CHAPTER X
THOMAS POTTS, JUNIOR, (COLEBROOKDALE)
FIRST GENERATION
1. Thomas POTTS was born in 1680 in Radnor, Wales. He died in Jan 1752 in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Potts Family in America, 1901, T. M. Potts, Page 234 Known in the Book as Thomas Potts, Colebrookdale. Thomas became interested in the iron business. The family became quiet wealthy.
Thomas Potts, Junior, as he was usually designated, seems to have come to Pennsylvania, in 1698. He was born in the year 1680, in Wales, according to the traditions preserved in the family. He was twice married, first to Martha Keurlis, and second to Magdalen Robeson. For serveral years he was a resident of Germantown and vicinity, but subsequent to 1726 he settled permanently at Colebrookdale, now included within the limits of Berks County. He ws an active, enterprising and successful business man. At his coming to Pennsylvania, he was unable to write, and for sometime made his mark to legal papers; but subsequently learned to write, and usually, if not always, signed his name, "Thomas ptts." When necessary for the sake of distinction, he will be referred to as "Thomas Potts, Junior, (Colebrookdale)."
On March 7, 1697-98, David Powell, of the parish of Nantmell, and John Morris, of the parish of Karbadamfyneth, county of Radnor, Wales, entered into "Articles of ffreightment," with Owen Thomas, of the "County borough of Carmathen, mercer, owner of the good shipp calledthe William Galley, now riding in the river Towy," to carry the said persons and others to "Philadelphia in Pensilvnia," the ship to sail with "the first and next good wind and weather that God shall send after the tenth of May next ensuing the date above written." Passenagers above 12 years of age charged L5 each, and children except babes, fifty shillings each. It was further agreed, "that every master of a family among the sd. passengers having a wife and children, or a considerable family, shall pay att the time of their going aboard, ffive shillings encouragement to the Doctor belonging to the said shipp, and all single persons, except servants; pay one shilling apiece."
The County of Radnor joins Montgomery on the south, and the Parishes of Nantmell and Karbadamfyneth in Radnor, are not a long distance from Llangirrig, Llandinam, etc., in Montgomery. It is probable that all the party of emigrants were from this section of Wales, and many of them relatives were from this section Wales, and many of them relatives or neighbors. The following is the passenager list, in which only the names of heads of families or contracting parties are given. (NOTE: The full text of these articles of agreement is printed in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Volume I, pages 330-2)
David Powell -- for11 passengers
John Morris ----- for 6 passengers
Margaret Jones --- for 3 passengers
Edward Moore --- for 4 passengers
Thomas Powell -- for 3 1/2 passengers
Thomas Grifith --- for 2 passengers
Rees Rees, ---- for 4 1/2 passengers
Edward Nicholas -- for 4 passengers
Winnifred Oliver --- for 5 passengers
Evan Powell -- for 5 passengers
Thomas Jerman - (1) - for 3 passengers
John Powell --- for3 passengers
James Price -- for 2 passengers
John Vaikaw -- for1 passengers
Lymley Williams --- for 1 passenger
Ann Lewis ---- for 1 passenger
Thomas Potts -- for 1 passenger
Walter Ingram -- for 1 passenger
Benjamin Davis, -- for 2 passengers
(1) NOTE: Thomas Jarman settled in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County,and has been spoken of as "a Quaker preacher and thrifty miller." He died in 1740 and in his will made a bequest to "my old man John Potts."
During the voyage John Powell, one of the passengers, died, leaving a non-cupative will, made at sea. Thomas Potts, also a passenger, was a witnesses and made his mark. The will is recorded in the Register's Officeat Philadelphia. The appraisers of Powell's effects were Thomas Potts, (Miller), and William James. (See page 204, ante).
Thomas Potts, Junior, while still in his minority, married Martha Keurlis, daughter of Peter (NOTE: Peter Keurlis ws the head of one of the thirteen families who constituted the first settlement of Germantown. The name seems to have become corrupted into Kerlin, Courlin and Corliss.) & Elizabeth Keurlis, according to the usage practiced among Friends. The records of Abington Monthly Meeting contains the following entry relating thereto.
"At a monthly meeting, held the 20th of 8th mo., 1699, whereas Thomas Potts and Martha Courlin, having declared their intentions of marriage with each other before two monthly meetings, inquiry being made by persons appointed and found clear from all others on account of marriage, did accomplish their marriages in the unity of Friends, as is signified by their marriage certificate."
