b. 1808, in NewYork. Margaret was the oldest daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Klein. On March 18, 1832, Margaret Klein married William Porter. The couple had three children. In March 1839, fire destroyed William Porter’s steam mill, located near Sangamo Town. Damages amounted to $5,000 and the mill carried no insurance. When William Porter died in June 1851, Margaret Porter instituted a number of lawsuits in order to obtain dower from land her husband had recently sold.