Josiah M. (Little "Si") Porter

Notes:

Buried in Porter's Cemetery, Eckhary, Md.

Family/Spouse: Helen M. Wonn. Helen was born in 1863 in Maryland; died on 1 Jul 1903 in Eckhart, Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. William DeWarren Porter was born in 1890; died in 1960.
2. Mary Wonn Porter was born about 1892 in Eckhart, Allegany County, Maryland; died on 11 Jun 1965 in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland.
3. Josiah Oscar Porter was born in 1894; died in 1944.
4. Edna Marie Porter was born in 1899; died in 1991.

Josiah married Mary Lewis on 20 Apr 1866. Mary was born on 15 Jan 1844 in Llanfoist, Monmouthshire, Wales; died on 9 May 1888. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. John E. Porter was born in 1867; died in UNKNOWN.
2. Harriett (Hattie) Porter was born in 1869; died on 2 Apr 1940 in Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland.
3. Sarah Elizabeth Porter was born in 1871; died in UNKNOWN.
4. Maggie Porter was born in 1873; died in UNKNOWN.
5. Wheeler H. Porter was born in 1877; died in UNKNOWN.
6. Lelia May Porter was born in 1879; died in UNKNOWN.
7. Cora Porter was born on 30 May 1881 in Maryland; died in Jun 1973 in Oakland, Garrett County, Maryland.

Notes:

From Cumberland Times transcription:

PORTER 15 Nov 1880 Josiah Porter died 07 Nov 1880 at his home in Eckhart. He was born 01 Oct. 1799, and was 81 years, one month and 6 days of age. He was born and died at the "Porter Settlement". From 1830-1840, he was disburser of appointments for the National Road. He was also a pioneer in the shipping of coal to the East via the Potomac flatboat system.

The following excerpt is from John Marshall Porter's "Sketches of Maryland Porters", circa 1976. Scott Carter Williams brought it to the attenetion of Michael A. McKenzie in 2018.

Josiah Porter... "Grandpap Si'

As anyone who has Samuel D. Porter's genealogy can note, Grandpap Si was the son of Gabriel Porter and Rebecca Frost. Gabriel was a brother of the Samuel, who was father of John, who was the father of the Michigan Porters. So we learn that John and Grandpap Si were first cousins.

All that I am writing about these early Porter ancestors comes form what Frank Porter wrote, and what I learned from my father. Gabriel had other sons and daughters, but I know of no account of their descendants such as was kept of Grandpap Si. Squire Mike and Grandpap Si were first cousins, and we shall learn that intermarriage of close relationship took place between some of their descendants.

Grandpap Si married first, Mary Margaret Combs, who became mother of his first nine children. His second wife, Sarah was a daughter of his first cousin, Souire Mike. Sarah, whom he married in 1836 bore him twelve children over the next twenty five.years...three of whom died in infancy. In total, Grandpap Si was father of 21 children.

Grandpap Si lived on a farm adjoining Rose Meadows which he rented from a mining company. It did not come into ownership of Porters until more than a century later when around 1930 three of his grandsons purchased it from the coal company that was selling their holdings in that area. Since then, Marshall Robert bought the shares of his brothers, and is now sole owner. He is nearly 80, and is still living there and farming the land.

Grandpap Si and his sons mined coal from under the farm, paying a royalty to the coal company who owned the land. Much of that coal was hauled to Cumberland in wagons. There it was loaded on rafts that were built on the
low tides of the Potomac River. The rafts were made from slim tree trunks, bound together with cables and ropes to make a flat platform about 30 x 30 feet. The coal was hauled to the river over the old National Pike by horse and ox teams, in wagons during summer, and sleds in winter. There it was loaded on the rafts whiFsei held around 50 tons. When the snow melted and spring rains came, the river arose to near flood stage, and the raft was ready to be unleashed from its moorings. Then four to six young, strong, fearless men loaded provisions of food and clothing and bedding, climbed aboard vrith only long poles to guide the cargo down the swift, treacherous waters of the Potomac to Washington. If they delivered the raft and coal intact to the destination, they received the money for it. Then they walked back to the farm near Frostburg, a distance of 150 miles. But it wasn't always that easy.

