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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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??????

Grace E. Potter marries in 1936 in Washington State

Grace E. Potter, "of legal age," and of Eugene, Oregon, married Eugene C. Weber, age 29, of Odessa (Lincoln Co), Washington, on 11 July 1936. They were married in Pend Oreille County in northeast Washington............ quite a ways (in 1936) from Eugene, Oregon and even Lincoln County. Makes me wonder if they had run away together?  No wonder we sometimes cannot find our "Lost Ladies!" 

Rebecca Needham, d/o Ann Potter, d/o Humphrey Potter, s/o Sir Thomas Potter, Lord Mayor of Coventry, 1622

The following was first printed in Potter Profiles, Vol. 11, March 1987. It had been shared with me by Lois Horn to go with what I had dubbed, Branch 81.

"Anthony Needham, born in Devonshire in 1628, was the son of Anthony and Jane, and was the father of Rebecca. He arrived in Salem in 1651 and Rebecca was born five years later. Back in England, under Cromwell, the Needham family had taken an active part in the Reformation movement. Their ancestry can be traced to the 12th century Norman..... "de Meet Mame".....interpreted as "deer or horses" and "park or home"..... suggesting a remote ancestor to have been a keeper of the royal deer park. Indeed, this progenitor's wife appears to have been a cousin to William the Conqueror.

"Rebecca's mother was Ann Potter, only child of Humphrey Potter, who died in the Irish Rebellion. Ann's grandfather was Sir Thomas Potter, who in 1622 had been Lord Mayor of Coventry. Possibly as a result of his title, he became an Irish landholder. We know that 19 years later he was in Dublin and became a victim of the Irish Massacre.

"Meanwhile, Humphrey Potter had married into the family of Sir Philemon O'Neale of Antrim. At the latter's death, the considerable property in northern Ireland was divided among his children, including of course the wife of Humphrey Potter.  Ann Potter would have been a small child during the dire events which cost the lives of both her father and grandfather.

"Ann Potter's aunt, her father's sister Rebecca, had in the meantime come to America. The new Mrs. Rebecca Bacon of Salem, she seems to have joined the sect of Quakers. After her brother Humphrey's death, this stout-hearted woman undertook the voyage back to Ireland to claim her niece, Ann, whose mother may also have died at this point. The two sailed on Ye London Merchant.

"So Ann Potter came across the Atlantic to live in Salem with her aunt, and to become a Quaker like her aunt. In January 1655, Ann married Anthony Needham and their daughter, Rebecca, was born the following year and christened for her great-aunt, the courageous Rebecca Potter Bacon."

The sketch continued with the saga of Rebecca Needham's life; she married Michael Chapman and died early at the age of 35. Consult Vol. 11 of Potter Profiles to read it for yourself. DPP

Potters In Elkhart County, Indiana, Early 1800s

From  "Marriages in Elkhart County, Indiana, 1830-1849," published in the Hoosier Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 1, pps. 21-25:

James M. Potter married Clarinda Runcerman on 30 Jan 1845 (Book B, page 181)
Philander W. Potter married Laura Carr? Barr? on 13 May 1838 (Book A, page 219)
William A. Potter married Mary C. Bachelor on 13 Sep 1837 (Book A, page 193)
Eliza M. Potter m. Jonathan Rush on 24 Mar 1836 (Book A, page 132)
Eliza Rush married Aaron Skinner on 7 Oct 1839 (not stated)

Ken Heeter of Bel Air, MD, submitted this to Potter Profiles (Vol. 10, Jan 1987):  "I have a letter written on 7 May 1933 from Mrs. C.R. Sparks of Berrien Springs, Michigan:  Eliza Potter was born in Butler Co, Ohio in 1818. She was first married to Jonathan Rush in 1836. She married Aaron Skinner (my grandfather) in 1839. She was buried in South Bend, Indiana, in 1878. My older cousin says she remembers Grandmother's mother visiting them when she was a little girl. As nearly as we can figure it out that must have been sometime around 1868. I think she died not long after she visited there."

This is the Elkhart County courthouse in Goshen, Indiana. It was built in 1870 so the above marriages would not have been recorded in this building.......... but perhaps those early records were transferred there.

