Bio of Porter, Elijah (b.1811) Wabasha Co., MN
=========================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information
on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities,
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is
obtained from the contributor of the file.
These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to
use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written
consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter,
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.

If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives 
Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm
Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find 
the submitter information or other files for this county.
FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Barbara Timm and Carol Judge
=========================================================================
This bio comes from "HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY" 1884.
Check out Barbara's site for more great information on this book:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnwabbio/wab1.htm
There are also some pictures and information from descendents for some 
of the bios on her pages.

Porter, Elijah, (page 1313), was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, July 6,
1811, and left motherless when ten days old, and at the age of two years
was stepson to his father's second wife. Mr. Porter bears testimony that
this is the only mother he ever knew, proved to be all that could be
expected of a real mother. When ten years old the family moved to Ohio,
which was then, 1821, a wilderness, accomplishing the journey, six hundred
and fifty miles, in twenty-one days. The family here underwent the common
privations incident to pioneer life, which were much more severe than
pioneering usually is in later years. In 1826 he had tired of clearing
land and other hard work of the farm, and walked forty miles to Canton, to
learn the printing business. Here Mr. Porter's character was formed, and
here he became a Christian and united with the Methodist Episcopal church,
in 1831. This year he left Canton for Massachusetts, working at different
places on the way, and in 1832 went to New York. In New York he worked at
his trade for several years, saving from his hard earnings in the meantime
money to buy an outfit for an office of his own, which he established in
his native town, installing himself as editor of what was called the
"Westfield Letter." This was at the time of the Wm. Henry Harrison
campaign; and though the town was a democratic center, Mr. Porter went
bravely to work to advocate the principles of the whig party, and mixed
with it considerable of freesoilism and temperance. And though unpopular
as this course may have seemed to some, but a short time elapsed until the
town was against democracy by a majority of six hundred. Seventeen years
after this, however, having done his work and lost all his money, he
gathered together a few remnants and again set out for the far west, and
landed at Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. In 1859 Mr. Porter came to Lake City,
and resurrected the "Tribune," and for two years devoted his talent to
editorial work. When Mr. Porter gave up the "Tribune," he was appointed
postmaster by President Lincoln, and held the position until 1867, when he
was removed by Andy Johnson. Mr. Porter is a Methodist, and Odd-Fellow, a
temperance man, and a philanthropist in the best sense of the word.
War of Rebellion (Civil War)