Imogene PORTER William Everitt PORTER India G BUTLER Alice L HORTON Maggie Ella MCSWAIN Music Lady PORTERWIFE Mini tree diagram
William James PORTER

William James PORTER1,2,3,10,3,4,9,5,11,6,11,7,8

also known as Willie PORTER6

18th Jan 18811,2,3,3,4,5,6,7,8 - 9th Jun 19605,7

Life History

18th Jan 1881

Born in Mammoth Springs, Fulton, Arkansas.1,2,3,3,4,5,6,7,8

10th Jun 1912

Birth of daughter Imogene PORTER in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.14,11,15,16,17,18,3

9th Sep 1913

Birth of son William Everitt PORTER in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.2,14,11,7

Mar 1915

Death of India G BUTLER in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.10,5

21st Nov 1915

Married Alice L HORTON in Arkansas County, Arkansas.6,7

before 1920

Divorced from Alice L HORTON in Arkansas County, Arkansas.10

16th Dec 1928

Married Maggie Ella MCSWAIN in Arkansas County, Arkansas.12,2,3,13,7

17th Nov 1951

Death of Maggie Ella MCSWAIN in Arkansas County, Arkansas.9,9

after 1952

Married Music Lady PORTERWIFE in Arkansas County, Arkansas

1956

Death of Alice L HORTON in Arkansas County, Arkansas.7

9th Jun 1960

Died in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.5,7

after 9th Jun 1960

Buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas.9,5,7

Other facts

 

Married India G BUTLER

Notes

  • "Will, as he was called, already had a son and daughter from a previous marriage before he married Maggie.  Will and Maggie had no children together."
    --  Shirley Rowland Mitchell, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, April 07, 2015

    I discovered the name of Will's first wife only on 7 April 2015, new searches revealed a marriage record in 1904 for J W Porter and India Lacott.  They are also found in the 1910 census, which had been hiding in the Ancestry.com records, undiscovered by Ancestry's indexes until our new search.  Ancestry continues to improve their indexing, and user contributions on corrections and family linking of records has helped hone the accuracy of Ancestry's search algorithms.

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    J W Porter
    Gender Male
    Age 23, Birth Year abt 1881
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Spouse's Name India Lacott
    Spouse's Age 26 [b abt 1882]
    Spouse's Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Marriage 27 Jan 1904 Arkansas County
    Marriage License Date 26 Jan 1904

    Note that Lacott was India's first married name.  Her son Cecil A Lacott is in their household in 1910.  They are on a page with related families in this genealogy, named McSwain, Criswell, Butler and Davidson.

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 15 June, Prairie Township (Ethel), District 13, Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
    Porter, James W Head M W 29 1st marriage Married 6 yrs AR US US Farmer Owns [b abt 1881]
    Porter, India A Wife F W 34 2nd marriage Married 6 yrs 3 children/2 living AR MS MS [b abt 1876]
    Lacotts, Cecil A Stepson M W 12 Single AR AR AR [b abt 1898]

    I learned only in April 2020 that Willie had another marriage before he married the last time, making four marriages in all.  Willie married twice-widowed Alice HOrton Cunningham Steward in 1915.

    Arkansas Marriages, 1837-1944
    Alice Stewart, Age 44
    Willie Porter, Age 34
    Marriage 21 Nov 1915 Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States

    That marriage did not work out for them, however, and they were divorced before the 1920 census, which reported Willie as Divorced..

    1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 6 February, Prairie Township, District 16, p 8A, Hse #139, Fam #145
    Porter, William  Head  Divorced  M W 40 AR AR AR Farmer
    Porter, Emma J [Imogene] Dau F W 8 AR AR AR
    Porter, William  Son M W 6 AR AR AR
    - Hse #139, Fam #146 -
    Cochran, Joseph H  Head  M W 28 AR MS MS (Renting) Farmer
    Cochran, Mildred  Wife  F W 23 AR AR AR

    This William Porter married Maggie McSwain Rowland in 1928 and was enumerated with her in the 1930 census.

    A record of marriage before his marriage to Maggie McSwain Rowland is very close to the details for William James Porter.  This would have been a second wife, however, since this marriage date is 8 years after the birth of Will's son William E with his first wife.

