Benjamin was born about 1706, the son of Nicholas Porter but his mother is unknown. The place is not known.
His wife was Ann Campbell. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. Their only known child was Ambrose (c1731->1773).
| Event | Date | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | ABT 1706 |
Note 1
!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.