Brief Life History of William
When William Porter was born about 1834, in West Harptree, Somerset, England, United Kingdom, his father, James Porter, was 36 and his mother, Phoebe Davis, was 28. He lived in Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom in 1841 and St George's Church, Brandon Hill, Bristol, England, United Kingdom in 1851.
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Family Time Line
Sources (5)
- William Porter in household of James Porter, "England and Wales Census, 1841"
- Legacy NFS Source: William Porter - Government record: Census record: birth-name: William Porter
- William Porter, "England, Somerset, Church Records, 1501-1999"
Parents and Siblings
1799– Male
1807–1890 Female
Siblings (8)
1830–1899 Male
1831– Female
about 1834– Male
1835–1901 Female
1838– Female
+3 More Children
World Events (8)
1843
Age 9
1854 · The Crimean War
Age 20
1880 · School Attendance Becomes Mandatory for Children
Age 46
Name Meaning
English and Scottish: occupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper of a great house, castle, or monastery, from Middle English and Older Scots porter(e), port(o)ur ‘doorkeeper, gatekeeper’ (Anglo-Norman French port(i)er, portur, Latin portarius). The office often came with accommodation, lands, and other privileges for the bearer, and in some cases was hereditary, especially in the case of a royal castle. The name has been established in Ireland since the 13th century. In North America, this surname has absorbed cognates and equivalents in other languages, for example German Pförtner (see Fortner ) and Poertner .
English: occupational name for a man who carried loads for a living, especially one who used his own muscle power rather than a beast of burden or a wheeled vehicle. This sense is from Middle English port(o)ur, porter ‘porter, carrier of burdens’ (Anglo-Norman French portur, porteo(u)r).
Dutch: variant, mostly Americanized, of Poorter, status name for a freeman (burgher) of a town, Middle Dutch portere, modern Dutch poorter. Compare De Porter .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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