General History of the Carder Family in America

The name Carder is of English origin, persons of this name having appeared in sixteenth and seventeenth century English records, principally in Essex and Devonshire, and to a lesser extent in the counties of Cambridge, Cornwall, Derby, Hertford, Kent, Somerset and Suffolk. Carder is an occupational name, referring to one who cards or combs raw wool, the first step in producing woolen cloth. The first of the name found in records of this country was Richard Carder,who was from England, and was recorded as a freeman of Massachusettes in 1636. He lived in the Rhode Island and Boston area and has descendants in the New England area and elsewhere in the United States.  The Virginia Carder families first appeared on the records around 1670 and do not appear to be descended from Richard Carder. No connection has been established between the Virginia and New England Carders. They may have come from a common ancestor in England.