Potters in Peoria, Illinois, in 1900

According to the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, taken on 9 June 1900, in the Peoria Ward 1, Peoria, Illinois, three men surnamed Potter were among those listed as "prisoner" in one large "dwelling."

One was Sam Potter, born Jan 1874 in Illinois, parents also born in Illinois, age 26, day laborer

Another was George Potter, b. Mar 1875 in Illinois, parents also born in Illinois, age 25, cigar maker

The third was Horace Potter, born Jul 1868 in Pennsylvania, parents born in Ireland, age 31, painter

Wonder who Sam Potter, George Potter and Horace Potter belong to?? Is your Potter family missing a young man?

Grandma Google gives me this image for "Peoria prison." Is it the one where these Potters were?

Admiral Dewey Potter, buried Vermilion Co, IL, 1930

Doing some Find-A-Grave searching in the Spring Hill Cemetery, Danville, Vermilion Co, Illinois, and spotted this:

Admiral Dewey Potter

Birth: unknown

Death:  10 April 1930

Father: unknown

Mother:  Lorena Hartz Potter, 1873-1905

Children:

James Milton Potter, 1922-1996

Bobby Potter, 1930-1930

William Potter, 1930-1930

Siblings:

Admiral Dewey Potter, d. 1930

Jennie C. Potter Odle, 1891-1976

Della Mae Potter Clawson, 1893-1980

Stephen Henry Potter, 1895-1922

John Tobias Potter, 1903-1979

Robert Lincoln Potter, 1905-1975

Incription:

IN Inf  --  Tombstone in Soldiers' Circle

Note:

His twin infant sons, Bobby and William, are buried with him

Potters In Pend Oreille County, Washington, 1930s & 1940s

Marriage record:  2 May 1938, Charles A Thomas, age 28, and Luella Poetter, age 18, both of Cusick, Pend Oreille County, were married.

Marriage record:  15 Nov 1943, Waldo Eldin Guffin, of Spokane, WA, married Ruth Potter, of Spokane. 

Image courtesy of the Washington State Digital Archives, www.digitalarchives.wa.gov


By the by, the county name is pronounced "Ponderay."  Been told it's French. Cusick was a lumbering town on the Pend Oreille River.

Benjamin F. (1850-1908) & Eleanor (1853-1909) POTTER

Spotted this tombstone here in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington in the Greenwood Cemetery. The inscription is weathered but reads:  Frank Potter, 1850-1908;  Eleanor Potter, 1853-1909. (As best as I could discern.)

Doing some quick research, Benjamin F. or F. Benjamin was born in Jan 1850 in Pennsylvania; he married Eleanor ??  in 1887. Benjamin was the son of George H. and Elizabeth Potter, as found on the 25 July 1870 census of Pennsylvania. He had siblings Jacob Henry, Mariah, Amelia, John. He died on 2 Nov 1908 in Spokane.

Eleanor, according to her death certificate, was born in 1853 or 1854 in Indiana, daughter of F. Phar and Samantha Riggs.  She died on 11 Feb 1909 in the even smaller town of Elk, Spokane County, Washington.

On Benjamin's death record it shows his father's name as George and his mother's name as Benedict. On the 25 Jul 1870 census, an 85 year old Susen Benedick, b. Pennsylvania, is listed in the household.

Looks like Benjamin F. Potter served in the Civil War, the 148th PA Infantry and received a pension.

On 11 Jun 1900, the couple were living in Chattaroy, a small town about 40 miles north of Spokane but still in Spokane County. He was listed as a farmer.

As of this posting date, I found very little else on either of these Potters in the Ancestry or FamilySearch databases, or on our Washington State Digital Archives website.

(I had to wonder who gave that information as apparently this couple had no children. Listed in the 1900 census it shows 0/0 for her regarding children.)

James Potter & Mary Ann "Polly" Kirby.... Lived in McCracken Co, KY, in the mid-1800s.

This was a write-up in the Sunday, May 30, 1971 issue of the Paducah Kentucky Democrat. The article was spotlighting the upcoming reunion of the family.

"In 1830 a young married man received a land grant in McCracken County where he would build the log house that was to serve for many years as the home for his growing family.

"That man was James Potter and his wife was Mary Ann "Polly" Kirby and their 3-year-old son William.

"James and Mary Ann's twelve children were William, James, Monroe, Samuel John D., John and four daughters who died in infancy, Mary Jane, Pauline, Lizzie Nancy and Virginia, and living daughters Laura Frances (m. Oldham), and Emirella (m. Cook, then Vance).

"These pioneers, their children and grandchildren wee destined to play an important role in the growth and development of McCracken County.

"The property remained in the Potter family for 129 years; the last owner was Edd Potter, son of William, who died in 1967, having sold the property in 1959.

"James Potter, with the help of his oldest son, William, helped to hew the logs and to build the Highland Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Most of the family members were Baptists, but some were Presbyterians and Methodists.

"The plot in Hall Cemetery was purchased by son William in 1972. In it are buried James, who died in 1882; Mary Ann, who died in 1887; and William and his wife. Many other members of the Potter family are also buried in the 1/4 acre plot, some in unmarked graves.

*******************************************************************************
This copied newspaper article appeared in Potter Profiles, Volume 12, May 1987, page 23.

