Introducing . . . the Carters!

A while back, I showed you all a picture of my Society Hound Barbie who has been renamed Penelope Elizabeth Winthrop Carter. I teased a little of what her story would be about - some mystery, some tragedy. I am still working on the dios for the first story, but I thought I would introduce her family and give you all a little background so as to set up the first episode of her story! Here she is with her children:

From L to R: Eldest son Charles Herbert Carter (25), Penelope Elizabeth Winthrop Carter, Callum Michael Carter (21), Danielle Theresa Carter (23)

Penelope is the eldest daughter of Elizabeth Anne Winthrop and Herbert Michael Winthrop who are a very wealthy and prestigious family in Hanaly Corners. They were the principals of a large conglomerate of companies dealing in commercial real estate, manufacturing and financial services. Their company, Winthrop Enterprises was a major employer in Hanaly Corners. They also have another daughter and son. The Winthrops are pictured below:

Front Row, L to R: Herbert Michael Winthrop, Elizabeth Anne Winthrop
Back Row, L to R: Penelope (48), Roger Herbert Winthrop (40), Annabelle Josephine Winthop Bloom (45)

The Carters were another very wealthy family in Hanaly Corners. They were the principals of a large firm that specialized in Engineering, Architectural Design and Technology. Carter Design & Technology Corporation was also a very large employer in Hanaly Corners.

The Carters have 2 sons and 2 daughters:

Seated L to R: Samuel Elliot Carter II, Helena Boatwright Carter
Standing L to R: Charlotte Mary Carter (40), Samuel Elliot Carter III (53), Phillip Coleman Carter (50), Felicity Georgia Carter (35) (Note: this photo was taken 2 years ago, but I am showing their current ages)

In 1984, Mr. Carter and Mr. Winthrop, who were friends, started talking about a merger that would combine their companies into the single largest employer in Hanaly Corners and set the stage for expansion along both national and international lines. As part of the merger discussions, the two men had decided that having their two eldest children married would seal the deal. They set about "introducing" Penelope and Sam Jr. Throughout their courtship, they were strongly urged by their parents that their marriage would be in the best interest of both families. Two years later, Sam and Penelope "sealed the deal" and were married in an extravagant affair that all of the high society members of Hanaly Corners attended. The companies merged and became Carter-Winthrop Enterprises, Inc.

Penelope and Sam had become very good friends during their courtship. While they knew that their marriage had been arranged by their parents, they made the best of things and knew that they would be expected to produce heirs. Penelope became pregnant within the first year, however, she miscarried the child. What she discovered during this time was that Sam was a very caring and attentive man. He grieved the loss of the child with her and this drew them closer together. He did everything he could to comfort her and to make her feel wanted. Soon, she realized that she really was in love with him and he saw her as his fragile, precious princess and knew that he was hopelessly in love with her. In time, she was again pregnant and during this pregnancy, he watched her closely and they were blessed with their first child. They were so happy and excited that there first born was a son! Charles Herbert Carter. 2 years later, Danielle Theresa Carter was born and 2 years after that, they gave birth to another son, Callum Michael Carter. 10 years ago, both the senior Samuel Carter and Herbert Winthrop retired leaving Samuel Elliot Carter III as the President and CEO of the company as he had been groomed to be. Many of the family members are also executives in the company and both Charles and Danielle hold positions with the company. 

Two year ago, Sam took off on a private jet with his Director of Manufacturing to look at a site in Mexico. There was a terrible storm and the flight never arrived at its destination. It fell off of the radar and to date, there has been no trace found of this ill-fated flight or its passengers.

I hope you are intrigued by this introduction! We will pick up this story with a family meeting to discuss matters of Sam's disappearance! Stay tuned.