Harriet Persis Porter

9 December 1824–27 November 1880 (Age 56)
Brimfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States

The Life of Harriet Persis

When Harriet Persis Porter was born on 9 December 1824, in Brimfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States, her father, Jeremiah Porter, was 35 and her mother, Atossa Nichols, was 35. She married Harry K. Smith in August 1862, in Lake, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 daughters. She lived in Waukegan, Lake, Illinois, United States for about 10 years. She died on 27 November 1880, in Lake, Illinois, United States, at the age of 55.

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Family Time Line

Harry K. Smith
1826–
Harriet Persis Porter
1824–1880
Marriage: August 1862
Mary Augusta Smith
1863–
Jennie W. Smith
1864–1884
Helen Amanda Smith
1869–1944

Spouse and Children

MARRIAGE
August 1862
Lake, Illinois, United States
children

(3)

    Mary Augusta Smith

    Female1863–Female

    Jennie W. Smith

    Female1864–1884Female

    Helen Amanda Smith

    Female1869–1944Female

Parents and Siblings

siblings

(12)

+7 More Children

World Events (8)

1825 · The Crimes Act

Age 1

The Crimes Act was made to provide a clearer punishment of certain crimes against the United States. Part of it includes: Changing the maximum sentence of imprisonment to be increased from seven to ten years and changing the maximum fine from $5,000 to $10,000.
1832 · Black Hawk War

Age 8

"The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of other tribes, known as the ""British Band"", crossed the Mississippi River, into Illinois, from Iowa Indian Territory in April 1832. Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but records show that he was hoping to avoid bloodshed while resettling on tribal land that had been given to the United States in the 1804 Treaty of St. Louis."
1839 · From Swamp to Beautiful Place

Age 15

By 1829 Venus, Illinois had grown sufficiently and in 1832 was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. In 1834 the name Venus was changed to Commerce because the settlers felt that the new name better suited their plans. But during late 1839, arriving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was renamed Nauvoo by Joseph Smith Jr., who led the Latter-Day Saints to Nauvoo to escape persecution in Missouri. The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language. It is notable that by 1844 Nauvoo's population had swollen to around 12,000 residents, rivaling the size of Chicago at the time. After the Latter-Day Saints left the population settled down toward 2,000 people.

Name Meaning

1 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 porter ‘doorkeeper’, ‘gatekeeper’ (Old French portier). 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. As an American surname, this has absorbed cognates and equivalents in other European languages, for example German Pförtner ( see Fortner ) and North German Poertner .2 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 Old French porteo(u)r (Late Latin portator, from portare ‘to carry or convey’).3 Dutch: occupational name from Middle Dutch portere ‘doorkeeper’. Compare 1.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

Sources (3)

  • Harriett Smith in household of Harry Smith, "United States Census, 1870"
  • Harriet P Smith in household of Harry K Smith, "United States Census, 1880"
  • Harriet Kittridge, "Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935"

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