Young Thomas Potts, at once, entered actively into public affairs and business transactions. Soon after attaining his majority, in 1702-3, he filled the office of Sheriff of Germantown. He made many purchases and sales of real estate, and as an authentic means of showing his place of residence and occupation, brief abstracts of some of his earlier deeds are given below. These abstracts are all from the Recorder's Office at Philadelphia.
Exemplification Records, Vol. 7, pge 481, Feb 28, 1699 / 1700.
About the year of 1726, Thomas Potts seems to have removed to the region of Gilbert's Manor, as he was one of the petitioners for the erection of Providence Township, which was organized in 1727. It included what are now Upper and Lower Providence, in Montgomery County.
About the year 1716, Thoms Rutter, a smith who lived near Germantown, removed to the region of Manatawney Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River, and erected the first Pool Forge, a few miles above the present town of Pottstown, where he began the manufacture of iron, the first in Pennsylvania. Some others became associated with Rutter in this enterprise, which required both skill and capital. Thomas Potts, Junior, became interested in the iron business, and by his own previous application to business had probably accumulated considerable means. Mrs. Thomas Potts James, in the "Potts Memorial," says that, while she has been unable to find the evidence, she is convinced that Thomas Potts removed to the Manatawney region previous to 1720, Morton L. Montgomery, in Volume VIII,of the "Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography," says it is supposed that the Colebrookdale Furnace (NOTE: The furnace was name after the same name in Shropshire,in England. The surrounding territory naturally took the same name; and, subsequently, in 1736, upon its erection into a township, it was called "Colebrookdale," - Morton L. Montgomery." was erected in the year 1720 or a year or two earlier, by Thomas Rutter, Anthony Morris, James Lewis and Thomas Potts. This furnace was located on Ironstone Creek, a branch of the Manatawney, and within a mile south of the present Boyertown.
While Thomas Potts, Junior, may have been a member of this firm of iron masters in 1720 or earlier, he certainly did not remove to that region before 1726, because the deeds, heretofore quoted, clearly show that he was a resident of Germantown up to that year. He did eventually settle at Colebrookdale, and was actively associated with the Rutters and others in the development of the iron interests of that section, and so continued to the close of his life.
Thomas Rutter, Sr., died about the year 1730, and Thomas Potts, Junior, purchased one half of the Colebrookdale tract, embracing two hundred and fifty acres, and including the mansion house, called "Popodickon." Within a few years, both sons of Thomas Rutter, died, and the three sons of Thomas Potts intermarrying with the three granddaughters of Rutter, a considerable part of the Rutter estate became vested in the Potts Family. An abstract of a single deed will be sufficient to establish the identity of Thomas Potts, Junior.
Deed-Book H. Volume 4, page 435. June 1, 1741.
Thomas Potts, of Colebrookdale, Philadelphia County, Iron-Master, and Magdalen his wife, a deed to Thomas Wilson, of the same place, yeoman, for 192 acres of land in Colebrookdale. Consideration L150, Thomas Potts had purchased this land from Gerhart Henkel, by deed dated May 23, 1736. (See Deed-Book E. Volume 9, page 281.)
Thomas Potts died at Colebrookdale about January 1752. He was possessed of a large landed estate, including mines, furnaces and forges. In his will he mentions his wife Magdalen, his children and grandchildren. Many of the descendants of Thomas Potts, Junior, down to the present time, have been extensively engaged in iron manufacture. During the Revolutionary War, many heavy cannon and other war supplies were manufactured at the iron works operated by the Potts'. Members of the family filled honorable positions, both in the civil and military departments of the government. Dr. Jonathan Potts was a surgeon in the army, and in 1777, he was appointed by Congress to be Director General of the Hospitals of the Middle Department. It was at the house of Isaac Potts, another member of this family, that General Washington had his head-quarters, during the memorable encampment at Valley Forge, in the winter of 1777-8.
This family attained high social position, great wealth and wide influence. Several genealogies of the descendants of this family have been compiled. The first was by the late William Baird Potts, of Pottsville; the second was by the late James H. Carr, of Philadelphia. Both these compilations are in manuscript. In 1874, the late Mrs. Thomas Potts James, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, published a historic-genealogy of this branch of the family, entitled a "Memorial of Thomas Potts, Junior, etc." This is a handsome quarto volume of over 400 pages, and contains records of more than twelve hundred of his descendants, as well as much valuable historical matter.
