Series 2 - Porter letters

2 sub-series

Kerby A. Miller created his transcripts of the Porter Letters from the original manuscripts held in PRONI [reference numbers D1152/2 and D1152/3].

Materials pertaining to a set of 32 letters written by members of the Porter family between 1850 and 1887. The majority of the letters are written by William Porter in Chebanse, Illinois to his family in Ardarragh, Newry, County Down. Brothers Robert and Andrew also feature as letter authors. William Porter, a widower, emigrated circa 1849-1850 from Down to Chicago, leaving his three children behind with his own parents in Down. Porter would remarry in 1853 on a return visit to Ireland and bring his children back with his new wife to Chicago. By 1865, the Porters are farming in Chebanse and own properties in both Chebanse and Chicago from which they derive rental income. Eldest daughter Mary Ann operated at boarding house in Chicago. Andrew Porter, William's eldest brother, emigrated to the United States earlier in 1844, settling in Delaware County, New York before dying in the 1860s. Brother Joseph Porter joined William on his farm in Chebanse, later marrying and starting a family before dying of cholera in 1871. Robert, the youngest Porter brother, joined the Porters in Chebanse in 1873 before obtaining his own farm in nearby Iroquois County and starting a family.
The series includes transcripts of the letters, plus research files on the family and published histories of Kankakee and Iroquois counties in Illinois.