This book is a living family history and, although it is based on genealogical research and methods, it is presented as a historical work, complete with photographs, illustrations, interviews, biographies, anecdotes, recipes, doggerel, and other interesting data that I felt would contribute to making a readable, yet accurate picture of our family through the ages. I have made a special effort to extract exact wordings from ancient records that would have been seen or heard by our ancestors in an attempt to create an empathy for the language and customs of the times in which our forbearers were living. In many instances documents exist which are known to have been witnessed, signed or read by our ancestors. These are the primary sources of the quotations and illustrations which have been used to create a literary aura around the particular historical periods. Without question, there is a considerable amount of speculation and conclusions which are drawn from parallel histories of people living in the same region, time and station in life as the Carltons, however I believe the overall picture to be reasonably accurate. It is my hope that once you take this book in hand you will read it well and come to understand the events, language and emotions of our ancestors' times. It is also my hope that if you are a Carlton, or a Carlton descendant, you will utilize the pages provided to enter notations of your life and that of your children so that you continue this work into your own time for our future generations.

I have derived much satisfaction from the fact that our Carlton family is of humble origin. Not only does this allow us to avoid the treacheries common to illustrious or wealthy families, but we can be assured that our own accomplishments are in accord with our ancestors from time immemorial, that is, neither much greater or much less. I like the often used quotation from Sir Thomas Overbury (1581-1613), who said, "The man who has not anything to boast of but his illustrious ancestors is like a potato - the only good belonging to him is underground." Our good is not only underground, but alive and with us in our own lives today and in our hopes for our children's tomorrows.

As you read I hope you will come to an empathy for our ancestors' feelings; the things of which they were proud, the things they taught and passed on to their children, the things with which they disagreed. Whereas I personally feel strongly about family and the positive qualities of humanity; Daisy Mason Carlton Tirey was always motivated by her love of God and her belief in His inherent goodness, the Bible was her guide; Edward Arthur was motivated to prove himself independent (a lifelong futile exercise) and believed in education; Edward the Immigrant no doubt believed in his own hard work and was motivated by the Bible; Edward the Carpenter probably was scornful of Parliament; John the Churchwarden believed in the Church of England; William of Tilmanstone probably believed that God restored Charles II and abhorred the Puritans; Stephen of Ashe no doubt believed in Queen Elizabeth and the future of England; just as John of Lyttle Harde must have believed in King Henry VIII. Although we all believe in something different, we all must believe in our Carlton heritage both good and bad because it is what makes us members of humanity.

This work is currently under revision and is as accurate and comprehensive as possible based on presently available information. It is founded on information collected by Edward, Stephen, Richard, Robert, Raleigh, Michelle and Kristöfer Carlton as well as Kenneth Wilson and Duncan Harrington from 1979 through 1987. Edward and Stephen researched the Canterbury Cathedral archives in 1979 and it was they who first determined that our ancestral village was Tilmanstone. Robert saw both the Canterbury (Cathedral Dean and Chapter Library) and Maidstone (Kent Public Record Office) archives, as well as the Tilmanstone historians in 1982. Robert became the first American Carlton to set foot in Tilmanstone since Edward's immigration 141 years earlier. Ken Wilson has corresponded extensively concerning his research in numerous regions in Kent during 1982-1985 and it was his work with the Carlton wills from 1571 to 1632 that pushed our genealogy from the 1630s back to within a stones's throw of the medieval 1400s. I spent 3 weeks in Tilmanstone, Canterbury, Maidstone and the surrounding areas in August 1985 and again for a week in July 1987 (this time with Lynn and Michelle) mainly tying up loose ends and photographing the various sites. In addition I have maintained regular contact along with visits usually every other year with families in Tilmanstone and the surrounding areas (for example, the Robsons and Hollingsbees, the owners of St. Mary's Grove Cottage, The Laurels, The Ravens, and Memorial Cottages in Tilmanstone, the owners of the Yew Tree Cottage in Eythorne, the Benson's at Waldershare, Lord North at Waldershare, Lord and Lady Pender at Northcourt in Tilmanstone, and other Carlton related sites in the area). Duncan Harrington is the professional genealogist who continued our researches at the Canterbury Christchurch Deanery and Maidstone Public Records Office archives after and between our visits. This work owes much to these people because without the unselfish sharing of information among them this story would have remained untold. I believe we are all of like mind with Benjamin Franklin, who in his autobiographical letters to his son, circa 1771-1789 said, "The next thing like living one's life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing."

This work has provided me with so many highly personal rewards that it is difficult to sort them out. Testimony to the overwhelming sense of family unity that seems inherent in being a Carlton is born out by the fact that all 82 living descendants of Edward Carlton the Immigrant were not only located by 1986, but without exception shared their stories, photographs and heirlooms. This kind of cooperation is an extremely rare occurrence in genealogical research, but then again the Carltons are a rare family in their attitudes toward others and the values of family.