James Potter, 1736-1804, m. Abigail Barnes, Connecticut & New York

I called this lineage Branch 82 and it appeared in Potter Profiles, Vol. 12, 1987:

1. Dr. James Potter, 1736-1804, Sherman, CT, m. Abigail Barnes, 1743-1817.

2. William Cicero Potter, b. 1773 in Sherman, CT; d. 1856 in Orleans Co, NY; m. Nancy Anna Hubbell, 1776-1854.

3.  Herman Boerhave Potter, b. 1804 in Sherman, CT;  d. 1880 in GalesBurg, IL; m. Minerva L'Hommedieu, 1804-1892.

4.  Leander Hubbell Potter, b. 1829 in Orleans Co, NY; d. 1879 in Galesburg, IL; m. Martha Irwin, 1851-1935.

5.  Herman Hubbell Potter, b. 1879 in Galesburg, NY; d. 1966 in Madison, IN; m. Virginia Lois Wymond, 1887-1918.

6.  Charles Wymond Potter, b. 1915 in Madison, IN; m. Betty Jane Andrews.

This lineage was submitted by Charles Potter of Ocala, Florida.

Thanks to Google Images for this map showing the whereabouts of Sherman, Connecticut:

"Notorious" William Potter, 1608 (England) to 1662 (Connecticut)

A good friend here in Spokane recently discovered that she can take her Potter line back to this William Potter, the "notorious" William Potter accused of bestiality. Besides checking into the online issues of my Potter Profiles she did some Internet searching and came up with this. This was new information to me and was not included in any issue of Potter Profiles. 

Found at: http://www.todrobbins.com/robbins/people/william-potter.html, 11 Aug 2013

William Potter

A review of extant source materials by Sara Robbins Hoffman (12 Jan 2011)

William Potter is probably the most notorious ancestor in the family of Daniel & Hope Potter Robins. The name of William Potter first appears on the manifest of the ship Abigail. The ship left Plymouth, England destined for Boston in New England on June 4, 1635, among the passengers were William Potter age 27, wife Frances age 26 & 4 month old son Joseph Potter. However, what is known about the life & death of William Potter is found primarily in the Records of the Court of New Haven Colony. The records indicate William Potter was an educated Puritan & a fairly well to-do land owner. William first settled at Watertown, MA then moved on to New Haven Colony around 1639. He purchased land at New Haven & was occupied there as a “planter” until his death. William’s mother Hannah & his younger brother John Potter also settled at New Haven. The New Haven Court records show he was fined one shilling in 1643 for being late to a militia meeting & later fined for having a defective firearm & lack of ammunition. The records show these offenses were not uncommon ones among the citizens of the Colony. In 1648, William Potter advertises to pick up & deliver grain to the grist mill & return it to homes for a fee. He appears to have been a good citizen, respected & an upstanding member of the First Church of Christ at New Haven. William & Frances Potter had six children, Joseph, Sarah, Mary, Hope, Rebecca & Nathaniel. William Potter witnessed the will of Richard Mansfield in 1654 & appraised Mr. Mansfield’s estate in 1655. William Potter served as executor of his mother Hannah Potter Beecher’s estate in 1657. On May 31, 1658, William Potter was a witness for the plaintiff in the court case of Thomas Wheaton vs John Meigs. On May 19, 1662, William Potter wrote his will leaving his estate to his youngest son, eighteen year old Nathaniel Potter. Frances Potter served as administratrix & was in charge Nathaniel’s inheritance until he reached age 21. The will stated when Nathaniel was of age he was to care for his mother as long as she remained a widow. The oldest son Joseph was to receive 30 pounds to be paid within six years from the date of the will. Daughters Hope & Rebecca were to receive 20 pounds each.

It appears around May 16, 1662 or shortly before William Potter wrote his will his wife Frances & one of his sons accused him of bestiality. The name of his son is not given in the records. On May 26, 1662, William Potter age 54 was called before the court to answer to the accusation. When William Potter was first examined by the magistrates the records indicate he answered with “distinction.” He appeared to be shocked by the accusation & denied it. The records show the magistrates Benjamin Fenn, Robert Treat & Jasper Crane said they were not able to charge him. However, they were not satisfied because his accusers were close family members. It was their decision to turn William Potter over to the church authorities & Deputy Governor Matthew Gilbert for further examination. They stated that “God would bring the truth to light.” The event that followed was an interrogation of William Potter as indicated by the record. The amount of time devoted to this examination was not revealed. The end result was a lengthy, rambling confession, where William Potter said his sin began at age 11, he names numerous animals involved & that he “hath nothing but his sin left upon him & is discouraged, & his sins affright him from God”. An observation made by the court regarding his confession reads “much was said by him by the way of acknowledgement of his euill (evil) but in a confused way, as that sometimes he was filled with horror.” At the end of his confession, he portrays a confused man without hope who believes his sin was so great that God had forsaken him. Before sentencing, Governor William Leete read the law to William Potter & asked if he had anything to say as to why the court should not judge him according to the law. William Potter answered “No” & was sentenced to death by hanging on June 6, 1662.

Frances Potter, according the manifest of the ship Abigail Frances Potter, was born 1609. No reliable documentation has been presented to prove her maiden name. Frances was 53 years old in 1662 when she accused her husband William of bestiality. They had been married approximately 28 years. Frances most likely was aware of the penalty of the crime of bestially when she accused her husband. William Potter stated before the court that he had seen others “put to death for these acts.” Widow Frances Potter appeared in court when William’s will was probated & stated she agreed with the terms of the will. However, she was either not truthful to the court or she later changed her mind afterwards by giving her daughters’ legacies to her son Joseph. This resulted in Frances Potter being summoned to the court of New Haven again where she was instructed to give her daughters their inheritance. The court records states Frances Potter “paid so much to her son Joseph Potter contrary to the Will whereby she was disenabled to pay just debts.”

Joseph Potter, the oldest son, was born 1635 in England. He was 27 years old when his father was executed. William Potter’s legacy to his son Joseph was 30 pounds to be distributed over a period of six years. Joseph appeared with his mother Frances on October 15, 1662 when the will was presented "to the New Haven court for ye proofing of it." After the reading of the will, Frances Potter was asked by the court if anyone had anything to say against it. She answered “Yes” her son Joseph. The records show Frances & Joseph had conversation between the two of them. Then Joseph replied to the court that his mother & he had agreed & they were satisfied the will should stand.

