Allen M. Carper is neither the earliest nor the latest Carper to be
found in the state of Virginia, but he represents to us the beginning
of the more definable family members, for whom more material has
readily been found.  Allen was one of the fourth generation Carper
family members in the United States.

Nicholas Carper (various spellings, e.g. Kerper, Corber, etc.), the
German immigrant, came to this country aboard the "Samuel," Hugh
Percy, Commander, from Rotterdam via Cowes, England (qualified 11 Aug
1732), and settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  His son, also named
Nicholas, born about 1749, came to Botetourt County with his wife,
Elizabeth Shrider Carper.  This son, Nicholas, fathered some nine
children, one of whom was Jacob Senior Carper, the husband of Sarah
Raymer.  Jacob in turn died in Botetourt County in 1827, after
producing twelve children, one of whom was the Allen M. Carper of this
note.

Allen M. Carper's tombstone is located in Craig County, at the top of
a hill, on private land, and represents the oldest stone my wife and I
have seen of her Carper line.  This stone provides something other
than information on a piece of paper that represents the existence of
an actual human being.

This fellow had risen in the ranks to a notable person – a justice of
the peace, and a blacksmith – both considered valuable assets to any
community.  Allen married a cousin, Mary M. Carper, and the marriage
produced one son, Charles Edward "Hugh" Senior Carper.  This certainly
is a curiosity, as Allen's ancestors produced huge families, as did
this lone son, Charles.  Charles had nine children by his wife – a
McCartney of the well-known McCartneys of Botetourt county.  Many of
these children went on to live quiet lives, as is usually the case in
typical family trees.  One of these children, however, became
well-known in Craig County, not so much for his public service to the
community, which characterized his earlier life, but for something
constituting a bit of notoriety.

Byrd Emmett Carper was born June 16, 1874, and married twice.  First
he wed Mabel Norma Kale, the daughter of the dentist, Zachary Taylor
Kale, and Mary M. Wagener.  Mabel's parents are later found in Elkton,
Rockingham County.  It remains to be discovered why Byrd and Mabel did
not remain married, but perhaps Mabel was very fortunate in this.
Byrd married, secondly, Gillie Ann Looney.  Byrd had served in various
capacities, and is known to have had a particular propensity for
hunting.  One of his offices was Sheriff.  Byrd was not always a happy
man, and apparently suffered from some serious sickness, undefined.
On one occasion, he and his wife were overheard using heated words…

To quote briefly from a newspaper clipping,

"In the course of the talk that ensued, the wife told him that she was
going to leave and if anyone followed her up she would shoot him.
This seemed to incense Carper who shouted "Shoot Who, shoot Who" and
at that drew a 38 special revolver that he had brought from the post
office and emptied three chambers into the body of his wife.  Turning,
he placed the revolver to his right temple and fired.  Both died
instantly."

I am currently in touch with a Karen Carper (maiden name) who descends
from Byrd Carper.  I now am in the possession of a photograph of Byrd,
which adds substance to his biography.  The human experience is, after
all, a visual one.

My wife descends from another son of Allen's, Howard Burns Carper,
Senior.  This fellow worked for the Railway Express Agency, and ties
in nicely with an event that appears to have effected a number of
persons.  Some persons who depended upon the railroad for their
livelihood, were informed that if they desired employment, they would
need to relocate.  Howard did that, and wound up in Covington,
Virginia.  Later, a similar situation occurred there, and he wound up
in Charlottesville, Virginia.  His daughter, Rachel Adeline Carper –
still alive at age eighty-seven – lived there until the 1980's, and
she and her daughter, my wife, now live in Nelson County, Virginia.
Interestingly, Howard's son, Howard Junior, became a bit of a business
tycoon, earning his fortune in the frozen foods industry.

I often research the internet, online, to find additional information
about my wife's very interesting family tree.  However, I find myself
drawn every year to hop into the family car, to visit the area of New
Castle Virginia.

The beauty of this part of Virginia is that it was, and perhaps yet is
to a degree, pretty much a "closed community."  That is, one would
often marry another person from the same county.  This has made Craig,
and doubtless other nearby communities, a sort of Mecca for those
seeking their roots.  An excellent record exists in such communities,
including documents, books, oral traditions, and so forth.  Many of
the "old-timers" are themselves interested in the rich local history
and genealogies.  Most of the lines intertwine, and the local
cemeteries are well-protected and documented – evading the vandalism
so prevalent in many of the larger cities. It makes one pretty much
wish they could return to the area to live once again! Certainly, our
annual visits will not soon cease, and will likely expand to
incorporate the surrounding counties, part of which went into the
making of Craig.  Doubtless we will make many, many more enchanting
discoveries about the ones my wife calls her family.

Vincent E. Summers