We must ALL walk in the footsteps
of those who went before.
We must ALL walk in the footsteps
of those who went before.
This majestic old house once was the center of great lives. Today it looks more like this:
When you look at this picture what do you see? What do the buildings at the right side tell you? To me there is a story here. I can imagine a carriage pulling up to let people in the side door.
Our family had a house like this. We purchased it well
after its prime. Inside the front door there was a small lobby. You could be
ushered into a side room or enter the living room where a large fireplace dominated
the room. Folks that came in the side could take the winding staircase up to
those upper levels. The basement was as high as a basketball court. A gas dryer
complete with open flames dried the clothes that were hung on the rods above.
Just imagine!
Please, take a minute to let us know why you came to this page.
What are you looking for? We may be able
to help you! (there are no charges for random acts of kindness of course)
Caution:
This is a large genealogical data base.
We understand that some of this information is a bit dusty, like cobwebs that are somehow no longer perfect. Some information is speculative for research purposes only. But we try.
The more recent the information is, the more likely it is to be completely accurate. In fact you will find the data trails off into royalty and even mythology. If you find areas that need corrective updates, please let us know. If you need additional information, please let us know.
These pages are dedicated to the future, the living
and those who have gone before.
The difference between factual genealogy and mythology is documentation.
But, who is to say what man's distortions of history, political correctness
and documentation constitutes reality? Did the person talking to the census
taker really know? Did the census taker really understand and really record
things correctly? We must assume there is more fiction in supposed fact and
more fact in supposed mythology than most believe. Despite these disclaimers
we do make every effort to be accurate and complete. We have a good deal of
information to share held off line in our database. If you are interested in
a particular area, please let us know.
Here you may learn more about the lives of each of our
main family groups:
(or skip ahead going down to the general database name link below)
The Porters (Howe, Kirk, Wood, Osgood, Pierce)
The Middletons (Brister, Dalby, Gray, Hough, Tomkins,
Hart)
The Woodmarks (Rhoerbach, Jones, Liscumb, plus Martin,
Baker, Morse, Knight, Muhm)
Close connections also include: Peterson, Olson, Sheedy, Brewer,
Gay, Rodenborg, Cahoe, Jocius, Farquharson, Stang, Campbell, and Schwarzkopf,
just to name a few. There are so very many others.
You may check the last names in our connected family or learn about relationships.
Who knows, you may help us add new records, make corrections or better yet,
even find you are related!
Puzzles & Mysteries? Intriguing
data from old bibles, letters and documents in our possession
SPECIAL NOTE: We are experimenting with a better way to view this
mass of information. You should find that by clicking on the name or range of
names that you are looking for, the links will lead you to charts that show
exactly how these individuals are linked in our database. Detailed information
is also displayed. You may also find people by their time line. Of course we
have a great deal more that is not displayed on the Internet. There is a wealth
of information here. Please check it out and let us know what you think.
Click here to access over
21,000 individuals representing 3,278 by surname or time line
The database above does include some ancient Royalty and Mythological connections. The history of man becomes a most convoluted although intriguing subject. There are definite chronological Implausibility's in a few places. If you are interested in Royal Genealogy we suggest you check other sources including:
Directory
of British Royal Genealogical Data
Although most people view genealogy records as an ever spreading tree, looking
back in time the tree is better viewed as a diamond. Communities and the total
population becomes smaller. Families may have been large, but with ever more
likely, closer inter-relationships. Brothers from one family may have married
sisters from another, etc. From coast to coast and continent to continent these
people represent the opening, immigration, settling and building of this great
country.
You may also wish to check another site where more pictures
and details are stored on some of these people. The no1Rosemom site centers
on the Beans family and their links back to Scotland.
http://www.no1rosemom.net/
DISCLAIMER NOTE: Over 500 additional children (anyone under age 21)
are not shown. Serious researchers may wish to access additional information
in our files. We have lots of notes and background material. Please feel free
to contact us.
SPECIAL NOTES:
1. Ancient Royalty is now included. Once you link into royalty you will find
important figures from France, England, Scandinavia& Italy. Royalty lineage
fraught with intermarriage was well documented. Unfortunately there is wide
disagreement on some dates and lines. But, our links can now take you back to
the Plantagenet Kings, Cleopatra, Charlemagne, Odin, Troy and Atlas the Titan.
Enjoy!
2. The words "living" are for privacy and date protection. "Living" does not
imply the person is alive. (Disclaimer:) We are not responsible for the validity
of this information, actions or reactions by any person or organization. We
just do our best. If you are interested in researching "other" Porters, you
may wish to check this site: Other
Porters
IF YOU FIND NAMES YOU ARE INTERESTED IN, PLEASE LET
US KNOW!
