Paul Carter

Paul Carter was a late bloomer as a professional pitcher with a career ERA+ of 85, a statistic that appears to denote him as a below-average pitcher. Nevertheless, across the 54 games he pitched for teams of Negro major-league quality, he had a record of 22 wins and 15 losses that resulted in an impressive .595 win percentage. Three victories were likely his personal high points. He put an exclamation point on his first full season on a top Black club by hurling a no-hitter at the age of 31. Three years later he was dominant in one of the most important games in the history of the Philadelphia Stars, when he saved them from elimination in the 1934 Negro National League II (NNL2) Championship Series. He hurled another no-hitter the following summer, in what turned out to be his final full season in the Negro Leagues.

Paul Carter and his twin, Andrew, were born on May 24, 1900, in Kennett Square, Chester County, Pennsylvania, to William Daniel Carter and Martha (Washington) Carter.1 The Carters were visited for the 1900 census about three weeks later, at which point they owned their home on East State Street. The couple had been married for eight years, and Martha had given birth to six children by then. The newborns had two brothers and two sisters ranging in age from 2 to 8. William’s occupation was simply entered as laborer.

Kennett Square is called the Mushroom Capital of the World. Its first such business started in 1896, so the Carter children grew alongside that local industry – and at around age 20, Paul was a farm laborer.2 In the Civil War era, Chester County had been important to the Underground Railroad that helped escaped slaves to freedom because of the two states it bordered in Pennsylvania’s southeastern corner. “Both Delaware and Maryland were slave states, so self-liberators from those states, or from the lower South, needed to keep moving north to reach freedom,” states the Kennett Underground Railroad Center. “This combination of factors – proximity, the presence of a large Quaker population opposed to slavery, organized abolitionist societies, and a relatively large number of free African American communities – made Chester County an important stop on the way north.”3 Still, Kennett Square itself had a population of only 606 in the 1860 census, on the eve of the Civil War.4

Presumably those traits were ingrained enough to make Kennett Square a relatively pleasant place for the Carters to live in. However, when Paul and Andrew were 4 years old, a local Black man named John Taylor lost a pioneering lawsuit against the school board for segregating his four children, and others of their race, from the White pupils. Professor Walter E. Dengler, the principal, said students had been grouped based on the pace at which they completed schoolwork, and mentioned that one Black student was in a classroom with White children. Despite such a rationale, Judge William Butler doubted the practice was legal. Ultimately, though, the jury ruled against Taylor.5 In 1900 one or two of the older Carter children were of school age but weren’t identified as students in that census, so it is unknown whether any of them were classmates of the Taylor children at the time of the jury’s verdict. In any event, the 1940 census indicated that Paul Carter had completed through the sixth grade.

By the 1910 census, the Carter family had moved to Walnut Street. Not only did they own that home as well, but it was free of a mortgage. William worked at a greenhouse, and Martha worked as a laundress out of their residence. The family had grown by two more boys and a girl, and all nine offspring were still living. (And all were members of the household.) The twins and two older siblings had attended school during the previous 12 months.

Quite possibly the first mention in a newspaper of Paul Carter on a baseball team occurred in mid-1917. “Kennett is about to be favored with a new base ball team, under the management of Geo. Harris,” reported the Philadelphia Tribune (today the nation’s oldest continuously published African American newspaper). “It is to be known as the Young Athletes.” Presumably the Paul Carter named among the nine additional men was the future Philadelphia Stars pitcher.6 In mid-1919 there was a Black team called the Kennett Square All-Stars, but the two known box scores did not include any player named Carter.7

When Carter completed a military registration card in 1918, he worked as a hod carrier for Lynch Construction of Wilmington, Delaware, little more than 10 miles from Kennett Square. (That job involved carrying bricks, mortar, and the like at construction sites in a distinct three-sided box.) He was still living at home, at 138 North Walnut in Kennett Square. That was also true at the time of the 1920 census, in which the twin brothers and their father were all identified as farm laborers. The youngest boy and girl in the family had been attending school.

Documenting Paul’s baseball career during the 1920s is complicated by two factors. One is other pitchers named Carter on Black teams in and near eastern Pennsylvania, particularly Cliff Carter (no known relation). It seems a necessity to report regularly on both Carters’ – Paul’s and Cliff’s – whereabouts over that decade. The other factor is the common practice on sports pages then of not using players’ first names. It may be there was no instance before 1926 of any newspaper outside of Chester County using Paul Carter’s first name, or at least a helpful identifier like his hometown. Paul’s earliest season with a top Black team in a Negro major league did not occur until 1931, when he pitched for the independent Hilldale club of Philadelphia and Yeadon, Pennsylvania.

Cliff Carter, who was a little older than Paul, lived roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at least through the 1920 census and had a Negro League career that overlapped with Paul Carter’s in the 1930s. However, it is known where Cliff pitched for almost all seasons from 1923 through 1934. What’s more, after Paul and Cliff were both established professionals, they had at least three teams in common and were even teammates sometimes.

It remains murky whether either, or neither, was the Black pitcher nicknamed Cannonball Carter –  sometimes spelled “Cannon Ball” – who was active in 1921 on a couple of teams in Wilmington.8 As was mentioned previously, that city was a short trip from home for Paul Carter. Of course, it is possible the nickname Cannonball was applied to both Paul and Cliff, and even some other Carter(s) at times. In fact, in mid-1922 a Cannon Ball Carter “jumped the Buffalo Stars” and joined the Harrisburg Giants, and that was very likely Cliff.9

Compounding the confusion is Black pitcher Nick Carter of the 1920s. In 1994 Negro League historian James A. Rileyidentified Nick as Paul Carter’s nickname, and not also one for Cliff; however, Cliff was indeed called Nick as well.10Furthermore, from 1916 through 1920 the National League’s Chicago Cubs had a pitcher named Paul Carter, whose nickname was likewise Nick. It is entirely possible that Cliff and the pair of Paul Carters shared this nickname because of a popular and long-running fictional detective by that name.11

In June of 1920, there was a pitcher named Carter on a team called the Harlan Giants, the “premier colored aggregation” of Wilmington, Delaware.12 That could certainly have been the Cannonball Carter who was active there during 1921. If this Carter was indeed Paul, then one of his early teammates was none other than future Hall of Famer Judy Johnson.13The two were definitely teammates toward the end of Carter’s career, in 1937.

