Porter Family Migration To America

Some information on the Porters is here in a continuing research story by William Arthur Porter Sr. It is an example of what it took to cross the Pond.

A Cragun grandfather, Patrick Cragun is said to have been a 17 year old runaway from Ireland, traveling at a similar age. He too was in danger of capture into servitude by the ships Captain. He too had issues on the sea. His was different in that his ship was a sailing ship and went 40 days with no wind. They ran out of food and water.

It appears the Porters had a lot in common one family to another, the thirst for freedom being one, the spiritual inclination being another.

I have found no connection to Sanford Porter and Peter Porter, but with some extra research may just find a common ancestor. More effort on that later, or you can do that. If you find the common ancestor, please report back.

From Mr Arthur Porter Sr.:

Many Porters immigrated to America before the revolutionary war. The U S Government census report of 1790 gives the first names of 575 heads of Porter families. Moreover, since several volumes of this census were destroyed by the British in the War of 1812, there are many names missing. No doubt there were many more than 575 Porter families in America by 1790.

Today there are tens of thousands of Porters in America. Many descended from the families that were here in 1790; many from those that have since come from England. The lives as led in the early day by those by those Porters were very similar: I have gathered data about the life of the First Porter immigrant. I refer tot he life data of Peter Porter, the family's first American Immigrant. 

Peter Porter landed in Virginia in January, 1622. He was an English youth and, at the time, was just turning seventeen years of age. Peter had left England on September 21st, 1621, and so, had spent four months on the voyage. The trip across the ocean had been made in a small 40 ton vessel name "Tiger". On board the "Tiger" were 40 persons including several maidens for wives: the boat was in the charge of Captain Nicholas Elford.

His voyage across the ocean "was rough and beset with many dangers." As stated above, the "Tiger" had left England in  September. She sailed in consort with a larger ship named "Warwick", a vessel with 160 ton capacity.

Copeland says, "the Tiger" became separated from the Warick and was driven by ill weather so far as the North Cape, fell into the hands of the Turks on her way, who took most of her supplies, and ll of her serviceable sails, out of their power, so as she escaped that danger, and arrived safely in Virginia with all of her people, two English boys excepted,for which the Turks g  ave them two others, a French youth and an Irish. Copeland goes on to say, "Was not here the presence of God printed, as it were, in Folio, on Royale Crowne paper, and in Capital Letter? She arrived in January prior to the departure of "George". I have never been able to find out the nature of the strange accident that delivered them from the hands of the Turks.