Thomas Wheaton, executioner of William Potter. Mr. Wheaton charged William Bassett & his wife on June 25, 1662 for slandering him. Mr. Wheaton had been given immunity prior to the execution of William Potter by Deputy Governor Matthew Gilbert for any charges of slander made regarding his service as executioner. The Bassetts were neighbors of the Potters & came to New England on the ship Abigail at the same time as the Potters. Mr. & Mrs. Bassett began speaking to others after William Potter’s execution saying they believed Thomas Wheaton served as the executioner for gain They also said the magistrates were “impudent” in selecting Thomas Wheaton for this service because he was a good friend & neighbor of the Potters & at one time had lived at the Potter home. William Potter had also testified on the behalf of Mr. Wheaton in 1658 regarding a dispute Thomas Wheaton had against John Meigs regarding his indentureship with Mr. Meigs. One Sunday on their way to church, Mrs. Bassett told Frances Potter & Mrs. Foote her thoughts on Thomas Wheaton. Apparently, Frances Potter objected to Mrs. Bassett’s statements & Mrs. Foote agreed. Mrs. Bassett told them “the truth was to be knowne on ye Sabbath day as well as at other times.” The Bassetts were summoned to court & reprimanded. They apologized & paid a fine of 40 shillings. William Bassett indicated in his testimony that Joseph Mansfield didn’t think the sentence against William Potter was just. Nothing more was recorded about Joseph Mansfield. Mary Potter, daughter of William & Frances Potter married Joseph Mansfield. It is not known if this was the same man.

1.   Was the confession of William Potter coerced?

2.   Why did Frances Potter wait 28 years to make charges?

3.   Why did William Potter leave his estate to his younger son Nathaniel & not the oldest son Joseph?

4.   Did a family dispute or disputes cause Frances & son to make accusations against William?

5.   Was Frances Potter truthful when she told the court she agreed with William’s will?

6.   Why did Frances Potter give her daughters’ legacies & other funds to her son Joseph?

My question: were people and was society back in the 1600s really much different than it is today???

Branch 3, Descendants of Nathaniel Potter, Machias, New York

Branch 3 Potter Descendants……….. Shared by Loretta Smith, July 2014, email:  smithloretta73@yahoo.com

1. Nathaniel     1616- 1644?     wife Dorothy Wilbur 

2. Nathaniel    1637-1704        wife Elizabeth Stokes

3. Samuel        1675- 1748      wife Mary or Sarah Benton

4. Nathaniel     1703- 1776       wife Serviah Cudworth

5. Ephraim    1731-1801           wife Judith Brownell

5. David         1755-1838            wife Maria (Mary) Chase….have pictures of their tombstones from old Quaker cemetery in Granville,NY

6.Daniel        1783-1870            wife Lydia Hale….. buried Machias NY

7. Silas        1818-1897            wife MaryAnn Waite-entered DAR on her line…  buried Machias NY

8. William Jefferson    1857-1944    wife Linda Harmon...buried Machias NY

9. LaMonte H    1884-1944        wife Clara Starleave

10. Hial LaMonte    1915-1989    wife M. Isabel Carlson

11. Loretta K. Smith    1947-       husband Gene A

Info on Ephraim back taken from Potter genealogy book; I found some hand written notes going back to England from the first Nathaniel but I cannot verify where the info came from-these notes do lend some credence the next info I am going to forward to you in another e mail-talking about a Thomas Potter in England in the 1500s.

Potter marriages in the 1930s in Pend Oreille Co, WA

Ernest Davis, of Spokane, WA, age 34, and

Margaret Potter, age 21, of Spokane, WA

married on 15 Oct 1938.

Ray Potter, age 21, of Ione, WA, and

Esther Sarah Applegate, age 21, of Ione, WA,

married on 28 May 1931.

Also signed: Gertrude Applegate. 

M. Potter, ca 1840-ca1870. Anybody have this fellow in your Potter tree?

"Seeking identity of M. Potter, who married Isabella Detrick or Dedrick about 1860-1862; she was of Augusta Co, Virginia. Their daughter, Mary Belle Potter, was born in Feb 1863. In the 1870 census of Shenandoah Co, Virginia, Isabella and Mary Belle Potter are living with her parents. I assume that her husband, M. Potter, had died by 1870. Isabelle married (2) Francis Moffit in Ohio.

In the 1880 census of Spring Valley, Ohio, Mary Belle Potter says her father was from New York. Mary Belle married George Jones. In the 1900 census of Spring Valley, Ohio, Mary Belle Jones says her father was from Michigan. In the 1910 census of Beaver Creek, Ohio, Mary Belle Jones says her father was from Virginia. Mary Belle Potter Jones died in 1916.

Most confusing!

Contact Sandy Spence at joespenc@bellsouth.net. 

Martin B. Potter, ca 1812-1883, New York...... Anybody?

Potter Profiles reader, Linda Phillips, has submitted a query for all Potter researchers to consider:

Martin B. Potter, b.ca. 1811-1812; d. 7 Feb 1883 in Natural Bridge (town of Diana), Lewis Co, New York.

He married Lucy Thompson on 12 Sep 1847 in Carthage (a village in the town of Wilna), Jefferson Co, New York.

Linda first documents her Martin B. Potter in 1850 in Ellisburg, Jefferson County, New York.

Martin and Lucy had three sons:  (1) Alvah Potter, 1852-1874, buried in the Carthage Cemetery;  (2) George C. Potter, b. 2 Oct 1854, d. 20 Oct 1918;  and (3) Chester E. Potter, b. 29 Aug 1857, d. Oct 1931. 

Linda's Potter ancestor was George C. Potter, 1854-1918.  Any help from anybody related would be welcomed by Linda! Contact her at Linsgenealogyhx@gmail.com. 

