for five percent of the new born cattle and to do all his washing and ironing.
It wasn't long before Elizabeth had scattered over the large ranch, large Barns, chicken houses, hog pens, smoke houses, corrals, worm fences, and shuts. She employed a Blacksmith and seven ranch hands all of whom resided on the ranch, with their families, in sturdy split-log cabins with attached animal shelters. She sold eggs, butter and sides of bacon weighing as much as fifty five pounds. She bartered beeves to pay her bills. Cattle on the Carter ranch wore three brands: "EJC", "8 bits", and "JA". The "JA" brand belonged to James Jordan's and Alexander Carter's joint cattle of which Elizabeth owned half of the increases. In addition to being the proprietor if the Carter Trading and Boarding House, she was also a seamstress. She made men's hickory shirts and woman's gingham dresses which she sold for fifty cents each.
Following the death of her Husband Alexander on September 28, 1857 and her father in law Edmund J. Carter some twenty eight days later, Elizabeth continued her partnership with Neuhaus and took up managing the rest of the businesses while the estate was being probated in the courts. General Edward Hampton Tarrant Esquire became the executor of the estate. The estate was awarded to Mildred ( Susan) and Elijah (Joseph)
On October 21, 1857, Shortly after the death of her father Alexander, 14 year old Mildred (Millie) Suzanna Carter married Private Owen Durkan from nearby Fort Belknap. On February 4, 1859 Owen Durkan was murdered. Millie was about two months pregnant with their daughter Charlotte at the time of Owen's death. (Charlotte Elizabeth Suzanna Durkan was born on September 7, 1859.) On June 30, 1862, Millie gave birth to a second daughter. She named the child Millie Jane Durgan (sic).
NOTE:
(Charles Neuhaus was a first
generation American German who had a heavy German accent. He could not pronounce
the "K" in the name Durkan and pronounced the name Durgan. He recorded the name
phonetically thus creating the change in the spelling from Durkan to Durgan.)
At the age of Thirty three Elizabeth married her second husband US Army Lieutenant Owen A. Sprague on February 22, 1858. They were married by Lieutenant Michael Sheehan a US Army Catholic Chaplin.
Owen Sprague Disappeared on October 27, 1858 never to be seen again.
On August 26, 1862 at the age of 36, Elizabeth married Thomas Fitzpatrick. They were married by the Reverend Tackett of the Methodist Church. Fitzpatrick was a Texas Ranger who rode with Charles Neuhaus' Company of Rangers. On February 2, 1864 Fitzpatrick was murdered by a man named Hiram Van Odem.
Hard times began at the start of the civil war
and in 1864 Elizabeth and her family were attacked by Indians at their ranch in
the Elm Creek Indian Raid. Mildred Susanna and Elijah Joseph were killed.
Elizabeth and her two grand daughters Charlotte and Millie Jane were captured.
Elizabeth and Charlotte were later released and Millie Jane remained with the
Indians. See the
legend of Millie Durgan
Sources:
Articles of faith, New Hope Church Kingston,
Madison County Arkansas.
Young County Probate Record Vol. 1 1856-1863
1839
Washington County Tennessee Census
Goodspeed's Biographical Appendix of Carter County
History of Tennessee
Colonel James Patton Taylor Carter by Dave Mathews
Notable Southern Families: Carter of Tennessee by David Wendell Carter
Colonel
James P. T. Carter of Carter County by John S. Goff
Historical Reminiscences
of Carter County, Tennessee
The journal of East Tennessee
Watauga Petition, Petition to North Carolina - July 5, 1776
Fort Belknap Frontier Saga By Barbara Neal Ledbetter
