Carter, Elihu

CARTER

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 10/27/2008 at 16:16:00

Elihu Carter

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.222, Rockford Twp.)
Elihu Carter, farmer, P. O. Loveland, was born in New York in 1827, son of Henry Carter, who died in January, 1872. The mother of our subject is still living, and was seventy-five years old in March, 1882. Our subject came to this State in 1875 from Winnebago County, Wis., and settled on his present place. He purchased 160 acres of land, for which he paid $3,000. There were no fences or other improvements with the exception that 80 acres were in corn, which he secured, and a house which was not completed. Our subject moved with his parents from his native State to Pennsylvania when he was about two years old. He lived there eight years, afterward moving to Wisconsin, and finally to this State, as before stated. He received his education mostly in Wisconsin, in which State he was also married to Miss Lucinda Knapp, a native of Pennsylvania, daughter of Hosea Knapp, who is still living, and was eighty-three years old in December, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Carter have four children living, three boys and one girl, of whom one boy and one girl are married and are living in Rockford Township. They have buried one daughter, who died in September, 1881. When our subejct first moved to Wisconsin, the Winnebago and Menomonee tribes of Indians were respectively located on the south and north sidse of the Fox River. They would steal from each other, and both from the white population. Mr. Carter lived in Walworth, Fond du Lac and Winnebago Counties, Wis., to which latter county he moved in 1850. In September, 1861, he enlisted in the Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry, Company C, and served eight months under Col. Wood. The battle of Shiloh was the principal engagement in which he took part. He gives but little attention to political matters, having voted but once in this State, except on questions pertaining to local school affairs. His present farm consists of his original purchase of 160 acres, which he has put in plowland and meadow, and a subsequent purchase of 20 acres, which is in timber. He raises principally corn.