In 1922 there were not many signs of the Carter who had been active on Wilmington teams the two previous years. One exception was the pitcher who teamed with a catcher named Faulkner on the Sun Co. team in July. The chances of that Carter being Paul seem good, partly because there was a Black catcher named Faulkner on Wilmington teams who was also from Kennett Square.14 Additionally, in May of 1922 there was a pitcher named Carter on a Baltimore team called the Pennsylvania Eagles. (Baltimore is about 70 miles from Kennett Square.) That club also had a pitcher by the same name in 1921 and 1925, at a minimum.15 A player named Carter also pitched for the Pittsburgh Keystones on June 10, though nobody with that last name currently is listed as having been on that club’s roster. The Keystones had a pitcher named Carter in at least four games in 1923, but a complete roster for that season’s club was unavailable as of 2023.16

For 1923, Cliff Carter hurled for top clubs like the Baltimore Black Sox and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, but apparently he was also the Carter on a Philadelphia team called the Madison Stars, from which he moved to the Richmond Giants.17 Meanwhile, Paul Carter might not have played with any prominent team that season. Of course, it is possible that for some or even many seasons from his late teens to age 30. Paul did not play much or any baseball at all.

Cliff Carter pitched in two games for the Bacharachs in 1924; however, in March, he reportedly signed with the Brooklyn Cuban Giants.18 He also spent parts of 1924 with the Baltimore Black Sox, Chappie Johnson’s Colored Stars, Ed Bolden’s Hilldale club, and the Harrisburg Giants. On at least two of those teams, he was sometimes called Nick Carter.19 Beyond that batch of clubs, it remains uncertain whether it was Paul, Cliff, or some other Carter(s) who spent time in 1924 with the Wilmington Black Sox, Newark Black Sox, and Anchor Giants.20

Cliff Carter’s 1925 season has not been documented as well as some of his other campaigns. Shortly before the start of the season he was reported to be with the Harrisburg Giants, and late that year he was with Chappie Johnson’s team.21Unclear is the identity of the pitcher named Carter who played for the Anchor Giants and Pennsylvania Eagles that year.22

In 1926 there was a Carter on the spring-training roster of the Donora Athletics, “one of the leading Negro semi-pro baseball clubs” of Pennsylvania, headquartered in or near Pittsburgh. As they prepared to open their season, it was stated that “Paul Carter, Kennett Square pitcher,” was being considered to start their first game. During the second half of May, he hurled a four-hitter to win a 3-2 game for Donora.23

Paul Carter was almost certainly the leader of “Carter’s A.B.C. Giants, of Kennett Square,” in the summer of 1927. That club had a “Falkner” at shortstop atop one batting order. It is also likely that Paul Carter was part of the battery with Richard Faulkner for Faulkner’s Biltmore Stars a few weeks earlier.24 Cliff Carter played in at least 27 games for the Harrisburg Giants that year, so it is unclear who the Carter was who pitched for a team called the Broncos, led by Hall of Famer Louis Santop.25 Santop’s club had a Carter hurl for it in 1928 as well, and late that year he was called NickCarter, the team’s pitching ace.26

Paul Carter was definitely with the Kennett Square Gray Sox, under the leadership of Richard “Dick” Faulkner, during the early weeks of the 1928 season. However, Carter’s place of residence was identified in one article as Philadelphia rather than Kennett Square itself. A few weeks later, a report implied that Carter had played with teams in Toledo and Cleveland (though searches for any Carter on Black teams in those two Ohio cities earlier that decade turned up no such information).27 At the end of May, Faulkner and Carter were the winning battery in one game. By then, it had been announced that the team was being sponsored by future Hall of Famer Herb Pennock, a Kennett Square native.28

In July of 1929, “Carter, Kennett Square pitching ace,” hurled at least once for the Wilmington Blue Sox, but later that same month, a Carter was again pitching for Kennett Square’s club. Another five weeks later, Carter was back with the Blue Sox, and he remained with the team until at least mid-September.29

In the 1930 census, Paul Carter was living at the same address as in 1918 and 1920. The Carter household was a large one and included sons-in-law and grandchildren. Paul worked as a landscape laborer, and he married Martha Brown in 1931.

During the second half of 1930, both Paul and Cliff Carter apparently had stints with Hilldale, less than a month apart. Cliff had pitched in seven American Negro League (ANL) games for Hilldale in 1929, but his 1930 return engagement encompassed only two games for the team, which now played as an independent franchise. Cliff lost a seven-inning complete game to the Lincoln Giants on July 17. As for Paul Carter, on August 6 “the recently acquired chukker from Kennett Square” won a game easily for Hilldale.30

Before and after Cliff Carter’s complete game for Hilldale, he pitched for a barnstorming team called the Havana Red Sox.31 A second team for Paul Carter in 1930 was reportedly the New York Lincoln Giants. In fact, the day before Cliff and Hilldale lost to the Lincoln Giants, the latter had a pitcher named Carter who started against a Wilmington team.32It is difficult to identify any other teams for whom Paul also pitched during 1930. However, it is possible to rule out his participation on two teams based on identifying details, specifically the Pittsburgh Monarchs and a Baltimore-area team called the Silver Moons.33

As of early 2023, Paul Carter’s first confirmed season with a Negro League team of major-league quality was 1931, with Hilldale, which was again an independent club that year. In eight games, he won five and lost two. However, in May and the first half of June he had been with the Wilmington Hornets.34 It was toward the end of June that he was identified as a new pitcher on Hilldale’s staff. On Labor Day (September 7), he threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Black Sox in which he allowed one walk and struck out four batters in a 6-0 triumph. However, Pittsburgh Courier columnist W. Rollo Wilson wrote that everyone in the press box had disagreed with official scorer Frank Caulk’s error rulings on two plays in the same inning.35

Given that dissent, Carter’s shutout about a month later may have been almost as significant. He scattered seven hits as Hilldale beat a team of “Major League All-Stars,” 2-0, on October 10. One player he held hitless was Chick Fullis, whose batting average across eight National League seasons was .295.36

In 1932 Paul Carter again spent time with Hilldale, which was a member club of the short-lived East-West League (EWL) that season. He also spent time with another EWL squad, the Baltimore Black Sox. After pitching to a 5-2 record for Hilldale in 1931, he was a combined 2-8 in 1932 (1-7 with Hilldale and 1-1 with the Black Sox). Carter apparently left the Hilldale club by mid-July, at which point he was with Kennett Square’s team in the Chester County League. About a week into August, he was again with the Wilmington Hornets, and by mid-September he was pitching for the Black Sox.37

Meanwhile, Cliff Carter’s pitching line for 1932 shows him to have been a member of the Philadelphia Bacharach Giants and, like Paul, the Hilldale team. At the end of August, the Brooklyn Royal Giants had a pitcher named Carter, but it is uncertain which of the two Carters that was.38 In any case, Cliff’s 1933 season shows that he split time between the Philadelphia Stars and the Bacharach Giants, and he spent time with only the latter team in 1934, which was his final season.

