Texas Family Group Sheet for the William Thomas PORTER Family *********************************************** Copyright Deanna Harwig. All rights reserved. http://www.fgs-project.com/copyright.html *********************************************** Submitted by: Deanna Harwig Email address: Husband: William Thomas PORTER Birthdate: 14 Mar 1863 Birthplace: Fayetteville, Fayette County, Alabama Death date: 1943 Place of death: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Presbyterian/Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, TX Father: William J. PORTER Mother: Martha P. WATSON Marriage date: 26 Dec 1886 Marriage place: Fannin County, Texas Wife: Mary Annieque CASTLE Birthdate: 1870 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 1961 Place of death: Windom, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Presbyterian/Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas Father: George Washington CASTLE Mother: Sarah Jane HARRISON CHILDREN Child No. 1: un-known PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: abt. 1887 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: abt. 1887 Place of death: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Oakridge Cemetery, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Spouse's name: Child No. 2: Ida Mae PORTER Sex: F Birthdate: 1889 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, TX Death date: abt. 1984 Place of death: Fannin County, Texas Burial: Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonina, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Hubert Bascom STURDIVANT Child No. 3: William Roy PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: 1891 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 1965 Place of death: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Elizabeth Addie CROWSON Child No. 4: Martha Jane PORTER Sex: F Birthdate: 1894 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: Place of death: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Oakridge Cemetery/Church of Christ, E. of Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Tom Wilburn CARTER Child No. 5: George Bryan PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: 1897 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 1937 Place of death: Fort Worth train yards, Tarrant County, Texas Marriage date: Burial: Presbyterian/Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas Marriage place: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Lorene CASTLE Child No. 6: Gordon S. PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: 5 Apr 1900 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 22 Sep 1900 Place of death: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Oakridge Cemetery/Church of Christ, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Spouse's name: Child No. 7: Mary Lounora PORTER Sex: F Birthdate: 1902 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: abt 1998 Place of death: Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas Burial: Marriage date: Marriage place: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Cody C. Barnett Child No. 8: Josephine PORTER Sex: F Birthdate: unk Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: unk Place of death: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Oakridge Cemetery/Church of Christ, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Spouse's name: Child No. 9: Arthur Glenn PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: 6 Mar 1906 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 9 Mar 1986 Place of death: Fannin County, Texas Burial: Presbyterian/Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Bagby Community, Fannin County, Texas Spouse's name: Elizabeth HERNDON Child No. 10: Newman Cecil PORTER Sex: M Birthdate: 1907 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 1949 Place of death: Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas Burial: Presbyterian/Ladonia Cemetery, Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: 1932 Marriage place: Oklahoma Spouse's name: Mary Etta WRIGHT Child No. 11: Alta Hazel PORTER Sex: F Birthdate: 7 Sep 1909 Birthplace: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Death date: 6 Apr 1916 Place of death: Bugtussle, Fannin County, Texas Burial: Oakridge Cemetery/Church of Christ, Fannin County, Texas Marriage date: Marriage place: Spouse's name: Documentation: Cemetery photos, family notes, Folks and Facts of Fannin County, U.S. Census. William Thomas "Billy" PORTER came to Texas from Fayetteville, Alabama about 1881 at the age of 18. He came by train with the Olive RUCKER Family. He had one living sister Jane who later came to live on his farm. Billy and his sister were orphaned in their early teen years. Billy never met his father. His mother died when he was 8-12 years old. In Texas, he first worked for Jim MCFARLAND and later George TRUSS. He worked at the Bug Tussle gin and one summer drove oxen and helped clear the right-of-way for the railroad. Before his marriage he attended the academy at Savoy when Mr. HALSELL was president. He was a member of the Woodmen of the World lodge. His father William PORTER died of measle during the Civil War and he never saw his father. Billy married Mary Annie CASTLE, daughter of George Washington CASTLE who had moved his family from Mississippi to texas and settled near Clarksville. After a year or two they returned to Mississippi, then later came back to Texas and settled east of Bug Tussle. Other members of the CASTLE family were Orville "Bud", George, Oratio B., Eugene Franklin and Nora. After their marriage December 26, 1886, William T. and Mary Annie lived just west of Bug Tussle. About 1892 they bought 50 acres of land in the Bagby survey three mile east of Bugtussle. They later bought another 50 acres of land and soon built a comfortable six-room house. I have looked at the Fannin County Court House and did not find any Land Deeds in his name. They later acquired several hundred more acres along Sulphur River bottom. Several colored families helped work this farm and all made their contribution and indelible memories with humor, wisdom, trust, superstition, and hours of hard work. The first Bagby school was built on land donated by W. T. PORTER. Florence MCFARLAND was the first teach and she boarded with the PORTER family. Billy PORTER had boarded with her family before his marriage. Billy PORTER was united with the Baptist Church when he was 14 and brought his letter with him when he came to Texas. The Truss school was the location of the Lone Pecan Baptist Church, which later moved to the Bagby school-house, then later to the Dial Community where their memberships remained until their deaths. They were buried in the Presbyterian cemetery at Ladonia. The PORTERs were the parents of 11 children, four of whom died in early childhood. The oldest daughter Ida Mae born in 1889 married Hubert Bascom STURDIVANT and were the parents of four children: Hulene, Hubert Porter, Roy Truett, and Living PORTER. STURDIVANT died in 1942 and Ida Mae married Benjamin Wiley BROWN of Windom who died in 1960. William Roy married Elizabeth Addie CROWSON of Ladonia and were parents of one daughter, Dorothy. Martha Jane born in 1894 married Tom Wilburn CARTER and moved to the valley in 1921. They have three children. George Bryan married Lorene CASTLE. They had no children Bryan was killed in the Fort Worth Train Yards. This is a family mystery as to the truth of his death. Some speculate that there was a bounty on his head and that was why he was killed. Others say he was drunk and fell in front of a train. Mary Lounora married Cody C. BARNETT of Ladonia and have three children. Arthur Glenn married Elizabeth HERNDON of Wolfe City and have one son. Newman Cecil married three times. First wife unknown. She was ill and would go home to her mother often. They finally divorced. Cecil then married Lorene O'NEAL they had twin boys. Lorene and the twin boys died because Lorene had toxemia. Lorene's mother did not believe in doctor's or medicine and would not allow her daughter to have the medical attention needed to save their lives. The family recalls Lorene's mother wailing "I killed my daughter." He later married Mary Etta WRIGHT of Delta County and they have three daughters. After the death of Billy PORTER, Annie moved to Windom where she lived ten years before she died at the age of 91.