Isaac Carter: Distinguishing the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 5

The first two things I did with my research questions were to re-check all pertinent sources and gathering additional evidence based on the source citations.

Today, we'll be looking at the documents I found on Fold3 and Ancestry, and once analyzed, I'll continue with published transcriptions.

Question No. 1: Did the Isaac Carter of Craven County who lived along the South Side of Neuse River on the West Side of Clubfoot Creek enlist in the 10th North Carolina Regiment under Captain Silas Ayers (Sears) Stevenson, commanded by Colonel Abraham Sheppard for three years or the duration of the war?

Fold3: US, Revolutionary War Service Records, 1775-1783

Two Patriots' service records appeared here. The first Isaac Carter enlisted on 1 September 1777 for 3 years in Captain Robert Fenner's Company, 2nd North Carolina Battalion commanded by Colonel John Patten. On September 9, 1778, the battalion was camped at White Plains, and a note was made that he was sick at Springfield.

The second Isaac Carter was also mustered at White Plains on September 9, 1778, but he was a member of Captain Clement Hall's Company, 2nd North Carolina Battalion. He enlisted for three years, though his enlistment date was not recorded.

Fold3: US, Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783

I then found the actual muster rolls cited in the compiled service records. The first was for Captain Clement Hall's Company, 2nd North Carolina Battalion, commanded by Colonel John Patten, White Plains, September 9, 1778.

NARA M246 Roll 0079. Fold3.com. Folder 3, Page 21 of 46.

Below is a list I made of the familiar names and their enlistment information.

NAME	ENLISTED	REGIMENT	COMPANY	LOCATION	DATE
Isaac Perkins	16 May 1777, 3 yrs	2nd NC Battalion	Capt. Clement Hall	White Plains, NY	9 Sep 1778
Martin Black	16 May 1777, 3 yrs	2nd NC Battalion	Capt. Clement Hall	White Plains, NY	9 Sept 1778
Isaac Carter	(blank), 3 yrs	2nd NC Battalion	Capt. Clement Hall	White Plains, NY	9 Sept 1778
John Carter	(blank), duration of the war	2nd NC Battalion	Capt. Clement Hall	White Plains, NY	9 Sept 1778

The second muster roll was for Captain Robert Fenner's Company. 

NARA M246 Roll 0079. Fold3.com. Folder 3, Page 15 of 46.

The interesting thing here is that Isaac Carter is the only familiar name.

Isaac Carter

1 Sep 1777, 3 yrs

2nd NC Battalion

Capt. Robert Fenner

White Plains, NY

9 Sep 1778 (Sick Springfield)

So, we have both service records and the corresponding muster rolls that the record was based on. Now let's look at what's on Ancestry. 

Ancestry: US, Revolutionary War Soldiers, 1776-1783

Looking at search results from an Ancestry military records search can be confusing, overwhelming, and downright frustrating! While it seems like so much information is popping up for Isaac Carter, the results are less than helpful if you don't start digging, trying to find where the information comes from.

For example, a recent search gave the following results:

• Name and Rank: Carter, Isaac, Pt. Company: Stephenson's
  Dates of Enlistment and Commission: 1 Sep. '77 Period of
  Service: 3 yrs. W Occurrances: Destd 13 Jun '83
• Reference: North Carolina State Records, Clark, Vol. XVI, 1782-1783 page 113
• Reference: North Carolina State Records, Clark, Vol. XVI, 1782-1783 page 116
• Name and Rank: Carter, Isaac, Pt. Company: Evans' Dates of Enlistment and Commission: '82 Period of Service: 18 mos. Occurrences: Destd 11 June '83
• Name and Rank: Carter, Isaac, Pt. Company: Bailey's Dates of Enlistment and Commission: 25 May '81 Period of Service: 12 mo. Occurrences: Left service 25 May '82
• Reference: North Carolina State Records, Clark, Vol. XVI, 1782-1783 page 118
• No.: 1112. To whom granted and rank: Isaac Carter, Privt No. acres: 274 Service in months: 36: Jno. Allen
• Name and Rank: 47. Isaac Carter 3
• APPENDIX page 607
• 50. Isaac Carter
• 90009. Carter, Isaac

Each entry was exactly as shown here. No images. No references, with the exception of those entries for the North Carolina State Records. The only way to make sense of the above is to start by looking at the description of the database:

"From the years 1776 to 1783, approximately 36,000 men from North Carolina served in the American Revolution. This database is a roster of these individuals, which has been compiled by various sources, such as: the North Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution, U.S. War Department Report of Pensions, Pierce's Register, records of the 10 regiments, company rosters, Army Accounts, and State Records."

