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Week 40 - A Moment of Courage - Nathaniel Dillingham

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By June 27, 1864, Nathaniel Gates Dillingham had been a soldier for nearly two years. When he enlisted in Company E of the 74th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, he was just twenty-four years old. His first months in the army had been difficult. Illness had kept him away from his regiment for a time, and he had been treated at Murfreesboro in the spring of 1863. But Nathaniel recovered and returned to duty. By the summer of 1864, he had followed the 74th through Tennessee and into Georgia as General William T. Sherman pushed southward toward Atlanta. Now, after weeks of marching, skirmishing and fighting, Nathaniel and his comrades found themselves facing the heavily fortified Confederate positions at Kennesaw Mountain. Nathaniel's regiment was part of the first brigade to attack.  The morning of June 27th dawned clear and cloudless and the Georgia heat quickly became oppressive. There had been considerable rain for a few weeks, but now the sun beat down, and the dampness made the heat ...
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Week 39 - What Wasn't Written Down

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Often, when family news wasn't written down, you learned it almost by accident. Sometimes someone would mention a story in passing, or a conversation would uncover a little piece of information that had never been recorded. Other times, the discovery came while researching. Those unexpected discoveries are some of the most rewarding parts of family history. Just when you think you know the story, another clue appears and opens the door to a whole new chapter. My grandfather Harry Edward 'Ed' Porter was a quiet, cheerful man who could often be seen in his enclosed front porch rolling a cigarette with a red can of Prince Albert sitting on the bench beside him. That is the way I picture him back in the 1960's when I was a kid. Grandpa always seemed to be outside, and Grandma always seemed to be sitting in her chair in the house.  Ed Porter was the oldest child of William and Carrie (Barnhart) Porter. His siblings were Forest, Maudie, Raymond (Casey), and Arthur.  Young Art...
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Week 38 - A Document with Personality - Porter

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What happens to property when there is a second marriage and the 1st wife dies and then the man remarries to another woman who then outlives him? Richard Kinnan & Margaret Porter 2nd marriages for both September 2, 1889 - Tipton, Iowa And the second husband doesn't leave a will? Would the property go to the 2nd wife, and she could do as she saw fit with the residue? What if the husband didn't leave a will? Would his property automatically go to his children from the first wife? That is exactly what happened in our family. My 2x great grandmother Margaret (Matter) Porter Kinnan outlived two husbands. She and my 2x great grandfather John J Porter were married for 27 years when he died at the age of 67. Margaret and John had a small farm, did okay on it, but it was sustaining, not elaborate. In 1880, John was listed as a retired farmer due to severe rheumatism. Five years later he would be dead leaving a widow (who was 15 years younger than he was) and six children of which th...
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Week 37 - A Small Detail I Love - Doris Daly

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My mother-in-law (Doris Ann (Daly) Conner Williams) was born December 7, 1933, in the small town of Columbiaville, Deerfield Township, Lapeer County, Michigan.  She was the oldest child of Margaret (Smith) and Kenneth J Daly. She had a younger brother Joseph and a sister Patricia. The family lived on the small 'Daly farm' that Ken and Margaret owned located on Miller Lake Road in Columbiaville. The family moved from the farm to Barnes Lake in the late 1950's. Doris attended Lapeer County schools, and in grade school she attended Sweet School located on Barnes Lake Road, a one-room schoolhouse and then went into Lapeer for her high school years.  Sweet School During the school year 1948-1949 she played basketball and even received a 'most improved' special award ribbon. This was via the Girls Athletic Club.  Girl's Athletic Club   Lapeer, MI Special Award Basketball Doris Daly Most Improved Noon Basketball Player Winter Season 1948-1949 Competitive varsity sports...
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Week 36 - More Than A Name - Porter Girls

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Often certain names bring to mind good people, good memories or good times. This prompt has been a tough one for me this week. I'm not sure why. But I struggled to find a story that was a good fit. Today, I thought what about my name. And my sister's names. There is a story in each of us. We are all more than a name. Carolyn was going to be a different name. Carol Lee? I remember hearing that mom had picked out the name, and then a friend had a girl a few months ahead of her and she named her daughter the name that mom had picked out. So, Carolyn she became. As the oldest, she has always herded us up and taken us with her even when she was a teenager. When she spoke, we listened. Maxine was named for a sister of my dad. Not the Maxine, but her middle name. But when the Polio virus affected her, my grandpa Sheridan stated, 'Oh the poor little Mick' and the name Mickie stuck. She has always been extremely competitive. Always striving to be able to do what everyone else wa...
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Week 35 2026 - A Spot on the Map - Porter

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In 1820 Jefferson County, Indiana had a population of only 8,038. The town of Madison had been settled about 1810 and was located on the Ohio river. When my 3x great grandparents Aaron and Lavina (Chapman) Porter arrived from the Lake George, New York area with their four children the surrounding countryside would have been heavily wooded.  Early descriptions of the region emphasized the tree-covered hills and the beauty of the Ohio River valley. One early settler even marked the location of what would become Madison by carving his name into two large beech trees. The Ohio River marked the southern border.  New settlers were slowly arriving from Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and other eastern states. The pull of western migration, the offer of free and/or cheap land were a great incentive to make the hazardous trek. They would have built a one or two room log cabin, a small garden and planted a patch of corn. Maybe an outbuilding for oxen and a cow. The forest would have come right...
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Week 34 2026 - Long-lasting - Porter

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I grew up with my mom having five or six pieces of Guardian service Cookware. They were given to her by my grandmother Nellie (Dillingham) Porter.  As I am older now, I wonder why Grandma Porter would have given them to her?  Did she not like the way they cooked? Did she have other pieces and the ones she shared were extras? I never heard that they were a wedding gift.... boy, I sure wish I had asked a whole lot more questions. When J Holly founded the Guardian Service Cookware company in 1930, he never realized that the durability of his cookware would survive generations of homemakers. He was looking for a product that would incorporate long-lasting aluminum (a fairly new product), innovative design that would produce successful heat conductivity and help women to create a satisfying meal. The hammered aluminum pieces had domed shaped aluminum lids that helped with 'waterless' cooking and maintained moisture so the food would cook in its own juices and at a lower temperature...
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