Carter family

Benjamin John Leslie(Les) Carter-took up Farm 22

The Carter Family.

Compiled & Written by Charlie Carter

Thomas Carter (my GGGF) was born in Tinaheley, County Wicklow, Ireland in1817, married Sarah Cavanagh, and arrived in Sydney on the 'Royal Consort' in 1840. Son Thomas (GGF) was born in Surrey Hills (Sydney) in 1842. By 1850
the family had moved to Woodville, near Maitland in the Hunter Valley.
Thomas married Regena Foster in 1862 and Robert Richard (GF) was born in Woodville in 1864. He married Eliza Jane Morrow in 1887.

Robert and Eliza took up land on the Warrah Creek subdivision (Farm 27) in 1912. They had 7 sons and 4 daughters, the eldest Benjamin John Leslie (Les) took up the adjoining Farm 22. He never married, and died in 1921. Of the remaining 6 sons, 5 served in the Australian forces overseas. Sidney Randel (Sid), Thomas William (Tom) and Robert Keith (Bob) served in WWI. The younger sons Reginald Milton (Reg) and Foster served in WWII.

Quirindi Herald, 1922.

The second son Sidney remained in Woodville, but Tom, Cecil, Reg and Foster all lived on Warrah Creek. (Not sure of Bob's movements, but he lived in Canberra at some stage). Reg and Foster lived at “Iona”, Tom in a cottage on Block 19 opposite the Power's house, and Cecil at "Rowdy Flat", my mother's nickname for the Old Warrah hamlet. Foster married Madge Barwick, Tom and Cecil married sisters Miriam and Lily Holmes, all at St Stephens church Warrah Creek. The eldest daughter Lela married Richard Graham (Farm 41) and lived on Warrah Creek. She died in May ’42, aged 54, leaving 3 children, Keith, Anne and Gordon. Third daughter Olive married Baden Hull in the Union church in 1926, and lived for some time in Willow Tree, later in Newcastle.

After their mother's death in 1941 Reg and Foster inherited the two farm blocks. Madge and Foster had 4 children, Robyn, Charles, Milton and Winsome.
Milton inherited the Farm 27 when our mother died in 1988, and still lives there.

This is a very 'bare bones' story, there are a lot more details and anecdotes I could add, or perhaps relate in person on the day.
Some topics are; dairy farming and separating the cream.
Milking the cows before school
Travelling to Willow Tree by sulky
Mum, the #1 'Son' driving at 18 (and for 60 yrs) and chauffering her father (Charles) who was a terrible driver
RR Carter's Clydesdale Stud (are the horses on the cover from his bloodline?)
Uncle Tom and horse drawn grader with Captain and Major (2 of granddads Clydesdales) grading the Warrah Ck rd in the early 50s
The first electric shearing shed.