On October 3, 1723, Carter married Elizabeth Hill of Charles City County, descended from two Speakers of the House of Burgesses named Edward Hill. When her burgess father (Edward Hill) died 3 years later, she inherited Shirley plantation because her sole brother had died at age 16 from tuberculosis, and her father preferred this man's management style over that of his two other sons-in-law. This John Carter and Elizabeth had three sons and a daughter who lived to adulthood. Their daughter Elizabeth became the wife of nearby burgess William Byrd III (1728-1777). Their eldest son John was alive in 1728 and mentioned in King Carter's will. Perhaps the wealthiest of the lot became Charles (1728-1777), who not only expanded the family's plantations (and reliance of enslaved labor), but also the family's political prominence, for he represented Lancaster County in the House of Burgesses, as would his son Charles Jr. However, the most famous of that line would be Anne Hill Carter, who married General and future Virginia governor Lighthorse Harry Lee, who nearly nearly liquidated her inheritance but sired future CSA General Robert E. Lee. Meanwhile, this John Carter's youngest son Edward Carter (1733-1792) moved west to inherited lands in Albemarle County, which he represented in the House of Burgesses and later the Virginia House of Delegates.Carlton pp. 3, 4, 14, 63
