Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Frank Fraser Potter, 1879-1959, and wife Irene, Washington State

Frank and Irene Potter Papers, 1915-1990

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Potter, Frank Fraser, 1879-1959.
Title
Frank and Irene Potter Papers
Dates
1915-1990 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 Linear Feet of Shelf Space(4 boxes)  :  Some documents in this collection were damaged by water and/or mold prior to being donated to Washington State University. These items were photocopied, and the originals discarded.
Collection Number
Cage 737 (collection)
Summary
Frank Fraser Potter (1879-1959) was a member of the faculty at Washington State College from 1912 to 1949. He was WSC's first professor of philosophy. Irene Eleanora Michet (1889-1971) joined the faculty of the WSC English Department in 1927. She married Frank Potter in 1929. Both of the Potters were actively involved in the campus community. This collection consists of materials related to Frank and Irene Potter which came into the possession of Ruth Slonim, their colleague and friend, after Irene Potter's death.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections.
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions
This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages
English

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Daniel & Lydia (Hale) Potter, Cattaraugus County, New York, early 1800s -- Part 2

(This series began with the 23 May 2016 post.)

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 cut, logged and burned as rapidly as possible, and the ashes were used as a sort of currency, 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 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. Joseph took Mary from the town of Covington in Wyoming County to his Cattauaugus home on horseback, posterior fashion, and they were said to have been a very handsome couple.

Mother Potter was known as the best housekeeper in the community and she carded, spun, knit and wove the material and 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 understand of current events, and our national history. She was a great reader, always reading when knitting, and when churning for butter with the old dash churn, would have the Christian Advocate, The New York Tribune 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 Dec. 22, 1838, 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 those strenuous times of her young parents, 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 brand into some burning log heap. She took no harm from this sort of treatment and I think never held any grudge on account of it.

She 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 ideas, 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 they father and they mother that thy days may be long upon the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee."


((To be continued...next child was Edgar Wylie Potter, bo. 25 Mar 1840, Machias, NY.))

Monday, May 23, 2016

Daniel & Lydia (Hale) Potter, Cattaraugus Co, NY, early 1800s

The following, which will be the first part of a multi-part posting on this blog, was published in my Potter Profiles, Volume 11, back in March 1987. It was a "chapter on the Potters written by Clayton Buell Potter, grandson of Daniel and Lydia (Hale) Potter. It was included in a hand-written book compiled in 1909 by Edward Augustus Parks, the step-son of Clayton's sister, Cassandra Potter Parks.

Page 1:

"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 all about all the Potters, for it would be too much to read if it wee 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 about 1636, both landing in what is now known as the New England states. One remained there while the other went into the more southern colonies. Our branch if from that one who remained in the Eastern States. 

"Daniel Potter and Lydia, his wife, my grandparents, lived at Granville, Washington County, New York, probably as late as 1813. They had nine children, Allen, Clarissa, David, William, Daniel, Joseph, Hannah, Silas and Achsah, and our family record 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 on 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 a broken man when I knew him and seemd quite unsocial to me. But I believe the family was credited as of good standing and sterling integrity.

TO BE CONTINUED..........................

Monday, May 16, 2016

A "Stray" Potter, 1840, Illinois

A tidbit in the St.Clair Genealogical Society QUARTERLY, Volume 39, Number 1, 2016, page 32:

Citing The Great Western (newspaper), Belleville, ILL. , 11 May 1839 (inaugural edition)

"E.G. Potter of Lebanon Illinois submitted a lengthy, precisely detailed, letter describing his successful method of building houses from Earth."

Did a quick check of the 1840 census for Lebanon, St.Clair County, IL, on Ancestry and found his brief entry:

One male, 15-19;  one male, 40-49; one female 40-49.

A very brief search in the 1850 census and Illinois death records yielded nothing.

Who was E.G. Potter???

