IK Ml I! N K •I'M*• «! GENEALOGIES 3ND REMINISCENCES COMPILED BY HENRIETTA HAMILTON McCORMICK. Revised Edition. CHICAGO: Published Dv the Author 1\ Vc4 * 24 M i^trfr INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Henrietta Hamilton McCormick, Frontispiece. Abner Porter, M.D., 8 Hugh Blair Grigsby, LL.D., 17 Gen. John Warren Grigsby, D.William Gwin,LL.D., Capt. Reuben Grigsby, Francis Augustus MacNutt, Andrew Jackson Paxton, Gen. E. F. Paxton, Gov. A.Gallatin McNutt, Joseph P. McNutt, Gov. William A.McCorkle, Joseph Glasgow, ii9 Judge Josiah S. McNutt, 13° John Richardson Hamilton, 146 John Gilbreath Hamilton, *59 Locust Hill, 184 John Hamilton (1829), iB5 Elizabeth McNutt Hamilton (1829), iB5 John Hamilton (i860), iB7 Elizabeth McNutt Hamilton (i860), iB7 James G. Hamilton, 189 Rachel Hamilton Osborne, 191 Margaret Hamilton Krebs, 7.$6 Martha Hamilton Smithson, ii99 Alexander McNutt Hamilton, 201 Isabella Hamilton, 203 Leander James McCormick, 207 Robert Hall McCormick, 211 Elizabeth Maria McCormick (1852) 212 Henrietta Laura McCormick Goodhart, 212 Leander Hamilton McCormick, 213 McNutt Arms 53 Hamilton Anns J3£ PREFACE. A most noticeable feature of the closing years of the nine­ teenth century is the attention given to family history, to the tracing out of one's descent and the investigation of ancestry. This may be accounted for partly by the increased interest inand the recognized influence of heredity, and partly by the stimulus given by such of our patriotic societies as are associated with our Colonial history and the stirring events of the American Revolu­ tion, whose membership is dependent upon a direct lineal descent from ancestors actively engaged in those memorable struggles. The members of our American families are often separated widely. To counteract the effect of this dispersive tendency in our family life, it is the more important that there should be easily accessible, to the members of families, a printed genealog­ ical record, that the traces of descent be not lost, and the names of members of the past generations and their deeds, be saved from oblivion. The noticeable deficiencies in this book are due tothe fact that the writer was too late in undertaking the work. The former generation, and nearly all her contemporaries, having away it begun. passed" before was The Fathers," where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever ? PORTER. name, Porter, is not confined to any one section of the THEof the United States, but is equally wellknown inthe north and south, east and west. Itis not circumscribed or limited by boundaries. To endeavor to localize it would be like catching the breezes which float over the prairies of the west, to the boundless seas of the east. The family of Porter embraces within its fold, the names of many distinguished personages. Its men have been leaders in public affairs, both on land and sea, and have ever been promi­ nent in the higher walks of American life. The branch of the family whose genealogies are here given, was of English origin; and according to tradition, were of the pure English type, handsome and vivacious, tall, of blond com­ plexion with an abundance of light hair. ._• • ._^^\ia > ,1 ,1 • ¦n . T-» «V ir r .1 r .1 Benjamin Porter, great-grandfather of the author of this book, was a native of England. He married Ann Campbell of Wales, and came to America in 1730, settling in Orange County, Virginia. Had issue: 1. Ambrose. 2. Nicholas. 5 3. Thomas. 4. Charles. Colonel Charles Porter was a member of the House of Bur­ gesses in Dinsmore's time, commanded a regiment at the siege of Yorktown, and in 1777 was elected to the House of Dele­ gates from Orange County (now Culpeper) under the new con­ stitution of the previous year, when Mr.Madison lost his elec­ tion. Up to 1788 or 1789, Colonel Porter was an influential member of the General Assembly, sustaining all of Mr. Jeffer­ son's revised bills, especially the act concerning religious free­ dom. He married Sarah Camp, of Williamsburg. Camp Porter, the eldest son, married, in December, 1797, Frances, daughter of John and Martha Alcock, of Orange County. He died November 11, 1807. Had issue: John Alcock married Mary Crump 6 ABNER PORTER Martha married James W. Walker. George Camp married Susan Madison Wood. Charles. 5. Benjamin. 6. Elizabeth. 8., February 27, 1734. D., October 7, 1807. M.,John Grigsby. 7. Frances. 8. Joseph. 9. Jane. 10. Mary. 11. Abner. 8., June 25, 1743. M.,Hannah Ingram, 8., August 16, 1750. Daughter of John and Elizabeth Hawkins Ingram M.,November 13, 1768. Had issue: a. Francis. 7 8., June 4, i77<>­ M., J. Robertson. b. Alexander. 