William S. M. Potter Family
Virginia, Tennessee, & Missouri



William S. M. Potter

b. 1784 TN
d. 5 Nov 1857 MO

m. Ruth Mackey 13 JAN 1806 in Greene,TN
b. 1787 VA
d. 1850/1857
her father: Elias Mackey
her mother: Louise Wall
his father: Thomas Potter
his mother: unknown
Children
Col. Thomas Potter
(sheriff)
b. 28 Dec 1806 Knox , KY d. 4 Feb 1854 Stafford, MO m. Rachel Marshall (b. c1806 KY  alive 1870 MO)
(dau. of Sara Marshall)
Sophia Potter b. 1809 d. Bef 1852 m. ? Cherry (possibly Pleasant Cherry)
Elizabeth Potter b. 22 Apr 1813 Overton, Tenn d. Aft 1880 1m. John Marshall
2m. John Popejoy
7 Oct 1846 Greene Co., MO.
Benjamin Thomas Potter b. 15 Jun 1815 TN d. 16 Dec 1891 Dallas, MO 1m. ?Mary ?
2m.
Zacheous Potter b. 1815/1820 d. m.
Elias Potter b. 1815/1820 d. before1861 m. Matilda Vaughn
William J. Potter b. 1820 TN d. m. Francis ?
James Edwin Potter b. abt 1809 TN
d. alive 1850 Greene Co, MO
m. Polly Upshaw abt 1838 (b. abt 1820 TN)
Mary Potter b. d. m. T. W. Potter
(unknown relation)
lived in Dallas Co., MO

In an early history of Jackson County, Missouri we have a couple of references about Thomas and William Potter. They seems to have arrived in Missouri about 1831 with other most early settlers.

1833- Greene County, Missouri.  Tax list with no township listed.
          James Potter             is listed.
          Thomas Potter          is listed. 
          Thomas Potter Jr.     is listed.
          Thomas Potter Sr.    is listed.

1848, 18 Sep - Elizabeth Popejoy (the remarried widow of John Marshall) was named as principal with Thomas Potter as security in the amount of $1000 bail for her brothers, Elias and William J. Potter.

This undoubtedly was a very serious matter to need this unbelievably large sum of money in those days. Although many documents exist that tell of the accusation and indictment filed 4th day of November 1849, there is no complete understanding of the reasoning behind the accusations or judgements. Elias and William are accused of exposing in a snow drift with the result of death of an infant. We do not know whose child it may have been and although a female no exact age is certain ("5 month old," was written in and struck through). Facts seem to have been agreed to but not enough evidence was gathered to convict. We wonder whether the child was previously still-born or malformed or even if it were some other acquintance. With Elias and William Potter's brother being a sheriff and other members of the family being ministers they seem like a very upstanding and law abiding family. This is a very mysterious episode in this family. There may be more information on the Federal Court Records in Missouri that have not been analyzed. [Court Records of Greene Co., Missouri]

1849, November Term, Circuit Court, Greene County, MO.

ROBERT CALDWELL and SARAH CALDWELL were witnesses in a child abandonment case. The Grand Jury indictment stated that William J. Potter and Elias Potter did "feloniously wickedly willfully and maliciously expose and abandon a female infant of the age of one month. Said infant being then and there under the control and management of the said William J. Potter and Elias Potter in an enclosure of one Marcus Boyd. Said enclosure then & there being an exposed place with intent then and there feloniously willfully wickedly and maliciously wholly to abandon said infant by reason of which said exposure and abandonment said infant then and there died." --
      [ROBERT CALDWELL, Aban'd Child case, CR Folder No. 220, Greene County, MO, Criminal Index, Volume One; SARAH CALDWELL, Grand Jury, CR
Folder No. 209, Greene County, MO, Criminal Index, Volume One.]

1850 - US Census, Missouri, Dallas Co., Dist. 26, page 324.

William S. Potter         66 m              farmer               $300     Virginia
Ruth             "               63 f                                                      Virginia
same page
Benjamin Potter          34  m             farmer                $900     Tennessee
Sarah        "                   31 f                                                        Kentucky
Jane                               12 f                                                        Missouri
Luiza                               9 f                                                        Missouri
John                                8 m                                                       Missouri
Henry                              6 m                                                       Missouri
Clark                               5 m                                                       Missouri
Martha                             3 f                                                        Missouri
Josephine                         1 f                                                        Missouri
next door
Benjamin Mackey        74 m            farmer                $150       Virginia
Mary        "                     67 f                                                       Virginia
Mary A.    "                    34 f                                                       Kentucky
James Denton                 18 m            farmer                               Tennessee
next door
David W. Mackey         30 m            farmer                              Tennessee
Sarah         "                    28 f                                                      Tennessee
Elias C.                             4 m                                                     Missouri
Daniel        "                     3 m                                                     Missouri
William  J.  "                     1 m                                                     Missouri
next door
Terrance Popejoy          31 m            farmer                             Kentucky
Nancy     "                       26 f                                                      "
Rachiel  J.  "                      7 f                                                      Missouri
James M. Popejoy             5 m                                                    Missouri
William T   "                     2 m                                                    Missouri

