19 Comments
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Lauren Reder's avatar

Cynthia, you have such a gift for taking all kinds of discombobulated records and turning them into a coherent, entertaining story -- you've been a great example for me in writing my own family history. This may be my favorite tale so far!!

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

That's a marvelous compliment, Lauren, thank you! I have to admit I muttered, more than once, 'Why did I decide to write about this?'

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David Shaw's avatar

"next up at the plate" - A snarky disapproving air is normally not appropriate for genealogical story telling, but for a man with ten wives, what else could you do? Great story telling and a fun read!

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

He was something else! He had an ever-changing life, but even so, he outlived all but four of his 15 siblings.

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Jennifer Jones's avatar

What a story Cynthia. I'm gobsmacked and have never heard of anyone being married 10 times.

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

He was prolific, that's for sure! I wonder if he ever knew how widely his information was published. Reaching Australia is quite an accomplishment.

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David Shaw's avatar

I think that may be a record.

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Emma - Journeys into Genealogy's avatar

What a story! Not many children survived of his 10 marriages though...

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

No, they didn't. I have to wonder if part of that was at least partly due to their mother often having predeceased them or died near the same time, and their deaths followed.

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Lisa Maguire's avatar

I see how he convinced so many women to marry him, probably against their better judgment. 19th century whiskers notwithstanding, he was a hottie!

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

He must surely have been! He was very persuasive.

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Kirsi Dahl's avatar

This is crazy! Maybe there should be a cold-case opened for the deaths of each of the children and wives!

I also thought the one newspaper clip was hilarious when it mentioned that the population of the state was growing due to this man’s excessive marrying.

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

I had the same type of feeling about all those deaths. I know death wasn't uncommon, but it occurred with regular frequency with his wives for many years. I do appreciate the humor old newspapers inject into stories. Sometimes it's cringe-worthy, but in this case, it really is funny.

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Lori Olson White's avatar

What a fun story this was to read, and what a crazy search it must have been for you lol. Did you know about all the wives before you started or was it a surprise? Wonderful story, either way!

I’ve come across several men who were serially married, usually to very young g girls who had a few kids quickly and then died. I always think to myself, “this is why we need to teach boys to cook” 🤣

Great work, Cynthia!

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

I did know he was married so many times years ago but hadn't focused on researching info on each of his wives until now. After researching, I realized I was lucky to find as much as I did considering Carey started marrying in 1821 and married the last time in 1860.

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Barbara at Projectkin's avatar

Wow, just wow!

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

I know! He was a real gem. I can't imagine how he had time to do any type of work, but he managed to buy land within what is now Indianapolis, along the banks of the White River. His census record occupation is Farmer. Right.

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Barbara at Projectkin's avatar

Um, yeah, it sounds like he was quite the operator. It's hard to fathom the wild and crazy era that must have been. Right next to all of this, you have crazy potions sold as medications and insane inventions. What a time.

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Cynthia Boatright Raleigh's avatar

I would easily be convinced Carey had a thumb in many of those snake oil pies over the years. He doesn't seem like the agrarian type.

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