The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-24
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
KEY WEST WOMEN
Their Homes and Gardens
BY MYRTLE COSGROVE
SaSSSesSSS !.
MRS. WALLACE BRYANT
KIRKE


KIRKE
Wound about the lower end of
the Florida peninsula like strings
of popcorn on 4 Christmas tree
are the Florida Keys. Most i'm
portant of these is Key West.
southernmost city of the United
States The island is of coral
construction. Countless ages ago,
tiny coral polyps laid the founda-
ton at the bottom of the ocean.
Year by year, generation after
generation, these minute build
ers, undeterred by wind and
wave, stuck to their herculean
task until Key West, like Aphro-
dite, arose triumphantly from the
sea. Parallel cases may be
drawn between the coral pOlyps
that constructed this island and
the Pofters, distinguished for
bears of Mrs. Wallace Kirke and
the families into which they
married Brought here by choice
or chance, they have for success
siVe generations given generous
ly of themselves to the upbuild-
ing of this city. Largely COM
posed of army and navy officers,
merchants, doctors, lawyers and
bankers, this family bears out
the statement of the Porter
genealogy that in every locality
where they are found, they are
outstanding citizens as we'll as
professional men. The first of
the Porters who came to these
shores was the famous Com
modore David Porter. He was
sent here by the u. S. govern
ment in 1922 to clear the pirates
from the Gulf of Mexico and adj
jacent waters. Recognizing the
strategic Importance of harbor
and island, he established a nav
al base here and completely WHIP
ed piracy from the southern seas
Shortly after the advent of
Comm dore Porter, Fielding
Browne of Virginia, while en-
route to Mexico was shipwreck-
ed off Key West and remained to
become a prominent citizen and
large landowner. Mrs. Kirke is
a collateral rather than a direct
descendant of both Commodore
Porter and Mr.. Browne, as rela-
tive of the former and the niece
of the latter married and became
her great-grandparents. Not
long after Fielding Browne set
tied. here, his sister. Susan, while
on a visit to him, met and mar
ried Captain Thomas Randolph
of the Revenue Cutter Service.
He died in this city in 1885 OF
yellow-fever, leaving two chill
dren, William and Mary Ann. +.
Influenced by Commodore Por-
ter, Joseph Y. Porter of Charles
ton, S. c., decided to visit Key
West. While here he won the
heart ard hand of Mary Ann
Randolph. The fruit of their
union was DR.. Joseph Y. Porter,
ST., grandfather of Mrs Kirke. =.
AS a young man, DR.. Porter
served as army surgeon on the
Mexican border. At the age of
%, stricken with heart disease,
he came to his mothers home in
Key West to die. His health be-
ginning to mend shortly after his
arrival, he took the position of
! health officer and instituted a
system of quarantine so success
! full that he was requested to in
stall his system in both Tampa
and Jacksonville. Later, he be-
came a noted yellow fever expert
and also founded the Florida State
Board of Health, which he head
ed for many years At the out
break of the Worlds War, DR.
Porter was far beyond the age
| limit but General VIM. +Gorgas
and Leonard Wood, who had
served under him on the Mexi-
can border. petitioned Congress
to re-instate him in the army.
When their request was granted,
he was put in charge of santa
ton and of all health units of the
arnv camps of the Southeastern
division. Too busy with work
| that commanded his entire time
and interest to worry about his
heart ailment, the young ply
stefan who came to Key West to
die, lived to venerable age, Il
useful citizen, loved and respect
ed bv the entire community. :.
In 1847 a small boy destined to
/ become a great-grandfather of
Mrs. Kirke came here from the
/ Bahamas. This was William