I have heard my father say, and he knew only what he had heard from Grandpap Si and others, that many times those rafts would flounder on rocks in the middle of the river when the water current would recede. The raftsmen would have to abandon their cargo, and wade ashore and walk home in wet clothing with no money for the coal. Also, there were many raft loads of coal that would be washed ashore on a gravel bar that could not be moved back into the current, and had to be abandoned by the raftsmen. Then there were the rafts loaded with coal that would be torn apart by unseen rocks in the river. The coal would be lost, and the raftsmen barely escaping with their lives...and not all of them escaped with their lives. Some of these raftsmen drowned in the swift current. Others died of exposure when they were forced into the icy water. If they reached the shore, they didn't have a dry match to start a fire and they perished in their wet clothing.

Rafting could be done only under treacherous conditions, when the water was deep enough to carry the rafts above the rocky river bed.

The C&O canal, that ran from Cumberland, Md. to Georgetown, near Washington was completed and ready for transportation in 1850. That ended the rafting on the Potomac. After that coal was hauled to Cumberland and loaded on canal boats.

Grandpap Si was a devoutly religious man, from all I have heard of him. Frank Porter spoke of him as "One of the few Saints of earth I have known." My father said he would not let one of his men nor horses work on Sunday nor Christmas. But that on New Years day, unless it fell on Sunday, he wanted every man and team to be working... a sort of omen or superstition that, if he began the New Year making some money it would be a prosperous year for him.

It seems apparent that Grandpap Si's children, 15 of whom were girls married one by one until most of them were scattered and gone from the farm when his younger son M.M.T. (Doc.) Porter began taking over the management of the farm that had been home of the large family. Grandpap Si died in 1880. He is buried in the Porter graveyard, just up on the hill above the farm he spent his life on.

I can find no dates of the deaths of either of his wives, Mary Ellen Combs and Sarah Porter.

He died on 7 Nov 1880 at the age of 81 in Eckhart, Allegany Co., Maryland. Phyllis Rosley, in a note dated May 16, 2012, offers this information:

Josiah Porter, "Grandpap Si" was the s/o Gabriel McKenzie Porter and
Rebecca Frost was born Oct. 1, 1799 and died Nov. 7, 1882 (sic: 1880).
He married first, Aug. 1, 1822, Mary Margaret Combs. She is the d/o John
Combs and Mary Margaret Trimble and was born May 3, 1803. They had 9
children. Josiah married, second, Oct. 4, 1836/37, Sarah Porter. She is the d/o Michael Porter and Elizabeth Devore, and was born Aug. 1, 1816. They had 12 children.

Josiah Porter, "Grandpa Si", was the son of Gabriel McKenzie Porter and
Rebecca Frost. He was twice married and was the father of 21 childre
was first married to Mary Margaret Combs, b 1803. His second wife was Sarah Porter, born 1816 and daughter Michael R. Porter, "Squire Mike", and
Elizabeth Devore b Aug. 19, 1816 d. Dec. 8, 1870. Buried Porter Cem., Eckhart Mines, Md. It is through Josiah's offspring, with his second wife, that the Carter family began marrying into the Porter family and two families soon became inter-twined. Children of the first marriage to Mary Margaret Combs are: John Wesley, b 1823 d. 1883; Rebecca b 1824; Sophia b 1825; Margaret Emily, b 1827; Gabriel, b 1830; Elisha, b 1832; Eleanor, b 1834; Helen; and Nancy Porter.

He was buried in Porter Cemetery, Eckhart, Allegany Co., Maryland.

Josiah married Sarah Porter on 10 Oct 1837 in Allegany County, Maryland. Sarah (daughter of Michael Porter and Elizabeth Devore, daughter of Michael G. (Squire Mike) Porter and Elizabeth Devore) was born on 19 Aug 1816 in Eckhart, Allegany County, Maryland; died on 8 Dec 1870 in Eckhart, Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

This is from Sheryl Kelso:

The information for Gabriel's line comes from Phyllis Roslay, with this note attached, dated September 5, 2012:
"I forgot that years ago that Phyllis Davidson in Ohio had sent me a lot of her research on the Porter family. It is much more reliable than the Porter book. Phyllis Davidson co-authored the book "Western Maryland Catholics", with Dick Koch."

This information was forwarded to Michael A. McKenzie by Scott Carter Williams in August 2018:

The name "Gabriel McKenzie Porter" appears as early as 1889 in the book entitled "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of fayette County, Pennsylvania" by Samuel T. Wiley. The original viewed by ths writer reflects that it is in the Cornell University Library and also is available through Google Books. The page number is 396 in the electronic version and 374 in the actual book.

