Henry Eli Carlton Family

Henry Eli Carlton Family
Arranged by Spessard Stone
Photographs & Comments, Courtesy Of Rev. Tom Johnson, Jr. et al





Henry Eli Carlton, son of William Carlton and Harriet (Hendry) Carlton, was born November 15, 1854 at Fort McCoy, Marion County, Fla., and died September 30, 1934; buried Oak Ridge Cemetery, Arcadia, Florida. The William Carlton Family Bible has his given names as Eli Henry, but he was known as Henry Eli. With his parents, he moved to Fort Green, Manatee (now Hardee) County, Florida circa 1870. Later he settled at Arcadia in DeSoto County, Florida. Henry Eli Carlton held several public offices. In 1877 he was appointed by Gov. George F. Drew as Manatee County Assessor. He was appointed by Governor Edward A. Perry as the first DeSoto County Tax Collector in 1887. He served as DeSoto County Superintendent of Schools and from 1897-1913 as DeSoto County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Henry E. Carlton was married twice. On January 25, 1875, Henry married (1) Arianah Cordelia Wilkison, daughter of John Wilkison and Mary Ann (Langford) Wilkison. Arianah was born August 6, 1856 in Bradford County, Fla. and died July 5, 1902, buried Oak Ridge Cemetery, Arcadia, Florida. On June 8, 1904 at Hawthorne, Fla., he married (2) Nina Daniels. She was born June 23, 1878 at Greenville, South Carolina and died September 10, 1960.

Issue of Henry Eli and (1) Arianah C. (Wilkison) Carlton:

1. Lillian Estelena Carlton, born Jan. 20, 1876, Fort Green, Fla.; died Feb. 23, 1957; buried Evergreen Cemetery, Gainesville, Fla.; married (1) Feb. 26, 1900 Walter L. Smith; (2) Aug. 23, 1905 Harvey Dena Mason.
2. Bertha Cordelia Carlton, born Dec. 31, 1877, Fort Green, Fla.; died March 30, 1971; buried Oak Ridge Cemetery, Arcadia, Fla.; married at Arcadia on Oct. 12, 1898 Frank Waldron.
3. Claudius Leonard "Claude" Carlton, born June 7, 1880, Fort Green, Fla.; died Dec. 19, 1955, Alhambra, CA; buried Live Oak Memorial Cemetery, Monrovia, CA; married on March 20, 1901 Daisy Lee Whidden, daughter of John Wesley Whidden and Ellen Catherine (Hendry) Whidden.
4. Mabel Olivia Carlton, born Jan. 18, 1882, Fort Green; died Dec. 14, 1884 of fever; buried Fort Green Methodist Cemetery.
5. William Walter Carlton, born Jan. 24, 1884, Fort Green, Fla.; died March 26, 1928, Bartow, Fla.; married at Bartow on Oct. 9, 1910 Leila Toleto Whidden.
6. Laurie Ellen Carlton, born June 14, 1886, Fort Green, Fla.; died May 1979; buried Ocala, Fla.; married at Arcadia, Fla. on Jan. 10, 1906 Howell Morton Hampton.
7. Henry Austin Carlton, born Oct. 2, 1888, Fort Green, Fla.; died Nov. 7, 1966; buried in Virginia; married on Aug. 18, 1914 at Glade Spring, VA, Katharine Williams. Austin attended Emory and Henry College and received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt. Rev. Carlton was for twenty years a Methodist minister.
8. Wilbur Allen Carlton, born Dec. 29, 1890, Fort Green, Fla.; died Jan. 23, 1971; buried in the Oxford Historical Cemetery, Oxford, GA; married on Aug. 12, 1925 Annie Lou Bartlett. Wilbur retired from the faculty of Emory-at-Oxford-College, a branch of Emory University.
9. Kate Elizabeth Carlton, born Feb. 2, 1893, Fort Green, Fla.; died Sept. 19, 1988, Orlando, Fla., buried Oak Ridge Cemetery, Arcadia, Fla.; married on Aug. 17, 1921 Samuel Roy Appleby.


On April 8, 2004, Rev. Tom Johnson, Jr. wrote of the family�s Christian service:

1. Wilbur Allen Carlton (1890-1971) , though never ordained, taught for 40 years at Oxford College of Emory University. Some of the most prominent Methodist pastors of the past 4 generations were former students. He was in the last graduating class (1913) of the original Emory College in Oxford, GA, before Emory University opened in Atlanta. He later earned the first Master degree of any kind awarded by Emory University (M.A. in linguistics). With the exception of a year in Blackshear, GA and much later, a year in Arcadia, FL, W.A. Carlton taught French, Greek and Latin at Emory at Oxford (later called Oxford College of Emory University).

