My Family History
Erin Porter
EDC 326
The Porter Family
Miles Porter = Margaret Lovell
Noel James Wayne = Mary Josephine Joros
Miles Gordon Porter = Mary Elizabeth Wayne
Kathleen
(1944-)
Patrick Wayne
(1945-)
Erin Porter
(1984-)
William Whitcomb
(1951-)
Paul
(1958-1958)
Noel Ann
(1962-
Noel James Wayne
Noel James Wayne was born on April 13, 1895
in Chateaugay, Franklin County, New
York. During WWI he worked in the
maintenance department for the Army. He
was stationed in France for most of the
war. He was also a member of the Knights
of Columbus. When he returned home he
married Mary Josephine Joros and they
had two daughters Mary Elizabeth Wayne
and Margaret Mary Wayne. He worked at
Northern States Power Co. for 33 years. At
the time of his death he was head switch
board operator at the High Bridge Power
Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. He died at
age 60 of a heart attack.
Mary Josephine Jaros
•
Mary Josephine Jaros was born on
December 20, 1898 in Minneapolis,
Hennepin County, Minnesota. She was
married to Noel James Wayne and had
two daughters Mary Elizabeth and
Margaret Mary. During the great
depression she worked as a seamstress
to make extra money. She died in St.
Louis Park, Hennepin County,
Minnesota on January 9, 1965 at age
67. She is buried in Fort Snelling
National Cemetery next to her husband
•
She is holding my father here outside
1101 Churchill Street.
Miles Porter
•
Miles Porter was born on December 7, 1873
in Ceresco Township, Blue Earth County,
Minnesota. He married Margaret Lovell and
they had 6 children: Charles Francis (Died as
Infant) (1911-1911), Stella Margaret (19061976), Mary Joyce (1909-1994), Barbara
Ellen (1913-1988), Patricia Jean (1917-), and
Miles Gordon (1919-2003). He ran for
county attorney and did not win.
•
One day the Porters took a boating trip in a
Lake in Minnesota. One of his daughters
Joyce fell in the water and he jumped in the
lake to save her. Joyce survived but Miles did
not and he ended up drowning to death. As
result my Grandfather Miles Gordon never
knew his father. He died on July 19, 1919 at
age 46.
Margaret Lovell
•
Margaret Lovell was born in September
1884 in Vernon Center, Blue Earth
County, Minnesota. She had six
children one who died at birth. She was
forced to raise her children on her own
when her husband Miles Porter died in
a boating accident. She died in
Minneapolis, Hennepin County,
Minnesota, on June 19, 1937; she was
52 years old.
•
Here she is holding my Grandfather in
August 1920.
Auntie and Uncle Frank
•
This is Stella Margaret Porter Clague and her
husband Frank Clague. Frank Clague was a
U.S. representative for the state of Minnesota
from January 1, 1903, to January 1, 1907. He
served in the Minnesota Senate from January
1, 1907 to December 31, 1915 and was a judge
of the ninth judicial district of Minnesota from
January 1, 1919, to March 1, 1920. Frank and
Stella became quite wealthy and decided to
have no children so they financially aided her
mother and sisters and brother (my
grandfather) during the great depression. They
lived on an estate in Redwood Falls,
Minnesota. Her mother Ellen Porter lived with
them at their estate until her death on January 9,
1925. Stella died in 1958 and Frank died in 1952.
Both Frank and Stella provided a lot of support to
our family.
Miles Gordon
Porter
• This is my grandfather
and he was born on
November 26, 1919 in
Minneapolis,
Hennepin County,
Minnesota.
• He never met his
father who died in a
boating accident
saving his sister. Here
he is with his four
sisters, his mother, and
Auntie holding him.
• Miles went to Central
High School in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
• When he graduated he
went to the University
of Minnesota to study
law.
Mary Elizabeth Wayne Porter
• Mary Elizabeth was
born on May 10 1922
in Saint Paul, Ramsey
County, Minnesota.
Her parents were
Mary Josephine and
Noel James Wayne.
• Growing up as a child of
the great depression she
learned to live with what
she had even though she
was fortunate enough to
have a father with a job.
She would put cardboard
in her shoes to make them
last longer and window
shop with her father for
beautiful china.
And then they met…
• When attending the University of
Minnesota his sister Barbara rented a floor
of a house and my Grandfather decided to
live with her in college. The house
happened to be owned by my
Grandmother’s parents who rented one
floor of their two story house in Como Park
to make extra money. The story goes that
my Grandfather would always sit up and
wait for my Grandmother to come home
from her dates and then he would see if she
ever kissed them. He had his eye on her
from the start and with much determination
he finally won my Grandmother over.
