The earliest Isle of Wight Carter left scant evidence of his existence, but Thomas I is more clearly identified. He seemed to be involved with the shipment of tobacco consignments from Virginia to England and was possibly at sea for much of his life.

He married Elinor Cooke, daughter of William Cooke and Mary Miles of the same county, and their only child, Thomas Carter II, married Magdalen Moore and founded "Nanticoke" plantation. They were progenitors of a large family and several of their sons migrated into northeastern North Carolina. Many Carter descendants in the South, including President "Jimmy" Carter, directly trace their ancestry to the three Thomas Carters of Isle of Wight County.