William Porter (ca.1710-1782), probably of Scotch-Irish lineage, purchased land in Orange County, Virginia in 1742. Descendants and relatives lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, California and elsewhere.

Between 1841 and 1866, more than 500,000 people followed trails to Oregon, California, and the Salt Lake Valley in one of the greatest mass migrations in American history. This collection of travelers' accounts of their journeys in the 1840s, the first volume in a new series of trail narratives, comprises excerpts from pioneer and missionary letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs-many previously unpublished-accompanied by biographical information and historical background.

Between 1841 and 1866, more than 500,000 people followed trails to Oregon, California, and the Salt Lake Valley in one of the greatest mass migrations in American history. This collection of travelers’ accounts of their journeys in the 1840s, the first volume in a new series of trail narratives, comprises excerpts from pioneer and missionary letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs—many previously unpublished—accompanied by biographical information and historical background. Beginning with Father Pierre-Jean de Smet’s letters relating his encounters with Plains Indians, and ending with an account of a Mormon gold miner’s journey from California to Salt Lake City, these narratives tell varied and vivid stories. Some travelers fled hard times: religious persecution, the collapse of the agricultural economy, illness, or unpredictable weather. Others looked ahead, attracted by California gold, the verdant Willamette Valley of Oregon, or the prospect of converting Native people to Christianity. Although many welcomed the adventure and adjusted to the rigors of trail life, others complained in their accounts of difficulty adapting. Remembrances of the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails have yielded some of the most iconic images in American history. This and forthcoming volumes in The Great Medicine Road series present the pioneer spirit of the original overlanders supported by the rich scholarship of the past century and a half.

This ten-year supplement lists 10,000 titles acquired by the Library of Congress since 1976--this extraordinary number reflecting the phenomenal growth of interest in genealogy since the publication of Roots. An index of secondary names contains about 8,500 entries, and a geographical index lists family locations when mentioned.

This book provides a fascinating genealogy of the Porter family, one of the most important families in early American history. With detailed information on the descendants of Richard Porter and John Porter, as well as other allied families, this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in genealogy or the history of early American families. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Richard Porter Family Genealogy is a book of the descendants of Richard Porter, who came to Weymouth, MA in 1635 from Weymouth, England. He was among the list of the Rev. Joseph Hull party from the area of Crewkerne, Somerset, England. The generations of Porters of this line are outlined to the year 2008.

Burr Harrison (1637-1697), the immigrant, was born in Westminister, England. He came to Lancaster Co., Virginia in 1654. He had at least three children. His wife's name is not known. Later generations live in Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and elsewhere.