In 1933 Paul Carter played the first of three seasons with the Philadelphia Stars; thus, he and Cliff were teammates for a time in 1933. Philadelphia was an independent club in 1933 but belonged to the Negro National League II in 1934 and 1935. Paul’s record for the Stars in 1933 was 6-1. His subsequent records were also good, 4-2 (including 1-0 in the postseason) in 1934 and 5-2 in 1935, for a composite league record of 15-5. There were indications that Paul Carter spent all of 1933 with the Stars, though in mid-October a paper in Wilmington said he might pitch for the Kennett Square Gray Sox in the deciding game for the championship of the Southern Chester County Twilight League. (But either the paper did not report the outcome or the game was not played.)39

In March of 1934, Paul Carter’s father died. Readers of his obituary learned he was son of a Civil War veteran, Joseph Carter. William D. Carter had lived his entire life in or near Kennett Square.40

On June 28, a preview of a Bacharach Giants game that day said their starting pitcher would be “Paul Carter, righthand ace, who last year performed with Ed Bolden’s Philadelphia All Stars.” Presumably, that was actually Cliff. Two days earlier, the Stars had a pitcher named Carter, presumably Paul, who competed against the Scanlon C.C. nine.41 A little insight into Paul Carter’s time away from the diamond was provided by the Philadelphia Tribune on July 12. On a previous Tuesday evening, either July 3 or 10, he and Stars teammate Phil Cockrell were socializing back in Kennett Square.42

In September the Stars and the Chicago American Giants began a seven-game playoff to determine the NNL champion. By September 29, Chicago led the series, three games to two. That day, at Philadelphia’s Passon Field, Paul Carter drew the starting assignment in front of 3,000 fans. Turkey Stearnes homered off Carter in the third inning, but the Stars soon used six hits to push across pairs of runs in consecutive innings. Chicago threatened in the fifth frame, in part due to a walk by Carter, but the Stars escaped unscathed. “At no other time was Carter in trouble,” the Philadelphia Tribune noted. Carter yielded only four hits that afternoon, and the 4-1 result pushed the series to a decisive seventh game. The Philadelphia Inquirer called Carter’s pitching “brilliant,” and the Tribune called it “effortless.”43 The Stars won the championship at the same park on October 2.44

In the wake of that performance, it was no surprise that Carter was back with the Stars in April of 1935 as they conducted their spring training in Philadelphia. His best game that season was his pitching gem on August 17, as the Stars hosted the Brooklyn Eagles at PRR YMCA Field. It was the second game of a doubleheader and thus was limited to seven innings. Carter’s single in the second inning drove in the game’s first run. On the mound he issued two walks, but no runner reached second base against him that afternoon. He struck out five Eagles on his way to a 4-0 no-hitter. The PhiladelphiaTribune said “he kept the Stars in the race for the second half honors” in the NNL2.45

In April of 1936, Paul Carter was among the pitchers on a team led by Cockrell called the Yeadon Yuccas. In mid-May, he was identified as a starting pitcher in a game for the Brooklyn Royal Giants; he had been formally released by the Philadelphia Stars around that time.46

By early July, Carter was plying his trade with the New York Black Yankees of the NNL2. He pitched in a few nonleague games for them that month.47 Carter threw in just one NNL game in 1936, a start for the Black Yankees in which he pitched into the seventh inning but was neither the winning nor losing pitcher. He gave up six runs, five of which were earned, in that August 4 game against the Pittsburgh Crawfords in Akron, Ohio. A late rally, after Carter had exited the contest, gave the Black Yankees a 9-6 victory.48 Carter won a rematch less than a week later, by a score of 9-3, but the lack of an available box score has kept this game out of his official stat line for the time being.49 Coincidentally, pitching for the Crawfords was “E. Carter,” according to the batteries printed beneath the available line score; this Carter was longtime Negro League pitcher Ernest “Spoon” Carter.50

In April and May of 1937, Paul Carter was said to be on the pitching staff of the Brooklyn Royal Giants,51 but he was also said to be on the Wilmington Red Caps with Judy Johnson, and an R. Faulkner at third base. Carter appeared in multiple box scores with the latter club in May and June.52 In at least two box scores during June, catching for the Red Caps was a J. Carter, and once their pitcher was identified as C. Carter. Nevertheless, two articles shortly thereafter were explicit about Paul Carter being the ace of the Red Caps.53 That appears to have been the extent of Carter playing with any baseball team of note.54

At the time of the 1940 census, Paul and his wife, Martha, were living with her mother, Sallie Brown, in Kennett Square. The only other person in the household was Martha’s brother, Walter. Carter worked for a nursery. When he completed a military registration card two years later, his employer was specified as Longwood Nurseries, owned by Ben J. Myers. Sallie died in 1943, and Martha in 1949.55 A shared gravestone indicates that Carter’s mother died in 1953 and his twin brother in 1958.

In 1955, around Labor Day, the celebration of Kennett Square’s centennial included “two Old Timers’ baseball games,” and “on hand, but not playing will be Paul Carter, one-time pitcher for the famous Hilldale Philadelphia team.” The backgrounds of several White players were described, but none seemed as accomplished as Carter. However, a younger Old Timer was Joe Pennock, quite possibly Herb’s son by that name.56

Paul Carter died almost 20 years later, on May 9, 1975, close to his 75th birthday, after having been hospitalized for a brief illness. He had continued to work for the Myers landscaping and nursery business until his retirement a decade earlier. Carter was survived by three siblings, and he was buried at Kennett Square’s Union Hill Cemetery. His obituary said he had pitched “with the Baltimore Black Sox, Black Yankees, Nashville Giants, Homestead Greys [sic] and Chicago American Giants,” but some of those were presumably incorrect. Conversely, the Philadelphia Stars were omitted.57

Carter was occasionally remembered publicly over the remainder of the century. In a 1982 newspaper article, Webster McDonald took credit for developing him. Carter was also recalled a decade later in a brief history of Kennett Square’s Gray Sox. Before the invention of radar guns, teammate Bob Jackson assumed Carter threw fastballs at 90 miles per hour. In a mid-1998 article, the Gray Sox were cited in passing, and Paul Carter was mentioned foremost among “the local Negro League legends” who had been on that club.58 Not bad for someone who was essentially a rookie at age 31.

Source

The Seamheads.com Negro League Database was consulted for player statistics, rosters, and team records.

