Andi’s Family

The Carter Cousins are a lively bunch of young children. Read more

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Andrea Rose Carter (Andi) I’m the youngest child in a busy ranching family in 1880s California. I love to ride my palomino mare, Taffy, up to my special spot. More

Riley Jared Prescott has hazel eyes, dark hair, and a ready smile. He’s my best friend. When I’m feeling down, Riley always knows what to say to cheer me up. More

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Justin Carter is my oldest (and favorite) brother. He is a lawyer and enjoys politics, but he can flush out a stray cow or brand a calf when he has to. More

Lucinda Hawkins (Lucy) is married to Justin. She’s from San Francisco, but Justin swept her off her feet. They married September 1882. More on Justin’s page.

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Chad Aaron Carter is doing what he always dreamed–running the Circle C ranch. He didn’t expect to take over so young, but he manages well. More

Ellianna Coulter (Ellie) is married to Chad. She’s from a gold camp in the Sierras. Ellie and Chad met as children. Later, she moved to Fresno. More on Chad’s page

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Katherine Grace Swanson (Kate) is my oldest sister. I knew nothing about this sister who looks like me until she showed up on the ranch with three little kids. More

Troy Swanson is an all-around con man, scoundrel, and stagecoach robber. He sweet-talked Kate into running away with him and returned later and conned me. More

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Mitchell James Carter (Mitch) is the youngest Carter brother. He’s easygoing and gets along with everybody, even Chad. He helps big brother run the ranch. More

Melinda Jane (Carter) Wilson outgrew racing her horse with me before I was ready. She’s blond, blue-eyed, pretty, and ladylike. More about Melinda & Peter

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James and Elizabeth Carter are my parents. This picture shows them at their wedding, a year after they met in San Francisco during the gold rush. Read about their past

Aunt Rebecca Carter is a blustery, bossy old lady, who is always trying to turn me into a proper young lady. She lives in a mansion in San Francisco. More

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Daniel Benjamin Carter is, unfortunately, my first cousin. My only cousin in fact, since Aunt Rebecca never married, and Daniel is Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Lydia’s only child. It shouldn’t have been that way.

My aunt and uncle had three other children, Greta, Paul, and Ruth, but each died early in childhood from some illness or another. (Personally, I don’t think living in the middle of New York City is all that healthy). Daniel, the youngest, is their only surviving child, which might explain why he’s been allowed to get away with so much.In looks, Daniel is a younger version of Mitch. He has a ready smile, but I don’t trust that smile. When Mitch grins, you know something good or funny is going to happen. When Daniel smiles, you know he has some scheme up his sleeve.

Daniel made my life (and Melinda’s) miserable during his stay on the Circle C ranch, when his folks sent him West in 1884. His mean tricks escalated to the point where I was ready to tell Mother everything, but fate in the form of my accident occurred.

Daniel went to jail for six months for his thievery, and Justin made sure he got on the train back to NYC when he was released. He sent a wire to Uncle Benjamin that Daniel was on his way, and we eventually got a telegram back that said Daniel had made it home safely. I didn’t hear one word about my cousin until three years later, when he showed up unannounced at Memory Creek ranch and asked for a job. “Second Chances,” from Yosemite at Last: And Other Tales from Memory Creek Ranch.

Benjamin Paul CarterĀ is my father’s identical twin brother. He and James (my father) are ten years younger than their sister Rebecca. When they were born in Boston, Massachusetts, Rebecca was beside herself with joy at having two real “dolls” to play with.

She was also old enough (age 10) to help her mother care for the babies, so it was a win-win situation. Big sister Rebecca spent more time with the twins than their parents. They were a handful, but they seemed to listen to Rebecca, and they loved her very much. (Maybe that is why Aunt Rebecca feels she can act like a mother rather than their older sister and boss all because of it.

In 1849, my father sailed with his captain father, but Benjamin stayed behind in Boston. He was not as rough and tumble as his twin brother and was prone to seasickness, while James looked for adventure and loved the sea. He also loved California and stayed behind when the gold rush exploded. Benjamin never saw his brother James again. He was caught up in city life and with making a name for himself as an architectural engineer. He even helped design the East River Bridge between Brooklyn and New York City. The “Brooklyn Bridge” still stands today. When my father died in the spring of 1874, Benjamin and his family came West f to attend Father’s funeral. According to Melinda, it was not a pleasant visit. I get a funny lump in my throat when I see Uncle Benjamin. Mother says he’s not very much like Father, but he sure looks like him. I wish Father was still alive.

