First of all let me thank you for your interest in The Carter Society. Whether you are a seasoned genealogist or just beginning to explore your heritage, we hope that our website will aid you in your search for ancestors.

The Carter Society is a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Virginia that is dedicated to honoring our Carter ancestors who migrated to the Virginia Colony, in the early 1600's, to establish a better life for themselves and their progeny. Our primary mission is to foster scholarly genealogical research, disseminate accurate genealogical information and to preserve all historical, architectural and achievable treasures related to the Carter Families of the Virginia Colony. To achieve part of our mission we have selected the families of five individuals we call our Carter Patriots:

* John Carter I of Lancaster County Virginia
* Thomas Carter I of Lancaster County Virginia
* William Carter I of Surry County Virginia
* Thomas Carter I of Isle of Wight County Virginia and
* Giles Carter I of Henrico County Virginia.

Realizing there are many more Carter Families yet unidentified, we have another category of Patriot, Other Carters of Colonial Virginia. We also have the special category of Friends of the Society for spouses, children and those who are still struggling to prove an ancestral lineage back to a Carter Family of Colonial Virginia.

Therefore, our membership is open to anyone who can identify a Carter ancestor that lived in Colonial Virginia.

Through our Y-DNA Project we have developed what we believe to be the Y-DNA of our Patriot, Thomas Carter I of Lancaster County Virginia. This Thomas Carter (sometimes referred to as Captain Thomas Carter of Barford) left a Will which was Probated in the Lancaster County Virginia Court on November 14, 1700. If you are a male with a Carter surname and your Y-DNA matches the Y-DNA that we have for Thomas Carter I of Lancaster County Virginia, there is a high probability that you are one of his descendants and you can use this information to bridge gaps in your ancestral lineage. You may join The Carter Society Y-DNA Project through the following link to Family Tree DNA at www.familytreeDNA.com.

Once there, search the CARTER surname, click on the Carter Society Y-DNA Project and then fill out the required application forms. The Y-DNA for the remainder of our Patriots is still in work as a part of our ongoing Y-DNA Project.

Please continue to browse our website for news about our Society, news about our Y-DNA Project, to participate in our Forum (in near future), to answer your questions and to see the links we have to websites with expanded and supporting information. If you do not find what you are looking for, please use Membership found under The Society above, or use the website contact below, to communicate with our membership.

Should you determine that The Carter Society is an organization that merits your support after exploring our website, please request a membership application by clicking on The Society above and then on Membership Applications.

Thank you again for your interest and I hope to see you at our next Carter Society Annual Reunion where we join our Cousins to visit Carter Relicts of the past and conduct our corporate business. You need not be a member to join us!

Come back often because the content of our website changes frequently.

Charles R. Carter
President and Founding Member
The Carter Society