Notes

1 The 1900 census page on which the Carter family is listed is dated June 13, and it states that the twins were born in May of that year. The date of the 24th is from https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/48797/Birth-Registers-1893-1907-A-I on page 127, while twin brother Andrew is listed on the previous page. In sporting databases, May 10 has been commonly identified as his date of birth, based on his military registrations around the two World Wars. Their father’s middle name was identified on Paul’s military registration card in 1918. Their mother’s maiden name was identified on their sister Hattie’s marriage application in 1929, along with the obituary of “Paul Carter,” Kennett (Square, Pennsylvania) News & Advertiser, May 15, 1975: 3. Special thanks to Debbie Kellar of the Chester County Library System for providing that obituary.

2 Joseph A. Lordi, Kennett Square (Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), 8. See also Paul Carter’s occupation in the 1920 federal census.

3 See https://www.kennettundergroundrr.org/kennett-and-the-ugrr.

4 Lordi, 7.

5 “Negro Loses in Suit against School Board,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 1904: 3.

6 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 2, 1917: 8.

7 “Another for the Giants,” Chester (Pennsylvania) Times, July 14, 1919: 8. “Wilmington Giants Win,” Every Evening (Wilmington, Delaware), July 28, 1919: 9.

8 For an example of the nickname being spelled “Cannon Ball,” i.e., as two words, see “Flashes of Local Sport,” Wilmington (Delaware) Morning News, July 8, 1921: 7.

9 For much of the 1921 season, Cliff Carter pitched for a team based in Buffalo, New York, called the Pittsburgh Colored Stars, managed by the famous Grant “Home Run” Johnson. For example, see “Semi-Pro Baseball,” Buffalo Enquirer, October 6, 1921: 7. It seems probable that this was the “Buffalo” team mentioned in “This Is the Day Set for Start of Harrisburg Giants’ Series – West End Game,” Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Telegraph, June 6, 1922: 15.

10 James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994), 156, 158. The Seamheads.com entry for Cliff Carter puts him on the Harrisburg Giants in 1926 and 1927, and that pitcher was called “Nick” at least once each season. See “Hilldale Clubs Three Harrisburg Hurlers for a 12 to 5 Victory,” New York Amsterdam News, August 4, 1926: 12. See also “Bolden Lifts Suspension on Nip Winters and Washington,” Baltimore Afro-American, June 18, 1927: 15.

11 Confirmation of the White Paul Carter’s nickname is provided at https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cartepa01.shtml. Regarding the fictional character who was created in 1886 and whose 12-year radio drama ended in 1955, see https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nick-Carter.

12 “Harlan Giants Drop Twilight Game to Fast St. Mary Crew,” Wilmington Morning News, June 15, 1920: 8.

13 In mid-1920, the Harlan Giants had a “J. Johnson” at shortstop and a Carter sometimes pitching in box scores, such as the one that accompanied “Harlan Giants Battle Nine Innings to Tie With K.F.C.,” Wilmington Morning News, July 20, 1920: 8. The following spring it was specified that their shortstop was Judy Johnson, in “Careful Now, 11th Ward,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 4, 1921: 11. He grew up in Wilmington, and played his earliest baseball there, according to Thomas Kern, “Judy Johnson,” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/judy-johnson/.

14 See Note 7 for two 1919 box scores in which the Kennett Square All-Stars had a catcher named Faulkner. The Sun Co. team had a battery of Carter and Faulkner in the box score that accompanied “Overlook Keeps One Run Ahead,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 17, 1922: 11. This team also had a shortstop named Stokes, who was likely the frequent Harlan Giant by that name. In 1928, Richard “Dick” Faulkner’s Biltmore Stars became the Kennett Square Gray Sox, according to “Kennett Gray Sox Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, April 19, 1928: 20.

15 “Penna Eagles, 5; Lincoln A. C., 4,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 12, 1922: 12. “Eagles Divide with Wilkins A. C.,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 2, 1921: 7. “Eagles To Meet Locust Point Decoration Day,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 30, 1925: 7.

16 “Careys Beat Keystones,” Pittsburgh Press, June 11, 1922: 18. For an example of a Carter pitching for the Keystones the following season, see “Garfield Ahead,” Pittsburgh Daily Post, April 22, 1923: 27.

17 “Logan Opens Season with Big Victory,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 29, 1923: 20. The Madison Colored Stars had absorbed the Richmond Giants, according to “Madison Stars at Doherty Oval,” Paterson (New Jersey) Morning Call, May 17, 1923: 16. The Carter on the Baltimore Black Sox, who was Cliff, was a former Richmond Giant, according to “Eastern Colored League Baseball Clubs Staging Pretty Fight for the Pennant,” Richmond (Virginia) Planet, June 30, 1923: 2.

18 “Brooklyn Cuban Giants to Have Fast Club This Season,” Philadelphia Tribune, March 15, 1924: 11. This article noted that Cliff had pitched for the Richmond Giants and Baltimore Black “Socks.” See also “Cuban Giants Invade League to Get Players,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 19, 1924: 10.

19 W. Rollo Wilson, “Eastern Snapshots,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 9, 1924: 7; Ben Taylor, “Ben Taylor Calls Oscar Charleston Of Harrisburg World’s Greatest Fielder,” Baltimore Afro-American, February 7, 1925: 6.

20 “To Trounce SPHA’s,” Wilmington Evening Journal, June 2, 1924: 14. “Lit Nine Swamps Newark Black Sox,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 15, 1924: 23. “Anchor Giants Blanked,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 1924: 20.

21 “Rotating Umpires in Eastern League,” Baltimore Afro-American, March 28, 1925: 8. “Record Crowd Expected for ‘Malin’s Night’,” Glens Falls (New York) Post-Star, September 22, 1925: 6.

22 “Moorlyn’s 3 Runs at Start Enough,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 1925: 22. See also Note 15.

23 “Donora Athletics Drill,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 1926: 28. “Donora Will Open Season on Saturday,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 24, 1926: 14. “Donora Beats Elizabeth, 3-2,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1926: 15. The Richmond Colored Giants had a player named Carter later that season, but in a June game he only played left field and in a July box score he started at second base before going in to pitch: “Springfield Senators Drop Close Contest,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, June 18, 1926: 11. “Jamaica Cardinals Win Tenth Straight,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, July 7, 1926: 10.

24 “West Chester on Top,” Lancaster (Pennsylvania) New Era, August 18, 1927: 11; “Colored Nines Clash,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 28, 1927: 17. For a bit more about Faulkner, see also “Colored Teams Battle on Pennsy Ball Field,” Wilmington Morning News, June 30, 1927: 21.

25 “Jacobson-Werner Heavy Artillery for Springfield,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, June 13, 1927: 13. “Montalvo’s 2 Homers Give Lincoln Giants Two Victories Sunday,” New York Age, July 2, 1927: 6.

26 “Santop’s Broncos Are to Play Two Games with Bay Parkways,” Brooklyn Citizen, September 7, 1928: 8.

