Freestone County, Texas Biographies Wortham, Freestone County, Texas Friday January 29, 1932 Freestone County Pioneer People by Mary Stubbs Sneed Pioneer citizenship is especially fascinating to native Texans, whose forefathers were in the making of Texas history finding such wealth of interesting and yet unwritten hisotry at our very doors. No county offers more interesting early facts of development than does Freestone county. It is an American county composed of the descendants of the old planter's families from Mississipi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. "A man who was born, reared, married and has always lived in the same house," and that person is a prominent pioneer, gave origin to his story. Alfred Payne Carter, the subject of this sketch that started the story, was born Oct 31, 1853, in the house in which he was reared, married, and has always lived. The home is located on a plantation of 3,000 acres, on which, in the early days, was found deers, bears, turkeys, and other wild game in abundance. Many happy days of fascinations and memories cling to the owner of the large home built by the father of massive hewn logs a few years after coming to Texas. In the meantime the family lived in one room and that with a dirt floor. The father, David Livingston Carter, served in Wilson's company during the Civil War. He was married to Miss Sallie Payne of Alabama. The father died when Alfred Carter was quite young and was buried in the old Carter cemetery, said to be the oldest cemetery in Freestone County. The only time Mr. Carter has lived away from home was the three years he attended Southwestern University at Georgetown. His mother spent this time with her son, and both returned home for their summer vacations. They made the trips by buggy and horse. The first year he went to Georgetown, Mr. Carter took his two favorite dogs with him. The next day, the old dog was missing, and it was months before he learned that the dog had returned home. The young dog liked college life better and remained with his master. It was in 1887, the Mr. Carter took a horseback trip to West Texas, traveling as far as Fort Concho, now the town of San Angelo. He has hunted and fished along the Trinity River but has never crossed it, nor has he been to Palestine, about twenty miles away. When the Dallas fair "opened up" he went every year, but the crowds got too big for him to enjoy the fair, so he quit going. Mr. Carter did not leave home to marry, for Miss Margaret Frances Carter of Wilcox county, Alabama, came to Woodland on a visit, where she met and married Mr. Carter. Mr. and Mrs. Carter have four children, three sons and one daughter, and eight grandchildren. The sons are David L. Carter, Fred Carter and Jim Gus Carter. The daughter, Mrs. Cliff Coleman, and her family live near the Carter home, the children being John Alfred, David Randal, Edwin, Beth, Jim Joe Carter, Florestine and Fernie. Mr. Carter always rides horseback, and never tries to drive a car. When the sons went to war, the car was locked up in the gargage and never moved until his sons returned.