Zabdiel Potter in Caroline County, Maryland, 1750+

On page 85 of The History of Caroline County, Maryland, is given a sketch on Zabdiel Potter:

"Around 1750, Zabdiel Potter came from Rhode Island and settled in Caroline County, Maryland. He died in 1761 leaving a widow and two sons, Nathaniel and Zabdiel, Jr.  Nathaniel died about 1790 leaving a widow but no children. Zabdiel, Jr., was a physician and died about 1839 and had two sons:

Nathaniel became a physician and died in 1843. William became a merchant in Denton, Maryland; he married Ann Webb Richardson, a daughter of Col. William Richardson. She died 12 Sep 1836, age 64, and William Potter died 25 Nov 1847, age 76. They had both sons and daughters.

The map is from FamilySearch and highlights in green Caroline County. Is this your Zabdiel Potter?

This appeared in Potter Profiles, Vol. 10, January 1987. I did a quick Google search for the name Zabdiel Potter and found this sketch from Ancestry:

The History of Caroline County, Maryland, From Its Beginning, 1920, pp. 85-87

THE POTTERS OF POTTERS LANDING

---

        If you should visit Williston, the large brick mansion there would undoubtedly attract your attention.  If you asked the history of the house and its owners, this is the story you would be told.  

About the middle of the eighteenth century Zabdiel Potter, a sea captain from Rhode Island, settled at this place, building for his home a small brick house.  Being an enterprising man, he soon made the place a point of commercial importance on the upper Choptank.  In his honor the settlement became known as “Potter’s Landing.”  Boats bound for Baltimore left the Landing laden with cargoes of tobacco and on return trips brought such supplies as the colonists had to import.  While on a sea voyage in 1761, Captain Potter died leaving a widow and two sons.
        Nathaniel Potter, the elder of the sons, inherited the home place known as Philips Range.  During the Revolution he became a prominent figure in the country.  From 1774 to 1776 he served in the Maryland Conventions, was Justice of the Orphans’ Court and first major in Staffords Company of Militia.  In December ’76, Isaac McHard, who was appointed to collect food supplies in the province, engage Maj. Potter to collect, salt, and barrel all the pork he could procure for use in the army.  So successful was Maj. Potter in this, that in ’78 he was appointed Caroline agent for purchasing provisions for the army.  Two years after the close of the war he died leaving a widow but no children.  The home at Potter’s Landing he will to his only brother.
        This brother, Zabdiel Potter 2nd, was a practicing physician in the county at the outbreak of the Revolution.  He was commissioned captain of the first Caroline company of the flying camp, but resigned to become surgeon’s first mate that he might utilize his medical skill where it was so greatly needed.
        Dr. Potter died in 1739 [sic] and, like his father, left two sons of whom Caroline is justly proud.  In his will expressed a desire that these sons should engage in trade together, but Nathaniel, the elder, preferred to follow his father’s profession.  He graduated in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and later became a member of the faculty of the University of Maryland, which position he held until his death in 1843.
        William, the younger son, became a merchant in Denton.  He married Ann Webb, daughter of Colonel William Richardson.  For four years (1797, ’98, ’99 and 1804) he represented Caroline in the lower House of the Assembly.  In 1806 he became director for our county of the newly established branch of Farmer’s Bank at Annapolis in Easton.
        In 1809 he retired from business and returned to Potter’s Landing, where he had the year previously completed the main building of the present mansion.  Here he probably expected to spend the rest of his life in farming, which seems to have been his chief delight, but the War of 1812 changed these plans.  During this conflict he became Brigadier General of the Maryland Militia. General Potter three times served on the Governor’s Council and in the years 1816 and 1831, being the first named, was next to the governor in state administration.
        In the rear of the mansion two marble slabs bear these inscriptions:

“Sacred to the memory of Ann W. Potter who departed this life 12th Sept. 1836, Aged 64 years.”
“General William Potter who departed this life Nov. 25, 1847 in the 76th year of his age.”

