GENERATION 12

GENERATION 11

Biography

BENJAMIN CARR was born in London, Middlesex, England, Aug. 18, 1592, the oldest of four brothers. He married MARTHA HARDINGTON, in London, Sep. 2, 1613. They both died in London. They must have died around 1635, for in that year all four of their sons were sent to America to live with two uncles. The two oldest boys came first, in the spring, to live with BENJAMIN's brother William. Several months later, the two youngest boys were sent to live with their Uncle George.

Caleb, along with his brother ROBERT, came to America on the ship Elizabeth Ann, commanded by Capt. Roger Cooper, which sailed from London, May 9, 1635. He settled in Newport, Newport, RI, about 1640. He held many offices of public trust and honor during his lifetime, and accumulated considerable property. He was general treasurer 1661-62, justice in 1687-88, and governor of the colony in 1695, an office he held until his drowning death, Dec. 17, 1695. Caleb and his first wife, Mercy Vaughn, were both buried in the family burying ground on Mill Street in Newport, near the present day Coddington School.

Caleb's second wife was Sarah Clarke, widow of Mr. Pinner, and daughter of Jeremiah Clarke and sister of Gov. Walter Clarke.

On Sep. 8, 1900, the bodies of Caleb and Mercy were disinterred and removed to the Island of Jamestown. They lie in a small private cemetery and are marked with the stones from the original burial site. The inscriptions on the gravestones read as follows:
 

Richard was born in London, Jan. 5, 1621, and came to America in August, 1635, in the company of his brother, Andrew, on the ship Abigail. As their parents were dead they were probably sent over to their uncle George Carr of Ipswich, Essex, MA. Richard settled in Hampton, NH, and later in life located in Salisbury, Essex, MA, where he died May 17, 1689. He left two children.

Andrew was born in London, Dec. 5, 1622, and came to America with his brother, Richard, in August 1635, on the ship Abigail. It is supposed that he went to sea with his uncle James Carr, and settled either in the West Indies or South Carolina.