Wedding Bells
Ring!
September 10,
1943
• After college my
Grandfather joined the
navy where he was a pilot.
He received a lot of
training but the most he
ever did in the war was fly
up and down the east coast
looking for submarines.
My Grandmother kept
busy taking the role of
Rosie the Riveter. She
worked at an ammunition
plant.
During the
war, my
Grandfather
was stationed
all over the
country. It was
when he was
last stationed in
Atlantic City
that Miles and
Mary started
their family
first with
Kathleen and
then with
Patrick my
father.
After the war…
• Mary and Miles settled in
Jackson, Minnesota which
is located in the southern
region of the state. There
my Grandfather was an
attorney and followed in
his father’s footsteps by
running for county
attorney. Just like his
father he lost. On
September12, 1951
William Whitcomb Porter
was born. Here he is with
my father Patrick.
Mary, Miles, Kate, Pat, and
Bill all moved back to
Minneapolis, Minnesota
where he received a job
with the Minnesota State
Legislature writing laws
that aided to the
unemployed. He mediated
cases for those who
thought that they had been
fired from their jobs. He
worked here until he
retired. In April 24, 1962
they had their final
daughter Noel who was
named after her
Grandfather.
Politics
• Politics were always of
interest in the Porter family.
My Grandmother Mary, her
sister Margaret, and Kate all
helped campaign for John F.
Kennedy. My Grandfather
would never say who he
voted for even though you
could figure it out by
listening to him at the dinner
table. My Grandmother
however was never quiet and
one night wrote a 12 page
letter to President Nixon
telling him how furious she
was and sent it off to the
White House
•
Source
:http://4umi.com/image/people/John_F_Kenn
edy.jpg
Death of an Era
• My Grandmother died on
March 13, 1996 from a
heart attack. On the way to
the hospital, the diamond
in her engagement ring
fell out of its setting and
into the snow. My
Grandfather rented a
device to melt the snow
and sifted through every
inch of snow until he
found the diamond to
repair her ring before she
died. My Grandfather then
died on January 9, 2003
where he is now with his
true love.
The Spencer Family
•
•
Benson = Van Blerken
Unknown From
Bergum, Norway
George Albert = Lucy Benson
Spencer
Fred Kimmel = Alice Thompson
Francis- Marion- Lillian----------------------------- George Spencer = Katherine Kay Kimmel
Sandra
Godfrey
2 Daughters:
Callie Ockerman
Elizabeth Prue
Susan1 Daughter
Erin
Joanie
I son:
Jake
My Great, Great Grandparents
Unknown
From Bergum, Norway.
There were born and died there.
They had 13 children. When
her children came over to
America they wanted to
bring their mother but were
to afraid to do. During this
time anyone who died on a
ship would be thrown
overboard and her children
felt that it was important for
her to have a proper barial.
So she never followed her
children to America and died
in Norway.
Great Grandmother Alice
My Great Grandmother Alice came to America when she
was 14 years old from Bergum, Norway. She was born
in 1874 and came to America in 1888. When she came
to America she changed her name to Thompson. Her
original name is still unknown but is probably related to
her home in Norway. She changed her name because of
the large amount of Norwegians that were being
discriminated against in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The
first fair housing act was passed in Minneapolis,
Minnesota in 1932 because of the discrimination that
was taking place against Norwegian Immigrants.
Great Grandma Alice
• Great Grandma Alice was a business woman. She
owned a candy shop in downtown Minneapolis.
Famous entertainers would always stop buy to eat
her candy when they were performing in the city.
Alice had no children until Grandma Kay at age
39. She delivered Katherine Kay Kimmel at home
with a midwife, cleaned up, put the baby in her
basket, and went back to work. She was wiped
out during the great depression and had to close
her story because no one could afford to buy
candy.
Katherine Kay Kimmel
with her Fred and
Alice Kimmel
• Fred Kimmel was
born in Germany in
1879. He was five
years younger than his
wife Alice. He died
from surgery
complications from
gall bladder surgery.
Baby Katherine Kay Kimmel
• Here is Great
Grandma Alice
with Grandma
Katherine Kay
Grandma Kay’s High School
Graduation
The Spencer's
• George Albert Spencer was born in 1848 in
Boston, Massachusetts. He was one of two
boys. When he was two years old his
parents and brother moved to Augusta,
Main where his father owned a lumber
business. When he was a teen his parents
sent him to Canada to avoid sending him off
to the civil war because so many people had
been killed in Gettysburg.