        A few years after the death of General Potter, his sons having died and his daughters married, the property at Potter’s Landing was purchased by Colonel John Arthur Willis.  During the Civil War four companies of the First Eastern Shore Regiment of Maryland Volunteers were raised at Potter’s Landing, it having been Colonel Willis who initiated the formation of this regiment.  In later years the name of Potter Town was changed to Williston in memory of the Colonel and his family.
Potter’s Landing was for over a century the leading shipping port of Caroline County.  During the lives of General Potter and Colonel Willis lines of sailing vessels plied between this wharf and Baltimore, and until the close of the last century, travel between that city and the central part of Caroline was entirely by boats, all of which stopped at this landing.  The wharf is still used by the farmers of the neighborhood as a shipping point for their freight.

Thomas Potter, 1791-1865, War of 1812 from Tennessee

In Potter Profiles, Volume 10, January 1987, page 8, I published this bit. I had found this bit in Ansearchin News for Jan/Mar 1972. It was a bit contributed by Alfred C. Potter:

Thomas Potter, Christian Minister, born in 1791, died 24 January 1865, served in the War of 1812 from Overton County, Tennessee. He was a Pvt. in the company of Capt. William Evans, 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Militia, under the command of Col. Copeland. He was discharged at Fayetteville, Tennessee, on 16 May 1814.

He married Elizabeth Wilkerson, born 1793 and died 26 May 1868. She was the daughter of Thomas Wilkerson and a Mrs. Pemberton.

The couple had seven children:  Phoeba, born 1818;  William, born 1819;  John, born 1822;  Henry, born 1824;  Elisha, born 1826;  Bennata, born 1828;  and Elijah, born 1830.

Thomas Potter left Jackson County, Tennessee, and went to Montgomery County, Illinois and then to Dallas County, Missouri in 1823. He returned to Montgomery County, Illinois, and then to Green County, Missouri in 1820.

Both Thomas and Elizabeth are buried in a private family plot twelve miles east of Springfield, Missouri.

I hope this query-bit will be of help to some Potter/Wilkerson researcher. Good luck. 

Abijah Potter (1760-1842) & Mary Tower (1761-1861) in New Hampshire

This bit is from the History of Stark, New Hampshire, 1774-1974 published by the Stark Bicentennial Committee. ........ The Potter Family:

Abijah Potter, son of Theophilus Potter and Lois (Walker) Potter, a farmer, came to Percy with his family in 1806. He served in the Revolution and was a sergeant. He married Mary Tower, daughter of Joseph and Hepsibah (Gibbs) Tower, and their children were:  Abijah, Polly, Mark, Charlotte, Lorana, Aaron and Justus. (Lorana married John Waid, son of John and Ruth (Merriman) Waid. Their children were Mary, Caleb and Laura.)

Aijah Potter, farmer, son of Abijah and Mary (Tower) Potter, married Lydia Rowell, daughter of Daniel and Judith (French) Rowell. They had at least one son, Leonard.

Aaron Potter, farmer, son of Abijah and Mary (Tower) Potter, married Hannah Miles, daughter of Captain Daniel and Elizabeth (Smith) Miles. He served as town clerk.

Justus Potter, son of Abijah and Mary (Tower) Potter, married in 1819 Elizabeth Miles, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Smith) Miles. Their children were:  Justus, Alvira, Mary, Charles, Daniel, Hannah, Aaron, Naomi Elizabeth, Naville, Abijah and Horace. Justtus married, as his second wife, Almine Peabody, and, as this third wife, Susan (Rowell) Curren. (Naomi Elizabeth married Cyrus Thompson, son of Benjamin and Sarah (Wheeler) Thompson. They had one son, Elwin. Both father and son died in 1862 from diphtheria. Naomi remarried and moved away.)

Leonard Potter, son of Abijah and Lydia (Rowell) Potter, married Susan Cole, daughter of Andrew and Hannah (Peverly) Cole. Their children were: Freeman, Norman (who died age 15), Edwin, Elizabeth and Mary.

Justus Potter, son of Justus and Elizabeth (Miles) Potter, a farmer, married Hannah Dodge, daughter of David and Rachel Dodge. Their children were: Louisa, Olive, Lucina, Lafayette (who died in infancy), Elizabeth, Adonna and his twin, Augusta, who died in infancy. (Elizabeth married Hazen Merrill, son of Nathanial and Drusilla (Stone) Merrill. They had two children:  Irven and Susie and lived on his father's farm.)

