Biography of John D. Porter, pages 774 / 775. History of De Kalb County, Indiana. Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885. John D. Porter, section 24, Smithfield Township, was born in Ripley, Huron County, Ohio, in 1821, and when he was two years of age his parents moved to Wyandotte County, Ohio. When he was twelve year of age his father died, leaving widow and five sons. John D. and his youngest brother, Mathew, of Ohio, are the only ones living. His mother died in 1860. When he was fifteen yeas of age he went to live with a maternal uncle, but a year later began to work by the month. In 1842 he came to De Kalb County, Ind., with Hiram Holmes, for whom he worked four years, remaining with him till his marriage. Mr. Holmes settled in Franklin Township, remaining there five years, when he moved to La Porte County and laid out a town on the Michigan Southern Railroad, which he named Holmesville. He subsequently left there and moved to Iowa. Mr. Porter was married in 1846 to Catherine McAndaffer, daughter of David McAndaffer, and a native of Stark County, Ohio, born January, 1829. He then settled on is father-in-law’s farm, in Smithfield Township, and after the latter’s death, in 1851, rented the farm five years. He then bought the homestead of the heirs, at that time containing 154 acres, seventy of which were improved. He now owns 196 acres, 150 improved. He has about 700 rods of tiling on his farm and other valuable improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Porter have had four children, three sons and a daughter; but two sons are living---David, born Aug. 6, 1849, married Martha, daughter of Joseph Ballby, of Waterloo; Franklin E., born September, 1859, was married Feb. 7, 1884, to Emma, daughter of John Lowe, of Franklin Township. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com