In view of these former compilations, it is not intended to reprint, in this work, what has already been published, beyond a brief account of those of the second generation, and some pedigree diagrams. The record of the children of Thomas Potts, Junior, printed below, as well as the data for the annexed tabulated pedigree, has been mainly drawn from the "Memorial of Thomas Potts, Junior, etc.," by Mrs. Thomas Potts James.
He was married to Martha KEURLIS (daughter of Peter KEURLIS and Elizabeth) in 1699 in Abington MM, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. Martha KEURLIS died about 1716 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. Thomas POTTS and Martha KEURLIS had the following children:
+2 i. Elizabeth POTTS.
+3 ii. Mary POTTS.
+4 iii. John POTTS.
5 iv. Martha POTTS died on Jun 18 1714 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. She was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
6 v. Martha POTTS died on May 29 1715 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. She was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
He was married to Magdalen ROBESON. Thomas POTTS and Magdalen ROBESON had the following children:
+7 i. Martha POTTS.
+8 ii. Thomas POTTS.
+9 iii. David POTTS.
SECOND GENERATION
2. Elizabeth POTTS was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
She was married to Joseph WALKER on Feb 24 1721 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. Joseph WALKER died on Oct 11 1763 in Douglas Twp., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth POTTS and Joseph WALKER had the following children:
10 i. Lewis WALKER.
11 ii. Thomas WALKER.
12 iii. Joseph WALKER.
13 iv. Anna WALKER.
She was married to Derrick CLEAVER on Jun 30 1725 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania. Mary POTTS and Derrick CLEAVER had the following children:
14 i. Jonathan CLEAVER was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
15 ii. Peter CLEAVER was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
16 iii. Isaac CLEAVER was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
17 iv. John CLEAVER was born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania.
He was married to Ruth SAVAGE (daughter of Samuel SAVAGE and Ann RUTTER) on Apr 11 1734 in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John POTTS and Ruth SAVAGE had the following children:
+18 i. Thomas POTTS.
+19 ii. Samuel POTTS.
+20 iii. John POTTS.
+21 iv. Martha POTTS.
+22 v. David POTTS.
+23 vi. Joseph POTTS.
+24 vii. Dr. Jonathan POTTS
+25 viii. Anna POTTS.
+26 ix. Isaac POTTS.
+27 x. James POTTS.
+28 xi. Rebecca POTTS.
+29 xii. Jesse POTTS.
+30 xiii. Ruth POTTS.
31 i. Stephen YORKE.
32 ii. Edward YORKE.
+33 i. David POTTS.
+34 ii. Sarah POTTS.
+35 iii. Hannah POTTS.
36 iv. Thomas POTTS was born in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
+37 v. Margaret Magdalen POTTS.
38 vi. Mary POTTS was born in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was married to Deborah PYEWELL (daughter of William PYEWELL). Deborah PYEWELL was born. Thomas POTTS and Deborah PYEWELL had the following children:
+39 i. Rebecca POTTS.
+40 ii. William POTTS.
He was married to Rebecca RUTTER (daughter of John RUTTER and Mary).
THIRD GENERATION
18. Thomas POTTS was born in 1735 in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in 1785.
He was married to Anna NUTT.
19. Samuel POTTS was born in 1736 in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in 1793.
He was married to Joannah HOLLAND.
He was married to Margaret CARMICK.
She was married to Thomas RUTTER.
He was married to Mary ARIS.
He was married to Mary MORRIS.
He was married to Sarah POWELL.
He was married to Ann MITCHELL.
He was married to Mary KIRKBRIDE.
He was married to Grace RICHARDSON.
She was married to David POTTS (son of Thomas POTTS and Rebecca RUTTER). David POTTS died in 1782. He was born in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was married to Martha BOLTON.
He was married to Sarah EVANS.
He was married to Anna STOCKER.
She was married to Dr. Benjamin DUFFIELD.
He was married to Sarah LEWIS.
She was married to Peter LOHRA.
He was married to Anna POTTS (daughter of John POTTS and Ruth SAVAGE). Anna POTTS was born in 1747 in Colebrookdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She died in 1782.
She was married to William DEWEES.
She was married to Thomas DEWEES.
She was married to John ELLIS.
She was married to Samuel BAIRD.
He was married to Mary Frances POTTS.