Aaron A. Potter, son of Justus and Elizabeth (Miles) Potter, married Ella McFarland of Northumberland. Her served several terms in town office.

Abijah Potter, son of Justus and Elizabeth (Miles) Potter, married Mary Roxana Peabody, daughter of Lorenzo and Lydia Peabody of Milan. Their children were:  Flora, Iona, Leon, Iva and Royal Wilbur. (Iva married Osmar Cole, son of Hiram and Matilda Cole.)

Horace Potter, son of Justus and Elizabeth (Miles) Potter, married Elizabeth Woodward, sister of Billy Woodward. They built the house near the Jimmy Cole place and farmed. Their children were:  Elvia, Charles, Aaron, William, Elizabeth and Marcia (who died in infancy). They also raised Albert Emery, Clair and Susana Walker.

Freeman Potter, son of Leonard and Susan (Cole) Potter, married Lavina Rowell, daughter of Levi and Caroline (McFarland) Rowell. Their farm was on the lower part of Percy Plain. Their children were: Eva, Daisy, Harley and Nellie.

Adonna, of "Don" Potter, son of Justus and Hannah (Dodge) Potter, was a farmer, served as selectman, road agent, and representative, and was also active in church affairs. He married, first, Emma Growe, and second, Florence Skiff. Their children were Sybil and Ruth. His third wife was Adelaide Powell. Their children were:  Donald and Robert. His fourth wife was Irene Hamlin.

R. Wilbur Potter, son of Abijah and Mary (Peabody) Potter, married Jessie Lang, daughter of Emerson and Alice Lang. They had one son, Mark. His second wife was Selma Christianson, and their children were:  Roma, Carl and Norman. This third wife was Margaret Goehler, and their children were: Erma, Wilbur and Arthur.

Charlie Potter, son of Horace and Elizabeth (Woodward) Potter,  never married. He ran a blacksmith shop, worked in the woods and farmed with Albert Emery.

Aaron Potter, son of Horace and Elizabeth (Woodward) Potter, like his brother Charlie, never married. Both lived on the home place and were well known as "characters."

William Potter, son of Horace and Elizabeth Potter, married Georgia Smith. Their children were: Ellis, Lois, Vera, Leonard and Alice.

Norman Potter, son of R. Wilbur and Selma Potter, married Opal Gibson, daughter of Robert and Maude (Basset) Gibson. Norman has worked int he woods and on town roads, loves to fish. Opal worked at Granite State Rubber So. They had two sons, Carl and Norman, Jr.

Ellis Potter, son of William and Georgia Potter, married Margaret "Maggie" Collins. Their children were: William, Ellis, Jr., Eva, Elmer and George. His second wife was Olida Charest, and they had one daughter, Sandra.

Carl, or "Toby" Potter, son of Norman and Opal Potter, married Gloria Phelps. Toby works at the Groveton Mill and is serving as road agent.

Norman, or "Bud" Potter, son of Norman and Opal Potter, married Elizabeth Christopher, daughter of Columbus and Shirley (Maguire) Christopher. They had one daughter, Fawn. Their home is the old Blake schoolhouse which has been recently renovated. Bud works in the Groveton Mill and Betty has served as school treasurer.

Ellis, or "Tinker" Potter, son of Ellis and Maggie Potter, married Marjorie Palmer. They had two children. His second wife was Cecile Croteau, daughter of James and Arline (Lettre) Croteau. After her death, he married Opal Potter. They live in Stark Village and run a restaurant in Groveton.

Lyman Potter donated the land for the Percy Cemetery. His home still stands nearby and has been recently renovated. He married Judith Robbins and their children were: Lydia, Carrie (who is now 104 years old) and "Doctor" John.

(This sketch first appeared in Potter Profiles, Volume 8, 1986, page 16-18.)

Covered bridge over the Upper Ammonoosuc River in front of former paper mill in Groveton. The Percy Peaks are in the distance.