So, now comes the task of determining the origin of each scrap of information. Going to Ancestry's Card Catalog, in the text box I entered "Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution."  This book is a published compilation of various sources transcribed by the DAR. 

When I entered Isaac Carter's information into the search box I got six results. The important thing here is that you must go back to however many pages to find the source of these records. 

1. Isaac Carter, p. 93. Revolutionary Army Accounts, Volume AA--Pages 1-44 Inclusive [Page 43, folio page 2]: North Carolina.  
2. Isaac Carter, p. 607, table: 47. State Records of North Carolina, Clark, Vol. XIII, Pages 506-507.  Isaac Carter, Time Enlisted (blank), 3 years: Roll of Capt. Clement Hall's Company, in the 2nd Battalion, Commanded by Col. John Patten, White Plains, September 9, 1778.
3. Isaac Carter, p. 609. State Records of North Carolina, Clark, Vol. XIII. 50. Isaac Carter [Pages 212-214] Roll of Capt. Fenner's Company--2nd Battalion, Commanded by Col. John Patton, Camp White Plains, September 9, 1778. 
4. Isaac Carter, p. 6. Pierce's Register. 90009. Carter, Isaac; 90996. Carter, Isaac; 91489. Carter, John. 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).
5. Isaac Carter, p. 97. Carter, Isaac, pt., Walsh's Company, Enlisted 1 September 1777, Prisoner 1 June 1779, Discharged 20 February 1780, 8th Regiment, Col. James Armstrong. North Carolina State Records, Clark, Vol. XVI, 1782-1783.
6. Isaac Carter, p. 113. Carter, Isaac, pt., Stephenson's Company, Enlisted 1 September 1777, 3 years or the War, Deserted 13 June 1783. 10th Regiment, Col. Abraham Sheppard.

Looking back at the research question, I'll consider all the sources, but first, we'll focus on the entry of  Isaac Carter in Capt. Stevenson's (Stephenson) company. This part of the record is formatted the same as the muster rolls in numbers 2 and 3, but is an alphabetical listing of soldiers' names in the first column, followed by their respective captain's name, the date of enlistment, the period of service, and occurrences. 

I'm beginning to see some answers to my questions about Moss & Scoggins' entry for Isaac Carter in their book, African-American Patriots in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. Now I need to sort this out and begin some analysis. But that's for tomorrow.

An Additional Source (updated)

J. D. Lewis, in his series, NC Patriots 1775-1783: Their Own Words, records five Isaac Carters' service, but only one was in the "10th NC Regiment" as follows:

• 9/1/1777, a Private under Capt. Silas Stephenson.
• 9/9/1778, a known Private under Capt. Clement Hall (2nd NC Regiment).
• Deserted on 6/13/1783 (?) [1]

In addition, there are nine John Carters recorded, and the one who was enrolled in Capt. Clement Hall's company, 2nd North Carolina Regiment reportedly died at New Windsor Hospital on 11/18/1778. That item needs further investigation to see if the correct brother of Isaac Carter named John had a pension file, R1749, and served in Capt. Michael Quinn's company for nine months and discharged at Halifax, and identified as being "probably from Craven County."  I know from my Carter Family research that Isaac's brother, John Carter, probably died  10 Jun 1821 in Craven County. [2]

Updated September 10, 2025

Isaac Carter: Determining the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 4

Part 3 of this series was part of the original work I did on trying to identify Private Isaac Carter of North Harlowe, Craven County, North Carolina, whose family during the American Revolution lived along the South Side of Neuse River and West Side of Clubfoot Creek. You can find the following related posts here:

• Isaac Carter: Determining the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 1
• Isaac Carter: Determining the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 2
• Isaac Carter: Determining the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 3, UPDATED in 2014 

I had examined Revolutionary War Pension Files only to discover that none of the three found at Fold3 or Ancestry.com belonged to this particular Isaac Carter.

Go back to START

Going back to the entry for Isaac Carter in African-American Patriots in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, by Bobby G. Moss and Michael C. Scoggins, I skipped past the claims that:

• He was probably the son of Isaac Carter, who served in a Craven County Militia Regiment commanded by Colonel Edward Griffith [Isaac Carter was the son of Abel Carter, who served in the Craven County Regiment under Major John Tillman in 1754];
• He enlisted on September 1, 1777 [this was the date of enlistment for Isaac Carter of Gates County, who served in Captain John Walsh's company, 8th North Carolina Regiment];
• that he deserted from his regiment on June 13, 1783 [I couldn't find evidence of a deserter in any of the pension files].