Edgar W. Potter, Civil War Veteran, New York, Part 3

"............... and having served HONESTLY and FAITHFULLY with his Company in the 9th NY Cavalry is now entitled to a DISCHARGE by reason of being killed in action near Old Church Va , May 30th, 1864. "

There is no part three as on those pages of Potter Profiles I reproduced the same document-image twice.

The most interesting thing about this 2-page file is this, to me:  As busy a time and place as Civil War battlefields were, they took the time to fill out discharge papers for a soldier killed in action only a month after his death? Impressive.

Whatever happened to Edgar W. Potter of Cattaraugus County, New York? Who were his family? Was he sent home to laid to rest?

Do any collateral descendants claim this young 23 year old Edgar W. Potter who served his country honestly and faithfully?

This is from Wikipedia:

Union cavalry horses photographed outside the Old Church Hotel by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, June 4, 1864

The Battle of Old Church, also known as Matadequin Creek, was fought on May 30, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War.

As the opposing armies faced each other across Totopotomoy Creek, a Union cavalry division under Brig. Gen.Alfred T. A. Torbert collided with a cavalry brigade under Brig. Gen. Matthew C. Butler at Matadequin Creek, near the Old Church crossroads. After sharp dismounted fighting, the outnumbered Confederates were driven back to within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of Old Cold Harbor, which preceded the Union capture of that important crossroads the following day.

Edgar W. Potter, Civil War Veteran, New York, Part 2

This post is Part 2 of a 3-part posting on Edgar W. Potter who served in the Civil War from New York. I included images of his Civil War papers in Volume 12, May 1987, of my periodical Potter Profiles. Here is a transcript:

VOLUNTEER ENLISTMENT

State of New York,  Town of Covington

I, Edgar W. Potter, born in Cattaraugus in the State of New York, aged 22 years, and by occupation a farmer, DO HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE to have volunteered this 20th day of De3ember, 1863, to serve as a soldier in the Army of the United States of America, for the period of THREE YEARS unless sooner discharged by proper authority: Do also agree to accept such bounty, pay, rations and clothing,as are, or may be, established by law for volunteers. And I, Edgar W. Potter, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whosoever; and that I will observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the Rules and Articles of War.

Sworn and subscribed to at Culpeper, VA, on this 20th day of December 1863, before (can't read) and signed on the line by Edger W. Potter.

I certify, on honor, that I have carefully examined the above-named Volunteer, agreeably to the General Regulations of the Army, and that, in my opinion, he is free from all bodily defects and mental infirmity which would in any way disqualify him from performing the duties of a soldier. (signatures of the two examining surgeons)

I certify, on honor, that I have minutely inspected the Volunteer, Edgar W. Potter, previously to his enlistment, and that he was entirely sober when enlisted; that, to the best of my judgment and belief, he is of lawful age; and that, in accepting him as duly qualified to perform the duties of an able-bodies soldier, I have strictly observed the Regulations which govern the recruiting service.

This soldier has blue eyes, light hair, light complexion, is 5 feet, 10 inches high. (signed) ?? Watson, 1st Lt., 10th Regiment of ??? Volunteers, recruiting officer.

Edgar W. Potter, New York Civil War Veteran

From Potter Profiles, volume 12, 1987, page 5:

"I certify, on honor, that Edgar W. Potter, a 1st Sgt. of Captain C.W. Ayres Company A of the 9th Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers, of the State of New York, born in Cattaraugus, State of New York, aged 23 years, 5 feet, 10 inches high; light complexion, blue eyes, light hair, and by occupation a farmer, having joined the company on its original organization at Warren, NY, and enrolled in it at the msuter into the service of the United States at Westfield, NY, on the 5th day of October, 1861, and was mustered in service as a Veteran Volunteer by Capt. J. M. Kern. A.C. of the 1st Cavalry Division at Culpeper, VA, on the 20th day of December, 1863 to serve in the Regiment for the term of three years and having served honestly and faithfully with his company in the 9th NY Cavalry to the present date is now entitled to a DISCHARGE by reason of being killed in action near Old Church, VA, on May 30th 1864.

The said 1st Sgt. Edgar W. Potter was last paid by Paymaster Sawyer to include the 29th day of February, 1864, and has pay due him from that time to the present date; he is entitled to pay and subsistence for traveling to place of enrollment, and whatever other allowances are authorized to volunteer soldiers, drafter men, or militia, so discharged. He has received from the United States Clothing amounting to $9.23, since the 1st day of January 1864, when his clothing account was last settled. He has received from the United States $60.00 advanced Bounty  and second installment of Bounty $50.00 (was it 60 cents and 50 cents for it next says clearly) Total $1.

Given in Duplicate at Wilson's Landing, this 27th day of June 1864. (Signed) C.W. Ayers, Capt. 9th New York Cavalry.

The Potter Profiles reader who, back in 1987, submitted this said it came from The Cattaraugus Star, 1926.

((There were two more pages to this file; please stay tuned.))

"Stray" Potter in Eastern Washington,1931

My friend, Charles, found this "stray Potter" while doing some indexing for the Washington State Archives (the SCRIBE program). This family lived in the little town of Ione, on the Pend Oreille River in the county of the same name, north of Spokane in Eastern Washington (just 22 miles from the Canadian border).  The town was first settled in 1894 and incorporated in 1910. Mining and timbering were the two primary occupations.

The Marriage Affidavit Record above is for Ray Potter, age 21, of Ione, and Esther Sarah Applegate, also age 21, and of Ione. They were married on 28 May 1931 in Ione and Gertrude Applegate was a witness.

I could not find the Potter family in either the 1930 nor 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses.

I did find the Applegate family in 1930 living in Ione; Gertrude was 43, a widow, born in Kansas, with children Esther, 20 (store clerk), Marvin, 18, Fred, 15, and Forest 12. In the 1940 census, poor dear Gertrude is living all by herself in Burns, Harney Co, Oregon.

