Jean Carhart's Web Site
Jean Carhart's Web Site
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Where it all began... I am a descendant of Stephen and Elisa (Rundell) Carhart, who came from Cornwall, England to America in 1842 and settle at Platteville, Wisconsin. Elisa Carhart, familiarly known as "Aunt Elisa", was the first of a family of fourteen children born to James and Betsy Rundell. Aunt Elisa was born in the parish of St. Eval, in the county of Cornwall, England, on 18 August 1811. On 20 November 1841, she was married to Stephen Carhart, a miller by trade. In 1842, Uncle Stephen and Aunt Elisa came to America, the first of their people to leave their native land to make their home in a foreign country. They left the port of Padstow on 8 April 1842, and landed at the town of Lewiston, New York, in the same year. From Lewiston they made their way overland to Iowa, near Iowa City. After a time they removed to Wisconsin and settled on a farm three miles southeast of the small village of Platteville, on a farm three miles southeast of the small village of Platteville. At that time, much of the county was unoccupied, consisting of open prairie and virgin forest. They soon fell in love with their new home and surroundings and wrote glowing accounts to their relatives and friends back in England. Within a few years most of Aunt Elisa's family (comprised of both Rundells and Biddicks) left England for homes in southwest Wisconsin. The Carharts, being the first settlers, the new emigrants naturally sought
their home for temporary shelter. Thus the latch string always hung out. While
living on their Platteville farm, seven children were born to Stephen and Elisa:
James, Stephen, Sarah, John, Bessie, Fannie, and George W. On February 1866, Uncle Stephen purchased a flour mill on the Little Platte River, northwest of the city of Platteville, at a total cost of $14,000. The mill was variously known first as the "Augustine", the "Carhart", and finally the "Jacobs" Mill. It was built of Calena limestone and was sometimes informally called the Rock Mill. On account of heavy rains and high waters, Uncle Stephen had a lot of trouble with his dam. He finally disposed of his mill property 12 December 1867, for $18,000 and bought a large farm in central Iowa, where the family resided for a number or years. The latter-part of their lives were spent in the little city of Mapleton, Iowa, where they are both buried. Uncle Stephen attained the age of seventy-
 nine,
while Aunt Elisa lived to be more than ninety-one years old.
Probably the most important relic left by Betsy Paynter Rundell was the "Mourning" ring, a gold-banded ring that had been passed from one brother to another. (We have no record of exactly how Betsy received it -- we assume it passed to her on the death of the second brother). Aunt Elisa received this ring and she gave it to her youngest son George, who in turn gave it to his son Arthur. The mourning ring has turned up again (found in 2004)! Arthur apparently sent the ring to my grandfather, John Carhart, who's house in Wayne, Nebraska, became the storage location for family treasures as the families and persons interested in family heritage dwindled. As we were clearing out the house for an estate sale, the ring was found in a small pill box. On a slip of paper the following is written: "This ring was presented to Betsey Painter when she was 17 years old. Betsey Painter married a Rundell, my Mother's father. This ring is 117 years old in 1934. G. W. Carhart"
Excepting Fannie, all the children lived to maturity. The six children married. All, excepting Bessie, had children of their own. Descendants of Stephen Carhart - Steven and Eliza (Rundell) Carhart had 7 children:
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