The Porter Family in Mississippi

Porter Marriages in Mississippi Between 1808 and 1825

During my research, I found nine Porter marriages during this early timeframe. On April 2, 1808, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, John Porter, b. February 10, 1785 in North Carolina, married Mary Middleton, born November 9, 1790 in Natchez, MS. Mary was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Middleton, who had migrated to Mississippi from South Carolina. John Porter was the son of Landlot Porter, born in Lancaster County, Virginia on February 2, 1749, and was married to Winifred Palmer, also born in Virginia. Winifred Palmer and Landlot Porter were married circa 1778 near Bayou Vermillion, Louisiana. Landlot's parents were Edward Sanders Porter, born circa 1720 in Lancaster, Virginia, and Mary Jeter, born circa 1725. Landlot and Winifred Palmer Porter's children were William, Shadrack, Joseph, John, Naomi, and Mary.

John Porter and Mary Middleton Porter, who were married on April 2, 1808, had the following children:

Jefferson Cade Porter
Caroline Porter
Martha Porter
James Riley Porter
William Monroe Porter
Albert Quincy Porter
Elvira Porter

Other Porter marriages located in pre-1825 Mississippi were:

Naomi Porter married Benjamin Scott on October 12, 1809 in Adams County, Mississippi.

Elizabeth Porter married Gabriel Cowan on January 3, 1819, Franklin County, Mississippi.

William B. Porter married Susannah Jackson on July 19, 1820, in Wilkerson County, Mississippi.

Letitia Porter married James Beck on March 5, 1822, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Tillett Porter married Ann Allison on December 7, 1822, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Lucinda Porter married James Owens on July 13, 1824, in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Jerimiah Porter married Susan E. Anderson on May 19, 1825, in Amite County, Mississippi.

Samuel Porter married Mary Middleton on May 17, 1825, in Franklin County, MS.

I have not yet been able to explain how the Mary Middleton who married John Porter in 1808 is related to the Mary Middleton who married Samuel Porter in 1825. Nor do I know what relationship Samuel is to John. What I do know is that my Porter line descends directly from Samuel Porter and Mary Middleton Porter, who later settled in Attala County, Mississippi.

During my research for information about the Porter family, the name "Landlot" Porter appeared repeatedly in early records. Each time I saw it, I questioned how the name "Landlot" came to be....why "that" particular name? What was the story behind the name? After much searching and even more contemplation, I found that "Landlot" was really a phonetic spelling of "Lancelot."

Genealogy research can be made much easier if one has an ancestor with the namce "Lancelot!"