So where did Mr. Ray Potter come from? And where did he go? To which Potter family does he belong?

Potters Resting in Richmond, VA, Hollywood Cemetery

I was lucky enough to be able to visit a second time to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The name derives from the many holly bushes and trees on the site. Opened in 1849, many notables from the history of the South rest there. In the President's Circle (above) is the gravesite of President James Monroe.

Many folks of humble origin and service are buried there too. Amazingly, there are only five Potter persons resting there......... out of all those thousands! I was surprised. They are:

May Handy Potter, died age 86, buried 5 Jun 1952
Mary D. Potter (Mrs. Benj. J.), died age 54, buried 24 Mar 1937, last residence was Atlanta, GA
Hazeltine Wattson Potter (Mrs. S.B.), died aged 83, buried 26 Mar 1982.
Ben. J. Potter, buried 12 Nov 1913
Eva Landrum Potter (Mrs. Jas.), died age 81, buried 7 Jan 1938, lived at 2509 W. Grace St.

Potter Towns

Perhaps the most famous town with the Potter name, Pottersville, comes from the Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic movie, It's A Wonderful Life. Who hasn't seen this wonderful movie and longed for an angel to ring a bell on their behalf??

I've learned that there are other, real-life, towns and counties bearing the Potter name:

Potter, Yates County, New York..... named for Arnold Potter, the first proprietor
Potter Township and County, Pennsylvania..... named for Gen. James Potter, Revolutionary officer
Potter County, South Dakota ............ named for a prominent physician in the state
Potter County, Texas ............... named for Robert Potter, temporary secretary of the Texas Navy in 1836

Potter Hollow, a village in Albany County, New York.......... named for Samuel Potter

Potterville, Eaton County, Michigan......... named for Linus Potter who settled his family there in 1844

Pottersville, unincorporated village in Bedminster County, New Jersey
Pottersville, unincorporated village in Howell County, Missouri

Did I miss any?

** I do remember that Robert Potter, in Texas in 1836, was quite a character. In one volume of Potter Profiles I included a newspaper sketch of his colorful life.

Potter Query: Line of Nathaniel Potter (ca 1615-1664).

On Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 8:03 PM, Mike and Cassy Palmer <mcpalmer7@roadrunner.com> wrote:

Hi Donna, my name is Mike Palmer and I spend way too much of my free time on my genealogy hobby.  I published my book in 2011 but my research continues.

Tonight I am researching a certain Alvin Jered Potter who married Harriett Reynolds.  While I have found various records detailing his descendants, I found this on an old message board:

Found in "Potter Profiles" vol.17, p.42-43: [John Reynolds Potter line - somewhat abbreviated here]

1. #1 Nathaniel Potter (ca.1615-1664 RI) m. Dorothy ___
2. #2 Nathaniel Potter (1637-1704) m. Elizabeth Stokes
3. #6 Nathaniel Potter (1669 MA-1736) m. Joan Wilbour
4. #376 William Potter (1689 MA-1777 RI) m. Mary Brownell
5. #382 David Potter (1722 MA-1801 RI) m.1748/9 Susanna(h) Barber
6. #569 David Potter (1767 RI-1834 NY) m. Hannah Wilkinson
7. #907+ John Reynolds Potter (1811 NY-) m.1835 Charlotte Knapp
8. #934 Alvin Jered Potter (1836 NY-1893 MI) m.1866 Harriet Reynolds; Alvin d. in Scottville, Mason, MI, m. in MI
9. [#934.1] Edna Sedenia Potter (1871 MI-1951 WA) m.1903 Charles Near; Edna b. in Hastings, Barry, MI, m. in Scottville, Mason, MI
10. Helen Maxine Near (1905 MI-) m.1927 Robert Blaine Thurston; Helen b. in Scottville, Mason, MI, m. in Vancouver, WA
[etc.]

Can you tell me, how is this book, Potter Profiles, volume 17?   I want to cite my source correctly.

  

It's #8,9,10 above that interests me.

Thank you,   Mike Palmer,   Winterport, Maine

Notes on Daniel Potter, wife Lydia Hale, early 1800s in New York, Part 6

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

Part 6:

"I remember some of the sentiments of war times. Edgar was at the front and in the Army of the Potomac and like most of the soldiers at the time in that department was under the personal magnetism of General George B. McClellan. Mother took issue. She did not believe in the loyalty or the honesty of "Little Mac." Edgar did, for a time, and would wind up his letter with "Hurrah for Little Mac!" Mother would not hurrah for him until he did something to hurrah for and she would rather have the soldiers have some chance in the game for coming out alive instead of being held in that dismal swamp to die of malaria faster than they could have been shot by the rebels. She believed that Gen. McClelland was so much in sympathy with the South that he was nearly if not quite a traitor. And Edgar, after the long weary months of promises of Mc. to move and fight , and after Lincoln had pleaded month after month and Mc. continued to remain inactive, finally acknowledged that Mother was right and he wrote to that effect." 

THE END

A summary of this family as gleaned from the above is:

Daniel Potter married Lydia Hale and they had Allen, Clarissa, David, William, Daniel, Joseph, Hannah, Silas and Achsah. 

Joseph Potter (who d. 8 Apr 1882) married Mary Eunice Wylie (who d. 4 Dec 1883). They had:

     1. Cassandana Louise on 22 Deb 1838, m. Samuel Orlando Parks

     2.  Edgar Wylie on 25 Mary 1840; d. 30 May 1864 at Cold Harbor, VA.

     3.  Stanley Noble on 21 Jul 1842; m. Laura Cheney and had:  E. Clifford, Mable, Mildred, Theo,

                                              Gilman and an unnamed infant.