Lydia CarterĀ is Benjamin’s wife. I don’t know her very well. She lives so far away. But Aunt Rebecca and she were good friends back in Boston, until Rebecca relocated to San Francisco. Then they lost touch.

I first met Aunt Lydia after my accident, when they came out to the Circle C the spring and summer we had Daniel with us. She seemed to me to be a lot like Rebecca, only much younger. She also had a sad look about her. Maybe she was still grieving for the three little children she lost. Maybe she looked at our family, all six healthy, western Carters, and felt a twinge of envy.

Whatever the reason, I knew she had spoiled her youngest son to the point of the ridiculous. She believed everything Daniel made up. And he made up a lot of stories. The worst one being that he saved my life that fateful day of my accident (instead of admitting he had been the cause). Poor Aunt Lydia! When the truth came out and Mitch punched Daniel in the jaw and knocked him down in our dining room, Aunt Lydia swooned into Uncle Benjamin’s lap. I saw it out of the corner of my eye while Justin was hauling me upstairs to my room. That was not an especially good day, and it will live in my memory forever. Mother is right, I was rude that day, and there was no excuse for talking to my aunt and uncle like I did. Since then I have apologized, and Aunt Lydia and I parted on better terms.

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128 thoughts on “Andi’s Family”

  2. A few questions:
    Why is Andi mostly left out in the family? For example, she didn’t know about Kate. And, most of her siblings’ adventures happened without her or when she was just a baby. It seems that her siblings(especially her brothers) and Mother are always scolding her and not appreciating her good qualities….

    Who is Andi’s Favorite sister?
    Who is Kate and Melinda’s favorite sis?
    Thanks!

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    1. Dramatic effect for novel plots. šŸ¤£

      Melinda is Andi’s favorite sister for obvious reasons. She was pretty angry at Kate for awhile (again, dramatic effect for book plots, LOL) until she worked through that.
      I don’t know who Kate’s and Melinda’s favorite sisters are. Kate was out of the picture for so long that she almost “doesn’t count.” I imagine Andi is Melinda’s favorite, since those two only had each other and they are the closest in age.

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    1. You mean, after the chapter ends?
      It can be assumed that Mitch keeps his promise and distances himself from Peter in order to be loyal to his sister.
      If I followed every character (point of view jumps), the book would be double the size, LOL. Yes, you would probably like that, but I will leave such imaginings to fan fiction of the POV category. It would be fun if you or somebody wrote what he did and said specifically.

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      1. Also, does Mitch feel badly for being mean to Andi after Peter confesses the truth?

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      2. Probably, but too much introspection and this kind of dialogue exploring all this slows the action, so you can assume he feels badly by the way the conversation in the stall goes near the end of the chapter. Is there a motivation for all these questions (like, are you writing a fan fiction) or are you just insatiably curious? LOL

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      3. LOL!!! Thanks. It is for a FF story for my own. You see, I’ve been trying to write every other character’s different POV for every book from the CC Adventures and Milestones. It’s taken me so long! So thank you for your patience for my pestering questions.

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  5. Who is the prettiest of the Carter sisters?
    And who’s the most good-looking of the Carter brothers?

    Also, were the Carters real born-again Christians or did they just go to church and believe in God without making a profession of faith? (like the Ingalls or most 1800 people)

    Were the Carter children baptized as infants or older?

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    1. These are a lot of interesting questions! šŸ˜Š
      I don’t know who is the prettiest or the most good-looking. It’s up to the reader to decide those things.

      The Carters are truly born-again with a biblical worldview. In the Last Ride, Andi comes to term with “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” I think that shows the family is serious about their walk with Christ.

      Each Carter child or young adult makes a decision about baptism when they are old enough to know what it is and why they should do it. No infant baptism.

      Hope that helps.

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      1. So, how old was each Carter child when they got baptized?

        Did the Carters play any instruments?

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      2. I have no idea when each got baptized. It has never come up as a plot point. Remember, these are FICTION characters, LOL. If there was a reason in one of the books for this to be brought up, I would have included it in a scene. šŸ˜‰

        Andi does not play piano. She rides horses.
        Melinda plays the piano.
        The boys do not play anything. But they can sure make their lassos “sing.”

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    1. I have never thought about the age gap between those two, but Carrie is a lot younger. You can see pictures of Riley on the covers of books 5 and 6 of the Circle C Milestones and decide for yourself if Riley is a pretty good looking young man . . . or not.

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