We value your contributions. We are particularly interested in what people did,
where they lived and why they moved. (Sorry, we do not put all those specifics
on the web!) But, we are willing to share with serious researchers. Just ask!
Corrections are welcome. We believe this file is correct but some errors may
be due to fat fingers or the size of the file. Sometimes people give us information
then others correct it. We always welcome hearing from you.
Genealogy, not unlike Archeology, is much like working a mysterious gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Know when you start, the puzzle will never be complete. Some of the pieces you put into place will be of questionable fit. To your dismay, other pieces may have to be removed. Other tidbits will bring great joy.
Everyone is related to everyone. Mathematical calculations indicate everyone is no further apart then a 21st cousin of everyone else. How can this be? We think of the family tree as growing ever larger going back in time. The reality is that there were far fewer people. Small communities result in fewer choices and closer inter-marriages. The puzzle is best viewed in a diamond shape rather than as an upside down triangle.
Don’t forget the present. Personal records often omit the living. New families and children are springing up all the time. Society, ethics and conventional name standards are changing. Tracking and adding them right away is much easier than at a later time.
Prepare yourself for an enjoyable but very humbling experience. When you have looked at enough people with multiple birth, marriage and death dates you can’t help but realize that you are just a grain of sand on a gigantic beach. Your perspective on life may change.
The joy is in working the puzzle. Everyone has family skeletons, heroes and lost relatives. Good, bad and anywhere in between, they were all people. Hardship, sacrifice, passion, abuse, you will find it all.
Sources vary. Good researchers meticulously document
and crosscheck every bit of information. Men are easier to track than women.
Wives brought a full gene pool but regretfully only brought their first name
or took on their husbands’ last name. Obituaries are wonderful places to find
all the relationships listed. Church records, governmental records, newspapers,
old bibles, letters and cemeteries all will prove their worth. Recognize that
few will have the same exact specific interest that you have. Even another researcher
is probably not as interested in the same people as you are. Usually it is only
one or two in each generation that will pick up the banner and continue the
important work.
When I started I thought 10,000 people was an impossible goal. I only reached
and surpassed that number via the contributions of many others. Now we have
twice that many individuals. A truly humbling experience. The database continues
to grow. To all, I offer my most humble, sincere thanks.
Society is constantly changing. Large families of ten or twelve children were common. When children died the same name was often used again. It was also common to take in neighbor children with little formal agreement. With modern society some things are getting harder to track. There are more marriages and children out of wedlock. People are easily traveling longer distances. I recall one letter describing a 17-day trip to arrive way out west. Where were they? The men traveled all the way from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Letters requesting information often bring no response. Others bring promises and no data. If you have access to people from an older generation ,a tape recorder can work wonders. My suggestion: Ask open ended questions. Just get them to talk about their lives. Pry a little. Who did what and why? Do not accept or discard anything. Even official sources and adamant relatives can often be mistaken. When you get varied facts for the same individual or family, record them all.
Bring your data to life. Take pictures, they help keep memories accurate. Capture stories. People are more than names and dates. What they did, how they suffered, why they moved, their occupations and passions make the puzzle immeasurably more valuable.
Names change. Some are officially changed but most change by accident. Not only are their spelling errors but people differ on how to spell the same name. I suggest you keep nicknames as well as official birth names. Names change due to ease of pronunciation, especially when changing language and country. For example, Hough is changed to Huff. An s is easily added or dropped i.e. Wood and Woods.
Not that long ago people didn’t even have last names. Everybody knew who "John" was. One of our ancestors names eight sons John. Then we had John’s son (Johnson) or John junior. The junior may or may not have been official. The assignment of last names varies by ethnic origin and geographical area. Many last names simply represent where people lived or what they did. Hattenburger means someone who lived in or near Hatten. Rohrbeck means by a reedy brook. Having the same last name does not mean people were related. But they lived close and maybe. . .
Keep everything. Organize it so you can find details when you need them. Use the computer. It is a wonderful tool. You can use it to organize, research and exchange data. Changes are easy to make. Sharing your data means all that work is not in one place where all that hard work may easily be lost.
Most important, enjoy the challenge. Enjoy learning about the people. Life is a journey not a destination. Places and people will take on new meanings as you gain a richer understanding. Many small communities meant little until I found I had past or current relatives.
Thoughts offered by:
Paul David Porter A.K.A. Paul David Middleton Howe Brister Porter
(Sometimes, Sir Paul, Luap the Wizard, or The Great Grand PaPa to my Grandchildren,
or David to some of my relatives.
So feel free
to call me anything you wish including xx&%XX!!.)
Now can you guess where my pen name "David Middleton" came from?
This plea is becoming a bit redundant but, Please do send us a note now and again later.
We would love to now how you are doing:
Thank you!