27 “Kennett Gray Sox Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, April 19, 1928: 20. “Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 7, 1928. The latter article said Faulkner had spent time with “Memphis and Salem teams,” and identified the manager as C.J. Miles, 221 South Union Street, Kennett Square.

28 “Brownson Divides; Harrington Loses Two to Laurel,” Wilmington News-Journal, May 31, 1928: 15; “Holiday Twin Bill for Pennsy Field,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 29, 1928: 13.

29 “Monarchs Deliver Lacing to Blue Sox,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 8, 1929: 17; “Kennett Square Halted by Gap in Fast Battle,” Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Sunday News, July 21, 1929: 9; “Home Helps Sox Trim Hornets, 4-2,” Wilmington Evening Journal, August 24, 1929: 15; “Hornets Play Blue Sox,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 14, 1929: 15.

30 “Clan Returns Home to Trounce Mayfair Team after Upstate Sojourn,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 14, 1930: 10. For a box score, see “Bunker Hill Bows to Hilldale Club,” Shamokin (Pennsylvania) News-Dispatch, August 7, 1930: 8.

31 “East Rockaway Team Beats Havana Sox,” Brooklyn Times Union, June 6, 1930: 9; “Red Sox Play in Canada Sunday,” New York Amsterdam News, July 30, 1930: 13; “Red Sox Score Four Shutouts in 6 Days,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 9, 1930: A14; “Bill Sisler Turns Down Cuban Red Sox,” Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle, September 15, 1930: 19.

32 “Wilmington Chicks Defeat Lincoln Giants at Pennsy Field, 6 to 3,” Wilmington Morning News, July 17, 1930: 8. Paul Carter was identified as having “had a successful season” in 1930 with the Lincoln Giants in “Manlove Will Hurl for Pros,” Wilmington Morning News, May 23, 1931: 10.

33 The pitcher named Carter on the Pittsburgh Monarchs was called “Al” and was from Lawrenceville, according to “Pgh. Monarchs To Be Strong,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 12, 1930: 2. From 1929 through 1932, at a minimum, the Silver Moons had a pitcher named Carter, but one article called him Lefty. Seamheads.com identifies both Paul and Cliff Carter as righties. See “Silver Moons Take Two from Lockes,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 31, 1929: 14. Another Baltimore-area team that had a pitcher named Carter was the Oval Blue Monarchs; see “Home Run Wins Game for Oval Blue Monarchs, 4-3,” Baltimore Afro-American, July 21, 1928: 12.

34 “Wilmington Pros Oppose Hornets,” Wilmington Morning News, May 22, 1931: 10. This article noted that he hailed from Kennett Square and “played with the Hilldale Daisies two years ago.” See also “Pros-Hornets in Second Battle,” Wilmington Morning News, June 6, 1931: 10. The latter article said Paul Carter “had Eastern Colored League experience,” and affirmed that the Lincoln Giants and Hilldale club were previous teams of his.

35 “Bill Robinson’s Stars Again Beaten by Hilldale Club,” New York Age, June 27, 1931: 6; “Black Sox Lose Two Games to Darby Daisies,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 12, 1931: 3; W. Rollo Wilson, “Sport Shots,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 19, 1931: 4. Wilson wrote, “In one inning Lundy ‘dragged’ a ball towards first base. Carter ran over to pick it up but fell, and Lundy was safe and nobody had touched the ball. Then Jackson, following Thomas’ infield out, hit through Dallard to right field. Dallard was given an error on a ball which was hit so hard that Dihigo picked it up in deep right and was able to throw Lundy out at the plate!”

36 “Hilldale Defeats Major Stars Twice,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 1931: Sports, 2. See also https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1931/B10101HIL1931.htm.

37 “Kennett Tackles Colored Davids,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 20, 1932: 14; “Bacharach Giants Lose to Wilmington Hornets,” Wilmington News-Journal, August 9, 1932: 24; “Black Sox Win Series from Black Yankees,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 17, 1932: 22. The latter includes a box score of a game in which Carter was the losing pitcher.

38 “Wings Set to Resume Hit Spree Against Royals Tomorrow,” Bergen Evening Record (Hackensack, New Jersey), August 31, 1932: 16.

39 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, September 7, 1933: 13; “Bolden Stars Top Loop Picked Squad,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 13, 1933; “Legion Favors Sewer Project,” Wilmington News-Journal, October 14, 1933: 20.

40 “W. Harry Le Fevre Dies; 74 Years Old,” Wilmington News-Journal, March 7, 1934: 12.

41 “Bacharach Giants Under the Lights at Metuchen,” Daily Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey), June 28, 1934: 20; “Bolden Stars Win,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 27, 1934: 19.

42 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, July 12, 1934: 15. The two ballplayers were guests at the residence of a Mr. Everett Glasco. Carter had also spent “several days” back home during the second half of June, according to “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 28, 1934: 8.

43 “Stars Jolt Giants and Tie Up Series,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 30, 1934: 51; “Stars Tie Series in Stiff Tiff,” Philadelphia Tribune, October 4, 1934: 14. The Inquirer said the Stars scored “in the fifth and sixth frames,” and the Tribune concurred, but both papers’ line scores showed those pairs in the fourth and fifth innings.

44 “Stars Upset Giants[,] Win National Title,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 1934: 22. For insights into the controversy toward the end of the series, see David M. Jordan, “Another Quaker City Champion: The 1934 Philadelphia Stars,” Black Ball, Spring 2012: 30-31.

45 “Bolden’s Stars Won’t Go South; Prep in Philly,” Baltimore Afro-American, April 13, 1935: 17; “No-hit Tilt as Stars Win Two,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18, 1935: 35; “Stars Lose 1, Win 3 From Brooklyn 9,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 22, 1935: 9. The latter article, which was accompanied by box scores for all four games, noted that Carter was right-handed.

46 “Yeadon Yuccas Open,” Chester (Pennsylvania) Times, April 10, 1936: 16; Irwin N. Rosee, “Bushwicks, Farmers Win Two – Bay Ridge and Parkways Split Twin Bills,” Brooklyn Times Union, May 18, 1936: 3A; “Giants Not in Association,” Kansas American (Topeka), May 22, 1936: 7.

47 For example, see “Bearded Tossers Lose Two Games,” Brooklyn Times Union, July 5, 1936: 14.

48 “Black Yanks Defeat Crawfords with Eighth Inning Rally, 9-6,” Akron Beacon Journal, August 5, 1936: 15.  Carter’s seamheads.com entry shows him with no decision and having retired one batter in the seventh inning.

49 “Three in One Day for Black Yanks,” Brooklyn Times Union, August 10, 1936: 11.