He is buried in the Porter Cemetery.

The followig information was sent to the writer, Michael A. McKenzie in August, 2018, by Alan Williams:

To the best of my knowledge we have no document of John Porter’s (b. 1737) marriage to Nancy McKenzie, but there is the clear indication of a family interaction in the name of our 3xGreat Grandfather Gabriel McKenzie Porter. He was John (and Nancys?) fourth son. Its possible he’s named for his grandfather, or for a Porter neighbor, as the ‘old country naming traditions’ certainly broke down at some point.

For a while we were confused by Gabriel Porter McKenzie’s residence in Allegany County and death in PA. What we learned is this: His move to PA was preceded by his son Moses (b. 1804), who moved to present day Fayette County PA, apparent home of his wife’s family, the Wades. The Wades are also related by marriage to the Lindley’s and Gabriel McKenzie Porter’s estate showed he did in fact owe end of life Doctor’s bills for services of Dr. Lutellus Lindley. One of Moses children is named for that doctor, and another child attended medical school under Dr. Lindley’s guidance.

Tracking this, I found Moses Porter’s grave (1804-1880) in what is now an abandoned graveyard in PA, called “Owensdale” but which had locally been called the “Stickler/Porter burying ground”. Moses is one of the final burials there, and we think it’s likely that also marks Gabriel Mckenzie Porters resting place. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2234359/owensdale-cemetery

Neither Moses, nor so far as we could find, his father Gabriel McKenzie Porter, owned slaves, although Gabe’s brother Squire Jack, did. That may have been part of the decision to move to PA, we cannot know for certain.

From what I’ve gleaned in other emails this past few days, a number of McKenzie’s (including Catherine Winters husband Jesse) seem to be recorded as PA birth. My brother, Scott Williams, is far advanced in understanding the Porter brothers movements back and forth across the MD/PA border, which will hopefully help us narrow down the point at which the two families ‘hooked up’, whether at Hobsons, McKenzie’s Discovery, or some later point.

Alan

Alan Williams sent the following to the writer, Michael A. McKenzie in August 2018. The subject deals with Gabriel McKenzie Porter's middle name and whether there were/are any source documents which corroborate the "McKenzie" portion of the name.

Alan wrote:

In all Instances of documents included in Gabriel Porter’s probate, he is given either as G.M. Porter or Gabriel M. Porter. The only instances I recall of him without his middle initial are listings in census. For whatever reason, the “M” seems to be important to his name! And to the best of my knowledge, we had no other Gabriel Porters around the landscape for him to distinguish himself from.

Scott Williams sent the followig to the writer, Michael A. McKenzie concerning the same subject also in August 2018:

See attached reprint from an 1889 book of Biographical Sketches of Fayette County PA. He is the only one of John Porter Jr's children to have a middle name in SDP's book and it is "McKenzie".

Here is the link:

Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Writer's note: this book states at the beginning that it is located in the library at Cornell University. Scott obtained it via Google Books and sent it to the writer.

Per Nathan Williams September, 2018:

To the question of Gabriel McKenzie Porter, I found two things in Western Maryland Catholics by Koch and Davidson. Number 1 is a reference to a person in the book called "Kenzie Porter" who sponsored the baptism of Josiah [Price] McKenzie, son of Moses and Margaret McKenzie in 1828. P. 89. The authors of the book amended the record to read as follows [Gabriel Mc]Kenzie Porter. I would consider this (as well as the communion record captured below) as record primary source evidence that Gabe Porter's middle name was McKenzie.

Gabriel McKenzie Porter only appears in the church records twice. Once is the first communion record, the other is sponsoring the baptism listed above. His marriage record to Rebecca Frost by Father Galitzen is included as well, that date is recorded as May 10, 1797.

Gabriel married Rebecca Frost on 11 May 1797 in Mt. Savage, Allegany County, Maryland. Rebecca (daughter of Josiah Frost and Elizabeth Parsell) was born in 1774 in Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland; died about 1813 in Eckhart, Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Michael + Elizabeth Devore. Elizabeth (daughter of Jacob Devore and Mary L. Stillwell) was born in 1795 in Midland, Allegany County, Maryland; died in 1870 in Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Name: John Porter
• Death: 1810, , Allegany, Maryland

Notes:

See the notes asociated with John's alleged father, John Porter (b. abt. 1690) for the questions which exist as to whether John Thomas Porter, Jr. was the father of Gabriel McKenzie Porter.

