CARTER BIOGRAPHIES, Henry County, Missouri
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CARTER, W. F. - b: 1843 St. Clair Co, MO
source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - 
page: 306
residence: Clinton, Clinton Twp

Capt. W. F. Carter, a Civil War veteran, now engaged in the real estate, loan and 
insurance business at Clinton, comes of a long line of good old Southern stock and 
is one of the representative pioneers of Henry County. Captain Carter was born in 
St. Clair County, Missouri, March 4, 1843, Osceola being his native town. He is a 
son of William F. and Eliza A. (Conn) Carter. The father was a native of Culpeper 
County, Virginia, and was a member of the "first families of Virginia." Anna Hill 
Carter, of Shirley, Virginia, a close relative of William F. Carter, was the wife of 
Gen. Robert E. Lee, and this branch of the Carters trace their lineage back to 
Robert Carter, who was the agent of Lord Fairfax, and he was a conspicuous 
figure in the colony of Virginia prior to the Revolutionary War and a very wealthy 
man. William F. Carter, the father of Captain Carter, the subject of this review, 
was at General Washington's funeral, but was a baby in his mother's arms. He 
grew to manhood in Virginia and became very wealthy, at one time owning 8,500 
acres of land, which was located in Kentucky. Later he removed to Missouri and 
bought what was known as the "two mile farm" near St. Louis. He went to St. 
Clair County about 1842, and was engaged in farming the balance of his life. He 
was a thorough scholar and was a graduate from the law department of the 
University of Virginia, taking his degree from that institution when lie was 
eighteen years of age. He was a fine Latin and Greek scholar and an accomplished 
gentleman of the old school and a great enthusiast in educational matters. He 
died at the age of sixty-two years. He was related to the Washington family in 
the following manner: George Washington's sister, Bettie, married Col. Fielding 
Lewis, Washington's aide-de-camp. To this union was born one daughter, Bettie, 
who married Charles Carter, and Charles Carter and Bettie Lewis were the 
parents of W. F. Carter, Captain Carter's father. Eliza A. Conn, Captain Carter's 
mother, was born at White Sulphur Springs, Kentucky. She was a daughter of 
Colonel Conn, who was the owner of White Sulphur Springs. She died in 1872. 
Captain Carter is the only living member of the children born to his parents. When 
a youth he attended the public schools at Osceola, Missouri, and was prepared for 
college under the preceptorship of his father. He was a student in the University 
of Missouri when the Civil War broke out. In April, 1861, at the first call to 
arms, he enlisted in the Confederate cavalry service and later was transferred to 
the infantry, serving as second lieutenant in the Ninth Missouri Infantry, and 
practically had command of Company A most of the time. He participated in many 
important engagements but was never wounded, sick nor taken prisoner. He was 
of the cheerful type of soldier. never seeing the discouraging nor gloomy side of 
life, even in the most trying hours. He won the reputation of being the jolliest 
soldier in his regiment. During his term of service he was with his command in 
Missouri, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, and served four years, two months and 
ten days. As a soldier his fidelity to duty never ceased and his service never 
ended until the principles for which he fought were hopelessly inscribed, "the 
lost cause." At the close of the war Captain Carter returned to Missouri, and 
located at Sedalia. In 1868 he came to Henry County and engaged in the 
mercantile business at Montrose Here he prospered and built up a large business 
establishment, but in 1876 he met with a severe financial loss, his business 
being destroyed by fire. He was then elected county treasurer of Henry County and 
moved to Clinton. After the expiration of his term of office he was employed as 
clerk in Sammons & Sammons Bank until that institution failed. In 1905 he 
engaged in real estate, insurance and loan business, in which he is still engaged. 
In 1915 he was elected collector of Clinton township and re-elected at the 
expiration of his first term, serving until 1918. Captain Carter was married 
September 2, 1869; to Miss Frances Vickars, a native of Missouri, of Virginia 
parentage. To this union was born seven children, four of whom are living: Fanny, 
wife of Frank S. Callaway, Kansas City; Jennie Washington, married Ed Covington, 
Deepwater, Missouri; Frank, proprietor of the Troy Laundry, Clinton; Stephen V., 
engaged in Government service at Tacoma, Washington. The mother of these 
children died in 1887 and in 1895 Captain Carter was united in marriage with 
Miss Jennie Kennedy, who had been a teacher in the Clinton public schools for a 
number of years prior to her marriage. Captain Carter has been a Mason for fifty-
three years, and is a Knights Templar. He has been a lifelong Democrat and is a 
member of the Methodist Church, South. He is well known in Henry County and in 
this section of Missouri, and no man stands higher in the estimation of his fellow 
citizens than Captain Carter.

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