Monday, May 2, 2016

Potters in Idaho County, Idaho

From Idaho County "News" 1886-1903, compiled by Carol Anglen, 2004, located in the Heritage Quest Research Library, Sumner, Washington.

Page 79:  Warren F. Potter divorced Carrie M. Potter on 14 Jun 1895

Page 105:  Mrs. Carrie M. Potter married John M. Bonner, both of Keuterville, on 15 Oct 1897.

Page 12:  Died near Grangeville, Idaho, on 7 October 1887, Mary E. Potter, late of Benton Co, Arkansas; leaves a husband and three children.

Page 71:  Married at Keuterville, Idaho, on 24 Sep 1894, by Rev. J.S. Rhoads, William Sidney Potter and Mrs. Mary E. Osborn. Married at the same time and place were Warren F. Potter and Carrie M. Tefft. "The contracting partices are father and son, mother and daughter, respectively."


Keuterville, Idaho, was near Cottonwood between Lewiston and Grangeville, and is now a ghost town. Click on this link for more information:  http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/id/keuterville.html

Monday, April 25, 2016

Capt. Harold B. Potter, Game Conservator in Zululand, South Africa, 1930s & 1940s

The metal plaque-sign at the entrance to one of the Zululand game reserve/parks in eastern South Africa caught my eye:  Within Lies Our Work: Your Heritage  --  W.M. Power, H.B. Potter, A.E. Charter --  erected by the Natal Parks Board in Recognition of the unselfish services of three great conservationists. 




Once home from our trip, I asked Grandma Google about "H.B. Potter Zululand South Africa" and learned a little about this Potter fellow. Apparently born in England, Harold B. Potter lived with his wife, son and daughter in/near Zululand Park and was a great "mover and shaker" in the conservation of the local wild animals. He was appointed Game Conservator in 1929 and was still actively working in the late 1940s.

One link I found was: Images of ‘Wild Africa’: Nature tourism and the (re) creation of Hluhluwe game reserve, 1930-1945 by Shirley Brooks. It tells much about what Potter did and not too much about who he was.  The link is:  http://www.kznhass-history.net/files/seminars/Brooks2003.pdf

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Potters & Allied Families in Orange County, New York, 1800s

The following comes from the Portrait & Biographical records of Orange County, New York, 1895, pages 787-788:

Lewis Potter, owner of the "natural bridge" farm in the town of Highland, was born at Ft. Montgomery, August 17, 1825, and the first fourteen years of his life were passed in the place of his birth. He then came to Forest of Dean, and for the four ensuing years was in the employ of Daniel Slosson, upon the farm which he now owns. As soon as he had a sufficient amount saved to warrant independent action, he began farm work on his own account, and for a number of years thereafter he rented farms in Forest of Dean and Ft. Montgomery. His next venture was the purchase of a yoke of oxen, and thus equipped he engaged in teaming for three years, after which he was employed on the Hudson River for one years, and for two years tilled the soil in partnership with his brother.

After his marriage, Mr. Potter rented a farm near Ft. Montgomery, and this place he worked for nine years on shares. He then was employed for a year in New Jersey, but the following year returned home and began the cultivation of the place where his family had resided during his absence. On this property, which was situated near Ft. Montgomery, he engaged in general agricultural pursuits for three years, and later rented a farm near the mines for ten years. Desirous, however, of having property of his own, in 1873 he bought one hundred and twenty-six acres, and upon that tract he settled two years later. He has since added several hundred acres to the estate, which, under his efficient management, is one of the most productive farms in the neighborhood. The place is a very old one, and one field was cleared and has been in cultivation since a period antedating the Revolution.



It is worthy of note that our subject's grandfather, Aaron, and great-grandfather Potter were participants in the Revolutionary struggle and took an active part in the Battle of Ft. Montgomery, where the latter was killed and the form had part of his ear shot away.