     4.  Irving Delmont, b/d/ ca 1845

     5.  unnamed son, b/d ca 1846

     6.  Ellen Lavancha on 30 Jun 1850; m. Lewis King; she d. 7 Oct 1903

     7.  Lydia Arnot Augusta on 30 Jun 1850; m. Lorentus S. Edson; had: Lena (m. Ira Marble) and Edgar

     8.  Clayton Buell on 9 Sep 1852; m. 12 Oct 1876 to Jane Whetmuth; had:  Mary Walker, Ada

                                               Whetmuth, Frederick Clayton, Alice Louise, Ethel Wylie and Edgar Lamont

     9.  Lorenzo Warderell on 10 Apr 1855; d. 1856.

    10. Argus Lamont on 22 Sep 1857; m. Clare Wright; had: Earl Lamont;  Argus d. 5 Aug 1883. 

Notes on Daniel Potter & wife Lydia Hale, early 1800s in New York, Part 5

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

Part 5:

"The last of the family births was Argus Lamont Potter, born on September 22nd, 1857. He was the brightest of the family, easy and quick to learn. I recall one winter when our school dwindled to a failure, Lamont and I went to the Lime Lake school taught by Flotilla Watson and she was par excellent. Figuring closely, I think Lamont was 6 years old. He wore a waist to which his trousers were buttoned. When he took his place in the highest reading class in school he stood beside a boy three times his age and twice his size holding his side of the Sanders 4th Reader and having to reach up to meet the other's height, look up to see the page-eyes as black and shining as jets, and the whole school brought to silent amazement for he could read better than any of them. Later in life he married Clara Wright and one son, Earl Lamont Potter, was born to them. This brother of mine was of genial happy disposition and was loved by everyone who knew him. He used to write up weekly news items for the county papers. They were always interesting articles and most happily written and he surely made his mark. He took up carpentering and was successful until overcome by typhoid fever, dying on August 5th, 1883, aged 24 years, 10 months and 13 days.

"On April 8th, 1882, father died of pneumonia and only four months after Lamont's death, on December 4th, 1883, mother died. She was the one person that I have known who did not in the least fear death. She had suffered with inflammatory rheumatism and her sight had failed and she could no longer read and could no longer do much to help anyone else and felt that she had done what she could and did not want to be a care of burden to anyone and was ready and anxious for the change and she felt to know it would be better. We had been summoned and were gathered at the old Homestead and on that morning we were at the breakfast table and I was where I could see her on the bed in the adjoining room. I have never known what or how to describe it, but something occurred and I said, 'it has come,' and was at her bedside at once. She said, 'is this death?' And I said, 'Yes, Mother, it surely is present.' She was conscious and knew all of us and had words of kindness and wisdom for each and passed away without struggle, fear or dread. She had lived, practiced and died in the faith of a true Christian.

"If I knew how, I would like to emphasize the fact of this woman's intellectual character and her remarkable executive ability. I have never known another woman who had more than a slight beginning toward accomplishing work of any nature that my mother had. Her house was always clean, her work about the house was always up and done with nothing hanging about and her cooking could not be beaten. I am amazed when I think of her taking the flax as it came from the hitchel and weaving it into the linen homespun suits for the men or into handsome patterns for table linen and towels  and weaving handsome bedspreads, quilting, knitting, darning, sewing of all kinds, shirts and collars, vest coats and trousers for the men and all the clothing for the girls. Then there were the carpets, hundreds of yards of them and the coloring, etc. 

(To be continued.......)

Notes on Daniel Potter & wife Lydia Hale, early 1800s in NY, Part 4

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

Part 4:

"The next two children of Joseph and Mary Potter were Irving Delmont and an un-named son, the former living but a few months and the latter but 21 days. Then on February 24th 1848 was born Ellen Lavancha who was a beautiful character and had one of the sweetest self-sacrificing dispositions carried to a point of actual self-sacrifice to a grasping selfish man that would and did let her suffer and die rather than provide suitable nourishment and care in her sickness. She died on October 7, 1903, aged 55 years and 7 months. It is told to me that her husband insisted in burying her in the old ground at Elton where the grave dug for her was nearly half full of water when they lowered in the coffin. It might have cost him forty dollars for a whole lot in a decent place. He was abundantly able and she had helped him to become so. She left a daughter, Lora. 

"In the town of Farmersville on June 30, 1850, was born another daughter who is still living in the old Homestead and in that sentence is shown the true spirit of Lydia Arnot Augusta Edson, nee Potter. Such a noble home lover could not be content away from the place of her birth. She would not consider any money value as an inducement to leave the old associations where she had been from earliest childhood and was a friend to every animal on the place. She had a chord of affection for each one that made them all as members of the family and a heart so tender that it responded to the suffering and weeps at the death of a horse, a cow or a sheep. Augusta married Lorentus S. Edson somewhere about 1870. They were a devoted couple and he was a man of the most sterling quality. His devotion to his wife could only be surpassed by his wife's devotion to him. They had two children, both now living. Lena, the wife of Ira Marble and Edgar as yet unmarried. As these children develop the character of their parents becomes more and more prominent.

"When Augusta and I were young, we were constant companions. We can remember the old log house a little and I can remember the partly built new frame house but do not remember the transfer from the old to the new. Augusta and I used to yoke the oxen and hitch them to the stone boat and draw stones from the fields or hitch them to the stumps and old logs and haul them together and burn them, thus contributing in play quite an item toward clearing the farm. We would tap from 50 to 75 maple trees each spring and do all the work of making sugar when we were 8 and 10 years old. We would gather up the sap and tote it to the boiling place, let it boil into syrup and then carry it to the house...and sometimes the snow was deep...it would be late at night before we could get through. We have lost all of a day's labor by having the snow slump underfoot or stubbing our tired toes and spilling the syrup. I think we know the old farm better than any others. 

