Based on the Maryland census records, William Carty was born in Maryland, probably either in Dorchester or Caroline counties, sometime around 1792. He was white and the son of James McCarty and Barsheba Dean McCarty. He moved to Caroline Co., MD with his parents sometime before 1800 and continued to live there until his death.

Based on the birthdate of his first child , William married a woman named Elizabeth (her last name is unknown) sometime before 1813. The Carty Family bible contains a great deal of information about William's family and a family called "Wyatt" so it is possible that Elizabeth's maiden name was Wyatt.

Elizabeth and William appeared in the 1820 Caroline Co., MD census. William was listed as white , his wife and 3 children were listed as "M". William's daughter, Henrietta Carty MORGAN, told her son Napoleon Morgan that her mother was a full blood Maryland Indian although she did not know the tribe. It is interesting to note that, in later censuses, William's race was changed to "M" to reflect that of his wife and children. His brothers and their families continued to be listed as "white". This is just one of many indications that race in the 18th & 19th century on the Delmarva peninsula was more about the perceptions of the record keepers than about accurately reflecting the true racial make-up of the community.

It is difficult to pin down Elizabeth's tribal background. Small pockets of remnant Choptanks, Lenapes and others remained in Maryland (just as they did in Delaware) after the big northbound migrations in the early 1700's. As late as the mid 18th century, Nanticokes in NY were asking permission to return to the Delmarva peninsula to visit family members they had left behind. The Maryland records, however, note their presence only briefly.

What is clear is that the Carty family became a mixed race family around 1813 when William Carty married Elizabeth. What is also clear is that, when looking for mates, many of their children looked across the border into Kent Co., DE to the mixed race community centered around Cheswold.

The children of William and Elizabeth Carty were :

1. Rebecca Carty (12 January,1813 - )

2. James Carty (25 October, 1815 - )

3. William Washington Carty (14 April, 1818 - 3 August, 1880 )

4. Elizabeth Carty (April 20, 1821-April 26, 1906)

5. John A. Carty (1823-1898)
   According to the Carty Family Bible John was born on 25 December, 1823 in Ridgely, Caroline Co., MD. He died there on 18 July, 1898.

6. Henrietta Carty (b.1826)

7. George Thomas Carty (8 March, 1827- )

On 7 May, 1867, William Carty died in Ridgely, Caroline Co., MD. His wife, Elizabeth, had died 3 years before on 15 July, 1864. Most of their children had by then moved across the border to live with the mixed blood community in Kent Co., DE.