For a time after the Revolution Aaron Potter lived on Long Island, whence he came to Orange County and took up a large trace of land near Highland Mills. After his death his son Thomas, our subject's father, removed to Ft. Montgomery, and died at the home of his daughter there. His wife bore the maiden name of Margaret Weyant, and was the daughter of Tobias Weyant, of Highland Mills.

The marriage of our subject took place at Forest of Dean, February 16, 1850, at which time he took as his wife Miss Phoebe, daughter of James and Catherine (Vought) Clark. Her father, who was a farmer by occupation, was a son of Moses Clark. Her mother was a daughter of Joseph and Amelia (Conklin) Vought, and the latter in turn was a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Nelson) Conklin. Henry, father of Joseph Vought, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution. Mrs. Potter is the eldest of eleven children, of whom all but two are living. Our subject was the eighth among fourteen children, and he and his brother John M.,  who was third in order of birth, are the only survivors.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Potter consisted of five children, namely: Millie Ann, who married Thomas Cox and is now deceased;  Sarah Jane, who died in infancy; Jane, wife of George VanTassell; Catherine, who passed away in infancy; and Mary Emma, wife of Fred Holman, a fireman in an apartment house in New York City. The latter has one child, Arthur J., a fine lad of six years.

In politics Mr. Potter upholds the principles of Democracy, and has been prominent in the local ranks of his party. For thirty years he has served as Collector, and he has also filled the position of School Director.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Were Potters Scotch-Irish in Colonial Virginia?

I found Potter information in all three volumes of Lyman Chalkley's Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, extracted from the original court records of Augusta County, 1745 to 1800.



From Volume One:

Page 446:  John Potter, confined for desertion, 1780
Page 230:  James Potter mentioned in the estate administration for William Steele, 15 April 17873
Page 299:  William Mark vs. Abraham Potter, account for one saddle, 21 April 1748
Page 309:  Abraham Potter vs. Robert Craven, May 1753... in 1744 ...dispute with Robert Craven
     and James Fisher regarding 350 acres on Cook's Creek..."Abraham Potter otherwise called
     Abraham Potter of Sussex upon Delaware."

From Volume Two:

Page 195:  Polly Miller, wife of Henry, has married John Potter, son of David..... she had 4 
     children by David Potter since Henry's death.... David died intestate by 14 Jun 1816
Page 218:  George L. Clemmer vs. David Potter's heirs.... 1820.... David Potter, of Rockbridge,
     died, his wife pre-deceased him, living children were:
     Margaret  --  wife of Christian Runkle
     Catherine
     Susanna  --  wife of John Wambuck or Warnburk
     Mary  --  wife of Benjamin Baltzer
     John
     Sarah  --  wife of Peter Koontz
     Eve
     Charles
     Barbara
     David (infant)

     John Potter has since died, leaving widow, Mary, and two children (Elizabeth and Sarah);  
     Sarah Potter Koontz leaves husband and daughter, Mary
Page 390:  William Steele, administrator of James Potter,  15 Apr 1783

From Volume Three:

Page 142:  John Potter's appraisement by John Kirk, Alex Kirk, John Beard, 22 Nov 1775,
     "for sogering (soldiering) money under Capt Moffett, L6.7.6"
Page 465:  Gordon Potter was testator on 10 Nov 1767, along with Thomas McIlhany...
     and Alexander to James Stewart
Page 562:  James Potter and John Wright and Robert McKittrick, testators to deed, ca. 1780

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Potters to Missouri, 1829-1876


From Gone To Missouri, From Whence They Came, To Where & Why, by Marilyn Moore, 1991.
Found at the Heritage Quest Research Library, Sumner, Washington. 

