Henry Guy Carleton, of Newport, N.H., President of the Newport Savings Bank, a position which he has held more than twenty years, is a printer by trade, and was for a period of about forty years one of the editors and publishers of the New Hampshire Argus and Spectator at Newport, N.H., the firm name being Carleton & Harvey. He has held the office of Register of Deeds and of Probate for the County of Sullivan, and has been a member of the legislature. He was elected a Director of the First National Bank of Newport at its first annual meeting after its organization in January, 1854, and has been annually re-elected since that year, a period of more than forty-six years. We are indebted to this gentleman, an active-minded octogenarian with a wealth of memories, having been born in 1813, who takes an intelligent interest in genealogical matters, for the following carefully prepared sketch of the Carleton family, the facts, he says, being mostly derived from Hiram Carleton, formerly of Montpelier, Vt., a graduate of the U. Vt., lawyer, State’s attorney, Judge of Probate, and President of Vermont Historical Society; and Mrs. Augusta H. Worthin, of Lynn, Mass., a devoted searcher of family history. The name of Carleton is a variation of “de Corlarton .” This would seem to indicate a French origin about four hundred and fifty years ago. The emigrant ancestor and first of the name in New England was Edward Carleton, born in England in 1600. He was of the company of the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, and settled in Rowley, Mass., in 1639, was made freeman in 1643, was member of the General Court several years, and returned to England before 1656. On the pages of history appear the names of Dudley Carleton, the English Ambassador to Germany, who was created Viscount Dorchester, and of Sir Guy Carleton, Governor of Canada, who was in command of the British forces when Generals Arnold and Montgomery made their attack upon Quebec, where the brave Montgomery fell, the American army then being driven out of Canada. After the defeat of the British army at Yorktown, Va., in 1781, the last battle of the Revolution, he was appointed Commander-in-chief of the British army, to prepare the way for a treaty of peace. He was created Lord Dorchester, and died in England in 1808.
John Carleton, son of Edward, born in England about 1630, was sent to America by his father to settle up his affairs, as he was a man of property. He settled in Haverhill, Mass., in 1661, and after holding several important positions in that town died January 22, 1668. From him have descended nearly all by the name of Carleton in New England. He had four sons-John, Jr., Joseph, Edward, and Thomas. The last-named, Thomas, born in 1667, died in 1734, lived in Bradford, Mass., and had four sons-Thomas, George, Ebenezer, and John. The latter was the greatgrandfather of the writer of this sketch. He was born July 29, 1708, and lived in Bradford and Haverhill, Mass., until 1759, when he purchased or built the mills in Billerica, now North Billerica, where the large woollenmills in that town now stand. He married Hannah Platt. Their children were: Elizabeth, born November 24, 1733, who married Thomas Todd; Hannah, born September 1, 1736, married Thomas Laws; John, born May 10, 1738; Lydia, born May 26, 1740; Solomon, born June 26, 1742; Amos, born March 13, 1744; Anna, born December 1, 1746; Moses, born September 13, 1749; and Nathan, baptized August 22, 1754.
Moses, the fourth son of John and Hannah, married January 15, 1771, Margaret Sprague. She died July 7, 1782. He married second Sybil Shedd, widow of Reuben Shedd. The children by the first wife were: Moses, born in 1771; Sybil, born May 18, 1773; Nicholas, born December 13, 1774; and Henry, born July 10, 1778. Henry Carleton, son of Moses and Margaret (Sprague) Carleton, married first Polly Greeley, born July 17, 1786; and after her death, which occurred December 3, 1842, he married in January, 1846, Polly Thompson. January 27, 1864. The following is a record of his children, who were all by his first wife: Sylvia, born September 30, 1808, died January 2, 1892. Joseph G., born May 24, 1812, died May 29, 1885. Henry Guy was born in Bucksport, Me., November 30, 1813. Mary H., born February 4, 1816, died March 28, 1889. Margaret, born September 20, 1817, married May 10, 1842, George Alfred Pillsbury. The Margaret Pillsbury Hospital in Concord, N.H., takes its name from her, being a gift of her husband to the city of Concord. He also gave a library building to the town of Warner, N.H., and a soldiers’ monument to Sutton, N.H., his native town. Sarah, born January 13, 1820, married Solomon Searles, had no children, and died January 21, 1893. John, born February 5, 1822, who died February 12, 1890, married, and had two children-Emma and Eva. Charles C., born April 14, 1826, died May 10, 1830. Sylvia, Joseph, and Mary never married.
Henry Guy Carleton, born November 30, 1813, son of Henry and Polly (Greeley) Carleton, married December 12, 1848, Miss Hannah E. French. She was born February 18, 1827, and died June 11, 1856. He married second on July 3, 1860, Mrs. Mary J. Nelson, born February 10, 1834. The children by the first marriage were: Frank Henry, born October 8, 1849; and George French Carleton, born October 18, 1853, who died March 5, 1855.
Frank H. Carleton is a graduate of Dartmouth College, was a clerk for a number of years of the Municipal Court of St. Paul, Minn., was private secretary to Governor Pillsbury of that State, and was Assistant City Solicitor of Minneapolis. He is now a member of the successful law firm of Cross, Hicks, Carleton & Cross, of Minneapolis, Minn. He married March 24, 1881, Nellie Jones. His children are: Edwin Jones Carleton, born April 15, 1883; Henry Guy Carleton, born March 21, 1885; George A. Carleton, born April 24, 1888; Frank H. Carleton, Jr., born January 21, 1893; and Fred P. Carleton, born August 29, 1896.
There are others of the Carleton name who are connected with the above. Among the number was Captain Osgood Carleton, who had the reputation of being a great lunar navigator and who wrote a book upon navigation; also Will Carleton, the poet. The name has a good record.