Regarding Rose Meadows:

John Porter settled between Cumberland and Frostburg in 1792 on a farm known as Rose Meadows, from the profusion of wild roses which grew there. John built a substantial house on a south slope which remained in the family until about 1864. At that time, the owner, William R. Porter, sold it to a mining company who wanted it for the coal and tan-bark. The homestead came back into the family about 1916 when it was purchased by Walter and Celia Porter Engle. There is no trace of the house today, but a sketch painting thereof is in the possession of the Engle family. The Porter Cemetery, sometimes called the Rose Meadows Cemetery, is located a short distance north of the site. (From the book "A Genealogy of the Porter Family of Maryland, West Virginia, Michigan" by Samuel Doak Porter.

The John Porter and his brother Moses who helped survey the Mason-Dixon Line served in the Revolutionary War in Capt. Paxton's Bedford County militia (The John Porter and his brother Moses who helped survey the Mason-Dixon
Line served in the Revolutionary War in Capt. Paxton's Bedford County militia(Pa. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. V. page 116) (Pa. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. V. page 116)

The following email was sent to Don Kagle by Alan Williams on September 10, 2018. In essence the hunt for the parents of John, Moses and Henry Porter goes on as of September, 2018.

I do appreciate that info Dick, I was unaware of the Scritchfield effort.

We are cousins of the Scritchfields through Margaret Porter, born in Bedford County PA 1805 and died there in 1852, my 2nd Cousin 4 x removed. She married John Burley, and one of their children, Catherine, born 1838, married Samuel Scritchfield in 1863.

Margaret Porter was a child of William Porter and Mary Nelson and a granddaughter of Moses Porter and Margaret McKenzie.

John, Moses and Henry, Porter Brothers, are the oldest verifiable links in our line. Samuel Doak Porter (SDP) and Col. McKenzie (whose notes we hope will yield insight into their thinking) recounted the idea of the Singing Emigrant, John Porter, Catholic/Jacobite protester landing in Maryland @1715 and marrying the Huguenot of Swiss origin, Elinor Durier.

That story has been in dispute since it first saw print, and a Baltimore Sun article in 1912 that claimed John was an ‘Irish immigrant who landed in Boston’ got an angry rebuke in the next week’s letters to the editors from Glissan T. Porter, lawyer and newspaperman of Allegany County, who faithfully recounted the story SDP printed in the Bluebook.

Since then, based on a baptismal record for a John Porter 1697 found in England, people have ‘built trees’ going back to Charlemagne. (I don’t know why it’s always Charlemagne, apparently he was father to us all.)

We’ve got so many lines of investigation open into who Henry John and Moses parents were! But its far to early to burden you all with the possibilities. I am certain that

A. They had parents.
B. They are Brothers.
C. We have dug into many of the same ‘suspects’ that SDP and others have examined. So many, in fact, that I’ve become only too conversant with all the Porter/Portes/Borter lines of the Mid-Atlantic. I’ve had to build so many family trees to keep track of them so we can avoid running over old clues and thinking them to be fresh.

That said, we don’t think we’re at a brick wall. Now with DNA and better organized records, we’re able to fairly quickly rule a theory in or out of play. Part of the problem is that SDP claimed many children for our First John, quickly announced that ‘nothing more is known of them’ for 4, and then also passed Henry quickly out of view, so the bulk of his work revolves around (solely) John and Moses in Allegany County and their descendants.

People have long associated John Henry and Moses with the ‘Arnold Settlement’ and had assumed a bridge back to Carrollton. That’s where we are. Asserting anything back to the 15th Century is wishful thinking.