    A marriage record is found in the Arkansas County marriage records for one J W Porter of Ethel and Annie McSwain.  William James' SS record has his birth date as 19 March 1882, while J W was reported of an age to be born about 1878.  This record is so close otherwise and in Ethel, so this seems to be the same person.

    Annie's identity has not been established.  This may not be the correct identification for the wife of William James Porter.  Because Will E was born in 1914, 8 years before the date of this marriage record of J W Porter and Annie McSwain.  His birth fits in the period following the marriage of Inda Lacott above.

    There was also a J W Porter, reported by Shirley Mitchell, who lived in DeWitt and owned a lumber yard there.  But I have not yet identified anyone else in Ethel with a similar name.  And Shirley indicates that J W Porter's family did not seem to be related to William James Porter's family.  This description matches closely our William James Porter also living in Ethel at that time.

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    J W Porter
    Gender Male
    Age 44, Birth Year abt 1878
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Spouse's Name Annie McSwain
    Spouse's Age 35 [b abt 1887]
    Spouse's Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Marriage 29 Jan 1922 Arkansas County
    Marriage License Date 27 Jan 1922

    If this J W Porter is the same person as William James Porter, then his first wife would have died before 1922.  The Annie McSwain died before Will married Maggie McSwain Rowland in 1928.  I have no names or dates from other gravestones for any wife of William besides Maggie.

    1930 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 20 April, Prairie Township, District 7, p 6B, Ethel & Chute Rd, Hse #111, Fam #112
    Porter, William  Head M W 48 AR USA USA  Farmer
    Porter, Maggie E Wife  F W 53 AR NC NC
    Porter, Emogene  Daughter  F W 17 AR AR AR
    Porter, Jack E  Son  M W 16 AR AR AR Farm Laborer
    Rowland, Edward  Stepson M W 15 AR KY AR

    Edward Rowland, of course, would be Maggie's last child with Benjamin Rowland.  Emogene and Jack here are Will's children from a previous marriage.  Emogene matches the child reported as Emma J age 8 in 1920.  Jack E is the right age to be the child reported in 1920 as William (possibly William E).

    The name of Hazel Bob McSwain Porter's husband is William E Jack Porter, as reported in Hazel Bob's obituary (March 2008).  This combines all the names in these two censuses.  Jack appears to be a nickname.  Hazel Bob died on 18 February 2008.  The obituary reports that William had preceded her in death, but gave no date.

    1940 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 18 April, Prairie Township, District 1-18, page 9B, Oak Flat Rd, Hse #147 Rents $500
    Porter, Will James Head M W 59 Grade 2 b Ark same place in 1935 Farmer
    Porter, Maggie Wife F W 63 Grade 6 b Ark  same place in 1935 Housekeeper
    Taylor, Webster Hired Hand M Neg 30 Grade 6 b Ark same place in 1935 Farm Laborer
    Fitzpatrick, Virlon Hired Hand M Neg 30 Grade 4 b Ark same place in 1935 Farm Laborer

    U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
    J W Porter, Age 61
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, USA
    Birth 18 Jan 1881 Mammouth Springs, Arkansas
    Contact Maggie Porter, Ethel, Arkansas (wife)
    Self-Employed
    (back)
    6'5" 165 lbs, Brown Eyes & Hair, Ruddy Complexion
    Left leg crippled
    Registered 27 April 1943 DeWitt, Arkansas County, Arkansas
    Signed J W Porter

    Maggie died in 1952.

    "When Maggie died, Will Porter married again.  I met this lady but do not remember her name.  She may have been a school teacher, and she wrote songs and a few were actually recorded and played on the radio."
    --  Shirley Mitchell, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 26 July 2013

    --------------------
    I had reported in early versions of this genealogy, until April 2015, that Will died in Amity, Clark County, Arkansas.  At that time searches turned up for the first time a record for a different William Porter, enumerated in the 1900 census at age 18 with his parents in Montgomery County, close to Clark County, in southwestern Arkansas.  His birthday in March 1882 match our William James Porter, born about 1881.  This 1900 record and family details were reported by a genealogy for the other Porter family.  The Montgomery County William Porter's father was born in Tennessee, whereas our Will's father was reported as born in Arkansas.