Name  --   From Where  --  To What MO County  --  Year

A.J. Potter - Greene Co, MO  --  Greene Co  --  1841
A.W. Potter  --  DeKalb Co, MO  --  KeKalb Co  --  1853
C.H. Potter  --  Washington Co, PA  --  Harrison Co  --  1868
David Potter  --  Juniata Co, PA  --  Jasper Co  --  1866
Edward Potter  --  Ohio  --  Jefferson Co  --  1876
J.A. Potter  --  Knox Co, KY  --  Ray Co  --  1855
J.W. Potter  --  Missouri  --  Cooper Co  --  1854
Jacob Potter  --  Kentucky  --  St. Charles Co  --  1829
John Potter  --  Jackson Co, TN  --  Greene Co  --  1832
John Potter  --  Prussia  --  Greene Co  --  1860
L.C. Potter  --  Greene Co, MO  --  Green Co  --  1848
M.B. Potter  --  Greene Co, MO  --  Greene Co  --  1833
Nicholas Potter  --  Prussia  --  Greene Co  --  1859
T. Potter  --  Clay Co, MO  --  DeKalb Co  --  1858
W.H.F. Potter  --  Green Co, MO  --  Greene Co  --  1850
W.S. Potter  --  Missouri  --  Cooper Co  --  1836
J.H. Potter  --  Cooper Co, MO  --  Morgan Co  --  1866

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Revolutionary Potters in New Jersey

From the 1997 book, Roster of the People of the Revolution in Monmouth County, New Jersey, by Michael S. Adelberg, page 218 (accessed at the Heritage Quest Research Library, Sumner, WA):


Daniel Potter  --  Shrewsbury, sells produce to Continental Army, 5/80
David Potter  --  Shrewsbury
Ephraim Potter  --  Shrewsbury, recipient of poor relief
Isaac Potter  --  Dover, indicted for misdemeanor, 1/78, fined L5 for not attending all or part of jury 
     duty; signer, petition against association for retaliation, 12/81;  Township Freehholder of Appeals,
     1783;  Grand Juror, Court of Oyer and Terminer, 7/83
Mary Potter  --  Shrewsbury,  recipient of poor relief
Paul Potter  --  Dover,  private, militia; signer Petition Against Association for Retaliation, 12/81
Phineas Potter  --  Dover, sells goods to Pennsylvania Salt Works, intermittent 8/76-6/77
Reuben Potter  --  Dover, private, militia; laborer, Pennsylvania Salt Works, intermittent 8/76-6/77;
     Signer of Articles of Retaliation, 6/79
Robert Potter  --  sergeant, New Jersey Volunteers, captured 8/22/77
Thomas Potter  --  Dover, signer, Petition Against Association for Retaliation, 12/81


Monday, February 1, 2016

Potters in Jackson County, Michigan



From the History of Jackson County, Michigan, Vol. 1-2, 1881, seen at the Heritage Quest Research Library, Sumner, Washington:

page 383:  Joshua Potter, mustered out of the 7th Cavalry

Page 432:  Nathan S. Potter, admitted as business partner with George E. Loomis on 1 Jan 1878

Page 378:  E. B. Potter was named inspector for the Pulaski School District

Page 641:  Henry H. HATCH and Amanda Potter, parents of Hiram F. Hatch, boot and shoe merchandiser, b. 24 Dec 1842 in Benton, Eaton Co, Michigan; parents were of Scotch descent and were natives of Batavia, New York. They married and came to Michigan ca 1840 and settled near Charlotte.

Page 662:  Ruth Potter m. George LAWTON, superintendent of Union School, and settled in Westport, Bristol, Massachusetts, where their son, U.W. Lawton was born in 1831. 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Serendipity Today

FamilySearch, aka the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, maintains the wonderful Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Besides that they offer genealogy help at hundreds of Family History Centers scattered all around the world. The newest thing FamilySearch is offering is a chance to have some family fun at the Discovery Centers. These will be historical-interactive screens where you can learn about yourself, your family and even your name!

Here are some fun things about the Potter surname that I found at the Discovery Center at RootsTech last year........ and you can have similar fun at the new Discovery Center on the main floor of the Family History Library.



Don't think there is much here new and/or startling but all fun nonetheless.