My source for information on the Potts family is from "The Potts Family in America" by William Potts, Canonsburg, PA, 1901.This was further enhanced by contributions from Cy Potts.
There is a line of Potts that descends from Wales that is thought to be the ancestry of our Jonas Potts, Sr. I will list it here but it can't be overly stated that this is just conjecture at this point. However, the line from the original Thomas to his grandson, Thomas is proven, as is the line from Jonas Potts, Sr. and down:
Thomas Pott, Yeoman, resident Llangirrig, Montgomeryshire, Wales died after 1654. He and unknown wife had four children: Evan, John, Anne and Eliz'h Pott. Daughter, Anne Pott married John Pott whose will was made up in 1672. They had the following children: Thomas, George, John, Margaret, Alice, Elizabeth, Anne and Sarah. Thomas Pott, son of John and Anne Pott married Elizabeth and they had the following children:
John, Thomas, David, Jonas, Margaret, Jane and Elizabeth Potts. Jonas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth was our ancestor.
Jonas Potts, Sr. wed two women named Mary. Mary of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania was Jonas' second wife. Tradition of descendants allege that the family came to Pennsylvania from Wales. This Jonas, hereafter referred to as Jonas, Sr., was first noticed in Pennsylvania as a witness to the marriage certificate of John Austin and Jane Potts, September 11, 1686. He was a resident of Germantown, Philadelphia County, and vicinity for a number of years, where he sometimes held local offices under the government. Later he settled on land in Gilbert's Manor, not far from the present town of Tyersford in Montgomery County. He was a party to several transactions in the purchase and sale of lands in Philadelphia County. He was also party to a land transaction in Cheltenham Township, County Hereford, England.
Jonas Potts held the office of Range for the County of Philadelphia, his term of office expiring in 1702. He also held the office of Court Sheriff for Germantown at one time. He seems to have been a man of determination, and perhaps of an impetuous temperament, as upon one occasion, in making arrest, it is said that he handled the man so roughly as to have almost killed him.
He was a member of the Society of Friends, but does not appear to have been very active in meeting affairs. The imperfect records of the early Meetings do not show a very clear record of his consecutive connection with the Society. He seems to have been under the care of Abington Monthly meeting, but later in life may have resorted to Gwynedd, or some Meeting in that vicinity.
About the year 1703, Jonas Potts seems to have been straitened circumstances, perhaps by reason of his wife's long continued illness. Radnor Monthly meeting minutes of 1703 show that "Jonas Potts and his wife being poore, and haveing divers small children, want assistance to buy a Cow." He was granted the cow.
Among different lines of descendants are several traditions, which probably have some elements of truth in them as well as inaccuracies. One tradition alleges that Jonas Potts came from England in the sixteenth (seventeenth) century and settled in Pennsylvania. Another claims that the first of the family came to Pennsylvania with William Penn. Another alleges that the first Potts settles in Pennsylvania came from Wales, emigrating from there on account of religious persecution. All agree that the first settlers were Friends or Quakers.
Jonas and first wife, Mary, had the following children:
David Potts died 1768, married first Elizabeth Lane and second Ann Roberts. David's children with Elizabeth were: Jonas, Jonathan, Anna and Mary. Children with Ann are: David, Samuel, Ezekiel, Nathan, Elizabeth, Christian, Susanna, and Rachel. David the father was doubtless born near or at Germantown. probably married Elizabeth in Pennsylvania. He removed to Virginia perhaps about 1745.
Rachel married Joseph Burson August 15, 1719 in Philadelphia County, PA. Joseph was the son of George and Hannah (Gooda?) Burson born Dec 25, 1689.
Elizabeth married William Heald August 15, 1719.
Hannah (not proven yet that she was a daughter apparently)
Jonas and second wife, Mary, had the following children:
Deborah Potts died July 24, 1718.
Jonathan Potts born 1714? married Amy who was born in 1718. This family settled in Kentucky. (SEE BELOW)
Jonas Potts married twice-once to Mary, last name unknown and second to Mary Heckathorn.
Two of the Potts' daughters were married on August 15, 1719 at their home.
Jonathan Potts born 1714 and his wife Amy
(or Emey) had eight children but this is all that is known:
_____ Potts
Nathan Potts
Amos Potts
Sarah Potts m. Robert Rowland
_____ Potts m. ____Burke
David Potts b. 1751, d. 1823 m. (1) Elizabeth Luna (2) Martha Tines Short (SEE BELOW)
Ezekiel Potts
David Potts was born about 1751 probably
in Philadelphia County, PA; and died 1823, in Mercer County, Kentucky.
He settled in Mercer and engaged in farming. He suffered much
from the incursions of hostile Indians. In religious persuasion
he was a Baptist. He learned to read after his marriage, and then
confined his reading to the Bible. He married, Elizabeth Luna
and after her death and when he was about sixty years of age he
married Mrs. Martha Short, a widow with two children. Her maiden
name was Tines. David and Elizabeth Luna had the following children:
Jonathan Potts m. Bathsheba Ballard (SEE BELOW)
Jeremiah Potts settled in Union County, KY near Morganfield. Farmer, a great hunter and lived to 100 years. (children: John, R.L., Amos, David, Jonathan, Joseph, Jeremiah, Rebecca and Lavinia)
John Potts b. Nov. 16, 1782 m. Nancy Wilson. No issue.