Claims left to investigate

1. Isaac Carter enlisted as a private in the 10th North Carolina Regiment under Captain Silas Stevenson and Colonel Abraham Sheppard for three years, or the duration of the war;
2. He served under Captain John Tillman in the garrison of Fort Hancock at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, along with Joshua Carter, William Dove, and Isaac Perkins;
3. That Tillman's men were enlisted for one year, but remained on duty for two years; and, 
4. He received certificate number 4409 for militia service in the Wilmington District.

Research Strategy

The first thing I always do when undertaking a new research question is to check the references for all sources I have consulted. Then, I gather evidence based on the sources' citations, and if citations are lacking, I focus on the claims being made and ask myself where I might be able to find supporting documentation. The third thing I do is go back to Ancestry and Fold3 to locate all service records and muster rolls for Isaac Carter, and look for the names of those who also served from his community (see number 2 above), ruling out any same-name individuals who could have served in the same company. 

But the key to determining if Isaac Carter served in the Craven County Regiment of Militia, a regiment on the Continental Line, or both, is dates. So, in the analysis phase, I'll focus on regimental histories, commanding officers' service records, and the history of Fort Hancock on Cape Lookout, North Carolina. 

Actually, much of this research is finished. The sources have all been archived, and now it's time for the analysis phase.

Source list

Angley, Wilson. "An Historical Overview of the Beaufort Inlet: Cape Lookout Area of North Carolina." Queen Anne's Revenge Project: North Carolina Natural and Cultural Resources, 1982.

Lewis, J.D. NC Patriots 1775-1783: Their Own Words, 3 vols., Clara G. Harper, 2021. (See online: Carolana.com).

Clark, Walter (ed.). The State Records of North Carolina, 16 vols., Goldsboro, N.C., 1895-1914. (See online: Documenting the American South, https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/).

Haun, Weynette Parks. North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Journal "A" (Public Accounts) 1775-1776. Durham, N.C.: 1989.

Haun, Weynette Parks. North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Vol. I, Vol. II, Part II. Durham, N.C.: 1988-1999.

Haun, Weynette Parks. North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Vol. III, Vol. IV, Part III. Durham, N.C.: 1990-1999.

Haun, Weynette Parks. North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts, Book K, Part XVIII. Durham, N.C.: 1990-1999.

Kell, Jean Bruyere. Coastal North Carolina's Carteret County During the American Revolution: 1765-1785. Carteret County Bicentennial Commission: 1975.

Stick, David. The Outer Banks of North Carolina: 1584-1958. University of North Carolina Press, 2015.

U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, NARA M246, Fold3.com.

U.S. Revolutionary War Service Records, 1775-1783, NARA M881, Fold3.com.

A note of special thanks to Victor T. Jones, Jr., Special Collections Librarian of New Bern-Craven County's Kellenberger Room for assisting me in lookups for North Carolina sources not available in Massachusetts. His expertise has been invaluable to me for nearly twenty years!

The Forgotten Patriots Project at SOFAFEA.org

It's been years since I've written in this blog. So much in my life has changed since I researched for the North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution for the Forgotten Patriots Project. In the past, I wrote about 

• the Revolutionary War Pension Files, 
• the SAR Grave Memorial Ceremony honoring the fourteen free Patriots of Color from Harlowe, Craven County, North Carolina who fought in the American Revolution (March 16, 2014), and
• the Chartering of the only SAR Chapter named for a Patriot of Color, the Patriot Isaac Carter Chapter, named for my late husband Cedric C. Carter 's 3rd great-grandfather (September 3, 2016).

Photo Courtesy of Regina Yvette Carter Garcia, 2016
Cedric C. Carter pictured 5th from the Right

In August 2023, my brother-in-law, H. David Carter emailed me about an opportunity to continue my work on the Harlowe Patriots. The Society of First African Families of English America took the mantle of the Forgotten Patriots Project and is applying a multi-faceted approach. Since September 2023, I've been actively researching and writing about the details of the Harlowe Patriots' service by focusing on their regiments' movements in a series of engagements through three theaters of war. This has proved to be an enlightening challenge!

We are discovering new things about the trials our ancestors endured as we focus our research on the commanding generals, colonels, and captains of the soldiers' regiments found in written accounts of the battle history. Our sources go beyond the Survivor and Widow's Pensions, service records, and muster rolls, now including letters, diaries, state records, and military and local histories. Some of the things we thought we knew already have been proven flawed, and we are correcting that through a series of books we will be publishing. 

I am honored to be collaborating with about fifty authors and scholars on this project and will use this blog to help sort out some of the research questions I address as I work toward our first big deadline of March 31, 2024.