Benjamin Wells Porter
Benjamin Wells Porter passed away on Saturday, November 13th, 1943, at his home in Paintsville, at the age of 73 years, 2 months and 25 days.
He was the son of Solomon Porter of Floyd County and Sarah Wells Porter of Johnson County and the grandson of Dr. Benjamin Pendleton Porter. He was married to Grantess Taylor Preston of near Williamson, to which union were born the following children:
- James Frank
- Mabel Louise
- Paul, and
- Dewey, deceased.
He was a Professor in the public schools of Kentucky until 1910 and held a life certificate. Due to ill health he was forced to give up teaching and became a commercial salesman employed by C. Reed and Company of Baltimore, Maryland, which position he held until late. He was an inventor as well and spent his spare time in studying and working on his inventions. He obtained several useful patents and on November 29th, 1939, was admitted to the Federal Bureau of Inventors. He was a member of the Chartered Institute of American Inventors of Washington, D. C., The Independent Order of Odd Fellows and United Commercial Travelers.
He was accomplished in music and after retiring from business, devoted his time to music and the building of string musical instruments of which he leaves quite a collection. He was a devout Christian from early manhood and an earnest worker for all good and charitable causes. Up until the time he was stricken with a heart attack three weeks prior to his death, he had been very active in politics and the affairs of the nation, reading the daily papers and listening to news broadcasts via the radio.
He leaves surviving him, his wife and three children; also his stepdaughter, Virginia Preston Robinson; his stepson Atty. Roscoe C. Preston, Sr. or Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and Phoenix, Arizona, now deceased. He also leaves the following grandchildren: Dixie Porter Wells, of Macon, Georgia; James Frank Porter, Jr., of Inez, Kentucky; Frances Elizabeth Porter of Paintsville, Kentucky; Homer Preston Robinson, Jane Frances Robinson Allen and John Paul Robinson of Inez, Kentucky; Roscoe C. Preston, Jr., Lt. Robert E. Preston and James Francis Preston of Tuscon, Arizona. Also a great- granddaughter Carol Mills of Macon, Georgia.
He was a devout Christian from early manhood and an earnest worker for all good and charitable causes.
The original obit was published in the Paintsville Herald Thursday 11-11-1943