Isaiah Potts
David Potts
Catharine Potts
Mary Potts
Margaret Potts
Amy Potts
Rebecca Potts
David Potts and Martha Tines Short had Joel who m. (1) Sarah Ann Blizzard, (2) Mary Ann Clark (3) Ruth Clark Myers. (If you would like a list of his descendants, I could type them out for you.)
Note: Except of David, very little information of the children of Jonathan Potts has come to notice. Two of the sons are said to have been drowned in the river by the parting of a raft. Mr. Joe Potts says his aunt Sarah married Robert Rowland, had children and removed to Missouri. He also says that another aunt, whose name he had forgotten, married a man named Burke, and that Burkesville, Kentucky, took its name from him. She had no children, and is said to have lived to the great age of 115 years.
Jonathan Potts, son of David Potts and Elizabeth
Luna, was born January 9, 1775. Another authority gives the date
of birth as May 30, 1776. He is said to have been named in honor
of his grandfather. He married, first, Bathsheba Ballard, daughter
of Reuben and Mary Ballard, Feb. 7, 1799. He married a second
time, but the name of the latter wife has not been given. He died
October 26, 1868. Children of Jonathan and Bathsheba:
John C. Potts b. April 11, 1800, d. July 19, 1834
Elizabeth Potts b. April 22, 1802
Reuben Potts, b. April 17, 1803; d. March 7, 1847, m. Catharine Ashbrook of Bowling Green on October 22, 1840 in Warren Cty, KY. Their child: George W. Potts b. July 22, 1845 m. Louisa Keller Minor a native of Uniontown, PA. Reuben was a cabinetmaker and a successful business man (merchant). His residence was Bowling Green, KY. Their children: William Keller Potts, b. 1876, George Edward Potts, b. 1884 and Earnest Potts, b. 1885 (probably more but I don't have the rest of the pages from the book!)
Isaiah Potts, b. January 8, 1808, d. February 16, 1886; m. Sarah B. Burris, daughter of John Burris, of Butler County. She was b. November 9, 1809 and d. March 9, 1859, Isaiah removed in 1842 from Warren County to Union County, KY where he engaged in farming. Their children: Stanford, Blueford, Bedford, Columbus, John T., William Woodring, Ann Elizabeth, Mary Jane, and Sarah.
Ninian E. Potts b. August 1, 1810, m. (1) Emily Robinson in 1836 daughter of John L. Robinson of Warren County. They had one son who removed to Indiana. He m. (2) Nancy A. Steward in 1844 in Warren KY. He was a carpenter. By Nancy Steward he had Henry, James V. and Nancy Ann Potts. Of these children, Henry entered the Civil War and died of measles in 1863. James was accidentally killed by a falling tree. Nancy married John s. Lamb.
Rebecca Potts b. January 12, 1814, m. Edward Smith. Children: William S., Eliza Jane, Reuben A., Jonathan, Nannie, Columbus, Calvin C., Richard C., Mary S. and Fannie E. Smith.
Thomas J. Potts b. August 10, 1817
This additional information apparently from a family bible was found on pages 340 and 341 of the Potts book. (typed verbatim):
Sarah Potts born January 19 Day in one 1745
Potts Born in February 28
Potts Born April 23 Day d. 1767?
Potts born July
Ezekiel Potts Borne September third at ten O'clock at night 1758
In other parts of the book are found these further random entries.
Jonathan Potts Born _____ day of the month in the year of our Lord 1714
Omey Potts Wife of John Potts Born June 19 day 1718
Emey Potts and Nathan Her Son 1714 1718
This old Bible was loaned to the writer hereof, for sometime, giving him the opportunity for a careful study of the now imperfect records. He was led to believe that Jonathan and John were used as synonymous names for the same person. Whether Emey was intended for Amy or Emma is uncertain, but possibly for the former, as this name recurs as the name of a granddaughter. The record of births, is undoubtedly that of the children of Jonathan and Emey, as the latter acknowledges Nathan Potts as her son in one of the Bible entries. From other reliable family authority, it is learned that Jonathan had a son David, and another daughter beside Sarah. Jonathan and Emey Potts were probably married in Pennsylvania. Below is given a list of children so far as possible. It is worth while to remark that the names Jonathan, Nathan, David and Ezekiel are duplicates of names common in the families of David Potts, of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and of David Potts and Jonas Potts, of Loudoun County, Virginia. Children of Jonathan and Emey:
___ Potts
Nathan Potts
Amos Potts b. Dec 1743
Sarah Potts b. Jan 1745, m. Robert Rowland
A daughter m. ___ Burke, of Burkesville. No issue.
David Potts, b. 1751, d. 1823, m. 1st Elizabeth Luna, m. 2nd Martha Short, nee Tines.
___ Potts
Ezekiel Potts, b. Sep. 3, 1758
The Potts Family book can be found at genealogy libraries or state historical societies. There are quite a few floating around. At least you have some clues to assist you in searching this family more extensively. Your George W. Potts furnished the writer with much valuable data in the way of copies of Bible records, etc.