50 Ernest “Spoon” Carter was presumably the pitcher Carter traded from the Crawfords to the Stars before the 1938 season, giving the latter team its third hurler with that surname in less than a decade. See “NNL Reinstates ‘Jumpers’; New D.C. Club Is Admitted,” Baltimore Afro-American, March 12, 1938: 18.

51 “Bay Parkways Play Royal Giants Twice for Regular Opening,” Brooklyn Citizen, April 24, 1937: 6; “Royal Gts. Vs Carltons,” New York Age, May 1, 1937: 8.

52 “Red Caps Start with Nicetown Giants,” Philadelphia Tribune, April 29, 1937: 12; “Red Caps Open Baseball Season With Nicetown,” Wilmington Morning News, May 13, 1937: 13; “Wilmington Red Caps Beat Coatesville Tossers, 6-3,” Wilmington Morning News, May 17, 1937: 12; “Washington Nine Ekes Out Win Over Red Caps,” Wilmington News-Journal, May 24, 1937: 18. The latter two games were played in Kennett Square.

53 “Pennsy Tossers Score 4-0 Win Over Red Caps Team,” Wilmington Morning News, June 9, 1937: 17; “Red Caps to Play Zulus,” Wilmington News-Journal, June 12, 1937: 17; “Red Caps vs. Elkton Stars,” Wilmington News-Journal, June 19, 1937: 17.

54 Casting just a little doubt on whether Paul Carter’s career ended very close to home is the fact that in the following offseason, a Cannonball Carter was reportedly pitching for the Detroit Colored Giants in the vicinity of Los Angeles. For example, see “Darkness Ends Baseball Clash,” Bakersfield Californian, November 8, 1937: 13.

55 “Mrs. Sallie Brown Dies,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 14, 1943: 19. His wife’s Certificate of Death is accessible online via genealogical websites. In between, those, the death of his brother Joseph, a roofing contractor, received some media attention due to the uncommon cause: “Stung by Hornet, Man Dies on Roof,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 22, 1945: 13.

56 “2 Old-Timers Baseball Games on Kennett Centennial Card,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 3, 1955: 15.

57 “Paul Carter,” Kennett News & Advertiser, May 15, 1975: 3.

58 Gene Seymour, “In a League by Himself,” Philadelphia Daily News, August 23, 1982: 8, 16, 17; Don Beideman, “Teammates Recall Pride and Success of Kennett Gray Sox,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 1, 1992: CC-3, CC-32; “Old-timer’s Statue Sparks New Debate on Race,” Bedford(Pennsylvania) Gazette, July 12, 1998: 4. The latter was about an unsuccessful proposal to erect a statue of Herb Pennock in Kennett Square. Opponents pointed to the hostility to Jackie Robinson in 1947 by the Phillies, for whom Pennock was GM. Pennock biographer Keith Craig has taken issue with such accusations. For example, see Chris Barber, “New Book Asserts Pennock Was No Racist,” West Chester (Pennsylvania) Daily Local News, July 11, 2016, accessible at https://www.dailylocal.com/2016/07/11/new-book-asserts-pennock-was-no-racist-2/.

1 The 1900 census page on which the Carter family is listed is dated June 13, and it states that the twins were born in May of that year. The date of the 24th is from https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/48797/Birth-Registers-1893-1907-A-I on page 127, while twin brother Andrew is listed on the previous page. In sporting databases, May 10 has been commonly identified as his date of birth, based on his military registrations around the two World Wars. Their father’s middle name was identified on Paul’s military registration card in 1918. Their mother’s maiden name was identified on their sister Hattie’s marriage application in 1929, along with the obituary of “Paul Carter,” Kennett (Square, Pennsylvania) News & Advertiser, May 15, 1975: 3. Special thanks to Debbie Kellar of the Chester County Library System for providing that obituary.

1 Joseph A. Lordi, Kennett Square (Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), 8. See also Paul Carter’s occupation in the 1920 federal census.

1 See https://www.kennettundergroundrr.org/kennett-and-the-ugrr.

1 Lordi, 7.

1 “Negro Loses in Suit against School Board,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 1904: 3.

1 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 2, 1917: 8.

1 “Another for the Giants,” Chester (Pennsylvania) Times, July 14, 1919: 8. “Wilmington Giants Win,” Every Evening (Wilmington, Delaware), July 28, 1919: 9.

1 For an example of the nickname being spelled “Cannon Ball,” i.e., as two words, see “Flashes of Local Sport,” Wilmington (Delaware) Morning News, July 8, 1921: 7.

1 For much of the 1921 season, Cliff Carter pitched for a team based in Buffalo, New York, called the Pittsburgh Colored Stars, managed by the famous Grant “Home Run” Johnson. For example, see “Semi-Pro Baseball,” Buffalo Enquirer, October 6, 1921: 7. It seems probable that this was the “Buffalo” team mentioned in “This Is the Day Set for Start of Harrisburg Giants’ Series – West End Game,” Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Telegraph, June 6, 1922: 15.

1 James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues (New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994), 156, 158. The Seamheads.com entry for Cliff Carter puts him on the Harrisburg Giants in 1926 and 1927, and that pitcher was called “Nick” at least once each season. See “Hilldale Clubs Three Harrisburg Hurlers for a 12 to 5 Victory,” New York Amsterdam News, August 4, 1926: 12. See also “Bolden Lifts Suspension on Nip Winters and Washington,” Baltimore Afro-American, June 18, 1927: 15.

1 Confirmation of the White Paul Carter’s nickname is provided at https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cartepa01.shtml. Regarding the fictional character who was created in 1886 and whose 12-year radio drama ended in 1955, see https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nick-Carter.

1 “Harlan Giants Drop Twilight Game to Fast St. Mary Crew,” Wilmington Morning News, June 15, 1920: 8.

1 In mid-1920, the Harlan Giants had a “J. Johnson” at shortstop and a Carter sometimes pitching in box scores, such as the one that accompanied “Harlan Giants Battle Nine Innings to Tie With K.F.C.,” Wilmington Morning News, July 20, 1920: 8. The following spring it was specified that their shortstop was Judy Johnson, in “Careful Now, 11th Ward,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 4, 1921: 11. He grew up in Wilmington, and played his earliest baseball there, according to Thomas Kern, “Judy Johnson,” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/judy-johnson/.

1 See Note 7 for two 1919 box scores in which the Kennett Square All-Stars had a catcher named Faulkner. The Sun Co. team had a battery of Carter and Faulkner in the box score that accompanied “Overlook Keeps One Run Ahead,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 17, 1922: 11. This team also had a shortstop named Stokes, who was likely the frequent Harlan Giant by that name. In 1928, Richard “Dick” Faulkner’s Biltmore Stars became the Kennett Square Gray Sox, according to “Kennett Gray Sox Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, April 19, 1928: 20.