"The next of the family of Joseph and Mary was born on September 9th, 1852. I am told that the name of Clayton was given by Aunt Augusta Wylie and the other by Joseph who had admiration for the contractor of a railroad that was begun and never finished and as I write, that may seem quite typical, too, for I am certain he had aims, ambitions and hopes that he has never had the power to realize.

"In 1876, October 12th, at 6 o'clock in the morning were married Clayton Buell Potter and Alice Jane Whetmath in the village of Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, where they lived till May 1891 and then moved to Albany, New York. Their children are Mary Walker Bosboro (who married in 1902 and has three children), Ada Whetmuth, Frederick Clayton and Alice Louise. Alice Louise married in 1907 to a Rulison and has one child, a son named James Potter Rulison. Ethel Wylie Potter and Edgar Lamont Potter, and two, Fanny and Harriott, died in infancy and are buried in Temple Hill Cemetery.

"As to ourselves, others may write or talk but we ahve as good and honorable children as are born to man. 

"The next of father's family was Lorenzo Warderell Potter and he was born on April 10th, 1855 and then died when 10 months and 28 days of age. 

(To be continued.......)

Potter's Angelfish..... Centropyge potteri

Vacationing on Maui and loving to snorkel in these warm full-of-exotic-fish waters. According to a guide chart, one fish I might could see (but did not, probably because they're so small) is the Potter's Angelfish, or Centropyge potteri.  This little rascal is usually only four inches long and endemic to only Hawaiian waters...... 

Would certainly enjoy learning the whys and hows of the naming of this beautiful little fish but could guess some fish-watcher-person surnamed Potter was involved. You think?  Maybe your Potter ancestor??

Just some real Potter name trivia here that I could not resist sharing. 

Notes on Daniel Potter & wife Lydia Hale, early 1800s in NY, Part 3

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

Part Three:

"Cassandana took every advantage of such opportunity as were to be had for an education and was a good student and developed into an excellent school teacher and with better than ordinary government. Oh, this dear sister has always been of the truest sympathetic nature, always of high ideals, always true in friendship and loyal to her own. She has more the right to the reward offered in the first commandment of promise, 'Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee.'

"The second child was a son named Edgar Wylie Potter and was born in Machias, NY, on March 25, 1840. His memory is a sacred thing held in reverence by all our family. As I remember Edgar he had grown to a noble manhood, tall and handsome, admired by all and loved by those who knew him. He was a patriot and at the call for troops in the war of 1861 he enlisted for three years or during the war. He was mustered into the 9th New York Cavalry under Captain Simpson. He served his term of enlistment and as the war was not over immediately, re-enlisted for another like period. Being entitled to a furlough of one month, he came home in February 1864. He had been promoted and was serving as 2nd Lieutenant, I think, when he was shot and killed on May 30, 1862 at Cold Harbor, Virginia.

Stanley Noble Potter was next in line. He was born in Machias on July 21st, 1842, and he was as eager to serve as a soldier as any other man. He enlisted in the spring of 1861 but being under age, was not at first allowed to go by his parents but later gained their consent and after served in the 9th New York Mounted Rifles the first three years and re-enlisted and served till mustered out at the end of the war. He was ruined in health at that time. Stanley was always an excellent penman and could draw anything that could be made a picture of with pen or pencil. I once received from him, when he was at the front, an excellent likeness of himself drawn by himself with a pencil and looking glass. He followed the line of art after his return form the war. At Buffalo, New York, he married Laura Cheney, a very estimable young woman from an excellent family. They had six children:  E. Clifford, Mable, Mildred, Theo., Gillman and I think another infant, the first four only living to mature years. Stanley is living on the old Homestead, a quiet life with his sister Au (cut off). 

(To be continued......)

Notes on Daniel Potter & wife Lydia Hale, early 1800s in NY, Part 2

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

"There was a point of land extending into Lime Lake a little south of the dam on which was built an ashery, a place where ashes were made into some form of potash. The building itself I do not remember but some of the boards soaked with lye and leached ashes were there in my recollection. Our swimming hole was at the old ashery. Timber in those days was largely a nuisance and was but, logged and burned as rapidly as possible and the ashes were used as a sort of currency and about the only thing the early settlers had that would bring money.....markets there were none around then. 

"The men would start out in the latter part of June to get into the Genessee country to help in harvesting and the grain was cut with sickles. It was long before machines were thought of and they could not have used machines had there been any because of way too many stumps.

" Along about 1836, Joseph Potter and Mary Eunice Wylie were married. I believe their acquaintance was formed one of these times when the young man had gone to Covington to work in the harvest fields. And Joseph took Mary from the town of Covington in Wyoming County to his Cattaraugus home on horseback, posterior fashion, and they were said to have been a very handsome couple anyway. Mother Potter was known as the best house keeper in the community and she carded, spun, knit and wove the material, cut and made the garments for the whole family and never had a sewing machine and no hired help in my recollection. She was more than a remarkable woman. There were few people her equal in a full understanding of current events and our national history. She was a great reader always reading while knitting and when churning for butter with the old dash churn. She would have her Christian Advocate, The New York Times or Harpers Weekly pinned against the wall where she could read until the butter came. She was a patriot and always prepared to meet and worst any rebel sympathizer or copperhead. There were ten children born to them, seven of whom lived to maturity.

"Cassandana Louise was born December 22, 18938, and is now living at Pearl Creek, Wyoming County, New York, the widow of Samuel Orlando Parks. She much resembles her mother in likeness and character. The story is told that when an infant but a few weeks of age in the strenuous times of her young parents, her father, in his sleep, picked her up and threw her clear across the living room of the log house....likely dreaming that he was throwing a band into some burning log heap. Yet she took no harm from this sort of treatment and I think never held any grudge on account of it.

(To be continued.....)

