Brief Life History of James Otis
When James Otis Porter was born on 11 August 1875, in Lagro, Lagro Township, Wabash, Indiana, United States, his father, George Wesley Porter, was 30 and his mother, Mary Elizabeth Miller, was 20. He married Eliza Lizzie Mearing on 26 October 1899, in Wabash, Noble Township, Wabash, Indiana, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 5 daughters. He lived in Chester Township, Wabash, Indiana, United States in 1880 and Wabash, Noble Township, Wabash, Indiana, United States in 1910. He registered for military service in 1899. He died on 3 May 1956, in San Diego, San Diego, California, United States, at the age of 80.
Photos and Memories (1)
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Family Time Line
Sources (29)
- James Porter in household of George Porter, "United States Census, 1880"
- James O Porter, "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007"
- James Otis Porter, "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918"
Spouse and Children
1875–1956 Male
1877–1968 Female
Children (7)
1900–1987 Female
1902–1968 Female
1904–1956 Female
1906–1994 Male
1909–1994 Male
+2 More Children
Parents and Siblings
1845–1913 Male
1855–1929 Female
Siblings (9)
1873–1929 Female
1875–1956 Male
1879–1935 Female
1881–1973 Female
1883–1885 Male
+4 More Children
World Events (8)
1876 · The First Worlds Fair in the U.S.
Age 1
1893
Age 18
1898 · War with the Spanish
Age 23
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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