Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

in Chebacco parish, where he remained
sixteen years. At the end of that time
he went to Nova Scotia where, however,
he spent but a few years, returning ere
long to Massachusetts and accepting a
pastorate in Ashfield, which he retained to
the close of his long life. He married
(first) January 20, 1749, Rebecca Chipman,
daughter of the Rev. John Chipman,
of Beverly, Massachusetts. The Chipmans
were numbered among the old Colo-
nial families of the province. Mr. Porter
married (second) Elizabeth Nowell, of
Boston. During the Revolutionary War
he volunteered as chaplain, and always
believed that his prayers turned the tide
of battle at Saratoga. To his great honor
be it recorded that he was strongly anti-
slavery. Many anecdotes are related
illustrative of his strength of principle,
his originality of mind, and his trenchant
and ready wit. A gentleman who refused
to attend church ended his argument with
"I have a right to think as I have a mind
to." To which Mr. Porter instantly re-
plied, "You have no right to think
wrong." On February 29, 1820, this devoted
man "ceased from earth." He had
rounded out, in years, very nearly a century,
seventy-five of those years having
been spent in the Christian ministry. His
character considered from every side is
one of the noblest in our history.
(VI) Nehemiah (3) Porter, son of Nehemiah
(2) and Rebecca (Chipman) Porter,
was born January 12, 1753. He
married, July 18, 1776, Mary Tardy, of
Halifax, Nova Scotia.
(VII) Joseph Blaney Porter, son of
Nehemiah (3) and Mary (Tardy) Porter,
was born June 28, 1795. He married,
December 11, 1817, in Nova Scotia, Elizabeth
Wyman, daughter of Matthew
Wyman. Mr. Porter died April 12, 1859.
He was the father of Hannah W. Porter,
who became the wife of George Crosby
(see Crosby III).
Conn—9—
5
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
65
FAIRBANKS, Joseph Shelley,
Electrical Contractor.
There have been many distinguished
men bearing the name of Fairbanks.
Nearly all persons in the United States
of this name are direct descendants of the
immigrant, Jonathan Fairbanks, and there
are many who can take a justifiable pride
in tracing their lineage back to mothers
born to the inheritance. Among the
members of this ancient family there have
been many who have distinguished themselves
in the professions, in business and
in politics, and one has filled the office of
vice-president of the United States, another
has been governor of a State, and
many have been notable in the arts and
industries, among the latter, Joseph Shel-
ley Fairbanks.
The name has been variously spelled.
The immigrant often wrote his name
Fairbanke and occasionally ffayerbanke.
The origin of the name is somewhat complicated,
it being in the class of "Names
derived from localities." An ancient custom
was for a family and its members to
designate themselves by assuming the
location of their home as a surname.
This was at a time previous to the adop-
tion of surnames, before the thirteenth
century. In this manner the name of
Atwood was derived. John at the Wood
was gradually evolved into its present
form. So it is with Fairbanks. Fair in its
old English form was fearr and means
a roebuck. Bank is the same as now, a
mound or bank, and we can readily see
that near the home of an early ancestor,
the roebuck were accustomed to come to
a bank, to drink perhaps, and hunters re-
ferred to this bank as fearr-bank, and this
name was naturally adopted by the
dweller near there, which is now handed
down in its present form of Fairbank and
Fairbanks.
(I) Jonathan Fairbanks, the ancestor