The wooden two masted schooner John F. Porter was originally built as the passenger steamer Cincinnati. The Cincinnati was built in Sandusky, Ohio in 1836 with a single cylinder high pressure steam engine with a 80 horsepower output. In 1840, the Cincinnati was rebuilt as the two masted schooner John F. Porter in Buffalo, New York.

May 1838: The Cincinnati collided with the steamer Milwaukee and sank at Cleveland, Ohio.

April, 1840: The Cincinnati was rebuilt as the schooner John F. Porter.

May 1847: Sank after striking the pier at Conneaut, Ohio.

June 1847: Collided with the steamer Chesapeake near Conneaut, Ohio. Both vessels sunk with a loss of eight lives.

September 1848: Aground with little damage near Buffalo, New York while laden with lumber.

November 1849: Aground near Conneaut, Ohio.

August 1850: Ashore near Racine, Wisconsin.

October 1855: Ashore at Milwaukee with a $10,000 property loss.

Last Document of Enrollment No. 35: Milwaukee: 9/13/1853.
"The schooner John F. Porter, Capt. Moore, of this port, capsized... when some three miles off the North Point. She left here Saturday week, with a load of grain and provisions for Green Bay. On Monday following she sprung a leak, and the captain put into Bailey's harbor, pumped her out and started for Milwaukee. She commenced leaking again and by Saturday night was nearly waterlogged. When the gale struck her, she breached to and capsized. The captain, mate, and five men got into the bottom, cut the small boat loose, and getting into it, drifted ashore, having neither oars, nor sail to help them along. The Porter belonged to Anson Eldred of this city. She was worth, with the cargo, $12,000 or more and was uninsured." Milwaukee Sentinel 10/24/1855.

An earlier report from the Milwaukee Sentinel stated that the Porter had 85,000 of lumber on board which turned out to be wrong. One source says that one of the crew members did not survive.