8., December 7, 1772 D.,June 20, 1773. c. Abner Porter, M.D. 8., June 6,1774. D., February 23, 1808. c. Alexander. 8., May 11, 1776. f. Elizabeth Hawkins. 8., September 21, 1778. D., September 1, 1843. M.,Elisha Grigsby. Son of "Soldier John" and Elizabeth Porter Grigsby, May 27, 1796. g. Lucy. 8., 1780. M.,J. Beasley. 8 h. William. 8., April9, 1783 i. Maria. -*T213 /fay» {tU-*^ 8., 1785. ttF M., Richard Cave. <*&b Uf&U*"'fj^** j. George. jtsU^frM+Zifc** 8., November 25, 1787 k. Benjamin F. ) and Nancy. ) 8., March 6, 1790. Benjamin. M., first, Miss Gibbs; second, Mrs. Joseph Grigsby. Nancy. M., Benjamin Beckham 423-- 1. Verlinda /W Cu^t^^<Z^/%^Cu^. 8., April6, 1793. £ M.,Reuben Grigsby m. Samuel. 8., May 27, 1795. M., Mary Henshaw. Here follows the willof the first mentioned Benjamin Porter : 9 f vV -^ >.\i OS V' s Copy of the Last Willand Testament of Benjamin >4 v* Porter, 1761. * •\ s I In the name of God, amen. v* I, **§ Benjamin Porter, of Orange County, Va., being in perfect health and of sound mind and memory —thanks be to Almighty God for the same — but knowing the uncertainty of this life, do make and ordain this to be my last willand testament. f First, Iresign my soul to God, hoping for pardon and remission of all my sins through the merit and suffering of my ! kind Saviour, Jesus Christ. My body Iyield to the earth, to be buried inChristian-lik manner. » As to my executors, hereinafter named, shall they meet, and to such worldy estate as it hath pleased God to bestow on me, Igive, devise, and bequeath the same in manner and form the following: First, give son, I to my eldest Ambrose Porter, one shilling \ current money of Virginia. Igive and devise all my land and tenements in the tract I now live on, and that lies on the east side of my spring branch, 10 I t i V *<* ){dO down to the— river, unto my sons Nicholas, Thomas, Charles, jNiand Abner to them and their heirs forever, to be equally yy divided among them; my son Nicholas having his choice either v of the manor home or the plantation where he now lives. & Igive and devise to my sons Benjamin and Joseph all the Vjlower tract of land Ipurchased of Mr. Nicholas Battail, and "^ the lands Ipurchased of Mr. Rowland Thomas, with a — water­ front on the river to them and their heirs. Iempower and order my executors to sell at public auction the upper part of the land Ipurchased of the aforesaid Battail to the highest » bidder, and the money coming from such sale to be equally divided between my daughters Elizabeth and Frances, and I their heirs. — \ Igive and bequeath unto my following children viz.:Ben­ Joseph, Abner, Jane, Bettie, Mary, jamin, Thomas,— Charles, — \ and Frances all my slaves and personal estate to them and I their heirs forever, to be equally divided among them, except ' as to my son Nicholas, which Igive an equal part of the per­ sonal estate (negroes excepted), he having received his share of them. \ Idesire that mygrandchildren of my daughters may be educated by my executors, out of the profits of my estate. Itis my desire, and Ido order that if any of my sons should die before they arrive at the age of twenty-one years, or marry, that their part of the land be equally divided among the surviving heirs to whom Ihave given my land. (¦' 11 Lastly, Ido appoint Nicholas and Benjamin my executors of ,| this my last willand testament. } i Witnesses : % n George Taylor. Lewis Taylor. i George Bledsoe. James Madison (father of President Madison.) •/­ \ \ i j V 12 ( GRIGSBY. 1\ /IANY American families, particularly Virginian, trace their *** descent from John Grigsby, whose ancestors were unquestionably of Welsh origin, and who settled in this coun­ try at a very early, day, and were a potent factor in the social and intellectual development of the communities in which they lived. As a people, they have been noted for their refined tastes, gracious manners, broad-mindedness and liberality, and entire absence of anything like narrow clannishness, in relig­ ious or political matters, and for unswerving devotion to the interests of higher education. The members of this family, with which the present records deal, were two brothers, James and John, who emigrated to America about the year 1660, and settled in Stafford County, Va., where John Grigsby was born in the year 1720., In the year 1740, the latter accompanied Lawrence Wash­ ington, in the forces of Admiral Vernon, on the expedition against Carthagena, South America, which was "one of the most important events of Gooch's Administration, as, taken in connection with the other colonies, it was another step in the 13 " development of union." See History of Augusta County," by J. Lewis Peyton; and "Collections of the Virginia Histor­ ical Society," volume ix.