Individual Details

John Porter is said to have come to New England with his wife and nine children from Felsted, County Essex, England, possibly in the ship "Susan and Ellen" and in company with his brother-in-law Joseph Loomis. [This ship’ s name is sometimes seen as the Swan & Ellen, but I find no such ship.] He was found in Windsor, 1639, present at the General Court. The Windsor Town Records state that “John Porter, Sr., came from England and settled in Windsor in 1639.” He was a Deputy from Windsor to the Connecticut Legislature in August of 1639.

He was "of Felsted" at the time of his marriage to Anna White in Messing. The births of nine children and the death of the first son named Samuel are all recorded in Felsted. [recorded birth dates herein are actually the baptismal dates of his children] The baptism of the daughter Anna in November of 1638 in Messing would seem to preclude any possibility that the family of John Porter sailed on the ship “Susan & Ellen” which departed London on 11 Apr 1638. However, a deposition of a Joseph Hills taken on 30 Jul 1639, reveals that he was on that ship and part of the cargo included that of Joseph Loomis of Brayntree, County Essex, shipped from Malden in County Essex to the Custom House in London and loaded about 11 Apr. The “Susan and Ellen” arrived Boston, 17 Jul 1638 - no known manifest list exists.

Joseph Loomis married Anna White’s sister Mary, 30 Jun 1614 as listed in the Shalford Parish Register, County Essex. Father of Anna and Mary was Robert White - he made a bequest in his will of 1617 to “my daughter Marie, the wife of Joseph Lummis of Branetree”.

Records of Marriages and Births in Windsor, CT. Copied from the first records under the date of 18 May 1674 by Samuel H. Parson, Esq. Printed in the NEHGS Register, 1851, Vol. 5.
John Porter, Senr. came from England and settled in Windsor in 1639. Chil: Nathaniel, b. 19 Jul 1640. Hanna, b. 4 Sept 1642. He d. 21 April 1648. His son, John Porter had chil. John, b. 3 June 1651, Mary, b. 17 July 1653. Sara, b. 5 Sept 1655. James, b. 22 Dec 1657, went to England and was agent for Connecticut. Nathaniel, b. 20 Apr 1660. Hanna, b. 1 Jan 1662. Samuel, b. 5 Mar 1664. Rebeca, b. 8 Mar 1666. Hester, b. 8 May 1667. Ruth, b. 7 Aug 1671. Hezekiah, b. 7 Nov 1672. Joseph, b. 7 Feb 1675.

List of the First settlers of Windsor, recorded in the Town Records, 1640, five years after their removal from Dorchester, included John Porter.


Joseph Loomis and John Porter had home lots adjacent to each other in Windsor. By 1636, their brother John White and sister Elizabeth, married to William Goodwin, were also settled in Hartford.

Will of John Porter.
A particular courte in Hartford, Conn., June 7, 1649. This day was presented to this courte, the last will and testament of John Porter, late of Wyndsor, deceased, and the inventory of his estate, Anno 1648, Apl. 20.

"Imprimis. This is the last will and testament made by me, John Porter, of Wyndsor. Although now weake and sick in body, yet perfect in memory, do bequeathe my soule to GOD that gave it, and my body to be buried, and my goods as followeth:

Item. I give to my eldest son, John Porter, one hundred pounds, and to my second son, James Porter, I give three score pounds, and to my other six children, to wit: Samuel Porter, Nathaniel Porter, Rebecca Porter, Rose Porter, Mary Porter, and Anna [Hannah] Porter, I give to them thirty pounds apiece, which is to raised out of my whole estate, as housings, lands, cattle and household goods, and is to be paid as they come to be twenty years of age, or sooner if my overseers see just cause, without whose consent I would not have them to manage; which if they do, it shall be in the power of my overseers to abate of their portions, and give it to the others that are more deserving.

And in case of any of my children die before they be married or be twenty years of age, their portion shall be equally divided amongst the rest, unless the overseers see cause to abate it upon the eldest. In case my estate shall be found upon particular view, to rise to be more in value than these portions above given, or less than the sum, my will is that it shall be proportionally added or rebated to my children's several portions, except my overseers see cause to abate my eldest son, that hath the biggest portion, or likewise my second.

The particular goods wherein each child shall have his portion paid out of my whole estate, I leave to the direction of my overseers. My son [son-in-law], Joseph Judson, is to take twenty shillings of Thomas Thornton, next winter.

Also, I give fifty shillings to Wyndsor church. My desire is that my beloved friends would be the overseers of this my last will and testament, Mr. Warham of Wyndsor, Mr. Goodwin of Hartford, Goodman White of Hartford, and Matthew Griswold of Wyndsor.

Witness, JOHN PORTER.
HENRY CLARKE,
ABIGAIL BRANKER.


The two eldest daughters, Sarah and Anna, had previously received inheritance and were omitted from John Porter’s Will. They must have felt entitled to an equal portion:
“The Children of Robert White of Messing, County Essex, England, Who Settled in Hartford and Windsor”, by a Descendant, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1901, Vol. 55, pp.22-31
CT. Col. Rec., Vol 1, pp.475-6
“......touching the children of John Porter of Wyndsor, deceased, We finding some expressions of his that he would make the portions of his two eldest daughters as good as his younger; also we conceive the eldest were helpful to the estate and that the Lord hath taken away one of the younger daughters [Ruth] and that the rest of the children are disposed of without damage to their portion; our apprehensions are (if the Court see meet) that the two eldest daughters portions be made up thirty pounds apiece.”
Signed: John Taillcott, William Westwood

John Tallcott, who signed the above record came in the ship “Lion” or “Lyon” which sailed 22 Jun 1632 from London for Boston. William Goodwin & his wife Elizabeth (White) accompanied them on this journey. John White was also on the list of passengers of the “Lion”. His wife’s name was Mary - their is a marriage listed in the Parish Register of Messing for John White and Mary Levit - 26 Dec 1622. He is believed to the same John White as the John White, brother of Elizabeth, Mary and Anna White.

Immigrant Ancestors by Frederick Adams Virkus, p.55, states that John Porter was the 16th generation descendant from William de la Grande, a Norman Knight of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, 1066. John came from County Essex and settled at Windsor, CT 1638. He was a constable 1639-40, juror 1641, grand juror 1643, deputy 1646.

John and Ann are said to be buried Center Cemetery, East Hartford, Hartford Co, CT.

Marriage	18 Oct 1620	Messing, Essex, England - ANNA White
Death	21 Apr 1648	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut
Birth		Messing, Essex, England

Spouse	ANNA White ( - 1647)
Child	Anna Porter (1621 - )
Child	John Porter (1622 - 1688)
Child	Sarah Porter (1624 - )
Child	James Porter (1627 - )
Child	Rebecca Porter (1630 - )
Child	Samuel Porter (1632 - 1632)
Child	Rose Porter (1633 - 1648)
Child	Samuel Porter (1635 - 1689)
Child	MARY Porter (1637 - )
Child	Anna/Hannah Porter (1638 - )
Child	Nathaniel Porter (1640 - 1679)
Child	Hannah Porter (1642 - )