Individual Details
Nicholas Potter
(1 April 1604 - 18 October 1677)
Nicholas was baptized on April 1, 1604 in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England. Nicholas married three times: on April 22, 1628 to Emma Carter who died before June 1656; in June, 1656 to Alice Weeks in Salem who died February 26, 1658/9; before February 4, 1659/60 to Mary Gedney. In total, Nicholas had at least 14 children: Robert, Samuel, Mary, Hannah, Sarah, Mary, Samuel, Hannah, Lydia, Bethia, Samuel, Lydia, Benjamin and Joseph. It is said Nicholas's parents were Robert and Elizabeth (Marshall) Potter.
Nicholas was a prominent member of the Lynn community. He was also licensed to draw wine.
Nicholas was a prominent member of the Lynn community. He was also licensed to draw wine.
Events
| Birth | 1 April 1604 | Buckinghamshire, England | |||
| Marriage | 22 April 1628 | Buckinghamshire, England - Emma Carter |  |  | |
| Immigration | By 1636 | Salem, Massachusetts Bay | | ||
| Marriage | Aft June 1656 | Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay - Alice Plasse | | ||
| Marriage | By 1659 | Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay - Mary Gedney | | ||
| Death | 18 October 1677 | Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay | | |
Families
| Spouse | Emma Carter (1608 - 1656) |
| Child | Elizabeth Potter (1634 - 1686) |
| Child | Robert Potter (1629 - 1709) |
| Child | Samuel Potter (1632 - 1632) |
| Spouse | Alice Plasse (1630 - 1658) |
| Spouse | Mary Gedney (1638 - ) |
| Child | Mary Potter (1659 - 1662) |
| Child | Hannah Potter (1661 - 1662) |
| Child | Sara Potter (1662 - ) |
| Child | Mary Potter (1663 - ) |
| Child | Samuel Potter (1664 - ) |
| Child | Hannah Potter (1666 - ) |
| Child | Liddea Potter (1666 - ) |
| Child | Bethiah Potter (1668 - ) |
| Child | Samuel Potter (1669 - ) |
| Child | Lidea Potter (1670 - ) |
| Child | Benjamin Potter (1671 - ) |
| Child | Joseph Potter (1673 - ) |
| Father | Robert Potter ( - ) |
| Mother | Elizabeth Marshall ( - ) |
| Sibling | Thomas Potter (1592 - ) |
| Sibling | Thomas Potter (1595 - 1595) |
| Sibling | Thomas Potter (1600 - ) |
| Sibling | John Potter (1602 - ) |
| Sibling | Robert Potter (1606 - ) |
| Sibling | Mary Potter (1608 - ) |
| Sibling | Ann Potter (1610 - ) |
| Sibling | Susann Potter (1619 - ) |
Notes
Marriage
Nicholas and Emma had three children all born in England.Immigration
Nicholas and his family were first in Salem, but relocated to Lynn by 1638.Marriage
She was the widow of Thomas Weeks.Marriage
Nicholas and Mary Gedney had 12 children.Death
The will of Nicholas Potter mentions his daughter Elizabeth Newhall. Here is a transcript of the will:I nicholas Potter of Salem, being weak in body, but of good & perfect memory & vnderstanding blesses be God, doe make this my last will & testament this 10:8mo:1677, first after my debts & funerall charges be paid, the rest of my estate I dispose of as followeth, viz: whereas I lately made a deed to my sonn Robert Potter of my house & land at linn dated 26 of May 1675, which conveyance I doe by this my last will & testament confirme, upon the condition therein exspressed, to be observevd, 2 for the land in the north feild in Salem, which I had in a former will given to my daughter Elizabeth Newall, but made it voyde in the aboue said conveyance, which said land I doe now giue & bequeath the said land be it more or less, to my two sons had by my last wife, viz: Samuell & Benjamin, to be to them & theire heires for euer in equal part. 3 Alsoe I giue & bequeath to my said two sonns, Samuel & Benjamin, all that my house & ground at Bostone, to them & theire heires, an equall part, to injoy it at the age of twent one years & if either of them dy before, the whole be to the survivsor, only my will is that out of the said house & ground, there shall be pd to my two daughters viz: Sarah & Mary each of them the value of ten pounds to be paid them within one yeare after my sons come of age to injoy the sd house & ground. 4. I giue & bequeath that which will be due to me from Isaack Williams at or after my decease, as by his mortgage to me doe appeere, which is eighty pounds: viz: to my Daughter Bethiah fiue pounds, & the reast I giue to all my six children, borne by my last wife viz: Samuell, Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, Hannah & the said Bethiah, to be equaly devided betweene them. 5. Alsoe I give & bequeath, to my said six children, viz. Samuell, Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, Hanna & Bethiah, my house & ground adjoyning in Salem, to haue each of them an equall part or the value of it, alsoe about four acres of ground caled Pigden's lot to be equally deuided. 6. I giue & bequeath to my fouer daughters, viz: Sara, Mary, Hanah & Bethiah, all my moueables & houshold stuff &c: to be equally deuided betweene them. 7. And my will is that what I haue giuen aboue said to all or either of my children, they shall haue & injoy it to them selues & theire heires foreuer, when they come to the age the sons at twenty one years & the daughters at eighteene yeares or marriage & in the meane time the rents & profits of the whole estate viz: houses & land & efects of whateuer is elce, to be for the breeding up of my sd children, soe far as it will goe, at ye ordering & discression of my executor & over seers (here after exsprest)
8. My will is that if God should see good to take by death any of my said children before they come to age or are marryed, as aforesaid, that then there pt to be equally deuided amongst the suriuers: that is to say respectiuely where they are all concerned, there all to share in ye deceased's pt: & the sons Joyntly, the suruier to haue ye whole of the deceased sons, but if both die before they com of age then the daughters to haue theire estate deuided amongst them, & where Sarah & Mary are concerned together in the twenty pound out of the house at Boston: the suruier to Injoy the whole, or if bother dy before she be of age or married her fiue pound to be deuided amongst the suruiuing children Lastly I doe desire & apount my Hond father John Gedney to be sold executor of this my last will & testament & my son Robert Potter & my brothers, Bartholmew Gidney & Elezaer Gidney to be ouerserrs. In witnes heare if U haue put to my hand & seale the day & yeare aboue written."
Nicholas (his P mark) Potter (Seal)
Witness: Hilliard Veren, Senr., Nathaniell Beadle.
Proved 29:9:1677 by the witnesses."
Endnotes
1. Potter, Frank Elwood, compiler, Descendants of Nicholas Potter of Lynn, Massachusetts: Supplement to Part 9 (Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1991), p. 3; digital images, ( : accessed .
2. Death record, Essex County, Salem for , .