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General Thomas J. Porter (1805 - August 30, 1843) was a prominent figure born in Maury Co, Tennessee, and later associated with Victoria, Bolivar County, Mississippi. On July 22, 1837, he married Mary Ann Crouse in Sugar Grove, near Chillicothe, Ohio. The exact origins of his title "General" remain uncertain, though it seems he was associated with the State Militia in Tennessee in the 1830s. General Porter's reputation was one of honor, being praised posthumously as an epitome of integrity and nobility. As described by the Memphis Enquirer, he stood as an embodiment of an "honest, true-hearted gentleman," fulfilling various roles as a dedicated citizen, a devoted husband, and a loving father. Tragically, in August of 1843, Mary and Thomas's son fell sick and died. Then Thomas himself contracted a fever and died in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was deeply mourned by his community and fellow members of the Masonic Fraternity, where he was revered as a valued member. Notably, he was embroiled in controversy when he was purportedly implicated in a bank robbery in Tennessee, a claim that garnered significant attention in the local press, with a plethora of character witnesses professing his innocence to local newspapers. Porter's most enduring legacy was his groundbreaking 1842 Homo-Graphic Chart of the Settlements on the Mississippi River, the greatest map of the human geography of the Mississippi made up to that time.