John married Nancy Ann McKenzie in 1767 in Carroll County, Maryland. Nancy (daughter of Moses Sr. McKenzie and Nancy Jane (Rachel) Porter) was born in Hopson's Choice, Maryland; died after 1789 in Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The followig information was sent to the author in Augsut, 2018 by Phil Brode. As one will see after reviewing the information, the location of the grave of Nancy Ann Porter is in dispute. Michael A. McKenzie August 27, 2018

The Nancy Ann (McKenzie) Porter burial site has "wandered" a bit over the years for the 'assignment' in my records. For years I just assumed it was in a now unmarked grave at Porter Cemetery at Rose Meadow. Seemed reasonable when we thought the old story about John Porter's pioneer movements from Wellersburg Pa, to Mount Savage MD to ultimately getting Rose Meadow as Revolutionary War service payment, occurred much earlier than her death. Why not? (And, not unexpected that her marker would be 'lost' considering she died earlier than John & his marker is so small & primitive as well.)

But then two things challenged this idea and sent me on a search. Thanks to the superman abilities with deed searching by Scott et. al. of the Williams clan, we learned that the two 50 acre plots that were Rose Meadow proper, were not originally owned by John Porter as per the old story of his selection, BUT were purchased by John Porter from John Matthews in the mid to late 1790's. My wobbly records for Nancy Ann's death include dates of 1786 or 1788 or 1789 depending on the source, all before John bought and settled Rose Meadow. In addition, for some time, Find-A-Grave had her place of burial as Allegany County Cemetery, Cumberland MD. While visiting western Maryland one time, my mother & I took off to find this site. We found a well kept cemetery, with very few marked graves, but many many graves without markers; only to learn that this was the Potter's/Pauper's cemetery, hence unmarked graves. Suddenly this seemed to be a dead-end; no pun was intended or noticed until I typed those words. Why would someone as well off as John Porter be burying his wife there? And, why there instead of close to one of his western Maryland residences at the time of her death. I won't believe that source, until supported with cemetery records if they exist. So, she's most likely not at PC@RM if the deed records & her death dates are correct, but where is she?

The following information was sent to the writer, Michael A. Mckenzie by Scott Carter Williams in August, 2018:

All,

We have always been dependent on Samuel Doak Porters' (SDP) book for information about Nancy McKenzie (b. 1746, m 1767, d. no given). Phil Brode believes that her passing was in either 1786, 88, or 89. I am hopeful that the Colonel Gabriel T. MacKenzie’s microfilm will yield something more like source material. We know from SDP's book that he and the Colonel corresponded and the notes that I have seen so far support that. Attached is some of the Colonel’s notes regarding Nancy and John Porter Jr, plus a published page that he references in his notes regarding Gabriel McKenzie's early presence in Western Maryland - perhaps predating the end of the French and Indian War (1763). We see elsewhere that Gabriel is selling land on Pipe Creek, and this may (or may not) indicate a move in the making.

I am also attaching a resource written by SDP on the history of the Sloan family. The Sloans and the Percys were Scottish families who immigrated to WM in the 1830s and assisted the Porters in making the coal mines on Federal Hill (Rose Meadow) viable. The families soon intermarried (see a pattern?? :).

The hand written notes by the Colonel in the first attachment are from an informant named "Ann Sloan" who is referenced in the second document as a granddaughter of John M. Porter (Squire Jack). This makes her the grand-grand daughter of John Porter Jr. (b. 1737). The reason that I share this article is this quote from SDP:

"Several of his (John Porter Jr's) and Nancy's brothers came with him to Allegany County and settled near him."

Gabriel and sons may have been settled west of Fort Cumberland as early as the 1750s or 60s according the Century of Growth book. We know from Bedford Co Census documents that both John Porter and Gabriel McKenzie (and sons) were there just before the war broke out. We also know that the identified sons of Moses Sr (Moses Jr, Joshua, and Jessie) enlisted and served in Frederick County during the war (not near Fort Cumberland). Therefore, if Nancy came west with John Porter and her brothers at the same time (pre-war) it would follow that "Nancy's brothers" may have been Gabriel's sons, not Moses Sr's. The theory, however, could be negated if Moses Sr had older sons (closer to Nancy's age) that moved at the same time as Gabriel.

We have much to learn, and I am hopeful that the Colonel’ss notes will bear more fruit for us.

Best Regards,

Scott Williams

The writer, Michael A. Mckenzie responded to Scott with the following email. This information is being placed here so that current and future researchers will know and understand the thought processes that played out w/r/t to the topic of just whom was Nancy Ann McKenzie's father.

Here is the reply email:

Hi All:

So many emails, so much to think about.

I am still going through emails from the past few days and reflecting on what was written.