Herman Boerhave Potter, 1786-1804, Connecticut

HERMAN BOERHAAVE (m). Dutch doctor, theorist, lecturer and medical writer (1672-1738), of Leyden; he never came to this country.  Dr. James and Abigail (Barns) Potter of New Fairfield, Connecticut, named their youngest son Herman Boerhave Potter (1786-1804). Father and son died within days of each other; the expenses of both funerals were listed in Dr. Potter's estate papers (1804-06). Dr. Potter's inventory also included a six-volume set of Dr. Boerhaave's lectures (New Milford Probate #2149), finally distributed to son William Cicero Potter (1773-1856), who himself later named a son Herman B. Potter (Charles Edward Potter,Genealogies of the Potter Families and their Descendants in America [1888], Part 5, p. 3.) (DAR Patriot Index, Millennium Administration [2003], 3:2156 mistakenly gives Mrs. Potter's maiden name as "Boerhave," extrapolating from her youngest son's middle name without taking into account her husband's [and possibly her own] penchant for imaginative naming.)

The Name Origins article, written by Julie Helen Otto, originally appeared in The Weekly Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Issue #645, July 24, 2013.

Stephen Potter, b. 1744 England/Wales; son Thomas Green Potter, b. ca. 1775 VA/SC; Wayman Henry Potter, b. 1816, SC

Hi..

After reading your Potter Profiles post on Facebook the other day, I decided to check my family tree for Potters. Lo and behold! I found some Potters in my son-in-law's family. So, I'm sending you the information for your profiles blog. 

 

My son-in-law's 6th great grandfather was Stephen Potter, born about 1744 in England or perhaps Wales. He married, about 1768 in Virginia, Jemima Green. They had at least 8 children among them, Thomas Green Potter. Some researchers report that Stephen served in the South Carolina militia from 24 May 1781 to 14 Jan 1782. Others that he was a mounted soldier in General Pickens' Brigade. He is not listed among in the DAR ancestor database. I have been able to document this assertion.

 

Their son Thomas Green Potter was born either in Virginia or in Clinton, Laurens County, South Carolina about 1775 (date calculated from tombstone). He married Elizabeth Holland, daughter of  and William Holland and Ann Wayman, 1 Dec 1814 in Clinton, Laurens County, South Carolina. Elizabeth died in 1844. There is an obituary for Thomas atwww.findagrave.com which lists him as a native of Virginia. It also states that he lived in Spartanburg and Laurens. Deacon Potter "for a period of forty years he was an exemplary member of the Methodist Episcopal Church."

 

Thomas and Elizabeth had the following children:

     Wayman Henry Potter 1816-1890

     Nancy Holland Potter 1819-1886

     Thomas Coke Potter  1821-1902

     Allen T. Potter 1824-1892

     Francis Asbury Potter 1826- 1900

     George Whitefield Potter 1828 - 1901

     Elizabeth Holland Potter 1830 - 1889

 

The 1820 Census for Spartanburg, Spartanburg, South Carolina, enumerated 7 Aug 1820, lists a Thos G Potter with a household including: 2 free white males under 10; 1 free white male 26-44; 1 free white female under 10; 1 free white female 16-25; on male slave 14-25.

 

The 1830 Census for Spartanburg enumerates a Thos G Potter household including: 2 free white males under 5; 2 white males 5-9; 3 free white males 10-14; 1 free white male 40-49; 1 free white female 10-14; 1 free white female 30-39 and 1 male slave 24-35.

 

The 1840 Census for Laurens, South Carolina lists a Thomas Potter in a household with 1 free white male 50-59; 1 free white male 20-20; 2 free white males 15-19; 2 free males 10-14; 1 free white female 10-14; 1 free white female 15-19; 1 free white female 20-29; 1 free white female 50-59; and 1 male slave 36-54.

 

The 1850 Census for Laurens, South Carolina lists a Thomas Potter, age 60, male, farmer, value of real estate 3100, birthplace Virginia. Also living in the household as  Frances A Potter, age 24, Birthplace South Carolina, male; George W. Potter, age 22, male; Elizabeth Potter, age 20 female.

 

My son-in-law's line descends from Wayman Henry Potter, born 17 Oct 1816 in Cross Anchor, Spartanburg, South Carolina. He married Elizabeth Jane Simpson about 1840 in Clinton, Laurens County, South Carolina.

The family had at least five children all born in South Carolina

     Mary J. Potter 1843

     Nancy Potter   1845

     Thomas Asbury Potter 1846-1919

     Sarah Potter 1849

     Amanda B. Potter 1854-1935

 

The family emigrated to Ouachita County, Arkansas about 1858.

 

Amanda Bailey Potter, my son-in-law's 3rd great grandmother, was born 12 Feb 1854 in South Carolina. She married Robert Weir Copeland (1852-1921) in 1874. The family made their home in Jackson, Nevada County, Arkansas and she lived in the county the rest of her life. The Copelands had six children:

     S. E. Copeland 1876

     Fannie Bailey Copeland 1879-1921

     Edgar W Copeland 1881

     Joe Bell Copeland 1884

     Amry R Copeland 1889

     Lizzie Faye Copeland 1893-1978

 

My son-in-law descends form Fannie Bailey Copeland so I do not have any additional information on Potters. Perhaps, you have information on Stephen Potter's Revolutionary War service in the South Carolina militia in your earlier Potter Profiles collection.

Cecily Cone Kelly,  cecilyk@aol.com

 

William Potter & Sarah Randall Married 1787 In ??

Back in 1986, when I was actively collecting and compiling Potter Profiles, I decided to look at the microfilm for all the Potters listed in the Revolutionary War Pension index.......... accordingly I spent hours scanning those films, listing out the soldiers and trying to pick out some identifying information.

Nearing the end, and looking at one of the files for William Potter (and there were several), I found a Bible record that had been sent to Washington DC most likely to support a claim. Here is the information from that Bible record page:

In the center:  William Potter was born the 3rd of September in the year of our Lord 1750 and married Sarah Randall the 30th of January in the year 1787............. Sarah Potter wife of William Potter was born the 28th day of July in the year 1766...... William Potter died December the 9th 1815 aged 55 years............. William Murray, January 5th 1804

Down the left side:  Two sons born the 5th of April 1732 the one lived eighteen hours and the other eighteen days..... one son born the 3rd of April 1792 and lived six days........... Hannah Potter was born the 17th of May in the year of our Lord 1781........ Rebekah Randall Potter born the 29th of December 1792 and died the 14th of April 1794............. born my daughter the 10th day of March and died the 21st 1795............. Rebekah Randall Potter was born the 25th day of April in the year of our Lord 1790.

Down the right side:  Sally Sherman Potter born the 9th of December in the year 1797.... William Potter, Jun. born the 12th of December in the year 1799......... Betsey Potter born the 23rd of October in the year of our Lord 1808......... Rufus Potter born the 7th day of August in the year of our Lord 1804...... Hannah Eggabroat daughter of Wm Potter died December the 11th 1835 aged 44 years.

Seems to me that there is more than one family included here. A couple married in 1787 cannot be having sons born 1732 or 1781..................... and who is William Murray?

Mr. Potter, Ventriloquist, Massachusetts, 1830 ??

"Mr. Potter, The American Ventriloquist, begs leave most respectfully to inform the Ladies and gentlemen of (blank) that he has returned after an absence of four years and hopes, by his exertions to please, to receive the patronage of a generous and enlightened public."

"Mr. Potter will (also) bring forward 100 curious but mysterious Experiments with eggs, money, fruit, birds, boxes, etc.. Among which will be presented the Philosophical Paper, that changes to various shapes, The Mysterious Dollars, and DECEPTIVE BALL, The Enchanted Egg, that dances a hornpipe with all the appearance of life....."

I visited Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts in May 2013. It's meant to replicate a typical New England village of 1830 and it was a delightful place to visit. This poster was glued to the wall outside the general store (that sold ice cream cones). Was there really a Mr. Potter, Ventriloquist?

George Potter, Today in Missouri

My sister-in-law lives in Kansas City and sent this notice to me. I wonder how many, if any, of the sales items were family heirloom items vs. his collections??? Would have been fun to attend.  Do be sure to click the link to learn more about George Potter, Jr., who was born in 1930. 

Centuries Old Antiques... and Modern Art The George Potter Jr. Estate A tagged Estate Sale inside the Potters' replica castle at 1239 West 61st Terrace, Kansas City MO. Their unique home is adorned with period 16th, 17th and 18th Century Architectural elements, Furniture Fine Art and much more. -Click Here For A Slide Show Preview-    -Click Here to read about George Potter Jr- Pre-sale BENEFIT OPENING  Thursday, June 13th from 3 to 8 p.m. Your $20 admission benefits Great Plains SPCA No Kill animal welfare organization. The folks from Great Plains SPCA will be on hand with tax deductible receipts and organization info. Additional sale hours for this large event: Thursday June 20th, 2 to 6 p.m. Friday June 21st, 10 to 4 Saturday June 22nd, 10 to 3 ALL ITEMS WILL BE PRICED AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE BENEFIT PRE-SALE ON THURSDAY JUNE 13TH!    EARLY FURNITURE Jacobean Style Oak Tester Bed with 17th Century Elements 17th C. Carved Oak Corner Cabinet on Stand 17th C. Coffer on legs with Carved Busts 18th and Early 19th C. Chippendale and Hepplewhite Side Chairs Early Trestle Base One Drawer Stand Early Elm Stand with Turned Legs joined by stretchers Early 19th C. Mahogany Fold-out Dressing Table 17th C. Pad Foot Queen Anne Stand Table with Carved Drawer Face Taller Narrow 19th C. Bow Front Hepplewhite Chest with Five Drawers Bronze Doré Mounted Boulle Cabinet Bronze Doré Mounted Boulle Lap Desk 19th and 20th Century Wood Vitrine Cabinets A variety of early 19th C. Side Chairs and Arm Chairs in Hepplewhite, Sheraton, Chippendale and other styles Dark Oak Gothic and Linenfold design Beds More not listed PARTIAL LISTING OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES - GLASS & PORCELAIN Collection of Early Pewter Collection of Modern Torso Sculptures Great Table Lamps in Bronze, Marble, Gilded Wood, Tole, Porcelain, etc. 18th C. Patch Boxes Lalique and other French Crystal and Opalescent 19th & 20th Century Sterling by British Makers and Tiffany & Co Wonderful 18th C. Altar Sticks 19th C. Carved Stone 29-inch Figure of a Lion w/ Heraldic Shield 100s of Pieces of 17th and 18th Century Dark Oak Architectural Elements and Panels including Gothic Motifs, Gothic Figures, Linen Folds, etc. 19th C. Carved Ivory Bust on Plinth (repair) Ivory and Semi-Precious Stone Boxes Wedgwood Queen's Ware Roman Glass Replicas and otherwise? 17th and 18th Century Cabinets and Coffers 18th and 19th Century English metal Mounted Coconut Cups Nearly 100 Pieces of Horse Brass Textiles and Draperies Mink Coats and Capes Steuben 'Teardrop' Martini Glasses Steuben Goblet with engraved Lion Laliqe French Crystal Tumblers Pittsburg Pillar Mold Bottles Very fine English and Irish Cut Glass Waterford Crystal Swarovski Crystal Civil War Soldier Tintype Image 18th C. Whale Bone and Silver Toddy Lifters Gorham' Etruscan' partial set sterling flatware 19th-century carved marble sculpture of woman and child Guilloché enamel Sterling box with Art Deco scene Collection of approximately 50 19th-century Staffordshire fairings Antique quilts Antiquarian books including many nice fine bindings Circa 1890s child size dresser and washstand with pressed designs Large collection of Halcyon days enamel boxes Many Limoges boxes including figural topped examples Many great table lamps including altar stick types and marble with bronze and bronze and cut English and Irish Crystal and gessoed and painted wood, etc. Erotic theme Indian miniature paintings Antique stereo viewer cards Coronation collectibles circa 1914 to 1980s Older Mink coats and capes in as found condition Antique Chinese embroidered robe Royal Crown Derby service plates for Ovington Brothers New York Steinway and sons grand piano serial number 217645, condition unknown. Model M? Antique Brass bugle stamped mark of Henry Potter London 1913 Vintage aviation photograph circa 1920s Bohemian Glass Liquer Set Large Set of KPM ARKADIA WHITE very fine Dinner Service Fine Crystal bowl on Stand with Engraved Hunt Scene A number of Obelisks made from a wide variety of materials Finely Painted 19th C. Porcelain Cabinet Cup and Saucer Sets Crown Derby and other early 19th C. Porcelain Collection of 100 English Cottage Miniatures Many sets of Finer Crytsal Stemware with Cut and Polished Designs Meissen Figure Grouping Wonderful Painted Iron