I have had the pleasure of meditating in the parish churches that were attended by the Carltons in Kent between 1500 and 1840. I walked the lands our ancestors farmed in England and searched through the buildings erected by the immigrants in Long Point Township. I have paid my respects to all my known ancestors' grave sites, from unmarked sites in the churchyards of Lower Hardres, Ash, Tilmanstone and Waldershare in Kent to the marble memorials of the Long Point Cemetery. I have handled the china and glassware used by 4 generations of Carlton women, wound the clock used by my great grandfather, and examined the chests used by my great great grandfather. However, without question one of the most enthralling moments of my life was when I purchased the rocking chair brought from England to Illinois by Edward the Immigrant and then discovered that it may have been made by his father, Edward the Carpenter. The other moments that rank of this magnitude were when, in Canterbury Christchurch Cathedral Archives, I was allowed to touch the ink that flowed from the pen of William Carlton onto parchment in 1618 when he made his mark, from the pen of his son Stephen as he made his mark in 1628 and again in 1630, and from the pen of his grandson William, the first literate Carlton, as he signed his name in 1631 and 1633. The oldest document I have found that was definitely that of an ancestor is the transcript copy of the 1571 will of John Charlton of Lyttle Hards. Although the original document that would have been handled and marked by John himself has long ago disappeared, the transcript (which was made from the original upon it's filing immediately after John's death) was made available to me.

I must admit that another pleasure I suspect we all will derive from this work is exemplified in the words of Van Wyck Brooks (1985); "Nothing is so soothing to our self-esteem as to find our bad traits in our forebears. It seems to absolve us." I have had this experience and I'm sure those who have the ability to honestly assess their lives will find the same to be true for them. The ability of a history such as this to add to personal confidence can be amazing. Knowledge of a specific place in the spectrum of human history has a strangely comforting effect on personal worth.

I currently believe this history to be accurate back to about 1515 in Lower Hardres parish in Kent County, England. However, there are Carltons, who may very well be our ancestors, living in the region back to the mid 1200s and before. All discussion of events prior to 1515 is based on conjecture and historical and etymological research concerning the origins of our name. The etymology has been correlated to appropriate historical events that could have placed Carltons in locations consistent with known facts after 1564. In other words, events prior to 1564 are my best guesses.

Because this is a privately published volume, I wish to comment in that regard. An unknown author who resorted to the use of the "vanity" press to privately publish his book when all others had rejected his manuscript, once attempted to justify his actions in his preface by asking:

"Is there any excuse for a volume like this? To be charitable there are possibly two. The first is the uncontrollable egomania which obsesses anyone who has had the tiniest success in stringing words side by side and interspersing them with punctuation marks . . . Nearer the truth is that a project like this stems from fear. You get terrified at the speed with which time is ticking you toward eternity, and you search frantically for a device to thwart the old man with a scythe . . . So you settle for a thin book . . ."

To this I emphatically answer, "bullshit!" This work is a monument to my family in appreciation for my fathers' and mothers' willingness to have children and then to support, nourish, and love us all. I in turn love them back, both those known personally, known through this work, and the thousands unknown back to the dawn of time itself. And finally, I discovered long ago that the best device to thwart the scythe has always been tiny feet running through my life...and it doesn't matter if they've changed from children to grandchildren, and I hope someday...great grandchildren.

Dedication	Preface	DIRECT LINE Tilmanstone and Long Point Branch	Interesting Facts	Carlton Titles	Regarding Carlton Heraldic Coats of Arms
Origin of the Carlton Surname The Rude Boys From The Fort	Chapter 1 BEFORE 1500	Chapter 2 As Early As 1480 But Not Later Than 1544-1571 John (I) Charlton/Charltone (of Lyttle Harde) & Ales	Chapter 3 As Early As 1535-1628 William (I) Carlton (of Little Hards)	Chapter 4 1578-1630 Stephen (I) Carleton (of Ashe)	Chapter 5 1610-After 1662 William (II) Carleton (of Ash) & Ann (Agnes) Pollard
Chapter 6 1640-1696 William (III) Carleton (of Tilmanstone) & Mary Brett	Chapter 7 1674-1734 Edward (I) Carlton (the Cordwainer) & Dorothy Court	Chapter 8 1709-1806 John (II) Carlton (the Churchwarden) & Susanna White	Chapter 9 1745-1832 Edward (II) Carlton (the Gentleman) & Ann Pilcher	photos Chapter 10 1774-1864 Edward (III) Carlton (the Carpenter) & Judith Ann Preble	photos Chapter 11 1828-1912 Edward (IV) Carlton (the Immigrant) & Diadama Hallam
photos Chapter 12 1852-1947 David Henry Carlton & Elizabeth Ellen Swift	Chapter 13 1881-1983 Edward (V) Arthur Carlton & Daisy Mason	Chapter 14 1912-Present David (II) Raleigh Carlton & Hazel Marie Crippen	Chapter 15 1950-Present Richard Raleigh (II) Carlton & Terry Ann Zebell & Lynn Borre	Appendix Carlton Freemasonry and the Peasant's Revolt of 1381	Appendix Carlton Deaths From The Canterbury Plague of 1630
Appendix The Mayflower Pilgrims 1620 The Fullers The Crippens	Appendix The American Immigration 1835-1841

This page was updated on 5-8-98. If you have queries or comments, email rcarlton@arkansas.net