Peter Carlton (1788 - 1854)

Born 30 Nov 1788 in Monmouth County, New Jersey

Husband of Mary B. (Dunlap) Carlton — married 30 Sep 1813 in Trumbull County, Ohio

Descendants

Died 1854 at about age 65 in Trumbull County, Ohio

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Biography

From A Brief Record of Francis Carlton and His Descendants, H.D. Carlton, Warren, Ohio, 1880 (except footnotes); H.D. Carlton is Peter's son:

"Peter, the fifth and youngest child of Francis and Priscilla Carlton, was born Nov. 20, 1788. His mother died when he was only about two years of age. When his father located in WARREN, Ohio, he was a lad of ten. He had a distinct remembrance of his mother, of his grandmother Cravath, and of the journey from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, and from there to Warren. He was present when the difficulty occurred with the Indians at Salt Springs, near Warren, in which “Spotted John” was shot by Storer and Captain George by McMahon. He was a soldier in the war of 1812; he served in the 1st Regiment, 3rd Brigade and 4th Division of Ohio Militia, under the command of Capt. Samuel Dennison and Col. William Rayen. He was called into actual service August 26, 1812, and discharged at Huron, Nov. 8, 1812. Peter was married Sept. 30, 1813, to Miss Mary Dunlap. The marriage ceremony was performed by Nehemiah Scott, a Justice of the Peace of Liberty township. At their marriage Peter was twenty-four years of age and Mary twenty.

"They located upon the southern half of the old homestead in Liberty and remained there during their lives. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} To this farm Peter afterward added considerable land near by. They first lived in a round log house in which their oldest child, William was born. Then, they occupied a large hewed log house, quite aristocratic at the time; and finally a frame house painted black, in which their youngest child Hampton was born.

"Peter was of slender build with a somewhat delicate constitution, and yet with the ability to perform much hard labor. He had fine brown hair and blue eyes. He was slightly stooped or round shouldered; would weigh somewhere from 140 to 150 lbs. He was not very talkative, yet social in disposition and fond of company. He would occasionally indulge in a joke which was sure to be dry and close cutting. His education was limited; yet with sound sense combined with considerable tact and a good share of energy, he was a man of more than ordinary business capacity. At different times he was chosen Trustee of Liberty township and at various times held offices of trust in the township. With a better education and more advantageous surroundings, he would probably have taken a much more prominent position among his fellow men.

"Politically he was, at first, a Democrat, but abhorring human slavery, he united with the Free Soil party and became at last a strong Republican. He and his wife were both of a religious turn of mind; they belonged to the M. E. Church, in which they died respected and honored members.

"Peter was not given to controversy, yet was ever ready to give a reason for his peculiar religious views, and occasionally engaged in a warm fireside discussion. He was quite liberal in his views and tolerant toward others. While careful in the moral and spiritual training of his children, he was desirous that they should be perfectly free to act for themselves in religious matters. He did not, therefore, have any of them baptized in infancy; nor did he impose upon them any obligation by which they should be trammeled in after life. In all these matters he and his wife were united. They maintained family worship, and by a godly walk sought to exemplify the profession they had made. For a long time their house was a sort of “preacher’s hotel” in which there was a “preacher’s room” and a “preacher’s bed.”

"Peter had little to do with law. By careful business management he avoided debt and vexatious obligations, and lawyers found him a poor customer.

"Peter died October 27, 1854, about three years after the death of his wife, which occurred November 2, 1851. They repose side by side in the burying ground by the “Old Dutch Meeting House, just north of Girard, Ohio. Mary, wife of Peter was a short thick set fleshy woman, of a vigorous constitution, with black hair and piercing black eyes. Her weight was about 160 lbs. Her education was limited. She was a woman of excellent mind and of noble heart. She was very retiring in disposition, mild and loving in nature. She was one of the best of mothers. The influence of her gentle, patient and self-sacrificing life is still felt by her children and others. Peter and Mary were the parents of eight children – William, Francis Brown, Hannah, Peter, Mary, Adaline, Elizabeth Olive, and Hampton Dunlap.

"The record closes. We drop a tear over the memories of the past, and look hopefully forward to a glad meeting in a home that shall endure forever."

Sources

1. ↑ U.S. census, 1820, Liberty Township, Trumbull County, Ohio (Ancestry record): Peter Carlton, household of five headed by male 26-44 image
2. ↑ U.S. census, 1830, Liberty, Trumbull County, Ohio (Ancestry record): Carlton Peter, household of nine headed by male 40-49 image
3. ↑ U.S. census, 1840, Liberty, Trumbull County, Ohio (Ancestry record): Peter Carlton, household of 11 headed by male 50-59 image
4. ↑ U.S. census, 1850, Liberty, Trumbull County, Ohio (Ancestry record): Peter Carlton, age 65, Male, Farmer; heads household that includes his wife Mary and son Hampton image