Guide to the John Carter family papers , 1769 – 1917
(bulk 1769-1844)
John Carter Brown Library
Box 1894
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Published in 2024
Collection Overview
| Title: | John Carter family papers |
| Date range: | 1769 – 1917, (1769-1844) |
| Creator: | Carter, James |
| Extent: | 0.5 linear_foot 1 document box |
| Abstract: | Correspondence and other papers related to Providence printer and newspaper publisher, John Carter (1745 – 1814), and his family. |
| Language of materials: | English |
| Repository: | John Carter Brown Library |
| Collection number: | Carter papers |
Scope & content
The collection consists primarily of the correspondence of John and Amey (Crawford) Carter and their nine children, including Dr. Benjamin Bowen Carter, a supercargo for the Brown family's China trade vessels and Ann (Carter) Brown, wife of Nicholas Brown (1769 – 1841). Letters between other family members, including the interrelated Brown, Danforth, and Jenckes families, and with associates, including William and Mary Katherine Goddard of Philadelphia, are also represented.The collection also contains a limited number of deeds, legal settlements, and other business related material. The majority of the material concerns family news, particularly as John Carter's sons embarked on their various maritime adventures.
The bulk of material spans from 1769 to 1844, and is calendared with a card file index. After 1844, the material primarily consists of correspondence by Carter's sons-in-law Nicholas Brown and Walter Raleigh Danforth (1787-1861).
Access Points
Subject Topics Occupations Document TypesArrangement
The John Carter family papers are arranged chronologically.
Biographical/Historical note
Printer and journalist John Carter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1745. After an apprenticeship with Benjamin Franklin, Carter moved in 1767 to Providence, Rhode Island, and began work with the Providence Gazette, the weekly newspaper operated by William Goddard with his sister, Mary Katherine Goddard, and their mother, Sarah Goddard. When William Goddard moved to Philadelphia to begin publishing the Philadelphia Chronicle in 1768, Carter purchased the Gazette, producing the paper until near his death in 1814. From 1773 to 1779, Carter partnered with William Wilkinson, and the press operated under the name Carter and Wilkinson.From 1772 until 1792 Carter served as the first Postmaster of Providence (commissioned by his former employer, Benjamin Franklin, who was Postmaster-General). During the Revolutionary War, he served on the Committee of Correspondence.
In 1769, John Carter married Amey Crawford (1744-1806), daughter of Captain John Crawford of Providence. They had twelve children, nine of whom survived into adulthood. Ann Carter, their eldest daughter, married Nicholas Brown of Providence; they were the parents of John Carter Brown. Their eldest son, Benjamin Bowen Carter, studied under Dr. Benjamin Rush and practiced medicine for a short time in Connecticut. He spent most of his career as a doctor and supercargo for the Brown family on many China trade voyages, on the ship Ann & Hope. Carter's other sons, James, Crawford and William, were also involved in maritime trade.
Children of John Carter and Amey Crawford:
Brown, Ann, 1770 - 1798 (Married to Nicholas Brown)
Carter, Benjamin Bowen, 1771 - 1835
Carter, John, 1774 - 1815
Carter, Crawford, 1775 - 1779
(Son) Carter, March 20-21, 1777
Jenckes, Rebecca, 1778 – 1837 (Married to Amos T. Jenckes)
Carter, James, 1780 – ca.1812
Carter, Crawford, 1782 - 1868
Carter, (Daughter), June – Sept. 1783
Carter, William, 1785 - 1821
Carter, Huldah Maria, 1787 - 1842
Danforth, Elizabeth Ann, 1790 – 1876 (Married to Walter Raleigh Danforth)
Access & Use
| Access to the collection: | The John Carter Brown Library welcomes all researchers through its doors for fruitful use of our collections. We are open to all for research and welcome all. Researchers must register in Aeon at least 24 hours prior to their visit, make an appointment on the calendar, and bring one form of photo identification on their first day. |
| Use of the materials: | As long as you give appropriate credit (we kindly ask you to use the following credit line: "Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library") and indicate if changes were made, you may reproduce anything within our rare amaterials collection. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No prior request is necessary, but the JCB would appreciate knowing about your publication or receiving complimentary copy of the published version of your work. |
| Preferred citation: | John Carter family papers, John Carter Brown Library, Providence, Rhode Island. |
| Contact information: | John Carter Brown Library Box 1894 Brown University Providence, RI 02912 |
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION | |
| Custodial history: | AcquisitionThe collection was deposited at the John Carter Brown Library through William Greene Roelker, by Mrs. Maurice K. Washburn of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, a descendant of John Carter, in 1938. |
| ABOUT THE FINDING AID | |
| Author: | Kim Nusco |
| Encoding: | This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-02. |
| Descriptive rules: | Describing Archives: A Content Standard |
Additional Information
| Related material: |
Related CollectionsMaterial pertaining to members of the Carter family can be found in the Brown family business records at the John Carter Brown Library.Related collections at other institutions include: Carter-Danforth Papers, Rhode Island Historical Society http://www.rihs.org/mssinv/Mss336.htm |
| Alternative guide: |
Other finding aidsThis collection was calendared by Ms. Florence Clapp in January 1954, and a card index exists for the papers from 1769 to 1844. |
Inventory
| Folder 1 |
9 items English. |
1769 – 1780 |
| Folder 2 |
8 items English. |
1781 – 1788 |
| Folder 3 |
9 items English. |
1791 – 1793 |
| Folder 4 |
10 items English. |
1794 – 1799 |
| Folder 5 |
12 items English. |
1800 – 1802 |
| Folder 6 |
12 item English. |
1803 – 1804 |
| Folder 7 | Bills of lading 16 items English. |
1804 – 1806 |
| Folder 8 |
8 items English. |
1805 |
| Folder 9 |
13 items English. |
1806 – 1807 |
| Folder 10 |
11 items English. |
1808 – 1813 |
| Folder 11 |
11 items English. |
1814 - 1817 |
| Folder 12 |
8 items English. |
1818 - 1821 |
| Folder 13 |
13 items English. |
1822 – 1829 |
| Folder 14 |
9 items English. |
1831 - 1848 |
| Folder 15 |
8 items English. |
1851 - 1917 |
| Folder 16 |
37 items English. Maritime Carter, Amey Carter, John Carter, James Carter, John Carter, Benjamin Bowen Carter, Huldah Carter, William |
Undated |