Notes on Daniel Potter & wife Lydia Hale, Early 1800s in NY, Part 1

Back in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987, Virginia Zadorozny (who lived in Palmyra, NY) sent this material as it pertained to her line. She added this note that came with the material:  "This chapter on the Potters was written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel Potter and Lydia Hale. It is included in a handwritten book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the stepson of Clayton's sister, Cassandana Potter Parks.

"The Potter family is a large one; they have been long in the promised land and have followed the admonition to increase and replenish the earth.

" I'm not to tell about all the Potters, for it would be too much to read if it were written. If you search the records, however, you may find that the Potter family in America sprang from two brothers who left England for America abut 1636.....both landing in what is now known as the New England states.....one remaining there while the other went into the most southern colonies. Our branch is from that one who remained in the eastern states.

"Daniel Potter and Lydia his wife, my grandparents, lived at Granville, Washington Coutny, New York, probably as late as 1813. They had nine children:  Allen, Clarissa, David, William, Daniel, Joseph, Hannah, Silas and Achsah, and our family records shows that Joseph, the sixth child, was born at Granville. Once when stopping at Whitehall in Washington County, I called on Judge Joseph Potter, one of the judges of the Supreme Court, and in talking of the matter, his records of the family in general were the same as what I had learned of my own ancestors. He was of the same Granville stock.

"The family of Daniel Potter were pioneers for they went far west when the virgin forest covered the western part of New York state. They settled in the town of Machias, Cattaraugus County, at what is now the foot of Lime Lake....an artificial lake made by my Grandfather when he dammed the stream that was of considerable volume, flowing from immense springs and filled with speckled trout. He built a sawmill below the dam, which I believe was later carried away by a freshet breaking the dam. Grandfather and all the family were hard workers....they had to be to clear that heavy clay soil of trees, stumps, roots and stones. In logging, Grandfather got one of his legs broken below his knee and had not been long recovered when a log rolled against the same leg and crushed it so badly that about six inches of the bone was lost and ever after he wore a thimble on that leg to stiffen it so that he could get about. Personally I knew but little of him. I never became much acquainted with him; he was old and broken when I knew him and seemed quite unsocial to me. But I believe that family was credited as of good standing and sterling integrity.

(To be continued......)

Chester A. Potter, 1891-1947, s/o Alfred.

Spotted these two stones in Pines Cemetery, in Spokane Valley, Washington. According to the U.S. censuses and our Washington Digital Archives website, here is what I learned about these Potters:

Chester A. Potter was born in 1893 in Iowa, the son of Alfred and Emma U. Potter. He died on 25 Oct 1947 in Yardley, Spokane Co, WA.  All his life he had been a railroad car inspector. Nellie or Nelly M. was born in 1889, also in Iowa,  and died in 1961.

In the 1920 census, the couple were living in Malden, Washington with John F. Kight, age 69, born Iowa and his wife Cornelia R., aage 68, also born in Iowa. John Kight was a railroad bridge carpenter. Chester A. and Nellie M. were both 27, born in Iowa.

By the 1930 census, they were living in Spokane. Chester was a railway inspector. Also in the household were John F. Knight, father-in-law, age 79, b. Iowa, and Cornelia R., mother-in-law, born Ohio. (??)

On the 1940 census, Chester A. and Nelly M. were still in Spokane. He was a railroad car inspector; he had education only through the 8th grade; he owned his house; he had worked 39 weeks in 1939. Also living with them were Milton L. Kight, age 63, brother-in-law, born Iowa, and Cornelia R. Kight, mother-in-law, age 89, born Ohio.

It does appear that Chester and Nellie had no descendants; please add any information YOU know about this couple. (Note the different spellings: Kight - Knight.)

Alfadonna Potter, b. 1921

Here is the marriage license between Alfadonna Potter, age 18,  and Paul Edgar Hughes, age 76. She was from Grand Coulee, Washington and he was from Mason City, Washington. They married in Pend Oreille County, Washington on 3 January 1939.

Grand Coulee Dam was constructed between 1933 and 1942 in Washington; both Mason City and Grand Coulee are towns close to the construction site but Pend Oreille County is the far northeast county in the Evergreen State. I did not find Alfadonna nor Paul in the 1930 or 1940 censuses. But I'll bet they were both in Washington for jobs with the dam construction.

But the vast differences in their ages begs a question:  WHY??????

Thomas/David POTTER & Elizabeth/Hannah WILKERSON Question

"Lacey F." left a comment that "Thomas Potter and Elizabeth Wilkerson are my 4th great-grandparents" and cited/questioned about Potter Profiles, Volume 17 (which was published in the fall of 1988), pages 42-43. I have scanned and posted them here for Lacey and for anybody having this same question.

My question is, Lacey says that Thomas and Elizabeth are her great-grandparents and Marilyn Rose posted her line from David and Hannah. Hummm?

As I recall, Marilyn Rose was a member of the Seattle Genealogical Society. If unable to contact her any other way, you might try SGS. 

Potters Mentioned In Early North Carolina Wills

Browsing in Abstract of North Carolina Wills, "the original and recorded wills in the office of the Secretary of State," by J. Bryan Grimes, first published in 1910, I found these Potter mentions:

Samuel Potter, mentioned in the will of William and Amy Goodman,  1793.

Miles Potter, Sr., in his will of 1798 mentions his children:  Robert, Miles, John, Joseph, Abraham, Skipper and Margaret McMurray.

John Potter's will, in 1752, mentions children William, John and Elizabeth.

William Potter's will, in 1778, mentions children Elizabeth and Margaret.

In the will of Solomon Walker in 1791, his wife was Martha and it mentions his daughter, Susannah Potter.

You can add this book to your research library via Amazon.com !

If your Potters are like my hubby's Phillips, they are "lost" in North Carolina and I check out everything I come upon!