James Harvey Porter was born at Manchester, Connecticut on June 6, 1845, his parents having moved to Hartford in 1853 where Mr. Porter spent most of his life - at the age of 17 he entered the employ of Roderick Nevers to learn the trade of Steel-Plate Printer. On Dec 25, 1865 he married Miss Mary S. Williams, an English girl, who died Jan. 1874. On Decmeber 25, 1875 he re-married, taking for his wife Miss Amanda M. Backus of Manchester, CT who survives him. In Nov 1866 having completed his trade of Steel-Plate Printer he entered the employ of the Calhoun Show Printing House in Hartford, with whom he remained for twenty-five years. He became an expert color printer and did work for many old-time show people. The Calhouns being the largest show printing house in the east outside of New York. In 1891 Mr Porter perfected an invention and entered into partnership with A B Morse for its manufacture under the firm name of Morse & Porter Manufacturing Co. In 1894 with his wife and 3 children moved to West Hartford, a suburb of Hartford, entering the employ of the town, as a engineer, in charge of of the heating plant for the high school and later became the eastern supervisor of the Sawtar Brush Co of Chicago and the Smith Heater Co of Minneapolis, MN. In 1900 he engaged in the printing business in West Hartford continuing in it until Dec 1915 he came to Wilmington, CA to live with his son Percy Waterman Porter. In April 1917 he established a small printing plant but on June 3rd of the same year was stricken with a stroke and other complications that did not yield to medical treatment and a year later on June 12th a second attack which disabled his right side but not so much but what he couldn't move about. But not being able to work, not being able to do anything with the printing plant he established an agency and mail order business, which did not prove to be a paying venture. On Nov 22, 1919 sold business to CP Roberts.

James was well known as a professional entertainer in the State of Connecticut. As "Professor Porter" he was widely known as a clever ventriloquist and he gave great delight ot the young people in rural towns with his Punch and Judy show, his talking dolls and his feats of magic.

James also had 2 other children with Mary Williams Porter. They are Arthur C Porter (#17210903) born oct 1871 and died Oct 20, 1872 and Mary Lena Porter who was adopted by Chas G (60247516) and Sarah Williams Sheppard (52424959) a few days after the death of her mother Mary. Mary Lena was known as May Sheppard and later by her married name as May Collyer and was born Jan 2, 1874 and died May 29, 1921. Her find a grave memorial is #68469837.