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Notes:

Jonathan Carver was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts on April 13, 1710. Little is known about his life until he joined the colonial militia in 1755 during the French and Indian War. Much of his time in the militia was spent at forts along the frontier. When he mustered out after eight years, Carver held the rank of Captain. By this time, he was 53 years old. With western lands opening up, Carver bought books on cartography and surveying so that he would be able to make maps of the new frontier.
Captain Carver’s opportunity to explore the expanded frontier materialized in 1766 when a party was organized to map part of the new land and find a western water route which flowed to the Pacific Ocean. Carver was charged with documenting geography as well as the number and location of Indians. He was also told to describe the trade posts that they encountered along the way.
Carver spent the winter of 1767 around Saint Anthony Falls and along the Minnesota River. When the rest of the party joined him that spring, they began to explore the area but quickly ran out of supplies and were forced to turn back. During the rest of 1767 and early 1768, Carver spent much of his time at the frontier Fort Michilimackinac in Michigan where he worked on his journals documenting their exploration. He then traveled to London where he found an editor to liven up his journals for wide-spread publication.
Carver’s book, Travels through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767, and 1768 was published in 1778 and immediately found critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the book’s profits did not come soon enough for Carver. He died destitute in 1780.
By 1789 praise for the book had faded and many were questioning the validity of Carver’s exploration claims and accused him of plagiarizing the work of other explorers. The controversy was heightened when Carver’s descendants claimed that two Dakotah chiefs had deeded the Captain thousands of acres of land in what is now southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Many, including the federal government, saw this claim as fraudulent and it has never been treated as valid.
The controversy over Travels persisted until the original journals documenting his explorations were discovered at the British Museum in the early 1900s. The journals helped prove that his book’s inaccuracies and plagiarism were based on the work of Carver’s editor, not Carver. And while the validity of his land claim has never been fully resolved to the satisfaction of his descendants, Jonathan Carver’s work as an explorer has been exonerated by most historians. - unknown

From HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SUNDERLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MONTAGUE & LEVERETT
By John Montague Smith (1899)

CARVER, JONATHAN, from Canterbury, Ct., doubtless descended from Robert Carver (believed to be the grand nephew of John Carver, financier of the Mayflower expedition and first Governor of The Plymouth Colony), who settled in what is now Marshfield, sometime prior to 1636. He married 1746, in Canterbury, Ct., Abigail, daughter of Nathaniel and Phebe (Sevine) Robbins; lived in Montague, perhaps also in Northfield; soldier in the last French and Indian war, and narrowly escaped with his life at the massacre of Fort William Henry; afterwards Captain. In June, 1766, at his own cost and risk, he undertook a journey into the vast territory acquired by Great Britain at the establishment of peace in 1763. "What I had chiefly in view," he says, after gaining a knowledge of the manners customs, languages, soil and natural productions of the different nations that inhabit the back of the Mississippi, was to ascertain the breadth of that vast continent which extends from the Atlantic to Pacific ocean, in its broadest part, between 43 and 46 degrees, northern latitude. Had I been able to accomplish this, I intended to have proposed to government to establish a post in some of those parts about the Straits of Annian, which having been first discovered by Sir Francis Drake, of course belong to the English." The straits of Annian are not known by that name at the present day, but Seattle and Tacoma now flourish in the region where Carver would have established his post. However, the head waters of the Mississippi was the remotest region which he reached. He was everywhere hospitably received by the natives; was five months with the Nandowissies, who made him a chief. But few of them had ever before seen a white man. He arrived at Boston on his return journey, Oct., 1768, and the next year went to London, where he published his book of travels, of which there have been about 20 editions. He entered into a project with Richard Whitworth, Esq., a man of means, to equip an expedition to carry out his original intention and not only that, but to find a passage from the Pacific to Hudson's Bay (The elusive Northwest Passage. King George II was offering a reward of 100,000 Pounds Sterling for its discovery). They were to have erected a fort at Lake Pepin by which to hold the new possessions and open them up to development, but the commencement of the Revolution thwarted their plans.He recognized the value of this section of country, which later explorers pronounced a barren region, incapable of sustaining a large population.

He started on his expedition, from Boston in June, 1766. He travelled in all as much as 7000 miles, by canoe along the shores of the Great lakes alone with one guide, and explored much of the territory in the present State of Minnesota. He spent some time with the Indians, and as a reward for negotiating a peace treaty between them, received from two of their chiefs a deed to 12,000 acres of land on the Mississippi, east of Lake Pepin and the Falls of St. Anthony. (This account is largely thought to have been a fraud or a myth, perpetrated to generate income, but for nearly 50 years a large tract of land appeared on maps of the U.S. designated as "Carver's Tract", and areas of Minnesota still bear his name. See "The Journals of Jonathan Carver" by John Parker, Minnesota Press, for a studied treatment of this issue. ISBN 0-87351-099-2) He returned to Boston in October, 1768, and, having spent his entire fortune in carrying out his explorations, he sailed the next year for England, where he petitioned the Government for a reward for his services. He received nothing, except permission to publish his journal and charts. In 1778 the first edition of his book appeared in London, under the title, "Three Years' Travels Throughout the Interior Parts of North America." For this he received nothing except his expenses, and less than two years later he died in poverty. After his death the book had a large sale, and before the close of the century eight editions had been published.

