WHO WERE HIS
CHILDREN?
We will consider question #5, Who were David
Porterfield, Sr.’s children?, by reviewing
previously published research and the conclusions
reached.
Frances Porterfield Willis, editor of the
(now out of print) family newsletter, Porterfield
Lines, addressed this question in Volume III,
No. 2, March 1993.
Early land records of Wilkes County, Georgia
show that David Porterfield, Sr., was the first
known Porterfield to settle in the part of Wilkes
County that on December 5, 1811 became Madison
County. David, Sr., his wife and at least two
young children arrived in the Wilkes/Madison area
in 1786 or 1787 as evidenced by his name first
appearing in the land records in 1787. The following
list of entries was compiled from tax digests,
census records and land records.
- Wilkes County Georgia Tax Digest
1787 Capt. Arringtons (?) District
350 acres
1790 Capt. Walton's District 259 acres
1791Col. Dooley's Battn. Capt Walton's District
195 acres
- 1790 Georgia Census (Reconstructed): Voter
for delegate Constitutional Convention, 1795.
- Elbert County Georgia Land Court Records
(1791-1822)
March 4, 1793 David Porterfield ....
self
October 6, 1794 D. Porterfield Old
Warrant 125 acres to Jesse Baker
- Elbert County Georgia Tax Digest: David
Porterfield
About 1800 Capt. Johnson's Company
262 2/10 acres Granted: Wido [sic] Mann Waters:
Sk. Sh. Cr. [sic] Adjoins: Peter Wyche
- 1805 Georgia Land Lottery
David Poterfield [sic] #250 B B Elbert
County (He had two draws and both were blanks.)
- Madison County Georgia Tax Digest:
August 14, 1811 Sheriff's Sale: Thomas
Jones, Sheriff Elbert Co. Georgia unto Christopher
Porterfield: Goods and chattle [sic] lands
of David Porterfield, Sr., levied October
18, 1802 on 162 acres Elbert Co on waters
of Schull Shoal Creek...being the place whereon
the defendant now lives. Price paid: $20.25
David Porterfield, Senr .....Double Poll
Tax .62 ½
- U.S. Census Madison County Georgia, page
278:
David Porterfield, Sr. age of 45 yrs.
and upward
1 Male -- of 10 yrs. and under 16
yrs.
1 Female -- of 45 yrs. and upward
- 1820 Land Lottery David Porterfield of
Madison County, Georgia, Dist 204,
Williford's Dist: drew Land Lot 386,
7th District originally EARLY;
drew Land Lot 216, 16th District, originally
EARLY, REVERTED:
granted to Tyre Johnson on Oct 11 1844;
drew Land Lot 135, 11th
District, originally EARLY, Granted:
Sept 10 1836.
- 1830 U.S. Census Madison County Georgia,
page 118:
David Porterfield, Sr. age of 70 yrs
and under 80 yrs.
1 Female -- of 60 yrs. and under 70
yrs.
Ms. Willis summed up her examination of the
Porterfields of early Madison County, Georgia
by stating, "The relationship of David, Sr.,
Christopher, James, and David, Jr., was borne
out by their close association through the years
as shown by both census and land records. Land
records included land exchanges and ownership
of adjoining lands." She then noted the names
of three known daughters of David and Sarah (Nunn)
Porterfield, Sr., that had been shared by various
family researchers. They were Rebecca Porterfield
who married Josiah Graham in 1815 in Madison County,
Georgia; Elizabeth Porterfield who married Anderson
Dudley on March 3, 1821, in Madison County; and
Mary Porterfield who married Darrell B. Brazelle
on March 16, 1826 in Newton County, Georgia.
More recent research and in-depth census analysis
documented that Elizabeth and Mary were actually
daughters of Christopher and Susanna (Dudley)
Porterfield, NOT David, Sr., and Sarah (Nunn)
Porterfield. See Elizabeth and Mary, Daughters
or Granddaughters? for the full story!
 Mrs.
Willis also noted that in 1830 in Carroll County,
Georgia, when one of his sisters was widowed,
Christopher Porterfield was appointed guardian
of David, Samuel and Keziah Graham, the minor
orphans of Joseph Graham. The sister was not named,
so because Rebecca Porterfield had married Josiah
Graham, some researchers believed that Joseph
and Josiah were the same person and attributed
the three minor children to Rebecca and Josiah
Graham.
However, the 1850 DeKalb County, Georgia Census
clearly disproved that assumption since Rebecca
AND Josiah Graham and several of their own children,
all alive and well, were listed. Therefore, one
must conclude that there was another Porterfield
sister who did marry Joseph Graham. That conclusion
was supported by the 1820 Madison County Census
which listed on page 45 Josiah Grayham: 1 male
26-45; 1 female 0-10, 1 female 16-26, and 1 female
26-45; and on page 52 was listed Joseph Grayham:
2 males 0-10, 1 male 45 up; 2 females 0-10, and
1 female 26-45. Obviously, the Joseph Grayham
household was the one that produced the widow
and three minor orphans. Based on that census
data, there was another Porterfield daughter who
could have been born any year between 1775 and
1794. One may rule out 1775-1778 since David,
Sr., and Sarah (Nunn) Porterfield did not marry
until Dec 3, 1778, so the unknown daughter would
have been born between 1779 and 1794.
Next: Elizabeth and Mary,
Daughters or Granddaughters? 
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