It is unclear when or where Mary Carter (maiden name: Smith) was born. She married Winston Carter (post-war name: Jackson) on November 21, 1876, in McDonough County, Illinois. Together, they had five children: Harriet A., born May 13, 1877; James B., born December 27, 1880; Henry W., born December 23, 1882; Mary F., born November 29, 1885; and Jessie, born July 15, 1890. After her husband's death, she successfully applied for a widow's pension of $12 a month. She also received $2 a month for four or five of her minor children. Mary applied for Carter's accrued pension in 1892, and the government granted it to her six years later. She died of unknown causes on October 25, 1890, likely in Macomb, Illinois.