Welcome to all who are part of this wonderful family organization! After persevering through some difficulties, we are now moving forward in ways that I believe will have significant, even eternal, consequences. As I indicated last year, my focus has been creating a family internet site that will be of benefit to all descendants of Sanford Porter. I am very pleased to announce our new web site address is (and will remain) www.sanfordporter.org. Please take a moment to visit the site.

At our family web site, you will be able to access many family histories of our ancestors. For example, thanks to the dedication of George Mortimer (our family history chairperson) and others, we are pleased to announce that the journal of Nathan Tanner Porter is now available online. The effort it took to accomplish this task must not be underestimated; however, the resulting blessings to the rest of us are incalculable.

At this site you will also be able to view the descendancy chart of Sanford Porter. As you will see, the chart still needs work to be complete. Please trace your ancestors on the descendancy chart and, if your line is not complete, download the remainder of that descendancy line at your local family history library and e-mail the gedcom file to me at the address below. With your help we will soon have a complete (or nearly complete) descendancy chart!

We have already seen this website open new doors. Recently I was contacted by a descendant of Ezra T. Clark, who was the husband of Sanford and Nancy Warriner Porter’s daughter, Nancy Areta Porter. Much work has been done by the Ezra T. Clark family organization; work that they are no doubt willing to share. Please visit our family website to find the link to the Ezra T. Clark family organization. We invite you to let us know if there are other family organizations or Internet sites that will help us carry forward our purpose.

There are so many other exciting possibilities available to us. More information will come in the future. However, we must learn to walk before we run. Please take advantage of this web site and let us know if you would like to be involved. Steve Wright, swright@ida.net

Please join us for the Porter Annual Reunion where we can renew family ties, share information, and enjoy some time together! The reunion is Friday, August 8th – Saturday, August 9th in Porterville. For those who would like to do some family camping, join us at Carter’s Camp. There is a large grassy area for camping (tent or trailer) and a creek to play in. You can arrive anytime after 3:00 p.m. Please bring food and water for your family. Saturday at noon, bring a picnic lunch for your family (and a dish to share if you wish) and meet at the shelter behind the Morgan 5/6th Ward building located at 2700 S. Morgan Valley Drive in Porterville. We will then meet in the church cultural hall from 1:00pm – 3:00pm for family business. We are pleased to report that Grant Stevenson will be in attendance and will be showing us a PowerPoint presentation called “Our Porter Ancestry.”

Your donations are critical to moving forward the work of the Porter Family Organization. Donations can be sent to: The Porter Family Organization, 10 West 100 South Suite 600, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101. A sincere thanks to all those who have so generously donated time and money to the Porter Family Organization!

The work of our organization is accomplished by the 4 committees listed below. We invite you to join one or more.

Family Reunion Committee

We will need a new committee chairperson who can help us carryout annual reunions that will be fun and generate interest. It is recommended that the chairperson reside in or near Porterville.

Communications Committee

Committee Chair: John Porter The focus of this committee is currently on the Porter Family website. We invite you to contact us if you are able and willing to help us in this work. With enough assistance, there is so much we can do to provide important information to the descendants of Sanford Porter.

Family History & Genealogical Committee

Committee Chair: George Mortimer As indicated above, this committee just finished the monumental task of typing up the journal of Nathan Tanner Porter, which can now be seen at www.sanfordporter.org. This committee is now looking to add other family histories. If you have a family history to add, please contact George Mortimer at syap3@earthlink.net.

Monument & Cemetery Committee

Committee Chair: Dorene Jones Over the past few years the cemetery committee has made tremendous progress in identifying and placing markers on the gravesites of several family descendants. There is still need for additional assistance in compiling information on burial sites with the hope of placing still more markers in the near future. In addition to the Porterville Cemetery, this committee would like to place a new monument on the gravesite of Amy Sumner Porter who is buried in the pioneer cemetery located near the Winter Quarters, Nebraska LDS temple. Your donations will be critical to accomplishing this goal. The current family leadership positions are: President – Steve Wright, 1st Vice President – Norris Porter, 2nd Vice President – Paul Porter, Treasurer – L. Deane Smith. We need your help. If you have a desire to get involved, please volunteer at the reunion or e- mail Steve Wright at swright@ida.net.