Welcome to the FAMILY porter history web site

1 Thomas Porter, Jr.

Thomas Porter Jr. born in about 1797 in Southampton,  Hampshire County, Massachusetts. 

Thomas was son of Thomas Porter Sr., who was born in 1775, and grandson of Miles Porter, who was born July 12, 1748 in Southampton, Massachusetts.  His great-grandfather, Thomas Porter, was born 1704, also in Southampton, Massachusetts.

In about 1815, Thomas Jr. married Freelove Clark.  It is possible the marriage took place in Onondaga, New York.  She was born April 29, 1796 in Massachusetts.

The children of Thomas Porter and Freelove Clark are:

Welcome to the FAMILY porter history web site

The November 8, 1850 U.S. Census for Township 11 N. 4 E., Knox County, Illinois is shown here.  Thomas Porter’s occupation is “Cooper” which means “barrel maker”.  (Notice his age..! He would have been born in 1797.)

Illinois State Archives record a land purchase by Phillip Porter on 11/01/1841, Lot E2SW (East 1/2 of the Southwest 1/4, 80 acres), Section 11, Township 11N, Range 4E, Knox County, Illinois.   Following land maps from the Illinois State Archives web site, red box shows the location of the Porter family farm.  Location Truro Township, Knox County, Illinois.

Also, on the same page of the Knox County 1850 Census appears the family of Luther Rice.  Their daughter Hannah would later marry son Otis Porter.

The Porter family had a neighbor to the north and west, John Cadwell, who purchased his land on the same day as Phillip Porter (brother of Thomas), November 1, 1841. 

The previous page of the Knox County 1850 Census includes George Caldwell as also having occupation: “Cooper”. His wife was Sally Maria Porter, daughter of Phillip Porter.  Phillip was born in 1783 and died in 1845, and is buried in the Cadwell Family Cemetery.  Sally was born April 8, 1807, and died August 17, 1885 in Farragut, Iowa.

Also in the neighborhood in 1850 was the Cackler family.  The Cacklers had farms in Truro Township as well as Victoria Township, just a few miles to the north. Otis Porter’s daughter Rhoda would eventually marry George Cackler.

Satellite image below from Google Earth.

Maps and land plats from Illinois State Archives.

1870 Truro Township, Section 11 land plat, showing how the property is divided between Cadwell and Sunwell families.

The image below is from page 43 of the 1830 Census taken in Onondaga Township, Onondaga County, New York (near Syracuse).  This census names only the head of family.  This “Miles Porter” is the son of Phillip Porter.

The numbers to the right of the name indicate the number of people living in their household by age.

Thomas Porter - 1 male between 5-10 years, 1 male between 20-30, 1 male 50-60, 2 females 20-30, 1 female 30-40. (Does this mean Thomas’ wife was 10-20 years younger than he?)
Phillip Porter - 1 male between 5-10 years, 1 male between 20-30, 1 male 40-50, 1 female 15-20, 1 female 40-50.
Miles Porter - 2 males between 0-5 years, 1 male between 20-30, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 20-30.

Based on this information, Thomas would be the oldest male, putting his birth date between 1770 and 1780.  Phillip would be born between 1780 and 1790.  Miles would be born between 1800 and 1810.  Phillip is the younger brother of Thomas, and Miles would be the son of Phillip Porter.

The image below is from page 15 of the 1840 Census taken in Harbor Creek, Erie County, Pennsylvania.  This census names only the head of family.   Phillip Porter was on the next page of the same census.

The numbers to the right of the name indicate the number of people living in their household by age.

Thomas Porter - 1 male between 15-20 years, 1 male 60-70, 1 female 30-40, 1 female 40-50.
John Cadwell - 2 males between 5-10 years, 1 male 30-40, 1 male 50-60, 2 females 0-5, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 20-30, 1 female 50-60.

George Cadwell, 2 males 0-5 years, 3 males 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 30-40, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 30-40.

The image below is from page 494 of the 1810 Census taken in Onondaga, New York (near Syracuse).  Also from page 495 is their father Miles Porter, living next door to Samuel Pitts.  Miles Porter had married his sister Sybel Pitts in Southampton, Massachusetts in 1771.

The numbers to the right of the name indicate the number of people living in their household by age.

Thomas Porter - 1 male under 10 years, 1 male between 10-15, 1 male 26-44, 1 females under 10, 2 females 10-15.
Phillip Porter - 1 male under 10 years, 1 male between 16-25, 1 female under 10, 1 female 16-25.
Miles Porter - 1 male over 45, 1 female 10-15, 1 female over 45.

Based on this information, Thomas would be the oldest son, putting his birth date between 1766 and 1784.  Phillip would be born between 1780 and 1790.  Miles would be born between 1785 and 1794.

The above image is from page 17 of the June 1, 1840 Census in Harbor Creek, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

Philip Porter - 1 male between 5-10 years, 1 male 30-40, 1 female 0-5, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 30-40.