Porter - Taylor

A Grandmother's Remembrances

By: Clara Rhoda (Taylor) Porter
circa 1926
Written for Helen Clara Porter by her Grandma Porter.

Porter

"Priest" Nehemiah Porter born in 1720 became the first Congregational minister settled in Ashfield Mass. He was afterward Chaplain in the Revolutionary War. [Actually, he was the second minister of the church]

To him was born a son, Joseph Porter, who was the father of Nathan Porter, who was the father of Doric Porter, who was the father of David Porter, who was the father of George Porter.

Thus showing the generations back to Nehemiah, which is as far as I can trace it definitely, but we know the first Porter who came to this country, came from Salem, England soon after the pilgrims came.

George D., son of David, who was the son of Doric C., who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Nehemiah.

These all lived in Ashfield and Doric Chipman was born there but later came to Ohio where he married Nancy Jane Hanchett. Then they went to Wisconsin and eventually settled in Walworth Township.

Nathan Porter, born in Ashfield Oct. 5, 1787 and died in Buckland Mass. Aug. 4, 1881. Married Sep. 21, 1814 to Elizebeth Taylor, born March 11, 1791 and died Aug. 5, 1844. Their children:

Doric C. Porter born Sep. 16, 1815 & died June 5, 1901.

Dwight Wells Porter born June 17, 1817 & died 1892.

William Pitt Porter born April 20, 1819 & died 1873.

Eliza Porter born Aug. 15, 1821 & died ____.

A son not named died in infancy.

Harriet N. died in infancy.

Doric Chipman Porter married Nancy Jane Hanchett Aug. 4, 1839.

Nancy Jane Hanchett born in Stockholm N.Y. Feby 10, 1819. Died near Lake Geneva [Wisconsin] Feb. 23, 1887.

Born to them:

George W. Porter born Feb. 1, 1842. Died in infancy.

Eliza J. Porter born Dec. 6, 1842. Married C.W. [should be G.] Stevenson. Died in __.

Amelia Ann Porter born Oct. 30, 1844. Married Donald Forbes. Died May 4, 1882.

Addie M. Porter born Oct. 24, 1849. Married L.C. Church Nov. 21, 1871. Had 5 children:

D. Wells born Nov. 1873.

Nancy Jane born Oct. 1875.

Grace Adeline born Jan. 7, 1877.

Harriet Eliza born Oct. 16, 1882.

Emmeline Adelia born Jan. 6, 1888.

Doric C. Porter born Oct. 16, 1851. Married Vina Cornice [or Cornne] Sep. 5, 1875. Had 1 child:

Sadie born Jan. 30, 1877.

William Pitt Porter born Feb. 27, 1856. Died unmarried.

Lester C. Porter born Aug. 22, 1858. Married Loretta J. Hitchcock in 1886. Had 8 children:

Ralph died in infancy.

Irma - Aug. 1888.

Doric - Oct. 1891.

Amos - July 1895.

Mildred - Aug. 1898. Died 1900.

Helen.

Ravina - died in infancy.

Rachel.

David W. Porter born Jan 22, 1864. Married Jan. 1, 1889 to Clara R. Taylor born in Hawley Mass. Dec. 25, 1864. Had one son:

George David - born Dec. 4, 1894. Married Sep. 6, 1919 to Catherine B. Jones at Janesville Wis. Born to them:

Helen Clara - Dec. 24, 1920.

Taylor

The first Taylor that we know of, came to Cape Cod soon after the Pilgrims, and later, married an Indian woman. They had two sons. One was white like his father and the other dark like the Indians. The white one, whose name was Jasher, like his father, was the one from whom this family of Taylors descended. [There are a couple generations missing in this description. Richard Taylor of the Rock was the emmigrant refered to here.]

We cannot trace them very accurately, though we know that two of them, Jasher Taylor and his son Jasher Taylor both fought in the Revolutionary War.