Scott stated below: "Several of his (John Porter Jr's) and Nancy's brothers came with him to Allegany County and settled near him."

Gabriel and sons may have been settled west of Fort Cumberland as early as the 1750s or 60s according the Century of Growth book. We know from Bedford Co Census documents that both John Porter and Gabriel (and sons) were there just before the war broke out. We also know that the identified sons of Moses Sr (Moses Jr, Joshua, and Jessie) enlisted and served in Frederick County during the war (not near Fort Cumberland). Therefore, if Nancy came west with John Porter and her brothers at the same time (pre-war) it would follow that "Nancy's brothers" may have been Gabriel's sons, not Moses Sr's. The theory, however, could be negated if Moses Sr had older sons (closer to Nancy's age) that moved at the same time as Gabriel.

I would like to explore this for a minute because I think Scott may have hit upon something that would cause me to put Nancy Ann McKenzie as the daughter of Gabriel and not Moses, Sr.

Here is my thinking: If SDP is correct and Nancy’s brothers travelled west with them, the ages of the respective brothers make me lean towards them being the sons of Gabriel.

Let’s pick a date, say 1772. Gabriel’s son’s, Samuel and Daniel, would be 21 and 20 respectively.

Picking the same date, 1772, Moses Sr.’s sons would be 12, 10 and 8.

If one is travelling west with their brothers, I tend to lean to the older brothers and not a group of youngsters aged 8-12. Also, men in their 20’s would be “settling near her”, whereas youngsters aged 8-12 would need to be taken care of by others. When we couple this analysis with Racheal (Rachill) McKenzie placing Joshua in indentureship in 1768, it seems to support the hypothesis that Nancy was the daughter of Gabriel and not of Moses, Sr.

Just food for thought as we continue our quest.

Thoughts anyone?

Regards

Mike McKenzie

And, just to make certain we were well grounded, Ann Stansbarger wrote in response:

Hi All,

I recommend caution when it comes to Nancy Ann and here is why. We have to think about what was happening with the two brothers, Gabriel McKenzie and Moses McKenzie Sr. Gabriel began selling his properties one by one in Frederick Co at about the time of the end of the French and Indian War (1763). He had plans to move his family to western MD, which we know he ultimately did. His brother Moses, according to legend, sold his farm and was robbed and killed on the road. This would have been sometime after Joshua was conceived 1763-64 and before Joshua went into indenture, 1768 — exactly the same time Gabriel was getting ready for his move.

When Moses Sr was killed his family was thrown into turmoil. Rachel pleaded for her widow’s share of Moses’ inheritance. She said in the petition she had small children to take care of and had no money. Any older children of Moses, if there had been any, must have had to find their own way.

Were there older children? There had to have been. I don’t have the reference handy but I know it is on the MOEM site. There was “old John” McKenzie who died in Allegany Co in the mid 1790s. His estate was administered by Moses McKenzie Jr. Old John could not have been a son of Gab’l because Gab’l already had a son John. This Old John was in all likelihood a brother of Moses Jr (b1760). Since he was “old” in the mid 1790s, that says he was probably born in the mid 1740’s - about the time of Nancy Ann’s birth.

After Moses Sr died I think there was work for the older children of Moses with their uncle Gabriel. He would have needed help to clear land on his new farm in western MD, and he would have needed help farming his old lands left behind in Frederick Co, until they were eventually all sold off.

Nancy Ann, if she was a daughter of Moses, would have gotten married as soon as possible after her father’s death.

Sorry it isn’t more concrete.

Best, Ann

Then Nathan Williams added:

Ann and all,

Very important facts to keep in mind concerning Moses and family structure. I have a few points of concern over Moses Sr. being daddy based on what we know, and don't know.

- Moses' wife was said to be a Porter, daughter of John Porter, emigrant. Like other myths, we can't confirm or refute it but if true, it would mean Nancy Ann McKenzie was the niece of her husband, John Porter of Bedford/Allegany. People married close relatives, we have our share, but marrying a niece would seem strange.

- As researchers, we struggle mightly with the reality we can't place ANY of our known Porters in Maryland before they show up in Bedford, PA. Their PA record is the first confirmed appearance of John and Moses Porter. Henry is in Maryland for the 1776 loyalty oath. I will let my Uncle Scott answer Allan specifically about John Porter, emigrant, but to be honest, he is a ghost. We have no records in the US to show he existed. Our paper trail starts with his alleged sons John, Moses, and Henry Porter on the frontier.