1 “Penna Eagles, 5; Lincoln A. C., 4,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 12, 1922: 12. “Eagles Divide with Wilkins A. C.,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 2, 1921: 7. “Eagles To Meet Locust Point Decoration Day,” Baltimore Afro-American, May 30, 1925: 7.

1 “Careys Beat Keystones,” Pittsburgh Press, June 11, 1922: 18. For an example of a Carter pitching for the Keystones the following season, see “Garfield Ahead,” Pittsburgh Daily Post, April 22, 1923: 27.

1 “Logan Opens Season with Big Victory,” Philadelphia Inquirer, April 29, 1923: 20. The Madison Colored Stars had absorbed the Richmond Giants, according to “Madison Stars at Doherty Oval,” Paterson (New Jersey) Morning Call, May 17, 1923: 16. The Carter on the Baltimore Black Sox, who was Cliff, was a former Richmond Giant, according to “Eastern Colored League Baseball Clubs Staging Pretty Fight for the Pennant,” Richmond (Virginia) Planet, June 30, 1923: 2.

1 “Brooklyn Cuban Giants to Have Fast Club This Season,” Philadelphia Tribune, March 15, 1924: 11. This article noted that Cliff had pitched for the Richmond Giants and Baltimore Black “Socks.” See also “Cuban Giants Invade League to Get Players,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 19, 1924: 10.

1 W. Rollo Wilson, “Eastern Snapshots,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 9, 1924: 7; Ben Taylor, “Ben Taylor Calls Oscar Charleston Of Harrisburg World’s Greatest Fielder,” Baltimore Afro-American, February 7, 1925: 6.

1 “To Trounce SPHA’s,” Wilmington Evening Journal, June 2, 1924: 14. “Lit Nine Swamps Newark Black Sox,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 15, 1924: 23. “Anchor Giants Blanked,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 1, 1924: 20.

1 “Rotating Umpires in Eastern League,” Baltimore Afro-American, March 28, 1925: 8. “Record Crowd Expected for ‘Malin’s Night’,” Glens Falls (New York) Post-Star, September 22, 1925: 6.

1 “Moorlyn’s 3 Runs at Start Enough,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 1925: 22. See also Note 15.

1 “Donora Athletics Drill,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 1926: 28. “Donora Will Open Season on Saturday,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 24, 1926: 14. “Donora Beats Elizabeth, 3-2,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1926: 15. The Richmond Colored Giants had a player named Carter later that season, but in a June game he only played left field and in a July box score he started at second base before going in to pitch: “Springfield Senators Drop Close Contest,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, June 18, 1926: 11. “Jamaica Cardinals Win Tenth Straight,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, July 7, 1926: 10.

1 “West Chester on Top,” Lancaster (Pennsylvania) New Era, August 18, 1927: 11; “Colored Nines Clash,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 28, 1927: 17. For a bit more about Faulkner, see also “Colored Teams Battle on Pennsy Ball Field,” Wilmington Morning News, June 30, 1927: 21.

1 “Jacobson-Werner Heavy Artillery for Springfield,” Brooklyn Standard-Union, June 13, 1927: 13. “Montalvo’s 2 Homers Give Lincoln Giants Two Victories Sunday,” New York Age, July 2, 1927: 6.

1 “Santop’s Broncos Are to Play Two Games with Bay Parkways,” Brooklyn Citizen, September 7, 1928: 8.

1 “Kennett Gray Sox Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, April 19, 1928: 20. “Seek Ball Games,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 7, 1928. The latter article said Faulkner had spent time with “Memphis and Salem teams,” and identified the manager as C.J. Miles, 221 South Union Street, Kennett Square.

1 “Brownson Divides; Harrington Loses Two to Laurel,” Wilmington News-Journal, May 31, 1928: 15; “Holiday Twin Bill for Pennsy Field,” Wilmington Evening Journal, May 29, 1928: 13.

1 “Monarchs Deliver Lacing to Blue Sox,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 8, 1929: 17; “Kennett Square Halted by Gap in Fast Battle,” Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Sunday News, July 21, 1929: 9; “Home Helps Sox Trim Hornets, 4-2,” Wilmington Evening Journal, August 24, 1929: 15; “Hornets Play Blue Sox,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 14, 1929: 15.

1 “Clan Returns Home to Trounce Mayfair Team after Upstate Sojourn,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 14, 1930: 10. For a box score, see “Bunker Hill Bows to Hilldale Club,” Shamokin (Pennsylvania) News-Dispatch, August 7, 1930: 8.

1 “East Rockaway Team Beats Havana Sox,” Brooklyn Times Union, June 6, 1930: 9; “Red Sox Play in Canada Sunday,” New York Amsterdam News, July 30, 1930: 13; “Red Sox Score Four Shutouts in 6 Days,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 9, 1930: A14; “Bill Sisler Turns Down Cuban Red Sox,” Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle, September 15, 1930: 19.

1 “Wilmington Chicks Defeat Lincoln Giants at Pennsy Field, 6 to 3,” Wilmington Morning News, July 17, 1930: 8. Paul Carter was identified as having “had a successful season” in 1930 with the Lincoln Giants in “Manlove Will Hurl for Pros,” Wilmington Morning News, May 23, 1931: 10.

1 The pitcher named Carter on the Pittsburgh Monarchs was called “Al” and was from Lawrenceville, according to “Pgh. Monarchs To Be Strong,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 12, 1930: 2. From 1929 through 1932, at a minimum, the Silver Moons had a pitcher named Carter, but one article called him Lefty. Seamheads.com identifies both Paul and Cliff Carter as righties. See “Silver Moons Take Two from Lockes,” Baltimore Afro-American, August 31, 1929: 14. Another Baltimore-area team that had a pitcher named Carter was the Oval Blue Monarchs; see “Home Run Wins Game for Oval Blue Monarchs, 4-3,” Baltimore Afro-American, July 21, 1928: 12.

1 “Wilmington Pros Oppose Hornets,” Wilmington Morning News, May 22, 1931: 10. This article noted that he hailed from Kennett Square and “played with the Hilldale Daisies two years ago.” See also “Pros-Hornets in Second Battle,” Wilmington Morning News, June 6, 1931: 10. The latter article said Paul Carter “had Eastern Colored League experience,” and affirmed that the Lincoln Giants and Hilldale club were previous teams of his.

1 “Bill Robinson’s Stars Again Beaten by Hilldale Club,” New York Age, June 27, 1931: 6; “Black Sox Lose Two Games to Darby Daisies,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 12, 1931: 3; W. Rollo Wilson, “Sport Shots,” Pittsburgh Courier, September 19, 1931: 4. Wilson wrote, “In one inning Lundy ‘dragged’ a ball towards first base. Carter ran over to pick it up but fell, and Lundy was safe and nobody had touched the ball. Then Jackson, following Thomas’ infield out, hit through Dallard to right field. Dallard was given an error on a ball which was hit so hard that Dihigo picked it up in deep right and was able to throw Lundy out at the plate!”

