Isaac Carter: Distinguishing the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 6

 So far in our search for Isaac Carter, we've eliminated soldiers' and widows' claims in the US Revolutionary War Pension Files, and we've looked at muster rolls and service records, which gave us three more soldiers named Isaac Carter. One served in the 10th North Carolina Regiment in Capt. Silas Stevenson's Company and two served in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment, commanded by John Patten; one in Captain Clement Hall's Company, and the other in Captain Robert Fenner's Company.

We have yet to examine and analyze the records listed on Ancestry:

• US Revolutionary War Army Accounts,
• The State Records of North Carolina, and
• Pierce's Register.

US Revolutionary War Army Accounts

For the Army Accounts, I turned to a series of books by Weynette Parks Haun, entitled North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts Secretary of State Treasurer's & Comptoller's Papers: Journal "A", Vols. III and IV (Part III), and Book: K, Part XVIII." (Note: The full bibliographic entries appear in the Source List in Part 4 of the series.) 

Journal A is a series of lists of amounts paid to units, headed by the company commander's name, the list of men being paid, the county militia regiment they belong to, and the amount paid to each soldier. And remember, whenever we go to a new source, we also need to look for the names of the soldier's compatriots.

• On [158] we find Joshua CARTER, Isaac CARTER, and Martin BLACK who all received 4 pounds in Major John Tillman's Company. 
• On [159] we find Isaac PERKINS, William DOVE, who served 40 Days and received 4 pounds in Major John Tillman's Company. 

The biggest problem with these records is that no service date was recorded for these payments. All we have to go on is that they were paid out in 1775-1776. 

Volumes I & II found in Part II of Haun's series are laid out differently than Journal A. It's a more detailed line-by-line account for individual soldiers who received pay for service and/or goods. 

• In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 120 [545]: Allow'd William DOVE Soldier for pay and defy. of Cloathing [sic] of October 1780 Including Interest to August 1, 1783....127 pounds, 2 shillings, 0 pence.
• In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 124 [549]: Allowed Martin BLACK Soldier for pay and Defy. of Cloathing [sic] to 1st. June 1780 Including Interest to August 1st, 1783....119 pounds, 9 shillings, 5 pence.
• In Vol. II, Book 1, Page 124 [549]: Allowed Isaack PURKINS Soldier for pay & defy. of Cloathing [sic] to June 1780 Includg. Interest to August 1, 1783....119 pounds, 9 shillings, 5 pence.
• In Vol II, Book 1, Page 168 [593]: Allowed Isaac CARTER for pay to 1st. January 1782 including Interest to 1st. August 1783 (4 Months 4 Days unsettled)....22 pounds, 19 shillings, 10 pence.

These entries at least give us some reference dates for service which can later be correlated to dates found in other records. 

Volumes III & IV in Part III of the Haun series are from Journal B and look different still. It is a series of tables. The first reference in brackets followed by a dash and a number is the page within Journal B, followed by the soldier's number name, rank, and the charges, credits, and balances of their accounts.

• [762]-48. 11. William DOVE, P; Amount charged: 349. 9; Amount credited: 31.32; Balance paid & charged by state: 317.67; Balance Actually found due: 229.88.
• [762]-48. 17. Martin BLACK, P; Amount charged: 334.33; Amount credited: 35.62; Balance paid & charged by state: 298.61; Balance Actually found due: 207.58.
• [163]-49. 4. Mingo STRINGER, P; Amount charged: 51. 8; Amount credited: (blank); Balance paid & charged by state: 51. 8; Balance Actually found due: 46.60.
• [765]-51. 1. Isaac CARTER, P; Amount charged: 355. 7; Amount credited: 21.76; Balance paid & charged by state: 333.21; Balance Actually found due: 244.74.
• [765]-51. 760. Isaac PURKINS, P; Amount charged: 333.33; Amount credited: 34.62; Balance paid & charged by state: 298.61; Balance Actually found due: 208.58.

The next sheet comes from Volume IV, "Book G." The heading states: "The United States are debited by the State of North Carolina for the following allowances made by Committees of Claim and Accounts, the Vouchers of which are missing." Only one soldier in our list, Isaac Carter, was found; but, I've included three officers connected with the above soldiers.

• [1445]-303. Clement HALL, Transportation; No. in Report: 16; Specie drs. 90: 15.--.
• [1445]-303. Colo. John PATTEN, Money advanced his regimt.; No. in Report: 19; Specie drs. 90: 40.30.
• [1446]-304. Isaac CARTER, ditto [Transportation]; No. in Report: 34; Specie drs. 90: 25.45.
• [1447]-305. Archibald LYTLE, provisions &c.; No. in Report: 60; Specie drs. 90: 78.67.

The last sheets from Haun come from Book: K, in Part XVIII. These accounts don't pertain to the individual soldiers we're researching but are related to Fort Hancock. If you remember from Moss & Scoggins's book, African-American Patriots in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, the entry for Isaac Carter claimed that he "served under Capt. John Tillman (or Tilghman) in the garrison of Fort Hancock at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, along with Joshua Carter, William Dove (q.v.) and Isaac Perkins (q.v.)" (p. 45).  

