Mary was born in 1745 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, the daughter of Ambrose Porter and Jemima Smith.
She died on 1 JUL 1786 in Virginia, USA.
Her husband was Henry McDaniel. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. They had no known children.
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| Event | Date | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes | ||
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| Birth | 1745 |
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| Death | 1 JUL 1786 |
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Note 1
!Source: Howard-Bailey Family Tree, Sandra VanConant https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/152515386/person/322360809518/facts
Mary Ann Porter
1740–1785
Birth 1740 • Halifax Co, Va
Death 1 JUL 1785 • Monroe, Greenbrier, Virginia, USA
Family
Parents
Ambrose Porter
1719–1773
Jemima Smith
1723–1817
!Source: https://huskey-ogle-family.tripod.com/ancestorarchives/id53.html
Ancestor of the Month
December 2009
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Ambrose Porter
b. 1731 d. 1773
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Ambrose Porter is one of our ancestors who illustrates the difficulty in finding information about our forebears. He also illustrates how names can help or hinder in research.
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The Problem
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Our Ambrose Porter was born in America, and we luckily know his descendants down to the present day. His ancestral lineage, however, may never be successfully pinned down. The problem begins because there are lots of Porters, lots of Benjamins, and surprisingly, lots of Ambroses. In beginning this research, I wrongly assumed that looking for information on a name as unique as Ambrose Porter would be a cakewalk. Wrong. There are scads of Ambrose Porters: ministers, alumni of Ivy League colleges, landowners, people named in wills in England and America. They’re everywhere. There is even a Medal of Honor winner named Ambrose Porter buried in Missouri. Ambrose Porters lived in Virginia, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Georgia. There are also lots of Benjamins and Nicholases On top of that, all the Porters in each generation seemed determined to name as many as possible of their male children Benjamin, Nicholas, and Ambrose.
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Apparently a number of Porter descendants have attached themselves to “our” Benjamin because of the similarities of names. Some of the Porters are from England, some from Ireland, and some of the ones in question were born in America. Our Ambrose was born in 1731 or thereabouts in Orange Co., VA, and died after 25 Jun 1773 in VA. He was the son of Benjamin Porter and Ann Campbell There are as many as twenty-two children credited to Benjamin and Ann between 1714 and 1755. Astounding feat, but somehow improbable. Perhaps Benjamin was married twice.
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Apparently at least two extended Porter families lived in colonial Virginia on opposite sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The older Porter family had been in the colonies for some time. Nicholas Porter was living in Virginia as early as 1637, and it is possible that his family had moved to the colonies even before that. This Porter family settled first along the York and Rappahannock rivers but eventually moved west across the Blue Ridge. This family was among the first to settle in Spotsylvania County, which was formed in 1721 from King William and Essex Counties. They are probably ours. The other Porters, those more newly arrived, were said to be part of a massive influx of Irish and Scots-Irish immigrants who arrived in the south and traveled north through the Shenandoah Valley, settling on the eastern side of the mountains. Both families claim a Benjamin married to an Ann Campbell with a son named Ambrose. Tradition has it that our Benjamin lived west of the Blue Ridge.
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Luckily, when our Ambrose died, he named his children and grandchildren in his will. Thus, we know he is ours and we are his. Beyond that, the waters are murky. Most sources say Ambrose is the son of Benjamin and Ann Campbell Porter, but Benjamin does not name Ambrose as one of his children in his will. This does not necessarily mean Benjamin is not Ambrose’s father, but a mention in the will would certainly have been helpful for those of us who came later. Since we know Ambrose is ours, why not just take him and be happy, leaving the tangled knot of Benjamins, Anns, and Nicholases for “cousins” who will come after us to untie.
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Marriage and Family
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In 1743 or 1744, Ambrose married Jemima Smith in Essex Co., VA. According to Ambrose’s will, the couple had six children:
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1. Nancy Ann , m. in 1760 to John Ownby . Nannie is our ancestor. She and John had 14 children.
2. >>> Mary was possibly the wife of Henry McDaniel , farmer and landowner in VA. Henry is named in Ambrose’s will as an executor. He owned land or lived in Halifax, Pittsylvania, Bedford, Greenbrier, and Monroe Counties, VA. He died in Monroe Co., VA in 1819
3. Benjamin m. Unknown. Benjamin had at least one son, Julius N who was born in SC. Benjamin signed an Oath of Allegiance in Pittsylvania Co., VA in 1777. IF he is the Benjamin Porter listed on the1784 Tax Returns for Fredrick's Parish, SC, he owned 1725 acres and 33 slaves at that time. Census records for Charleston, SC list records for a Benjamin Porter in 1800,1810, and 1820.
4. Jane
5. Joseph N Joseph married Rose Taliaferro on 6 Feb 1777. Rose was the daughter of Dr. John and Mary Hardin Taliaferro. Joseph and Rose had five children: John Taliaferro b. 26 Jan 1778, Ambrose Richard b. 23 Jan 1782, Mary "Elizabeth" b. 1787, Behethland b. 13 Jun 1793, and Richard Taliaferro b. 25 Jul 1800. Joseph signed an Oath of Allegiance in Pittsylvania Co, VA in 1777. During the Revolution, Joseph was a Corporal 2 in Capt. William Shepard's Company, NC Revolutionary Army. Joseph and his wife came to GA from Surry, NC with his father-in-law, Dr. John Taliaferro, sometime between 1790 and 1794. Joseph wrote and signed a will 4 Jun 1820.
6. Susannah in Pittsylvania County, Virginia m.15 NOV 1777 to John May in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. John died 1819 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia