Potters & Rhode Island

When I first began digging into my family history in a serious manner, I soon learned that there were many Potter lines going back into Rhode Island. In fact, in the 1980s, when I began compiling Potter Profiles, one researcher wrote me that "Yah, Rhode Island was the factory where they churned out Potters." Well, I don't know about that but I do know that there are hundreds of Potters listed in James N. Arnold's Vital Records of Rhode Island 1636-1850, published in 1891. In Volume 4 of Profiles, I included 8 pages of extracted Potter names from Arnold's record. If you think your Potter lineage might or does go back to Rhode Island, perhaps you'd want to check the information from this source? You can click to www.GenealogyToday.com, and then scroll down to Search by Surname and type in Potter Profiles to access all the volumes/booklets of this surname database of mine.

More Potters in the newer Mayflower index.

There was an additional Mayflower Ancestral Index published in 1981covering the Brewster-Chilteon-Eaton-S.Fuller-Moore-Rogers-Soule-White families. If you find your ancestor here, it is sufficient proof to join The Mayflower Society or to prove a claim as a descendant.  Here are the additional Potter names:

Alice, Alma,  Bathsheba,  Daniel Frederic,  Desire,  Don Theron,  Elisha,  Elizabeth,  Emeline,  Fannie,  Frances Adelia,  Franklin,  Hannah,  Helen,  Hepzibah,  Isabel,  James,  Joan Cynthia,  Jonathan,  Joseph,  Josephus,  Lida,  Lina Nancy,  Lydia,  Marion,  Martha,  Matthew,  Nathaniel,  Olive,  Phoebe,  Rosamond,  Ruth Brigham,  Sarah, Stephen,  Stokes,  Susanna. The cited book gives the spouse name; if you have a New England Potter of one of these names, you might want to check out this index. Why not?

Potters in the Mayflower Index

There are over 40 Potter-surname folks listed in the three volumes of  The Mayflower Index published by the Mayflower Society in 1960. While finding a name in these books does not constitute proof to join the Mayflower Society, it surely would be a starting point? Take a look-see for yourself.

The Potter names are:  Abigail, Alice, Alida, Andrew, Cynthia, Daniel, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Ellen, Eugene, Frances, Franklin, Harriet, Henrietta, Hettie, James, Jonathan, Josephus, Joshua, Lida, Lydia, Marion, Mary, Minerva, Olive, Susan, Amanda, Anna, Carl, Cornelius, Dennison, Eseck, Ezra, Frances, Hepzibah, Jennie, Job, Lucy, Susannah and Thankful.

The other (married) surnames are:  Stevens, Brown, Collins, Dunham, Read, Field, Bridgham, Woodworth, Hyatt, White, Spalding, Baker, Swift, Lester, Howard, Harris, Packer, Colfax, Rhodes, Woodford, Crolius, Sutton, Baker, Fisher, Aiken, Barber, Barden, Doolittle, Stoddard, Adams, Hubbell, Lake, Sherman, Moseley, Hicks, Quinby, Clarke, and Dye.

I do trace my lineage back to Gov. William Bradford, Mayflower passenger and second governor of the Plymouth Colony, through my mother's Gurney line, not my Potter line. What about you? It surely makes history more alive and more interesting to document your connection to something like the Mayflower.

"Potters" and Christmas Time

This image has everything and nothing to do with Potter research. But being born a Potter, all my life my Dad and I were the recipient of pots-pottery-potting jokes, some cute, some stupid and some ribald. Gifts were given and envelopes addressed to .......... and they would draw pot shapes with names or not. I took no offense; I rather thought it clever. But how about YOU?  Were you the unhappy or happy recipient of such joking? Care to share? 

Beatrix Potter, author of the wonderful Peter Rabbit books.

Did you know that it was (Helen) Beatrix Potter, 1866-1943, who was the English writer, creator and illustrator of so any books for young people including Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle?

Beatrix and her brother (Walter) Bertram (1872-1918) were the children of Rupert William and Helen (Leech) Potter, ( he was s/o Edmund Potter) well-to-do but strict Unitarians.  Bertram was sent away to school and Beatrix was taught by a governess.  When she was 27 and still living at home, she began sending drawings and stories about Peter Rabbit to a friend's sick child. This humble beginning eventually brought forth 23 of the books which made her famous.

In 1905 she became engaged but after his sudden death became a bit of a recluse. In 1913 she married William Heelis and spent the last 30 years of her life living off the royalties from her books and breeding Herdwick sheep. The only known portrait of her hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Few, if any, might be related to Beatrix Potter but all can claim through her wonderful books an association beyond blood ties.

Potters in the War of 1812

From the National Society U.S. Daughters of 1812's book, Ancestor Index, 1892-1970, compiled by E.S. Galvin, 1970, pps. 408+ is a short list of the Potter males accepted by the organization as having served in this conflict. They are: 

Benjamin Potter, 1785-1867, Lt. RI Militia, m. Elizabeth Greene
David Potter, Colored NJ troops
George Potter, 1732-1794, Pat. RI Gen Assy, 1790, m. Content Maxon
Horace Potter, 1781-1841, Surgeon OH Militia, m. Abrilla Quinby
John Potter, 1761-1865, Pvt. TN Militia, m. Mary Stout
John Potter, Seaman, PA
Joseph Ayer Potter, 1794-1863, Pvt. NY Militia, m. Rachel West
Pardon Potter, 1772-1859, Lt. RI Troops, m. Rhoda Carver
William Potter, 1794-1858, Capt. CT Militia, m. Mary Maxon
Loving Potter, Pvt. US Artillery

Then this book: Index of Awards on Claims of Soldiers of the War of 1812 in NY, 1969, p. 363:

Isaac Potter,  Alfred Potter,  Benjamin A. Potter,  David Potter,  Daniel W. Potter,  Edward Potter,  Henry Potter (x2), James Potter (x3), John Potter,  Joseph Potter,  Samuel Potter,  Stephen M. Potter,  Varnum Potter,  William Potter (x4), Willis Potter.

NOTE: These were men living in New York only.

World War I Memorial Museum

Did you know there was a World War I Memorial Museum in downtown Kansas City, Missouri? I visited there last week and it was really a great place to visit. I won't say "wonderful" for it told all about that horrible conflict (with some quite graphic movies and dioramas) but I certainly learned much about the "war to end all wars." As you enter, you see a field of 9000 orange silk poppies, one for every 1000 person who died in that conflict. Very sobering. How many Potter ancestors participated in this war? How many died? If you live near KC, a visit to this museum is one that I would recommend.