The first one I am sure of is George Howard Taylor born December 4, 1817 in Hawley Mass. and died in Hawley April 11, 1897. Married April 17, 1847 [Note: later, wedding date is said to be April 14, 1847] to Rhoda Maria Parker born in Hawley April 9, 1822 and died in Hawley Feby. 8, 1892.
To them were born six children:

Ella Rosetta - Nov. 15, 1848. Died in March 1919. Unmarried.

Henry Charles - Oct. 8, 1854.

Fred George - Feb 16, 1857.

Sarah Isabel - May 24, 1860. Unmarried.

Florence Eugenia - April 10, 1862.

Clara Rhoda - Dec. 25, 1864.

Henry Charles Taylor married Mabel Grant March 21, 1888. Had one child, Stella, who died April 11, 1891 a little over 2 yrs old.

Fred Charles (should be George) married Fannie Sutherland Sep. 19, 1880. Had one child Erma - July 23, 1881 and died May 22, 1891. Fannie, his wife, died Nov. 5, 1882.

F.G. Taylor married for his second wife Elizebeth Pierce Nov. 30, 1885. One son, Lawrence Taylor born April 13, 1888. Elizebeth Taylor died in summer of 1925 at Dania, Florida.

Belle S. Taylor [Sarah Isabel] - unmarried.

Florence married S. Jerome Cornwall [or Cornwell?] Dec. 30, 1886. To them were born:

Elva - Jan. 4, 1891.

Baby girl April 23, 1899. Died the same day.

John.

Clara Rhoda married to David W. Porter Jan. 1, 1889. Born to them Dec. 4, 1894 George David Porter. George David Porter married to Catherine B. Jones Sept. 6, 1919. Born to them:

Helen Clara - Dec. 24, 1920 [Note: Other children born later not mentioned.]

George Howard Taylor married Rhoda Maria Parker in 1847. Her father, Abel Parker, was the youngest of 7 children and there are many relations. One; Lenas Parker of Bath N.Y. and his son Eugene have compiled a genealogy of the Parker Family - if anyone should ever care to look it up.

The mother of Rhoda Maria Parker was Rhoda Hitchcock who was closely related at least, and I think, a direct descendant of Ethan Allen of Vermont. [She was not a descendant of Ethan Allen.] She was also Aunt to Charles Dudley Warner, the author.

Heirlooms

1. Brass candle sticks for Helen. Were the property of Rhoda Hitchcock Parker - Helen's grandma Porter's grandmother.

2. Also the dark blue China teapot and sugar bowl were hers when she began house keeping.

3. And the Peacock black & white plates were also hers.

4. The square green chair was the property of "Priest" Nehemiah Porter, Chaplain in the Revolutionary War, Ashfield, Mass.

5. Gold beads were Helen's great Aunt Ella's given her by her Aunt Sara Wells.

6. Small gold ring was the wedding ring of Helen's great grandmother.

7. There is also an old daguerreotype of her great grandfather Taylor and great grandmother Taylor taken when they were married April 14, 1847, in Hawley, Mass. [Note: Wedding date was earlier given as April 17, 1847.]

8. Mulberry plate belonged to Nathan Porter who was born in 1814.

9. Picture of Charles S. Porter, a minister in Boston and brother of Nathan Porter. Nathan Porter was born in 1787, so this brother must be about the same age. His sons or grandsons settled in Ohio, near Cleveland.

[Notes: Items 2 and 5 are in the possession of Helen (Porter) Jennings of McFarland, Wisconsin. She also remembers item 4, the green chair, in their home when she was a girl but believes it was thrown away. I now have item 9, a lithograph of my GGGG Uncle Charles S. Porter. Helen also has a Revolutionary War sword believed to have been used by one of the Jasher Taylors or "Priest" Nehemiah Porter.]

Editor's Note:

The preceding was handwritten in a small notebook. It is occasionally difficult to read so some names may be incorrect. I have attempted to record exactly what is written except for minor punctuation changes. The date the notebook was written is a guess arrived at because Catherine Porter, born in June, 1928, is not mentioned but the death of Elizabeth Taylor in 1925 is mentioned.

September, 1995
Hal William Jennings
Son of Helen (Porter) Jennings

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