 Jackson, Greene Co., Missouri. Page 766.
Thomas Potter (44) is here with his wife, Rachael (44) and several children, the birth dates here along with the place of birth indicate that the Potters came to Missouri about 1832. They apparently had previously been in Illinois at least in 1829. The Marshall family arrived about 1835 and seems to have been also in Illinois until about 1831. I have not been able to confirm that this Thomas Potter ever was a sheriff or a colonel. Page 766.

page 768 page 765 1852. Jul 1 - James Potter files for 40 acres in Green Co., MO.  sec. 4, twp 29-N, Range 22-W, meridian 5th PM.  Filed at the Springfield Land Office.  Accession # MO5360_.181


5 Nov 1857 - William S. Potter dies in Greene County, Missouri.

Elizabeth Popejoy (remarried widow of John Marshall) as the oldest surviving child becomes the administrator of the estate of William S. Potter. Through the series of documents over a five year period related to the settling of the estate and selling his property we have confirmed the connections of the Marshall, Popejoy, Potter and Bailes families. [Probate records of Greene County, Missouri]

1860- Ozark Twp., Webster Co., Missouri. p.98

1860 - Bourbon, Kansas Terr. , Pawnee Post Office. I suspect that this record is not accurate since his birth place and date of birth are incorrect.  Polly his wife is also missing and presumed to be dead.  [US Census, p. 366]
James Potter                  49   m      Farmer                    $175                                               KY
George "                         20   m       "                                                                                    MO
William I. "                     17   m       "                                                                                    MO
Zacharias    "                   13  m                                                                                              MO
Ruth  F.      "                     8  f                                                                                                MO

page 67.  Jackson, Green Co., MO[US Census]
Rachel Potter         52  f              Farming                  $600                                            N. Carolina
Andrew  "                19 m                                                                                                       MO
Thomas  "                17 m                                                                                                       MO
      "                14 f                                                                                                         MO
Lewis     "                11 m                                                                                                       MO
next door
Benjamin Potter     27  m           Farming           $3400              500                                    MO
Martha      "               27 f                                                                                                       VA
Nancy      "                 5 f                                                                                                        MO
Letitia      "                  3 f                                                                                                       MO
next door
Elizabeth Popejoy      47 f            Farming           $1400             300                                  Tenn
John  Marshall           16 m                                                                                                   MO
Lucretia    "                  13  f                                                                                                    MO
Layfayette "                   4  m                                                                                                  MO
next door
William Marshall        25 m           Farming   and labor                200                                    MO
Elizabeth   "                 17 f                                                                                                     MO


1870 - US Census, Missouri, Geene Co., Jackson Township. page 326
Potter, Jackson       29 m w        Farming              $2100         600         MO
"         , Joan             22  f  w        Keeping House   $1200                        MO
"         , Kearney        2  m w                                                                      MO
next door
Hankins, James         28  m w      Farming               $1800         650         MO
"           , Mary           24  m w    keeping house                                         MO
"           , Thomas         3  m w                                                                    MO
"           , Homer           1 m w                                                                     MO
Potter, Mary            14  f  w       at home                                                  MO
next door
Potter, Benjamin     38  m w      Farming               $2000        850          MO
"        ,  Martha          38  f  w      Keeping House                                       TENN
"        , Luticia           13  f  w                                                                      MO
Jennings, John           22  m w                                                     290          TENN
"            , Nancy        15   f w                                                                      MO
"            , Clyde         4/12 m w                                                                   MO
next door
Potter, Rachel           63  f  w     Farming                $2500        600           MO
"        , William           15 m w     Farm hand                                               No. Caro.
"        , Thomas           12 m w     Farm Hand                                              MO
"        , Lewis              22 m w     Farm Hand                                              MO


1907, April 15 - George W. Potter is admitted at age 69.    George W. Potter is admitted to the military hospital in Levenworth, Kansas.   Describes that he enlisted in 1861, Nov. 22 was a private in the F co., 2 Tenn Inf. , He was discharged April 1, 1865 in Knoxville, Tenn.  [US National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938]

Sources:

Marshall index

Cheryl's Family Index | Ancestor Chart #10 | email to Cheryl Grubb



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