Hugh Porter of Ireland

Descendancy Diagram

Hugh Porter of Wyllysland, County Down, Ireland, is believed to be the progenator of this line. The above descendancy is based on wills for his sons: Alexandr (died 1771) Hugh (died 1785), and Robert (died 1785).

Overvew

Alexander Porter died, apparently unmarried, in Cumberland County PA, in 1771. He left a will identifying his father as Hugh Porter of Wyllysland, Ireland "if he stlil lives". He also identifies his elder brother James, and younger brothers Hugh, William, Robert and Joseph, as well as a sister Margaret married to Samuel Alexander. Alexander Porter is described as a "jobber" ^[1] "late of Hopewell" (Cumberland County). There is no mention of a wife or children, implying that he died unmarried. While Alexander apparently died in Cumberland County, the probate for his estate seems to have taken place in Chester County. Complicting matters further, he owned land in the Ligoneer Settlement in Westmoreland County.

Ad Adams County, PA D Delaware County, PA Ce Cecil County Md Ch Chester County, PA Cu Cumberland County, PA NC New Castle County, DE We Westmoreland County, PA Yo York County, PA
Hopewell Township in Cumberland County PA

It would be helpful to know more about Alexander's brothers and sister, but there are few clues about them in his will.

A, Hugh and Robert Porter left wills, and have some association with Cumberland County area, and might be Alexander's surviving brothers. However, the information about them is insufficient to reach a conclusion on this. Both left wills:

Hugh died in 1785 in Cumberland County identifying his wife as Mary and sons William, Hugh, Robert and Joseph Porter. His will also notes that he owned land in Westmoreland county. A discussion of Hugh's will is found at Cumberland County Ancestry Board. The linkage between Hugh who died in 1785, and the Alexander who died in 1771, are indirect. Both apparently died in Cumberland County, and Alexander does mention a brother Hugh. The names of Hugh's sons are similar to the names of the persons identified by Alexander as his brothers: William, Hugh, Robert, and Joseph. (only Alexander and elder brother James are not numbered among the names of Hugh's children.) Perhaps most pertinently, Hugh's will includes mention of land owned in Westmoreland County; this could be the property mentioned in Alexander's will and probate as being in "Ligonier" (an early place name in Westmoreland County. While it seems likely that Hugh (died 1785) was in fact Alexander's brother, and this identification is consistent with known facts, additional work would be needed to validate this conclusion.

Robert Porter died in 1785. His will mentions a brother James, which may is consistent with Alexander's will. Robert's estate record identifies him as a "saddler of Philadelphia"; if he is indeed Alexander's brother this might be taken as consistent with Alexander's occupation as a "jobber"; that is, perhaps Alexander was selling his brothers saddles in Cumberland County. A land transaction resulting out of the dispersal of Robert's estate shows that he owned land in Juanita, a settlement area adjacent to modern Cumberland County. Though his residence was clearly Philadelphia, it appears that he owned land in the same general area as Alexander.

Footnotes

1. ↑ A jobber was someone who acted as a middleman in selling goods to a local merchant.