I'm trying to contact D Mark
Katz, author of Witness to an Era.
My Great Great Great Grandfather was James
Watson Porter. He worked for both
Brady and
Gardner, at some point purchasing their studio.
Our family has two newspaper articles detailing the discovery, 80-100 years ago, of
Lincoln and
Grant plates in the effects of James
Watson Porters estate. The effects were shipped to his son, Samuel
Porter, of
Bay Village OH. My grandmother can recall handling these plates as a child, even taking them to school! This would have been just prior to WW1. The plates were eventually dontated to the Western Reserve Historical Society here in
Cleveland, sometime prior to WW2.
Althought we are contacted from time to time by private collectors, all that remains in the family is the articles.
I'm an avid Civil War reader, and have been to many Civil War shows, and decided a few years ago to try to obtain copies of the sittings taken by James
Watson Porter. I found a dealer with lots of
Lincoln CDVs, told him the above story, and he promptly showed me a CDV taken by J. W. Porter, and marked as such. It was far beyond my means to purchase it, so I thanked him and went on my way, figuring I'd soon come across someone who could direct me to a good reproduction.
The next year, I spoke again with who I thought was the same dealer, and he suggested your book, Witness to an Era, telling me that
Porter had taken the three poses on the top of page 118, taken on Sunday Aug. 9th, 1863. These poses match the ones from the local Newspaper articles detailing the donation to the Western Reserve Historical Society.
I'm wondering how I can get a good reproduction, where, how etc.? I've spoken with someone at the National Archives who was less than helpful, and I've had no response from the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Any information would be greatly appreciated, and I would be more than willing to send you copies of the articles.
Thank you,
Bill Stone
bstone66@aol.com