Chandelier Collection of Blue Onion Porcelain Pieces Embroidered Chinese Mandarin Robe C. 19th century Early carved wood Crucifix Incredible Lace Table Cloth with Figures Art Deco influence Cocktail Shaker with Tiffany Sterling ANRI 75 Piece Nativity Set Silk Persian Rugs in poor condition STERLING SILVER AND PEARLS Sterling Silver Handle Grape Shears Large Sterling Silver serving trays Sterling Silver Footed Tray with handles Partial sets of Sterling Silver flatware Sterling silver pearl handle child s whistle Sterling silver and Ivory child's Rattle with rhymes circa 1915 Coin silver spoons Many small sterling silver frames Lewis Wise hammered sterling baby spoon Set of 10 interesting hoof-form sterling spoons signed Sanborn's Ornate Sterling Castors Silver Plated Candelabra Silver Plated Bacon Warmer Gorgeous Ross and Simons 18-inch strand of large 18mm Pearls (approximate sizes) FINE ART Oil on Canvas Portrait of a Woman in Blue Dress, Circle of Jonathan Richardson (London 1655 - 1745), measures 45 x 37 inches in large custom frame Oil on Canvas Portrait of Man in a Blue Robe, attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller, 30 x 24 inches Oil on Panel by Bob Byerely dated 1975 Gordon Laite (1925-1978) Ink on Board Mary Jane Beggs (Born 1913 Lawrence KS) Watercolor Jack Garver (Born 1921 Kansas/New Mexico) Abstract Oil on Panel Pencil Signed Etching Attributed to Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Mamie Withers Wintermote (1885-1945) Oil on Canvas Thomas Creswick Watercolors Thomas Bush Hardy graphite on paper drawings circa 1876 George Potter Jr. artwork and prints Ken Ferguson Wheel Thrown Pottery Bowl More works not listed LARGE LIBRARY OF FINE BINDINGS AND OTHER BOOKS The History of The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire 1776 edition, six volumes, quarto leather, maps and frontpiecece present The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, full red leather bound by Bayton, Bath, England Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and other Poems, 1863, beautiful padded red leather Library of 19th C. Fine Bindings and Leather Bound Books Art and Architecture with focus on English Architecture Several Arthur Rackham Illustrated volumes Richard Nixon Signed and Boxed Volume The Memoirs of Richard Nixon (damp damage) Vincent Price Signed copy from his library Sizable collection of 18th and 19th century wood engraving bookplates, some hand colored Early indenture on vellum A few 18th and 19th century maps Easton Press Leather Books Massive Collection of Art Books and Reference Material ELECTRONICS Pioneer SX850 Receiver Pioneer PL518 Direct Drive Turntable MISCELLANEOUS A full range of Household Items, Housewares, Small Appliances, China, Pottery, Cookware, Clothing and Bedding A small workshop full of tools and materials Nail Guns Power Tools Good sized Air Compressor More

Potter Cousins Connect!

I've just connect with a new Potter cousin; only a 9th cousin but who's counting?

Dale Potter Clark and I both descend from Samuel Potter; Dale comes from his son Samuel and I descend from his son David. But we're both direct Potter lines back to a common ancestor. The lineages go;

     Donna                                                             Dale
   
Francis Harold Potter  (1921-2009)                      Henry Johnson Potter  (1923-2003)
Henry Melville Potter  (1888-1952)                      Woodford Joseph Potter  (1896-1969)
Francis Matthew Potter  (1862-1894)                   Laurin Freemont Potter  (1981-1948)
Matthew J. Potter  (1838-1902)                           George Everett Potter  (1833-1918)
Matthew Potter  (1796-1875)                               James Potter  (1800-1875)
Robert Potter  (1766-1819)                                 Solomon Potter  (1749-1800)
James Potter  (1734-1815)                                   Samuel Potter  (1715-1759)
William Potter  (1715-1747)                                 Samuel Potter  (1690-1728)
David Potter  (1685-1715)                                   Samuel Potter  (1657-1714)
                                       Samuel Potter  (1656 - ?)
                                       Anthony Potter  (1627-1690)
                                       ???  Robert Potter                                  



Anybody else claim cousin-hood with us????