Individual Details

(Research):Jonathan POTTS was born on Jun 19 1714 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in 1785 in Lincoln Co., Kentucky. The Potts Family in Great Britain and America, 1901, T. M. Potts page 230 and 338

He is believed to have been the son of Jonas Potts, of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, by his second wife. (See Chapter VIII. pages 220 to 230, ante). He removed, first, to Virginia, (supposed to Loudoun County), and from there to Kentucky, where he spent the remainder of his life. The meager account we have of Jonathan Potts is largely founded upon tradition, communicated by aged members of the family.

In 1878, Mr. Edwin H. Potts, (NOTE: For the record of Edwin H. Potts, see pages 303, 305, and 306, ante). then aged sixty nine years, gave the writer some interesting and valuable information, concerning the early history of the family. Nearly all his statements have since been verified by written records. Among other things he stated that two nephews (half brothers) of his ancestor, David Potts, __Jonas Potts and Jonathan Potts by names, ---after living in Loudoun County for some time, removed to the west, Jonas settling in western Pennsyvlania. Since then Jonas Potts, who settled in western Pennsylvania, and his descendants, have been quite fully traced and the result given in Chapter XXI.

In the year 1887, Mr. Joel Potts, of Sharpsburg, Illinois, then above seventy years of age, and a grandson of Jonathan Potts, informed the writer that the traditions of his family allege, that the Potts family came from Wales to Pennsylvania with William Penn; that the eimgrant family were Quakers, being driven from Wales by reason of the religious persecution they had endured, on account of their faith. His grandfather removed from Pennsylvania to Virginia, and from thence to Kentucky, where the family endured the hardships and privations incident to frontier life and the hostility of the Indians. Other members of the family have the same tradition of Welsh descent.

Mr. George W. Potts, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and fifith in descent from Jonathan Potts, has in his possession an old Bible, which seems to have originally belonged to his ancestor, the said Jonathan. This Bible contains numerous manuscript entries of records and sometimes meaningless scribbling. The book is a very dilapidated condition, and much of the original writing is either partially or wholly faded out. It would seem that sometime children may have made a plaything of the book, and practiced in a first essay at penmanship across the records. Below is given all that can be deciphered of the early records and entries, which have any bearing on the early history of the family. On the first fly-leaf are the following entries.

John Potts his Book God Giv him Grace to Look there in 1768

Emey Potts Hur Book

John Potts his Hand and pen

Jonathan Potts

On the next page of the fly-leaf is what seems to have been an original record of births. It is, from its appearance, the earliest writing in the book, but is now only partialy legible on account of the faded ink, and later careless scribbling over the records. So far as deciperble, this is what remains,

------Potts

Nathan Potts

Amos Potts Born December ------- in on 1743

Sarah Potts born January 19 Day in 1745

---------Potts born in february 28

---------Potts Born april 23 Day ----1767 (Note: This date seems to be plainly written 1767. It is hardly the date of birth, unless it was intended bor 1747. It may be the date of a death)

---------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 hur son

--------1714

---------1718

Mrs. Emey Potts is 72 years old June 1790

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 that 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.

NOTE: His wife in this data base is giving as Naomi Hall - Thomas Maxwell Potts had her name as Emey last name unknown.

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. Joel 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 reat age of 115 years.

Birth	19 Jun 1714	Gilbert's Manor, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania
Marriage	1740	Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Naomi Hall
Death	1785	Lincoln Co., Kentucky

Spouse	Naomi Hall (1718 - 1790)
Child	Nathan Potts ( - )
Child	Jonathan Potts (1740 - 1781)
Child	Amos Potts (1743 - )
Child	Sarah Potts (1745 - 1829)
Child	David Potts (1751 - 1823)
Child	Ezekiel Potts (1758 - )

Father	Jonas Potts (1680 - 1754)
Mother	Mary Mercy (1654 - )