Jonathan married Abigail Robbins on 20 Oct 1746 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut. Abigail (daughter of Nathaniel Robbins and Elizabeth Leavens) was born in 1726 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut; died on 9 Nov 1802 in Brandon, Rutland, Vermont; was buried in Brandon, Rutland, Vermont. [Group Sheet]

1. Mary Carver was born on 8 Apr 1747 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut; died after 1794 in Brandon, Rutland, Vermont.
2. Abigail Carver was born on 29 May 1748 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut; died on 22 Jan 1829 in Brandon, Rutland, Vermont.
3. Sarah Carver was born on 8 Jun 1750 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; and died.
4. Rufus Carver was born on 14 Dec 1754 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; died on 20 Mar 1840 in East Troy, Walworth, Wisconsin.
5. Olive Carver was born on 19 Jul 1758 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; died on 21 Apr 1789 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; was buried in Montague, Franklin, Massachusetts.
6. Jonathan Carver was born on 3 Jan 1759 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; and died.
7. Mindwell Carver was born on 1 May 1762 in Montague City, Franklin, Massachusetts; died on 5 Feb 1825 in Monclova, Lucas, Ohio.

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• Possessions: 1681, Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts; moved with his mother from Marshfield to Weymouth, Mass.
• Possessions: 28 Apr 1718, Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; sold his property to Benjamin Dyer in Weymouth and moved to Canterbury, Conn.

Notes:

Buried:
in Neck O' Land Cemetery

David married Hannah Dyer in 1709 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts. Hannah (daughter of Capt. Joseph Dyer and Hannah Baxter) was born on 13 Feb 1683 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; died before 1722 in prob. Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut. [Group Sheet]

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• Civil: 6 Jun 1660, Plymouth Colony; was admitted as Freeman
• Civil: 4 Jun 1661, Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts; was appointed constable
• Civil: 3 Jun 1664, Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts; was appointed surveyor of highways

John married Millicent Ford on 4 Nov 1658 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Millicent (daughter of Deacon William Ford and Ann) was born in 1639 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts; died on 4 May 1696 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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Capt. married Hannah Baxter in 1682 in Massachusetts. Hannah was born in 1661 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died in 1727 in Sherborn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. [Group Sheet]

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• Arrival: Abt 1638, Plymouth Colony
• Civil: 7 Jun 1648, Plymounth Colony; was admitted as a Freeman
• Civil: 1653, Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts; appointed surveyor of highways

Notes:

Granted land 3 Sept. 1638, [Pope, “Pioneers of Massachusetts”], (“He was granted twenty acres lying on the northwest side of Greenes Harbor River, about five miles north of Duxbury and southeast of Marshfield in Plymouth Colony, and a garden place upon Stoney River.”) [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 1, p. 94, as quoted by Savage, Genealogical Dictionary of New England, vol. I; Whitmore’s, Genealogical Guide to the Early Settlers of America].
His name appeared at a Court of Assistants held at Plymouth on 8 Oct. 1639 “Capt. Miles Standish, Mr. Alden and Mr. Ed. Winslow are appointed to lay forth the land and meaddow graunted to Job Cole and also the land graunted to Francis Godfrey and Robert Carver” [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 1, p. 135]. He was living in Duxbury when his son John was born in 1637, and in 10 Sept. 1641, when Edward Hawes of”Duxburrow” agreed to exchange 10 acres of upland lying across Greens Harbor for 2000 feet of “sawne” boards delivered by Robert Carver of the same place, sawyer [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 12, p. 75 as quoted by William Jones in “Genealogies of Mayflower Families vol. 1, p. 429]. In 1643, he moved to Marshfield. Records there of 12 Feb. 1643 state “that Robert Carver should be given that tract of meadow that doth lie between Mr. Edward Winslow’s fence and Mr. William Thomas’ fence from fence and creek to creek” [Richard’s “The History of Marshfield”]. Robert was chosen to serve on the grand jury 7 Mar. 1643 [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 2, p. 53]. He was also given the right to bear arms and joined the train band that year [Pierce’s Colonial Lists, p. 75]. He was made freeman 7 June 1648 [Plymouth Colony Records, vol. 2, p. 122] . In 1645, his name was on a list of some twelve men who agreed to “pay money for someone to teach school.” He was a frequent juryman and, in 1653, was appointed surveyor of highways.
Robert made a written agreement four days after the death of their son, John (agreement dated 27 June 1679) that would allow him to live with her and her children the rest of his natural life. In return, she and her children were to have his entire estate until her eldest son William (Robert’s favorite) turned twenty - one. At that time, one half of the entire estate was to be his and he would get the other half when his mother died. William’s brother, John was provided for by his maternal grandfather, Willaim Ford, Sr. Robert Carver died and was burried in April of 1680 at the age of 86 (Marshfield Vital Records).

Robert married Christian Turner on 4 Aug 1617 in Lydiard Millicent, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. Christian was born about 1596; died on 23 Jul 1658 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachucetts. [Group Sheet]

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• Death: 23 Jul 1658, Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts

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Deacon married Ann. and died. [Group Sheet]

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Thomas married Agnes Mary Reed in 1653 in Massachusetts. Agnes was born in 1616 in Butleigh Parish, Somersetshire, England; died on 19 Dec 1668 in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet]

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Isaac married Catherine. and died. [Group Sheet]

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