There are 3 pieces of information in New Hampshire records that make reference Adam Carson and which seem to be referring to “my” Adam Carson.
- Adam Carson married Elice Elexander aka Alice Alexander in the First Church of Nottingham (now Hudson), Hillsborough County in 1746.
- In 1745 Adam Carson paid taxes on personal property in Litchfield. Apparently he didn’t own real property, perhaps because he was young? Paying both personal and real property taxes, on list directly along side Adam was a William Carson. In 1745-1749 Adam paid taxes on personal property in Litchfield and, in addition, to William Carson he was joined by a William Carson jr. and then a John Carson. John and the older William clearly owned land and had multiple “polls” in their household. William jr. and Adam paid only personal property tax and tax on their own “poll” or head. Based on these differences I would perhaps think that there are 2 generations here John and William senior being an older generation and Adam and William jr. being the young folk. And Adam is more likely to be connected to William senior since they first show up together, side by side in 1745. In later lists, after William disappears John, Adam and William jr. are not listed side by side although they are close. There is apparently only one John. At least during this period there is no distinction between a John and a John sr.
- Adam Carson sold land in Francestown in 1757. That land adjoined a William Carson’s land. No wife relinquished her dower rights. However, reviewing other sales around the same time this appears to be the norm rather than an indication that this Adam Carson did not have a wife. There is no record of how Adam acquired the land. Or which William Carson was the adjoining landowner.
And that is what I can actually document. There are few other Carson males in Hillsborough County at this time but all other connections are speculative.
Possible identities/relationships for John Carson, and the two William Carsons of the tax lists.
John Carson is possibly the John was considered the first settler of New Boston Addition which became Francestown. This John was settled on land in that area “some years before” 1759 and is said to have married Mary Livingston of a neighboring family. He perhaps died in 1792 in Francestown.
A John Carson was chosen constable in Francestown in 1775 (probably the son of the “old settler John”) and in the Francestown records there are recorded the births of two John Carson daughters, Margaret and Sarah. This John appears in the records of Francestown through at least 1803. And he might be the John Carson married Sarah McQuistion in the First Church of Nottingham in 1750 shortly after Adam married Alice in the same church.
And a William Carson married Isabel Johnson and settled in Lyndesborough in the 1750s according to Lyndesborough histories.
Given the location and timing of the John and Sarah marriage and given William’s “settlement” location these two seem likely to be close connections of Adam’s and they are quite possibly the younger Johns and Williams who appeared on the tax lists with Adam. But I still have no idea how they are related. So I keep researching.