George Albert
• Once in Canada,
George logged
his way as a
lumberjack to
the Isle Royale
located in Lake
Superior.
•
Source:http://www.minsocam.or
g/MSA/collectors_corner/usgs/b
1309f1.jpg
George Albert Spencer
• Because of the cold winter ahead he knew that he
could not stay there during the winter so he
traveled across Lake Superior until he reached the
mainland of Minnesota. They attempted to reach
the shore in a canoe but it capsized and all the men
were washed ashore. The men were rescued by
Native Americans and rescued back to health.
George Albert ended up finally settling in
Waterville, Minnesota.
When living in Waterville, the
townspeople heard rumors that
Jessie James and his gang were
going to rob a bank in
Northfield, Minnesota which is
the town next to Waterville. All
the men of the town got
together and were going to
attempt to ambush the gang.
George Albert hid above the
road and when they saw the
gang coming the rode on and
notified the townsman that they
were coming. Because of the
warning the townspeople were
able to stop the robbery. In the
ambush Jessie James brother
died as well as a jail guard.
Source:http://www.islandnet.com/~the-gang/jesse9.jpg
Aunt Francis and Aunt Lilly
• Aunt Francis and Aunt
Lilly were my
Grandfather’s sisters.
They were teachers in
the South Dakota
Prairie and rode a
wagon to work every
day.
The Benson’s
• The Benson’s were
Lucy Benson’s
parents who was
my Grandfather’s
mother. We know
that Mr. Benson
was from Norway
and that Mrs.
Benson who’s
maiden name is is
Van Blerken and is
most likely from
Holland.
• This is a picture of Lucy Van Blercken who was my
Grandfather George’s mother. We can assume that she
is Dutch by the pronunciation of her name.
George Tillman Spencer
• George Tillman
Spencer was born in
1900. Here he is with
his brother Marion at
age 10.
• My Grandfather lived to be
97 years old. He dropped
out of school in the eighth
grade to help support his
family. He self educated
himself and ended up
teaching electronics at
Dunwoody Institute in
Minneapolis. He was an
electrician for Northern
States Power Company for
45 years.
George Tillman Spencer
married Katherine Kay
Kimmel August 16, 1941
in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. They had a
long courtship of eight
years before they finally
got married. Every night
they would walk around
Lake of the Isles in
Minneapolis and then
when they would rest he
would sit on one end of
the bench and she would
sit on the other.
• George and Katherine
had three children
Sandra in 1943, Susan
in 1945 (my mother),
and Joanie 1948.
• Here is my mother as
a baby.
Susan Spencer
Susan Alice Spencer was
born April 28, 1945 in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. She
was born the month and they
year that WWI ended. At 4
months old, my mother came
down with the whopping
cough and my Grandmother
was told to plan her funeral.
Luckily she survived. She
also got the scarlet fever at
age three which is how old
she is in this picture.
Because there were no
antibiotics, she was
quarantined to her crib for
three weeks.
Susan Spencer
• Susan went to Washburn
High School and
graduated in 1963. After
high school, she got
married and raised two
children Benjamin and
Danny. She went back to
college in her mid 30s to
become a nurse. She got
divorced in 1971. She was
neighbors with my father
on Grand Avenue and met
him at a disco dancing
class. They were married
in October 8, 1982.
Patrick Wayne Porter
• Patrick was born on
August 7, 1945 in
Atlantic City, New
Jersey. My father also
became ill as a child
and had the German
Measles. He spent ten
days in the hospital
and almost died as
well.
Patrick Wayne Porter
• My father graduated from
southwest high school in
1963. He went to the
University of Minnesota
and graduated with a
political science and
history degree. But he
decided this was not for
him so he moved to
Florida and became an
apprentice to become a
blacksmith. He moved to
Kentucky to start his own
business and this is where
he married my mother and
had me!
After college my father
got drafted in the Vietnam
War. He was in the Army
in the infantry as a radio
transmitter. His job was to
carry the radio which was
the most dangerous job
because the antenna on the
radio had to be up and that
is who the enemy wanted
to kill because they
provided communication.
After the war he
decided to follow
his dream and
become a
blacksmith. He
moved to Florida
and became an
apprentice to
become a
blacksmith. He
moved to Kentucky
to start his own
business and this is
where he married
my mother and had
me!
I am Erin Wayne Porter
• I was born here in
Kentucky on December
10, 1984. Throughout
childhood my dream was
to become a ballerina/
school teacher. I am now
perusing my dream of
teaching as an education
major at the University of
Kentucky.