2. Also, his father, Henry Eli Carlton, served part-time as a lay speaker and lay supply pastor in the Florida Conference in churches or circuits near Arcadia, FL.

3/4. Thomas Halliburton Johnson, Sr. (1929 - ) currently lives in Oxford, GA and has been married for 52 years (in July 2004) to Emmie Stewart Carlton Johnson (1929 - ). Thomas, Sr. earned a B.A. in English from Emory University, then a B.D. degree (later changed to a Master of Divinity) from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Emmie Stewart Carlton Johnson earned a B.A. in English from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA, then Master of Christian Education from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. As youth in the 1940's, she was the North Georgia Annual Conference president of youth. Thomas, Sr., a native of Chattanooga, TN, grew up in Macon, GA located in the South Georgia Annual Conference. The first two years of seminary Thomas, Sr. served as an associate pastor in the North Georgia Conference. Just before he finished seminary he returned to the South Georgia Annual Conference and served 40 more years as a pastor, district superintendent (2x), and the superintendent of Epworth by the Sea, the primary South Georgia retreat center. After retirement, Thomas, Sr. served one more year as a pastor in the North Georgia Annual Conference as a retired supply pastor for a total of 43 service years.

5/6. Emmie Stewart Carlton Johnson's older sister, Anne Bartlett Carlton, also married a United Methodist minister, Richard Eugene Blanchard, Sr. The Blanchards currently live in Suwannanoa, NC. After seminary at Candler School of Theology, Emory U., he joined the Florida Annual Conference and served for 40 years. Though he became known as a Christian songwriter, he is best remembered as a caring pastor of both small and large membership churches. Anne Bartlett Carton Blanchard attended Wesleyan College earning a B.A. degree (Summa Cum Laude), and a M.A. degree in Christian Education. Before retirement she wrote extensively for the United Methodist Publishing House and taught math in the public school system.

7. Thomas Halliburton Johnson, Jr. (1954 - ) currently lives in Americus, GA. He attended Young Harris College earning an AFA degree, Valdosta State College, earning a BFA degree, Duke Divinity School, Duke University, earning a M.Div. degree and the University of Georgia, earning a MFA degree. He joined the South Georgia Annual Conference in 1982 and has served both in local pastorates and national mission and annual conference benevolent agencies. Thomas, Jr. (Tom) has written 20+ units for the United Methodist Publishing House and currently writes a column for the Wesleyan Christian Advocate (the bi-weekly paper of the NGA and SGA annual conferences). He is married to the former Karen Marie Toms Johnson (1952 - ) and they are the parents of Thomas, III (1995 - )


Harriet and William Carlton from DeVane's Early Florida History, Vol. 2, September 1979


Henry Eli Carlton, from DeVane's Early Florida History, Vol. 2, September 1979


Arcadia Carltons on a prairie picnic; there may also be some Wauchula Carltons on the excursion.


Joanne Carlton from Wauchula


The family of Henry Eli Carlton and all of his grandchildren living in the SE...The photo was taken about 1925 at H. E. Carlton's home in Arcadia, FL. L-R: Wilbur Allen Carlton (home on vacation from Georgia, not yet married), Kate Elizabeth Carlton [Appleby] (not married at time), Austin Carlton (wife Katherine [Williams] not pictured), Laurie Carlton (Hampton), Nina Daniels Carlton (2nd wife of H.E. Carlton, no children, but remembered as a loving mother), Henry Eli Carlton, Walter Carlton (lived in Bartow, later contracted TB, went to Albequerque, NM to TB sanitarium, later returned home by train with Wilbur to die to see family), Leila (wife of Walter, also sister of Claude's wife Daisy), Lily Carlton Mason, ____Waldron, husband of Bert, Bert(ha) Carlton Waldrop, Corrine Waldron (daughter of Bert). The two small boys are Carlton and George Mason, not sure which one is which. The small girl is Mable Claire Waldron, daughter of Bert(ha) Carlton Waldron. Not included in the photo is the eldest Carlton son and his family (Claude and Daisy Carlton and children, living in El Paso, TX at the time [ he worked as a journalist and eventually moved to California]).


Bert, Lily, Laurie and Kate Carlton, daughters of Henry Eli Carlton, photo likely taken in late 40's or early 50's.



Rev. Richard Eugene Blanchard, Sr.


Obituary of the Rev. Richard Blanchard, Wesleyan Christian Advocate, Vol. 168, No. 21, May 7, 2004, p. 5, courtesy of the Rev. Tom Johnson, May 15, 2004


"South Georgia announces Albany First, extension appointments," Wesleyan Christian Advocate, Vol. 168, No. 21, May 7, 2004, p. 4, courtesy of the Rev. Tom Johnson, May 15, 2004


April 4 & November 1, 2002, May 15, 2004. Music is Rev. Richard E. Blanchard's "Fill My Cup, Lord."



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