Morgan-Knighton Kith 'n Kin

I have been researching my Great Grandfather, William Alonzo Carter (b. ~12 May 1873), for some time, but have been hesitant to post to this blog due to not being able to determine if he is the same William A Carter as shown in the Mc A (Matthew "Mac" Alexander) and Eliza (Eliza Elvira) Carter household of the 1880 Census of Nixburg, Coosa, Alabama. Recent findings have given me the extra push.

It is well known in my family lore that "Alonzo" was a professional photographer, first operating out of Galveston after the hurricane of 1900, then in Bryan, Texas, and... ... then in Fort Worth starting around 1908. His notes and letters from his wife consistently show that he believed he was born in Anniston, Alabama, on 12 May 1873. I recently began searching through Fort Worth archives and found articles regarding he and his time as a photographer in Fort Worth. The first article is from the 1914 edition of "The Makers of Fort Worth" where his parents are given as M.A. and E.E. Carter. The second article is a writeup by a local historian. I have many photos of him to verify his appearance with.

The interesting part of his history is that after his divorce in ~1922, we do not have any detail on what happened to him. The historical writeup and the many letters we have from his wife and mother-in-law confirm that he had significant financial problems back then. My dad and his sister never met this grandfather of theirs, so at this point there is no telling what happened to him. My aunt has said that her mother told her that he married another woman, had children, and that her mother (or her mother's sister) went to visit this other family one time. I have not found him in the 1920 or 1930 Censuses. I have seen his death given as 3 Apr 1942, Coosa, Alabama, on a few public family trees, but I have not been able to find any proof of this.

Based on what I found in the Makers article, I think it is reasonable to say he descends from the Thomas Carter and Henrietta Seay line. Is that a genealogical stretch?

Brent Scott
bescott@aircanopy.net