The Augustus Porter papers consist primarily of Porter's business correspondence from the early 19th century. Porter, an early settler of Niagara Falls, New York, had business interests across a variety of industries. The material pertains to Porter's business interests, mail in and around Niagara Falls, property disputes in northern New York, and an unnamed canal. Augustus Seymour Porter, a United States senator from Michigan, received several personal letters from his mother, Jane Howell Porter. Also present are a printed booklet entitled Notes on the Niagara River (1948) and a newspaper clipping entitled Fun and Miscellany, with a list of puns. The Augustus Porter papers chronicle the early history and development of western New York through the interests of a prominent businessman.
Augustus Porter was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, in January 1769, and moved to Canandaigua, New York, in 1800. He visited the Niagara Falls area in 1795 and soon returned with his brother, Peter B. Porter. The Porter brothers were two of the area's first settlers, and they later owned several boats that traveled on the Great Lakes, as well as a saw mill that they built in 1803. Augustus Porter served on the New York state legislature, and in 1807 founded the firm Porter, Barton & Co., becoming a successful businessman until his death in 1849. He had five children with his second wife, Jane Howell: Albert H., Peter B., Augustus Seymour (1798-1872), Lavinia E., and Jane S. Augustus Seymour Porter represented Michigan in the United States Senate.
