Nicholas Albert Porter

Today we continue the saga of my biological family. Nicholas Albert Porter is my Grandmother Dora Louise Porter's father. So my maternal great grandfather. Nicholas Albert Porter, or as he most often was referred to Albert, was born on June 9, 1879 in Buckheart Township, Fulton County, Illinois. The most notable towns in Buckheart Township are St. David and Bryant. Being the late 19th century it is safe to assume he was born at home on a farm. He was the eldest son of Allen Brooks Porter and Louisa Barclay Porter. My great aunt Harriet advises me he had a brother but thus far my reseach has not born this out. His parents are both dead by 1882 when young Albert was three years of age. They both succumbed to TB at the ages of 30 for Allen and 29 for Louisa. Young Albert is sent off to live his youth with two spinster Aunts. He appears in the 1880 United States Census as living in Putnam Township, Fulton County, Illinois with his parents. His age is listed as one and his parents are both 27.

The next record of Albert Porter is the census of 1900. He is a "roomer" in ward 5 Peoria, Illinois. His listed occupation is "student". He is 21 years of age at the time and I have no information as to what he might have been studying. He is living with William Ramsey, age 57, Emma Ramsey, age 53, Mattie Ramsey, age 29, Cosette Ramsey age 26 and George Ramsey age 21. At this time I cannot tell you if the Ramsey's are relatives or not. They have not come up so far in my research other than this census notation.

Albert met and married Grace Mae Freeman in 1910. Grace was 16 at the time and Albert was 31. The story of their meeting and courtship is lost to the sands of time. They were married in Palmyra, Marion County, Missouri. It apparently was a popular destination at the time. It also allowed this couple to get married an act that likely was illegal in Illinois at the time due to Grace's age. He registers for the draft in 1918 and lists his employer as Big Creek Coal Company of St. David, Illinois

The 1920 census shows the couple living in Buckheart Township, Fulton County, Illinois and the parents of four children. William Brooks Porter, Dora Louise Porter, Hilda Ruth Porter and Harry Albert Porter. They are in age range from 8 to 2 years of age. Albert is working in the Fulton County coal mines as a miner. He worked as a laborer is the shaft or dug mines in the hillsides. It was dangerous and dirty work.

The 1930 census shows the family has moved to Putnam Township, Fulton County, Illinois and there are now more children. By this time my biological grandmother Dora is married and has left home. The additional children are Margret C.Porter, Geraldine M. Porter, Harriet A. Porter, David F. Porter and Kermit E. Porter. There would be one additional daughter born in the early 1930 Wanda Porter. The depression has struck and Albert lists his occupation as "teamster" and that he does "odd jobs". In talking to Harriet apparently the teamster work was bootlegging and the odd jobs were delivering alcoholic beverages during prohibition. Albert by this time has become an alcoholic and is from time to time caught bootlegging and goes to jail. It is during one of those stints in jail in 1928 or 1929 he meets my biological grandfather John and they partner up in the bootlegging business. It appears that the activity was limited to the Cuba, Illinois area. Some of their customers were city officials who would, of course, deny any involvement with them when they were caught.

Sometime in the mid 1930's Albert goes off to jail again. Grace faced with the daunting task of caring for the seven or so minor children at home cannot handle the pressure. She ends up with a boyfriend. The family unit disintegrates. Some of the children are sent to Cunningham Childrens Home in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. Wanda is sold by Grace to a family in Peoria. Times were tough and Grace needed income. The end result is that Albert and Grace divorce and the minor children are scattered like chaff in the wind. I will be telling their stories in future posts. Let's revisit Dora for a moment. You might reasonably ask why her family didn't assist her when her children were taken. It appears that this incident between Albert and Grace happened around the same time that Dora suffered from post partum depression and John signed away their children. As you can see her parents were in no position to help her.

Albert registers for the draft in 1942 and lists his address as Lewistown, Fulton County, Illinois. He is unemployed at the time according to his registration.

He died on March 17, 1952 in Canton, Stark County, Ohio.

So there is the story of Nicholas Albert Porter as I can tell it at this time. Orphaned at age 3, working as a coal miner in the prime working years of his life. Turning to bootlegging and alcoholism during the late 1920's and 30's. Yet according to his surviving daughter a loving father who did his best to provide for them in difficult times. She spoke of him kindly and didn't seem to hold any ill will about the family's breakup. Harriet's story is an amazing one and I look forward to telling you about her in the near future.