    William Porter
    Birth 19 Mar 1882 in Arkansas
    Death Aug 1972 in Amity, Clark, Arkansas
    Parents:
    Robert Porter 1850 - 1924
    Elizabeth Catherine Cogburn 1850 - 1922
    Marriage 6 Feb 1902 in Mt Ida, Montgomery, Arkansas to Nancy Roseanne Pate
    Birth 1890 in Montgomery, Arkansas, Death 1942 in Pike City, Pike, Arkansas
    --  Judd-Grimes-Foshee-Thomas, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/28012368/person/12052233164?ssrc=&ml_rpos=10&ftm=1

    I apologize to all the other genealogies that followed my error in reporting the place of death of William James Porter as Amity, Clark, Arkansas
    --------------------

    A lot of family information is still missing for William James Porter, but this new finding seems to clarify that the individual who died in Amity, Arkansas, was not our William J Porter who was the husband of Maggie McSwain.  The information that he is buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery, in Ethel, where he was born and grew up, indicates that he most likely lived there till he died.  I have not found a death record.  Thanks to Shirley Rowland Mitchell for the details that helped clarify Will's life and identity.

    "Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Ethel is where Maggie McSwain Rowland Porter is buried.  I attended this funeral and know that it is her gravestone.  Also her children, Myrtle Allsop, Sarah Elizabeth Jones, and Edward Rowland are buried close to her.  Her husband when she died was William Porter and he is buried next to her.  (Also on the other side of William Porter's grave is another wife he had!)"
    --  Shirley Mitchell, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 07 April 2015

    Porter James W
    "Father"
    Jan 18, 1881
    June 9, 1960
    Mt Pleasant Cemetery, Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas
    --  Photo by Orville Boyd Jenkins 13 May 2017

    U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
    Imogene Porter Simpson [Imogene Porter McMinn] [Imogene Porter] [Imogene McMinn]
    Birth 10 Jun 1912 Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Death Date Dec 1995
    Father James W Porter
    Mother India Butler
    SSN 431128323
    Dec 1938 Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER SIMPSON; Nov 1966 Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER MCMINN; Name listed as IMOGENE PORTER; 03 Jan 1996 Name listed as IMOGENE P MCMINN

    ----------------
    William James “Will” Porter
    Birth 18 Jan 1881 Mammoth Springs, Fulton County, Arkansas, USA
    Death 9 Jun 1960 (aged 79) Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas, USA
    Burial Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Arkansas County, Arkansas, USA

    Some people knew him by his nickname Will or Willie, and records are found for Will under James W, J W, William, Will J and William J. He signed his WWII registration as J W Porter. IN that registration he reported that he was born in Mammoth Springs, Fulton County, Arkansas. He died in the White River community of Ethel, Arkansas County, Arkansas, born 18 January 1881 and died 9 June 1960.

    Will was married 4 times, widowed twice and divorced once.

    He married India G Butler (one undocumented genealogy says her full name was India Gertrude Butler) (1878-1915) January 1904. He and India had two children Imogene and William Everitt (Jack). India died in March 1915.
    He married Alice L Horton (1870-unknown) Abt 1886. Alice and Will divorced before the 1920 census, when he was reported as Divorced.
    He married Maggie Ella McSwain (1876-1951) Dec 1928, the widow of Bedford Forrest Rowland (Aug 1866-abt 1917). Maggie died 17 November 1951.
    Some time after Maggie's death, Will married a music teacher in DeWitt, Arkansas, whose name we have not discovered. Their marriage record has not been found.

    Will's wives India, Maggie and Alice are also buried in Mt Pleasant Cemetery.

    Spouses:
    India G Butler 1878-1915 (m. 1904)
    Alice Vansandt 1870-1956 (m. 1915)
    Maggie Ella McSwain Porter 1876-1951 (m. 1928)

    Created by Orville Jenkins 8 Apr 2020
    --  Find a Grave Memorial 208851378, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/208851378/william-james-porter
    ----------------

Sources

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