"Examd. CR: William THOMSON Commissioner of Fort HANCOCK with the State of North Carolina CR: In Account Currency. [110/A lists DR:  110/A lists DR:           110/B lists CR:   ]

• By Cash paid John FULFORT for Schr. boar for use of Fort HANCOCK as p:accot. No. 1--300: -- : --.
• By ditto paid Officers and men of the Garrison at Fort HANCOCK from 1st. May to the 9th. Novemr. 1778 as p:Pay Roll No. 2--993:17: 1.
• By ditto paid ditto from 10th. November to 21st. May 1779 as p:Pay Roll No. 3--1099:16: 5.
• By Commissions and Expences for Hireing [sic] boat and two? hands to attend at Fort to pay the men @5 p:Ct. sundry Times and the Payment of the boat as above-- 109:13: 8.
• By Cash paid for Provisions for the Garrison as p:Voucher No. 4--958:14: -.
• By ditto paid Dedrick GIBBLE for bringing Money from Kingston as p:accot. No. 6: 16: 7: 4.
• By ditto paid Daniel ROGERS as p:receit. No. 7--40: -: -.
• [Total Amount with Currency] £5049: 5: 6.

• By Balance p:Contra due W. THOMSON Currency for January 1780 dep. 32 for one [Spicie] £2: 6: 6.

Note: Journal A and Book K were made in pounds, shillings, and pence, whereas the accounts paid in Book G were made in Specie dollars. The difference was that currency was made in paper money while Specie payments were gold, silver, and copper coins. While the value of paper money was often devalued, precious metals maintained their true value over time. Since payrolls were often delayed by long periods, the value of their pay seldom had the same buying power as if they had received it on time as the state would often print more money when there were deficits. 

The State Records of North Carolina

Bear in mind that these references to the State Records of North Carolina came from Ancestry: Vol. XVI, pp. 113, 116, 118. Now when I use this resource online, I'm doing one of two things: checking someone else's source citations or looking for new entries from the master index. In other areas of this research, I have had a great experience finding supporting information in this source; however, these Ancestry citations leave me puzzled.

Volume 16, Pages 1-177 refer to the Minutes of the North Carolina House of Commons North Carolina, General Assembly April 16, 1782-May 18, 1782. The portion of page 113 that applied to what we discovered in the Army Accounts is a portion of a letter written by Hugh Williamson, Chairman to the Senate:

"That there appears to be large arrears of Cloathes [sic] and other Articles due the Officers and privates, the amount being uncertain...perhaps it may be proper to allow them some months pay in Certificates that shall be negotiable as hard Money in prompt payment for some public property that may be sold...."

No mention of Isaac Carter.

Page 116 includes brief lines stating orders of business: a presentation of the resignation of John Taylor, Esqr., of the State Board of Auditors; the reading of a petition of Elizabeth Forbes, a petition of John Walker, et. al., a letter from Matthew Brooks, Commissioner of Surry County regarding Col. Joseph Martin, the recommendation of the Court of Guilford County that Robert Brasher be exempted from paying poll taxes; and, adjournment till the next morning at 9 o'clock. 

No mention of Isaac Carter.

The order of business on Page 118 begins with a letter dated 1781 from William Bryan, Chairman discussing why Colonel James Armstrong could not retire earlier than the day noted on the last arrangement, and he should be considered an officer in active duty of service; and, consideration of the memorial of Nathan and Lewis Bryan.

No mention of Isaac Carter.

Pierce's Register

In part 5, I recorded Ancestry's search results for Pierce's Register as:

1. Isaac Carter. p. 6. Pierce's Register. 90009. Carter, Isaac; 90996. Carter, Isaac; 91489. Carter
2. Carter, John. p. 6. Pierce's Register. 91489. (For an explanation of this source, see: Pierce's Register. Certificates 89501-91855 were from the Regiment commanded by Colonel Thomas Clarke, paid to November 15, 1783; R. Fenner, agent).

There really can be no analysis of the certificate numbers above if the certificates no longer exist. Rechecking two payment vouchers that I had previously found for Isaac Carter, pictured below:

North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, 1779-1782

North Carolina Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, 1779-1782

The first image is Voucher No. 4409, dated 27 August 1783, from the Auditors at the District of Wilmington for twenty pounds, five shillings, no pence, for militia service in Pay Roll No. 2325. The holes in the voucher are proof that it was paid out.

The image, Voucher No. 2337, issued by the New Bern District, dated 20 September 1784, was for one pound for Militia duty.

Apparently, the certificates found in Pierce's Register have nothing to do with payment vouchers. So, what do they refer to? Well, looking past the actual numbers, they were issued for service in Colonel Thomas Clark's regiment, paid on November 15, 1783. I remember reading about Clark in some battle histories, but Isaac Carter wasn't the soldier I was researching. Clark was engaged in the Battle of Monmouth, a Skirmish Near West Point, and the Siege of Charleston, where Isaac Perkins and Martin Black served in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. So, did I just overlook Isaac Carter's service there? What records did I have for Privates Perkins and Martin that I didn't have for Isaac Carter? Their Survivor's Pension file. 

But there is a muster roll for Captain Clement Hall's Company where Perkins, Martin, and Carter are all listed. There's also a Robert Carter listed on that muster roll, and I mention this only because he was not a relative of our Isaac. He was most likely a white soldier. I only mention this because it shows that there could be others with the same surname recorded who are not the subject of our research. So, is that Isaac Carter the right one? I don't know yet. 

Tomorrow's another day.