William Porterfield (1712 - abt. 1789)

Born 1712 in Abercorn Estate, County Donegal, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Martha (Alexander) Porterfield — married 1734 in Chester, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died about 1789 at about age 77 in Berkeley County, Virginia, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

This profile is part of the Porterfield Name Study.

William Porterfield migrated from Ireland to United States.

William Porterfield was born in County Donegal in 1712. He was one of eight Scots-Irish siblings that came from County Donegal, Ireland to Chester County, Pennsylvania around 1730 along with their father.^[1]

Around 1741 he moved to Frederick County, Virginia and located near Fort Neally on the Opequon River. He was farmer there. The area experienced Indian attacks while he live there. He later moved to Berkeley County, Virginia. The tax records dated May 12, 1767 attest that William Porterfield was an early farmer. His 450 acres were bounded by the lands of Ann Bowman, Peter Foster, and Major John Carlisle.

During the Revolution, all men aged from eighteen to fifty-three were required to serve or to face fines. No record has been found of any fines assessed against any Porterfield for failure to muster for service. Several members of the family saw service who were either below or above the age set by the military. Even though no record of fines has been found, neither has any record of service been found for William or his sons William, George, Matthew, Alexander, John or James in the Continental Army or the Virginia Militia. Son Josiah does have a record of service in the Virginia Militia. According to family tradition, William and all of his sons served in the Revolution with the Virginia Militia. It has been said that both William and his son William were together at the battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776.

William married Martha Alexander.^[2] They were members of the Tuscarora Presbyterian Church. They both signed a petition in 1776 from the church to the Virginia Legislature praying for relief from certain civil and religious restraints.^[1] They were the parents were:

1. Charles^[1][2]
2. Josiah^[1] or Jonah^[2]
3. George^[1][2]
4. Matthew^[1][2]
5. WIlliam^[1][2]
6. Alexander^[1][2]
7. Rachel^[1][2]
8. John^[1][2]
9. Mary^[1][2]
10. James^[1]

William is recognized as a DAR Patriot. The DAR Patriot Index lists his birthday as circa 1715 and what appears to be an incorrect date of death of 1821 as that would make him 106 years at his death.^[3]

He passed away about 1789.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12} Frank Burke Porterfield, The Porterfields (Roanoke, Virginia: Multiprint Inc, 1947), pp. 2, 203-204, digital images, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89066246737;view=1up;seq=211. Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://babel.hathitrust.org: accessed 19 March 2024).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9} Alpheus Hibben Harlan, History and genealogy of the Harlan family, and particularly of the descendants of George and Michael Harlan, who settled in Chester County, Pa., 1687 ( [Baltimore, The Lord Baltimore Press, 1914), p. 40, digital images, https://archive.org/details/historygenealogy00harl/page/40/mode/2up?q=Porterfield. Internet Archive: accessed 19 March 2024).
3. ↑ DAR Patriot Index (Washington D.C.: National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1966), p. 543

See also:

• "West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QM-RW77 : 12 March 2018), Matthew Or Mathew Porterfeild, 1804; citing Berkeley, West Virginia, United States, Will book, v. 003 1796-1805, page 643, Jackson County Clerk, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 831,170.