PORTER, George (1858-1940)

PORTER

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 4/1/2020 at 10:00:46

George Porter
(January 1, 1858 – February 24, 1940)

Ida County Pioneer Record, Ida Grove, IA, Thurs., Feb 29, 1940, p.1, col.1
Pioneer County Settler Passes Away Saturday; George Porter Sr., 82, Came To Ida County In 1875
George Porter Sr., 82, pioneer settler of Ida County, passed away at the home of his daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Batchelor at Peterson, Saturday, February 24, at 7:45 a.m. George Porter, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Porter, natives of Scotland, was born January 1, 1858 at Toronto, Canada. The parents later moved to Clarence, Iowa, where the father followed his trade of harness maker. In 1875 Mr. Porter, a lad of 17, came to Ida County bringing with him a horse, team of mules, harness made by his father and a John Deere breaking plow and started breaking prairie on the farm just south of Hayes Center. The farm was purchased by his father before the area was settled and the land was mostly unbroken prairie. There was no railroad in to Ida, so supplies and building materials were brought overland from Vail. Mr. Porter hauled the lumber for their first house from Vail.
He was united in marriage to Miss Victoria Parks of Boone in 1880. The following year they purchased a farm in section 20, Hayes Township and Mr. Porter set forth to convert the virgin prairie into tillable land and to establish a home. After almost forty years of residence on the farm they retired and moved to Ida Grove. Mrs. Porter passed away January 6, 1921. Four children were born to this union, one son, William R., died in infancy. Those surviving are (Ethel) Mrs. Ross Lawhead, Windom, Minn.; (Nettie) Mrs. L. A. Batchelor, Peterson; and George V., of Sioux City. Four grandchildren, Mrs. Arthur Heacock, Lone Rock, Ia., DeWitt E. Lawhead, Windom, Minn., Dorothy and Donald Porter of Sioux City. Also two great grandchildren, and two sisters, Mrs. A. W. Simpson and Mrs. Frank Lord.
50 – Year Mason
In the winter of 1938 Mr. Porter was honored by Kane Lodge No. 377 A.F. & A.M. for his membership of 50 years in that order and received a certificate for his long membership. About a year and a half ago he received a fractured hip in a fall, while doing repair work at his farm. He recovered nicely from this misfortune and was able to get about, bur early last fall he began to fail in health and the past winter has been spent in the home of Rev and Mrs. Batchelor where he was tenderly cared for by Mrs. Batchelor assisted by Mrs. Lawhead. He was converted and united with the Church of God at Hayes Chapel 45 years ago. Shortly after moving to Ida Grove he transferred his membership to the local Church of God in 1906. He has been a member of the church council for many years. Funeral services were held Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Church of God in charge of Rev. R. M. Hudson, assisted by Rev. N. C. Andresen of Peterson. Interment was made in the Ida Grove Cemetery under the direction of Moore Bros. [funeral home].