ANCESTRY OF WARREN LEROY PORTER 1923 - 1968, Gillett, PA

In 1978 I began to research the ancestry of my parents, Warren LeRoy & Esther Louise (Coddington) Porter of Gillett, Bradford Co., PA. I was 11 1/2 when my father died and I wanted to find out more about him, his upbringing, his family, his short life of 43 years. I had his mother, Mary Helen (Rumsey/Porter) Klein and his great-aunt, Ella Jane (Porter) Terwilleger available to help me get started on my journey. These two women were my eyes into the past as they knew it. I have journeyed far and wide to find answers, writing to relatives, running up long-distance calls to ask distant relatives about their families. I have trekked through cemeteries in the New York counties of Chemung, Steuben, Chenango, Otsego, Schoharie and Delaware and the Pennsylvania counties of Bradford, Tioga, Lycoming and Sullivan, sometimes sleeping overnight in them. I have spent nights sleeping in the central parks of Washington, DC so I could do research at the National Archives and the Library of Congress. This was a most enlightening task, having learned to strive to do something, see it through to its' end, and enjoy the trip along the way. I visited many relatives in the northern PA/southern NY border area, sometimes staying 2, 3 or even 9 days with a family member. Nearly everyone I spoke or wrote to, was interested in one thing, having their name recorded somewhere. Many were able to fill in family secrets, stories, legends and historical facts that I missed along the way. There were pictures and other tokens of gratitude donated to the cause of my research. Many old family photos came from persons donating them for inclusion in my book when it was done. There are Mayflower connections, Heugenot refugees of France, The Wright brothers and Richard M. Nixon are distant relatives. There are stories about fire destroying family homes; auto accidents, military stories, newspaper articles and relative researchers and their notes. You'll find a great deal in my father's history. I hope it is to your liking.

There will be links to other families I'm researching, added later. My father's descendants will be listed under the Coddington family site.

My Family History

• Surname List


• Index of Individuals


• InterneTree


• Sources