James Porter (1797 - 1890)

Born 9 May 1797 in Forfarshire, Scotland

Descendants

Died 16 Jan 1890 at age 92 in Sewickley, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

Biography

This profile is part of the Porter Name Study.

James Porter was born on 9 May 1797 in Forfarshire, Scotland, son of Robert Porter (1770– ) and Isabella Wilson (about 1770– ).^[1]

James and Helen Grant were married. Helen was born on 8 Nov 1806 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

James died on 16 Jan 1890 in Sewickley, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, aged 92. He was buried in Sewickley Cemetery, Sewickley, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Research Notes

From History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania:

James Porter, the father of Capt. Porter, was born May 9, 1797, in Forfarshire, Scotland, and immigrated to America in 1837. In New York city he was one of the contractors and builders of the Astor House and the City Hall. In 1837 he came to Sewickley, Pa., where he was a farmer and horticulturist till old age demanded lighter toil, and he became a merchant, a vocation he has followed for over thirty years, being the oldest merchant in Western Pennsylvania. His many good traits of Scotch character have secured him a multitude of friends, who cheer the evening of his life. His wife, Helen (Grant), a native of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was possessed of great force of character, having those rare qualities of head and heart that make influence for good far reaching; and her son, Capt. J. W. Porter, attributes much of his success in business to the teachings and precept of this noble woman. She died Feb. 24, 1888, aged eighty-eight years. Of her nine children, six reached maturity: Mrs. Ann F. Dickson, Capt. J. W. Porter, Capt. Robert Porter, Mrs. Margaret J. McClelland, David R. and Mary E. Porter.

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950"
   Original data: Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013
   Ancestry Record 60143 #1661720 ($, accessed 5 February 2024)
   James Porter baptism on 14 May 1797 (born 9 May 1797), son of Robert Porter & Isabel Wilson, in Forfar, Angus, Scotland.

• Obituary: "U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current"
  Pittsburgh Dispatch; Publication Date: 18 Jan 1890; Publication Place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/76217109/?article=7ce36bc0-77b9-4238-8aa5-d2954f317331&focus=0.37431943,0.6060446,0.48389518,0.6313987&xid=3355
  Ancestry Record 61843 #589334033 ($, accessed 5 February 2024)
  Name: James Porter; Gender: Male; Death Age: 93; Birth Date: abt 1797; Residence Place: Sewlckley, PA.; Death Date: 1890; Burial Date: 16 Jan 1890; Obituary Date: 18 Jan 1890; Obituary Place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Newspaper Title: Pittsburgh Dispatch.

See also:

• Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889, Part 2: p. 250-251)
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185506899/james-porter: accessed), memorial page for James Porter (9 May 1797–16 Jan 1890), Find a Grave Memorial ID 185506899, citing Sewickley Cemetery, Sewickley, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by JBGF (contributor 47518639).