1 “Hilldale Defeats Major Stars Twice,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 1931: Sports, 2. See also https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1931/B10101HIL1931.htm.

1 “Kennett Tackles Colored Davids,” Wilmington Evening Journal, July 20, 1932: 14; “Bacharach Giants Lose to Wilmington Hornets,” WilmingtonNews-Journal, August 9, 1932: 24; “Black Sox Win Series from Black Yankees,” Baltimore Afro-American, September 17, 1932: 22. The latter includes a box score of a game in which Carter was the losing pitcher.

1 “Wings Set to Resume Hit Spree Against Royals Tomorrow,” Bergen Evening Record (Hackensack, New Jersey), August 31, 1932: 16.

1 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, September 7, 1933: 13; “Bolden Stars Top Loop Picked Squad,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 13, 1933; “Legion Favors Sewer Project,” Wilmington News-Journal, October 14, 1933: 20.

1 “W. Harry Le Fevre Dies; 74 Years Old,” Wilmington News-Journal, March 7, 1934: 12.

1 “Bacharach Giants Under the Lights at Metuchen,” Daily Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey), June 28, 1934: 20; “Bolden Stars Win,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 27, 1934: 19.

1 “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, July 12, 1934: 15. The two ballplayers were guests at the residence of a Mr. Everett Glasco. Carter had also spent “several days” back home during the second half of June, according to “Kennett Square,” Philadelphia Tribune, June 28, 1934: 8.

1 “Stars Jolt Giants and Tie Up Series,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 30, 1934: 51; “Stars Tie Series in Stiff Tiff,” Philadelphia Tribune, October 4, 1934: 14. The Inquirer said the Stars scored “in the fifth and sixth frames,” and the Tribune concurred, but both papers’ line scores showed those pairs in the fourth and fifth innings.

1 “Stars Upset Giants[,] Win National Title,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 1934: 22. For insights into the controversy toward the end of the series, see David M. Jordan, “Another Quaker City Champion: The 1934 Philadelphia Stars,” Black Ball, Spring 2012: 30-31.

1 “Bolden’s Stars Won’t Go South; Prep in Philly,” Baltimore Afro-American, April 13, 1935: 17; “No-hit Tilt as Stars Win Two,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18, 1935: 35; “Stars Lose 1, Win 3 From Brooklyn 9,” Philadelphia Tribune, August 22, 1935: 9. The latter article, which was accompanied by box scores for all four games, noted that Carter was right-handed.

1 “Yeadon Yuccas Open,” Chester (Pennsylvania) Times, April 10, 1936: 16; Irwin N. Rosee, “Bushwicks, Farmers Win Two – Bay Ridge and Parkways Split Twin Bills,” Brooklyn Times Union, May 18, 1936: 3A; “Giants Not in Association,” Kansas American (Topeka), May 22, 1936: 7.

1 For example, see “Bearded Tossers Lose Two Games,” Brooklyn Times Union, July 5, 1936: 14.

1 “Black Yanks Defeat Crawfords with Eighth Inning Rally, 9-6,” Akron Beacon Journal, August 5, 1936: 15.  Carter’s seamheads.com entry shows him with no decision and having retired one batter in the seventh inning.

1 “Three in One Day for Black Yanks,” Brooklyn Times Union, August 10, 1936: 11.

1 Ernest “Spoon” Carter was presumably the pitcher Carter traded from the Crawfords to the Stars before the 1938 season, giving the latter team its third hurler with that surname in less than a decade. See “NNL Reinstates ‘Jumpers’; New D.C. Club Is Admitted,” Baltimore Afro-American, March 12, 1938: 18.

1 “Bay Parkways Play Royal Giants Twice for Regular Opening,” Brooklyn Citizen, April 24, 1937: 6; “Royal Gts. Vs Carltons,” New York Age, May 1, 1937: 8.

1 “Red Caps Start with Nicetown Giants,” Philadelphia Tribune, April 29, 1937: 12; “Red Caps Open Baseball Season With Nicetown,” Wilmington Morning News, May 13, 1937: 13; “Wilmington Red Caps Beat Coatesville Tossers, 6-3,” Wilmington Morning News, May 17, 1937: 12; “Washington Nine Ekes Out Win Over Red Caps,” Wilmington News-Journal, May 24, 1937: 18. The latter two games were played in Kennett Square.

1 “Pennsy Tossers Score 4-0 Win Over Red Caps Team,” Wilmington Morning News, June 9, 1937: 17; “Red Caps to Play Zulus,” Wilmington News-Journal, June 12, 1937: 17; “Red Caps vs. Elkton Stars,” Wilmington News-Journal, June 19, 1937: 17.

1 Casting just a little doubt on whether Paul Carter’s career ended very close to home is the fact that in the following offseason, a Cannonball Carter was reportedly pitching for the Detroit Colored Giants in the vicinity of Los Angeles. For example, see “Darkness Ends Baseball Clash,” Bakersfield Californian, November 8, 1937: 13.

1 “Mrs. Sallie Brown Dies,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 14, 1943: 19. His wife’s Certificate of Death is accessible online via genealogical websites. In between, those, the death of his brother Joseph, a roofing contractor, received some media attention due to the uncommon cause: “Stung by Hornet, Man Dies on Roof,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 22, 1945: 13.

1 “2 Old-Timers Baseball Games on Kennett Centennial Card,” Wilmington News-Journal, September 3, 1955: 15.

1 “Paul Carter,” Kennett News & Advertiser, May 15, 1975: 3.

1 Gene Seymour, “In a League by Himself,” Philadelphia Daily News, August 23, 1982: 8, 16, 17; Don Beideman, “Teammates Recall Pride and Success of Kennett Gray Sox,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 1, 1992: CC-3, CC-32; “Old-timer’s Statue Sparks New Debate on Race,” Bedford(Pennsylvania) Gazette, July 12, 1998: 4. The latter was about an unsuccessful proposal to erect a statue of Herb Pennock in Kennett Square. Opponents pointed to the hostility to Jackie Robinson in 1947 by the Phillies, for whom Pennock was GM. Pennock biographer Keith Craig has taken issue with such accusations. For example, see Chris Barber, “New Book Asserts Pennock Was No Racist,” West Chester (Pennsylvania) Daily Local News, July 11, 2016, accessible at https://www.dailylocal.com/2016/07/11/new-book-asserts-pennock-was-no-racist-2/.