I think that is why Moses causes us some problems. We can't really place any Porters down near the McKenzies in downstate Maryland, despite the oral stories that they were multi-generational connections between them. We are more in our comfort zone with Gabe, since he was a known neighbor, and the relationship could have started in PA, not downstate Maryland.

Now, none of that means Nancy couldn't have been living with Gabe on the frontier, or that the Porter brothers did live near Hobson's Choice, but left no records. The lack of hard dates matter too. For instance, MOEM, speculates the Porter-McKenzie marriage took place before Moses Sr's death on the road. Although, I think all those dates are estimates.

https://mckenziesofearlymaryland.com/getperson.php?personID=I00129&tree=McKenzie1
Moses Sr. McKenzie b. Abt 1720 Hopson's Choice, Maryland d. Abt 1767: The McKenzies of Early Maryland
mckenziesofearlymaryland.com
Moses Sr. McKenzie b. Abt 1720 Hopson's Choice, Maryland d. Abt 1767: The McKenzies of Early Maryland


Nathan

And, to stir the pot one more time, Scott Williams added:

Ann,

As you can imagine, the "ick" factor of niece/uncle thing has probably been of more concern to our side of the tree than yours *smile*, but I have an (almost) elegant solution that solves several problems at once:

•Moses Sr has a first marriage (to a non-Porter :)) that produces Nancy McKenzie and *some* older brothers
•Moses Sr has a later marriage to a Porter (Nancy Jane Rachel?) that produces the younger brothers (Moses Jr, Jessie, and Joshua)

Problem solved - and all very speculative. BUT I have noted that something changed Col. GT Mack's mind from Gabe to Moses Sr as the father of Nancy during the course of his research - so (again) time for us (the ATL gang) to better review the Col's material and get it into a format where it can be useful in research.

What you have shown, however, in these first emails is your perception of a family in crisis due to the death of a father and documented responses to duress. So if the speculation above is accurate, and we have documented Porters (Philip and maybe an older Nancy) in proximity to the Moses Sr family in about 1768 acting as part of the solution, we have really moved the ball.

I ask one question - does Team McKenzie know the origin of the Moses Sr murder story, or have an "earliest source" record of it? In my newspaper searches I found a plaintive request from a reader to the weekly column of legendary Cumberland Md columnist J. William Hunt in the 1950s seeking information on the incident. The reader's name was included and if that adds some value, I could try to find the original item and share it with you. Mr. Hunt requested that responses go directly to the reader, and not to the newspaper - ARGH!

Beyond that, I am going to leave the topic for awhile, having sufficiently stirred the pot for now :)

Scott

On September 17, 2018 the writer, Michael A. McKenzie wrote to the Porter/McKenzie Research Group and asked if anyone was aware of any primary source documents concerning Nancy McKenzie Porter. The reply later that day from Alan Williams was as follows:

My short answer is that I am not (aware of any primary source documents). One thing that’s certain is that it’s in the naming of her children that we encounter the name confusion as we had last night. Assuming Nancy to be a McKenzie (a very safe bet, I think) she names children after her husband, her father, and her uncle. No Jessies or Joshua’s though. One of the results is that Porters and McKenzie’s are shot through for generations with Gabriel, Moses, Michael and Samuels.

Porters have no first name ‘Bennett’, Rachel and Harriet (as well as Eleanor and Mary and Sarah) are popular for girls.

Both Moses and John Porter also favored Samuel in their boys, and Moses line later introduces ‘Scott’ as a frequent middle name and well as Ellis. Scott appears at a time that it may reference General Winfield Scott, the Military hero (1812 through the Mexican War) and 1852 Presidential candidate.


Needless to say, the writer concludes after these great exchanges, that something "more" will need to be located/discovered before the answer to the question posed will be known once and for all. Was Nancy the daughter of Moses (b. abt. 1720) or was she the daughter of Gabriel (b. abt. 1715)? That remains the question. Michael A. McKenzie, September 18, 2018

Josiah + Elizabeth Parsell. Elizabeth was born in 1745 in New Providence, Essex County, New Jersey; died on 30 Mar 1813 in Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Jacob + Mary L. Stillwell. Mary was born in 1762 in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland; died in 1850 in Hampshire County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]